In 1999 the Nickelodeon network underwent a reboot of a sorts, where they started introducing more hip and edgy programming that zeroed in on the entire X-Games generation. One of the more vocal series was Rocket Power, an animated sports comedy that is maligned by many Nickelodeon fans as pandering, vapid, and stupid. While I will agree Rocket Power is pandering and vapid, it also has some merits that make it at least worthy of experimentation. At least it’s not nearly as terrible as As Told By Ginger.
This is Klasky Csupo, after all, which is funny considering they feel very much out of their element with this series. The creators of AAH! Real Monsters and The Wild Thornberrys [Editor’s Note: Not to mention the criminally unknown Moville Mysteries] center this teen-oriented sports comedy in Ocean Shores, California. Sam Dullard is the new kid in town and not very adept to sports, but that changes when he meets a trio of extreme, sports-loving kids that spend their days skating and surf boarding. Among them are aspiring filmmaker Twister Rodriguez, and the Rockets: Otto, an aspiring athlete, and Reggie (aka Regina), an aspiring journalist. The trio take an instant liking to Sam for his eagerness to fit in and learn to play sports with the rest of the kids.
Rocket Power mainly centers on Sam and his introduction to Ocean Shores for the first episode, but then switches to focus on various characters during various episodes. Otto and sister Reggie are obviously the key points of promotion and fan fare for the series, as they’re appealing, stylish, and charismatic and garner the more interesting back story. Their widowed dad Ray “Raymundo” (John Kassir) is a legendary surfer who runs a burger shack on the beach with his life long friend Tito (the late Ray Bumatai). From there the show just jumps back and forth to self contained plots involving the four children learning life lessons, all the while gaining important experiences in competition.
Though they’re supposed to be perceived as flawed individuals that grow with every episode, the writers surprisingly write them as unlikable and often irritating. Particularly Otto, who is the best athlete among his friends and has absolutely no redeeming qualities. Every episode begins with some variation of Otto being egomaniacal, obnoxious, and oblivious to his friends’ feelings. In the end he’s only slightly apologetic and never really changes as a character. There’s also the incredibly overbearing use of sports slang, and jarring quick edits, that make the series something of a polarizing experience for fans of the more subtle Nickelodeon programming.
One of the other flaws of the series it there is almost no focus on the core characters backstories, a glaring hole that the writers never address for some odd reason. We learn a lot about Twister’s life in that he’s from a traditional Mexican American household with two well-meaning parents, and an older brother who delights in bullying him and his friends. Sam is also explored as being raised by an overprotective single mom and has a hard time connecting with his workaholic father who barely takes out time to visit him at his new home. Otto and Reggie are never really given any depth or exploration.
We’re never told how their mom died, when she died, if Tito was related to her or knew her in any way, and how she looked. She was obviously a Hawaiian woman that Ray adored, but that’s about it. Ray’s character is a blond surfer, while Reggie and Otto are darker skinned, of Hawaiian descent, and not even that is brought up as a plot point at any moment. It’s lazy that the two most focused on characters never receive a backstory. Especially for a series that last sixty one episodes and garnered three television movies on the network. Even in one of the television movies when Ray gets re-married, the identity and fate of their mother is never touched upon. It surely couldn’t have been the censors since Rugrats featured an episode revolving around the fate of character Chucky’s mother.
That said, Rocket Power influenced physical activity and made playing sports look absolutely exciting, which is always a plus. It also aimed for relatable storylines and coming-of-age narratives – half the time it worked. One episode involves Reggie in a snow boarding competition with a great athlete she discovers has an artificial leg. When she decides to throw the competition to let her win, the young girl is resentful and teaches her about treating the disabled equally. There’s also a wonderful episode where Tito begins to snap at Ray and the kids, revealing a deep sadness for his home in Hawaii.
To show him how much he’s appreciated, the kids take him out for the day to reveal how much of a positive influence he’s been on their lives. My favorite episode though is “Double-O Twistervision” where aspiring filmmaker Twister recruits his friends and neighbors to film his first feature length action film. The big airing of the film which includes bad acting, plot holes, and massive continuity issues still cracks me up. Rocket Power ultimately lasted for three seasons on Nickelodeon and even lived on in syndication for many years after its end.
Through its course on television, the series spawned several video games, a VHS release, and a DVD release. There was also a soundtrack, and a very short lived theme park attraction. Since then, Klasky Csupo’s presence has faded from Nickelodeon and the series remains a somewhat controversial memory for fans of classic Nickelodeon shows. Some dismiss it as a lame effort to appeal to the youth, and others enjoy it for the loud mess it was. What’s your opinion?
