The Charge

Get ready for a whole new pecking order.

The Case

When Wasabi World is in trouble, there's only one superhero team that gets the call to set things right: The Chop Socky Chooks, a trip of chickens highly skilled in martial artistry. You've got Chick P, KO Joe, and Chuckie Chan, each representing a board stereotype from action movies. Chick P is the wise-cracking femme fatale, KO the Black Dynamite-inspired butt-kicker and Chuckie Chan is the wise, old master.

Together, they square off with their arch-nemesis, the sinister Dr. Wasabi, who continually tries to defeat his foes like any goofball animated kids show antagonist would: by drumming up the most obtuse, needlessly complicated Rube Goldberg-ish contraptions of death-dealing. Two discs, thirteen episodes.

So basically it's your typical bombastic cartoon, which took me by surprise considering the back of the disc case trumpets Chooks as an award-winner affiliated with Aardman (Wallace and Gromit). Maybe there's a cult following for this show, but I have to be honest: I don't get it.

This is your standard-issue, hyperactive, ADHD tomfoolery, with a kung-fu kick and poultry flavor. Episodes follow the standard game plan of introducing the dastardly-plot-of-the-week and then going full-bore with wisecracking and overblown action sequences and loud cartoon music and bright colors and headaches. What's missing? Wit, pretty much, and subtlety. Plus, while the computer-generated animation has its moments, and works well enough with the bonkers pacing of the show, I wasn't a fan of the character designs. These dudes are chickens, right? Not bratwurst links?

All that being said, here's the usual Big Caveat that accompanies these kids show reviews. While I find this show as charming as "Thriller" played on the jackhammer, the designated audience—small versions of adults, about yay high, fluid running freely from their noses—will likely eat this up. There's a lot on screen, it's bright and energetic and, of course, everyone does fricking kung fu.

The DVDs: 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen, 2.0 stereo, and no extras.

The Verdict

The court isn't a fan, but his future kids will probably enjoy it. Still, Guilty of generally annoying me.

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