The Banana Splits Movie

The Banana Splits Movie

Starring Dani Kind, Steve Lund, Finlay Wotjak-Hissong, Romeo Carere

Directed by Danishka Esterhazy

The Story:
"The Banana Splits" has been a children's programming show that's been on television for decades, and has particularly drawn the love of young Harley Williams (Finlay Wotjak-Hissong), who is completely obsessed with the show, especially Snorky the elephant.  For his birthday, his mother Beth (Dani Kind) gets him tickets to a show, and they attend with Harley's father Mitch (Steve Lund), older brother Austin (Romeo Carere), and classmate Zoe (Maria Nash) - and Harley is over the moon.

However, what Harley doesn't know is that the show has been canceled, and this would be the final show ever.  This doesn't sit well with the animatronic entertainers, who are programmed to believe that the show goes on no matter what - so after the show they go on a killing spree that threatens Harley and his family, along with the other hapless people left behind on set.

The Synopsis:
Children's shows are a strange breed, as they have to exist to entertain the little ones and therefore have to be over-the-top, zany, and downright off the wall, and to that end the imagination is endless.  However, for adults, most children's shows of this ilk are out-and-out creepy, and you wonder how these shows don't give your kids nightmares.  I remember growing up going to Chuck-E-Cheese and seeing the Make Believe Band on stage and being totally entertained by them, but seeing them now they are absolutely creepy - which also served as the inspiration for one of the most famous horror games on your cell phone, "Five Nights at Freddy's."

For two years - 1968 to 1970 - there was a Hanna-Barbera show that aired on NBC called "The Banana Splits Adventure Hour," featuring four furry animals who played rock music and performed a variety of other acts.  The animals were called Fleegle, Bingo, Drooper, and Snorky, and the show only lasted a little over 30 episodes, so not many people remember it.  So when word came out about a "Banana Splits" movie, no one really knew what to expect - and this is the only truly insightful thing the film had going for it: it wasn't a reboot to revive a long-dead television series, but a horror comedy about the animatronic animals seeking revenge for having their show canceled.  The concept was a stroke of genius - if only everything else about it would've been.  Instead, we get a direct-to-DVD cheesy horror film that does have very unique, fun, gory kills, but offers little more than that.

The film follows a family who get tickets to the final show (although they don't know it's the final episode), and, along with a group of other survivors who can easily just be labeled "killer fodder," find themselves in the fight of their lives against the ravenous, murderous animatronic stars who are programmed to believe that the show must go on no matter what.  Much like the reboot of "Child's Play" that came out earlier this year, it's a fascinating study on what happens when technology turns on us, but unlike "Child's Play," we don't really get a good reasoning for their sudden turn to evil (after all, they're totally robotic, so how could they care if they were canceled or not?).  But a cohesive story isn't necessary when you have a guy die by a large sucker, or one cut in half, or even getting drumsticks through their eyes - in fact, you don't need a story at all, and that's the gleefully delicious aspect of this film, one that will easily become another cult classic like "Killer Klowns From Outer Space."

The characters are all one-note and stereotypical: the annoying kid you just wish would die (especially after stupidly stepping out in front of the Splits as they're driving right in front of him), the no-nonsense mother, the philandering father, the stoner older brother, the annoying social media couple, the even more annoying wannabe studio dad who parades his daughter like a piece of meat (humorously unleashing her in front of one of the producers as she sings "My Humps" and is probably the most frightening thing in the whole film), the money-hungry executive, and so on.  Again, there doesn't have to be Oscar-worthy performances, just enough to make you remember who they are before they're eventually dispatched by the creatures.

The creatures themselves are fun to watch but confusing as anything - and not just from their motives.  One minute they're laboring to move, the next they're Jason Voorhees and warping all over the studio like it's nothing.  They're rather easy to take down one moment, and the next they're exhibiting superhuman strength capable of literally pulling people limb-from-limb.  However, I guess that's also how kids shows are - completely off the wall, zany, and nonsensical.  So in a way, this is the perfect children's show for adults who relish the gleeful pleasure of seeing d-bags get their comeuppance and root for the underdog - now if only "Spongebob" would make a horror movie.

The Summary:
Taking a unique spin on a classic children's show and making them bloodthirsty killers, "The Banana Splits Movie" splits from the typical reboot and instead sets out to literally split people open, resulting in a bloody good time if you don't take anything you see seriously.

The Score: D+