Disney has a brand new cartoon show and early word of mouth says it could be quite the hit. Kiff, which premieres today on the Disney channel and comes to Disney+ streaming on 15 March, is an animated buddy comedy about cheerful squirrel Kiff and her best friend Barry. And it's giving me strong Adventure Time vibes, although it's aimed at a younger audience.
The stories are very short at 11 minutes each, which is handy for parents of kids with short attention spans, and according to award-winning voice artist Kimono Glenn, who plays the titular squirrel, they're tons of fun. Speaking to Comicsbeat.com, Glenn said that "The situations are so outlandish and creative and interesting... I hope that parents actually get to enjoy the shows they're allowing their kids to watch."
What is Kiff actually about?
The cartoon takes place in a place called Tabletown where animals and magical oddballs live together. Each episode starts with a simple premise – ride the water slide, be the first to drink from a water fountain and so on – and then things go off the rails with the obligatory hilarious consequences. The theme tune, which is essentially "Kiff!" yelled over pumping ska, is highly likely to become an earworm.
The "brilliant, funny and ridiculous" scripts – Glenn again, this time speaking to Bleeding Cool – are deliberately made to be light and refreshing; there's no Disney movie darkness or extra layers of meaning for the grown-ups here, just old-school talking-animal tomfoolery, slapstick and running gags with the odd joke designed to go over the kids' heads and amuse the adults. I've seen some comparisons to the legendary Animaniacs of the 1990s, and a few online commenters have been saying that it really feels like a show from the 90s rather than the 2020s. That's intended as a compliment.
It'll be interesting to read the reviews when the show actually debuts later today, but it's definitely one to put on your Disney Plus wish list if you've got kids or just fancy some old-school animated fun.
