Cartoon Network's golden era is home to some of the greatest cartoons of the last 30 years, but as this period began to close out, the channel's most underrated show premiered The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack. Unfortunately, this show often gets left out of the conversation when people are discussing this channel's best shows.
The Big Picture
- The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack is an underrated gem from Cartoon Network's golden era that deserves more recognition.
- Flapjack, Captain K'nuckles, and Bubbie are a fantastic trio of characters that make the show enjoyable and memorable.
- The show's quirky humor, adventurous tone, and unique animation style make it a must-watch for fans of creative and fun cartoons.
Cartoon Network's golden era is home to some of the greatest cartoons of the last 30 years, but as this period began to close out, the channel's most underrated show premiered — The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack. Unfortunately, this show often gets left out of the conversation when people are discussing this channel's best shows. Considering how creative and bizarre Flapjack is, you'd expect more people to be singing its praises. It kind of just feels like Cartoon Network's SpongeBob SquarePants, but it deserves way more credit than that. Between its hilarious sense of humor, darker elements, a true sense of adventure, and a fantastic cast of characters, The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack stands tall as one of Cartoon Network's best shows and deserves a better reputation in the eyes of fans everywhere.
Cartoon Network has fallen off some in the last decade, but from the 90s until the early 2010s, the channel was running strong with tons of great shows. Its early years boasted classics like Dexter's Laboratory, Johnny Bravo, and Cow and Chicken. These shows set the standard for Cartoon Network, a channel that would go on to provide smart and inventive cartoons one after another — shows like Ed, Edd n' Eddy, The Powerpuff Girls, and the oddly terrifying Courage the Cowardly Dog, to name a few. More hits would come from their camp, but rarely ever would they be as good as their first few releases. Codename: Kids Next Door, The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, and Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends were solid shows, but the channel's apparent dip in quality was real. The late 2000s started to feel like a creative wasteland for Cartoon Network, but that's where The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack came to save the day.
'The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack' Had a Short but Great Run
Flapjack's pilot first premiered on May 7, 2007, and a few shorts would come in its wake, but the show would finally premiere on June 5, 2008. The show follows a young boy named Flapjack (Thurop Van Orman) who was raised by a talking whale named Bubbie (Roz Ryan), and together they are joined by a pirate named Captain K'nuckles (Brian Doyle-Murray) in their journey to find the mystical Candy Island. In between adventures, they spend their time at Stormalong Harbor, a cloudy little fishing town full of loads of strange characters and happenings. The series would only run for three seasons, ultimately airing its final episode on August 31, 2010. A short run might feel like a bummer at first, but at least that means that the series ended before running out of steam. The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack truly went out on a high note.
The Leading Trio in 'The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack' Rocks
The longevity of any good cartoon does rely on creativity, humor, and a general timelessness, but most important of all is having a protagonist that you actually want to go back to and spend time with. Flapjack doesn't just have one of those, it has three. First off, the titular little sailor boy himself is a ton of fun. Flapjack is basically a human SpongeBob — the obnoxious but lovable embodiment of happiness and positivity. His innocence juxtaposed against the seediness and nastiness of Stormalong Harbor makes him stick out like a sore thumb, but in a way that he's totally oblivious to. Flapjack isn't even phased by any of the oddities that surround him — he's just concerned with getting to Candy Island! Flapjack's also a stylish little dude, with some flowing hair billowing out from under his sailor cap, a handkerchief tied around his neck, a nice red and white striped shirt, and some muted blue pants. There have been loads of stylish characters in TV and film, but few as killer as ol' Flap!
Aside from Flapjack, the show's other two leads are a joy as well. Captain K'nuckles is a strange-looking pirate captain, less stylish than his little friend, but has such an odd look that he'll stick with you. That and his voice is one of the most striking in the whole show, voiced by the same voice actor as SpongeBob's Flying Dutchman character, the gravel-throated Brian Doyle-Murray. K'nuckles is the perfect anchor for Flapjack. He is his dead serious, incredibly ambitious father figure, one who's ready to screw anyone over if it means getting to Candy Island. To balance things out in the trio, there's also Bubbie, Flapjack's motherly talking whale. She's a caring guardian over her son and often tries to keep him from going on adventures with K'nuckles, but always ends up giving in one way or another. In between their outings, Flap and K'nuckles hang out inside of Bubbies' mouth, so uh, there's that.
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'The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack' Has an Odd, Adventurous Tone
Given the show's three very different leads, the show also opens itself up to being one with many different tones. Sometimes, Flapjack will have you busting a gut laughing, squirming in disgust, feeling uncomfortable with some super strange threats and highly detailed close-ups (also like SpongeBob), growing in a swashbuckling sense of adventure, and feeling like a kid again with an overwhelming desire for candy. Flapjack is a hilarious, quirky, and oddly inspiring time because of its wondrous spirit. Barring Adventure Time, it could be Cartoon Network's most creative and fun show.
Loads of cartoons are funny or good at making their audience uncomfortable, but few know how to rock that adventurous vibe as much as this one. Most episodes revolve around Flapjack and Captain K'nuckles leaving Stormalong Harbor to go find something that will help in their greater journey to Candy Island — that or just a flat-out attempt at finding Candy Island. This opens the show up to meeting tons of strange new faces and funky locations, but all by basically recreating the same general plot in a ton of episodes. Flapjack and Captain K'nuckles have a new lead on Candy Island, they pursue it, get into whacky and odd shenanigans, and end up okay in the end. It's a pretty welcome formula though, and basically just makes Flapjack a comfort food-type show.
Sometimes, you just need a show where you can fire it up and know exactly the kind of things you're going to get into. With Flapjack, you're always ready for a new adventure. There's also definitely an adventurous vibe that comes from setting a large part of your show by the docks of a small sea town. Flapjack is simply a delight to come back to over and over again. Who wouldn't want to go on adventures with Flapjack and K'nuckles?
Is 'The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack' Based on a True Story?
This sense of adventure doesn't just feel inspired by one man's inventive nature — it's so deeply rooted in the show's DNA that it feels personal. That's because it kind of is. Flapjack wasn't just a fun idea for a show — it's kind of creator Thurop Van Orman's childhood dreams of being an adventurer put on screen. Van Orman's early childhood years were spent in Panama City, Florida, where he'd sit by the docks and fantasize about adventure. At 13, he and his family moved to Salt Lake City, Utah, where he grew to miss the ocean. Orman spent a little while working as a janitor, saved up some money, and bought a plane ticket to go back to Panama City. He then planned to make his way to the nearby Shell Island, where he would live a life of adventure from there on out. After a while, Van Orman found himself sunburned, starving, and not exactly making it as an adventurer in the way that he initially pictured. After eating out of dumpsters in Mexico, he began rethinking his life choices, took his experiences, and made his way to animation. Thus, Flapjack was born.
Flapjack is such an easy show to go on and on about. There are so many different little bits that make it great that it'd be impossible to cover them all without just rambling like a madman. How about side characters like Doctor Barber (Steven Little), the Harbour's creepy doctor and barber with a serial killer-vibe? Or Peppermint Larry (Jeff Bennett), basically Stormalong's bartender, but for candy? And don't forget minor, minor characters like the Man With a Little Girl's Voice! Or what about the cozy, foggy background buildings of Stormalong and their construction-paper-like waves that surround the Harbour? There's also just the joyful nature of centering an entire show around pirates looking for an island made of candy. I mean, how does it get better than that? Sure, Cartoon Network has had a ton of great shows, but seriously, none are as overlooked as The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack. Man, if it's been a while for you, or just flat out never, please give this show a watch — it's absolutely fantastic.
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