Raggedy Ann and Andy: a Musical Adventure - Movie Review (Part 4)

Raggedy Ann and Andy: a Musical Adventure (Part 4)

We're back in the playroom for the final time, my beautiful fairies! It's time to reach the end of our journey with Raggedy Ann and Andy: A Musical Adventure. We've got no time to waste on this long and ludicrous round of playtime, so let's wrap this rag dolly!

 

We see that Raggedy Ann, her brother Andy, and The Camel With The Wrinkled Knees have escaped King Koo Koo and his court and flee into the sea. Thankfully, they use their telescope and find Babette and the pirates in the horizon! It seems the Mademoiselle Babette is doing pretty well for herself, as she has literally taken over the ship as the captain. Singing and dancing in a new outfit, Babette promises to take her former kidnappers back with her to Paris, where she promises them the high life. The shots of the pirate ship itself are incredibly detailed with intricately-drawn wooden carvings and shading on every piece of glass, and the song Babette sings to her new crew it quite catchy to go alongside the beautiful visuals, but ultimately short.

Now you’re probably wondering where Captain Pervert is in all of this. Well, much like Icarus, he simped too close to the sun and now he and his parrot are locked away in the brigs, where he can spend the rest of his waking nights as the coomer he truly is.

The Captain: “Just as I had my prize in my grasp. Just as I was about to pluck the flower of paradise! A rose turned into a thorn, and my dream into a nightmare!”
Queasy: “Nightmare!”
The Captain: “How long I waited for true love.”
Queasy: “Love!”
The Captain: “And here I am, a man condemned by his own passion!”

Wow, isn’t this a hoot. Truly, nothing could make this climax more obnoxious than another horrific musical numb- never mind. Where’s the chloroform?

 "Hooray for Me!" and "You're My Friend" from Raggedy Ann and Andy: A Musical Adventure

This is the worst song in the movie. The lyrics suck, the singing from the parrot sucks, the visuals suck; it’s just an unimaginative bore that replaced what could’ve been substantial plot development. And this is one of my biggest issues with the movie: the wasted potential between Babette and the Captain would have easily been solved with just a minute or two of them interacting after her kidnapping. The most flimsy aspect of the movie is definitely the story. On a technical scale, the film is a marvel. But the writing is your standard children’s adventure dressed in the clothing of insanity, where the movie’s stylish whimsy carries along a paper-thin narrative and the themes end up doing most of the heavy lifting. I would’ve loved to see more scenes of Babette and the Captain, maybe even having a short scene that at least shows Babette escaping, tricking the Captain, or at least charming over his crew. I’d much rather that than this pathetic song about friendship in a movie where there’s already a ton of good songs about friendship. I wish this song was scrapped and replaced with something actually engaging. The Captain repenting his evil ways makes him more sympathetic, but it also means we missed some chances to see that character growth in exchange for a terrible song.

It sucks because Babette also helps explore the movie’s themes. Babette represents a similar story to the Camel, as she clearly wants to return to her old Parisian lifestyle after finding herself in a strange new environment. It’s very clear she’ll never see Paris again. Instead of embracing the kindness of the toys in her new home, Babette enters a melancholy state where she continually mopes and feels sorry for herself. But unlike the Camel, who (albeit hopelessly) searches for his goals, Babette does nothing to improve or adapt to her situation. The life of a plaything is far beneath her. But when she’s captured by the pirates, she defeats the Captain and forces the crew to take her back home to France. She’s sick of playing damsel and is now willing to be active in returning to her old home. Her journey is about finding happiness in new situations. After desperately chasing the past, she embraces the future. I also feel that the Captain, the only antagonist who changes by the end of the film, represents a cautionary tale about chasing happiness you can’t have. But we’ll get to the end of their arcs later...

The dolls make it to the ship, but Babette has no intentions of going back to Marcella’s room and becomes hostile, capturing the heroes. All the while, King Koo Koo is back hot on their trail water-skiing with a monster made from an old deflated tire named Gadzooks (who is just as fluidly and expressively animated as The Greedy was.) The Captain is freed thanks to his parrot just in time for the start of his redemption arc by freeing the dolls and attempting to apologize to Babette (albeit poorly, as he still attempts to romance her.) Suddenly Gadzooks starts attacking the ship with his rubbery tentacles, capturing Andy, The Camle, and the pirate crew, but Ann and Babette manage to hide under a covered boat. And you know how… strange and fetishy The King’s inflation is? Well, the climax in this movie is… tickling. Gadzooks tickles everyone to make them laugh, which then makes The King laugh so hard he begins to inflate into a giant balloon. It's a bit uncomfortable with a modern context, with how inflation has taken on a disturbed sexual energy, and the main characters doing nothing but hiding and getting tickled makes the climax as strange as it is unimpressive. But the parrot (who ends up saving the day as opposed to the main protagonists,) destroys The King by popping him with his beak. This fittingly wraps up The King's arc of how happiness from evil only leads to your inevitable demise.

 

And then they’re back to reality! Yes, I’m not kidding. I told you this movie’s story was- well, not there. That was the climax, so I hoped you liked that uncomfortable fetish fuel! Marcella ends up finding all the toys scattered in her yard and taking them back home, with the sad exception of The Camel. (But his arc’s not over yet.) Speaking of arcs, The Captain and Babette learn their lessons too! Kind of. Through thick, thin, and compromise, Johnny Bravo learns the true meaning of consent and starts making an effort to win Babette over through time, patience, and charisma, starting to see the demon spawn as less of a prize, but as an epic girlboss that will one day run for Prime President of the United Provinces of France. 

The Captain’s arc is the messiest in the movie. The captain never apologizes aside from a "Let's let bygones be bygones!" and that’s a horrible oversight in terms of the writing. Babette also seems all too forgiving, even calling him “romantic.” Yuck! I really wish the Captain and Babette had any relationship development, as their happy ending is really forced because they never made up until right this second. (And I should also point out that there is a part of this movie’s cult following that likes seeing Babette and Ann as a couple.) But, to wrap everything up in a quilted blanket, we get the movie’s sweet little goodbye melody. 

"Home" from Raggedy Ann and Andy: A Musical Adventure

I quite like this as a finale song, and as a way to both cement Ann's core character trait of humility and tenderness AND as a way for The Camel's arc to come full circle (literally, as a circle of camels guides him towards Marcella's window.) The music is darling, and the lyrics are the cherry on top of the sweet albeit simple sundae, especially lines like: “All the wandering and the wondering, where would I find? That little world of love I saw so clear in my mind? Now it's here at last, all my troubles past, never more I'll have to roam! I'm home! I'm home.”

But don’t forget our final friend, as The Camel gets his home; the illusion of family literally guides him to a true family. The Camel completes his arc, as he represents finding a new happiness after you believe you have lost it, as well as letting go of fantasies of the “perfect” unchanging happiness and embracing what you have found. He’s like if Eyeore overcame his depression. And with Marcella’s acceptance of The Camel in her room and one last reprise of “Candy Hearts and Paper Flowers”, this freakish yet fantastic fairytale comes to a close.

 

Raggedy Ann and Andy: A Musical Adventure can be summed up in so many words: earnest, surreal, heartwarming, insane, not well-structured, clumsy, directionless. The flaws that need patching up are as clear as day, from inconsistent pacing, non-existent relationship development with many characters, a nonsensical plot flow, and many forgettable songs; a few loose threads that never got sewn up, but the final creation still has so much love to give. It’s as admirable and refreshing as it is melancholy and manic. The plot, while full of imaginative imagery, is very haphazard, only really carried by characters and themes. And even then, the themes can be somewhat clumsy. Having the plot take a backseat in favor of the characters and environments can either be seen as a strength or weakness depending on your preferences, but I say strong characters can save a weak story while weak characters can’t save a strong story. And I feel that while the main characters don’t really grow or change, a lot of the side characters have simple but effective character arcs with messy but endearing theming of chasing desires you can’t have: finding a new desire, being happy with what you got, finding happiness in new places, or going down dark paths where happiness will never find you.

This movie is a trip through the uncanny valley wearing the skin of a children’s film. It’s bold enough to touch themes like inferiority complexes, abandonment issues, depression, and idealism- all while managing to maintain an otherwise optimistic tone and atmosphere. That being said, if you sit your children down and expect this to be wholesome family fun? AHAHAHAHAHAH-! Little kids are either going to be bewildered or crap themselves. There is something charismatically deranged about this movie’s aura. It knows what it wants and it embraces its campy nonsense to its fullest capacity, which is obviously not going to appeal to every waking soul. If you’re one of those people that enjoys surreal visuals, well Raggedy Ann has a greeting card with your name on it. It’s a timeless tale of how short-term pursuits of power and possessions are far more heavy on the heart than the more difficult but rewarding journeys of finding genuine connections and sincerity with others. 

Don’t go into this movie expecting either hyper-childish shlock or something inappropriately twisted; it's a mix. It’s whimsically deranged. A movie that gives you hope that, yes, we could all love each other, be happy, and be friends. Its idealism never comes across as too infantilizing because those darker and dreary elements help give weight to this wonderland and enhance the morals. The movie about Raggedy Ann symbolizes what Raggedy Ann herself is: it’s a nice movie, just there to make you happy. All the dark and weird stuff that the movie is infamous for, and yet, it’s still such a sweet and humble movie about simple loves. It won’t appeal to everyone because of the bizarre and unconventional nature, I recommend this movie if you’re an animation lover, a musical lover, or just a big ol’ softie who wants a movie to feel like a warm hug from an old friend. This movie is a little bitter for kids wanting to grow up and a little sweet for the kids at heart. It’s a hypnotically hopeful, innocently insane, even playfully profound at points animated adventure that’s as unassumingly delightful as that little rag dolly herself.  

And that’s all for today’s tale of love and lunacy! Now go out, my beautiful fairy, and share happiness to all you know! Learn from the stories we have shared and seek to bring wonder and joy to all you meet… yes, even the jerks. Goodbye, my beautiful fairies. Until you return to this fairy tale, with Your Clairy Godmother.