Blog:Blog: Should Sealab 2020 be on here or Mixed TV Shows Wiki?



Some of you may know this cartoon from its Adult Swim parody, Sealab 2021.

Sealab 2020 is an obscure cartoon created by Alex Toth and proudced by Hanna-Barbera productions. It was broadcast on NBC from September 9 to December 2, 1972 and aired on Saturday mornings. Sealab 2020 was rather short-lived, airing only 13 episodes in total during its runtime.

I've read mixed reviews on this show. When it first aired, it was not well-received by watchers and was mostly criticized for being boring. However, in recent times, it has received more favorable reviews since new watchers thought it represented 2020 perfectly, with everyone underwater and all.

I am actually a fan of Sealab 2020. It has a pretty interesting premise about 250 people living in an underwater habitat that is dedicated to the studies and protection of marine life on a seamount. Sealab 2020 is also notably educational and somewhat realistic, and has taught some good morals and pretty interesting facts about marine life and biology. It has even taught viewers about what it's like to live underwater in a gigantic laboratory like Sealab.

NOTABLE FLAWS:


 * The main criticism is that it tends to drag and get boring sometimes, even for an educational cartoon (and especially since it was produced by HANNA-BARBERA PRODUCTIONS of all animation studios).
 * Like other Hanna-Barbera cartoons, especially those of its time, it has limited animation that looks poor and stiff.
 * Many animation errors. Most of them have to do with the characters going off model (in the episode, "Green Fever", there was a notable error with Jamie's design; he's supposed to be the smallest child in Sealab, but at one point, he looks almost as big as Bobby, who is a preteen).
 * The art style, while good, is sometimes badly-drawn due to the stilted animation, and at times it looks straight up lazy.
 * Simba the sea lion's barking can be annoying depending on your view.
 * While the show is almost always accurate, there are still a few inaccuracies here and there that maybe outdated, e.g. Sali says that "kelp is the fastest-growing plant in the world". Not only is kelp not a plant because it lacks roots, but it is not the fastest growing plant in the world (however, it IS the fastest-growing seaweed/algae, so it was almost correct).

NOTABLE GOOD QUALITIES:


 * The premise of 250 people living in a giant underwater laboratory in the year 2020 is a unique and interesting concept for its time.
 * Give it credit; it is educational and has taught various morals and lessons, facts about marine biology (and manages to stay accurate most of the time, as much of its information is still accurate today, such as the show's explanation on what the bends are and how ) and even what it's like living underwater in an enormous underwater habitat.
 * The voice acting is overall good, especially with John Stephenson as Captain Murphy.
 * The art style is good, despite it looking lazy or off-model at times. For example, the character designs look nice, e.g. Gail has an attractive design, and Bobby, Sali, Jamie and Simba all have cute designs. The color scheme is neat as well, and it has a very psychedelic feel à la Yellow Submarine.
 * It has its fair share of cute and heartwarming moments, as seen in episodes like "Deep Threat", "Lost", "The Singing Whale", "The Shark Lover" and "The Capture".
 * The ambient music in the intro is ominous yet cool. In fact, the soundtrack overall is pretty groovy.
 * While most of the characters can seem bland, none of them are unlikable at all, and there is a good amount of likable characters, such as Gail, Bobby, Sali and especially Jamie, whose adorable and playful personality lightens up the mood of the show.

So, I was wondering, should it be on this wiki, or the Mixed TV Shows Wiki?