Starting off this long journey of ours is the short that started it all, the first “Oh Yeah! Cartoons” short that served as a pilot for the series. Fittingly, it’s simply titled “The Fairly OddParents!”, and it’s quite the interesting start to this trek.
For those who are accustomed with the official series, you’ll be able to recognize the basic set-up. Timmy Turner is left at home with his evil babysitter Vicky, and his fairy godparents, Cosmo and Wanda, arrive to cheer him up through the fun of revenge. You know, normal stuff.
But speaking as someone who’s so used to the official series, it’s pretty fascinating getting a look at exactly where it all started. There’s notable differences in the pilot than what you would find in the show, and I’m curious what the other shorts do with these decisions.
One thing you’ll notice right away is that Timmy’s parents’ faces aren’t visible. I think this was done to get us more acquainted with the younger characters, but I can say that the series going on to have their faces visible was a smart choice. Helps to humanize them more.
One thing that really threw me off was Cosmo, though, but I do admit I love the way he’s written here. Not only is his voice much deeper than I’m used to, but he’s also considerably smarter than his official counterpart, and he also has quite the snarky mouth on him. I can understand why the change to his personality was done, though. If it wasn’t, then he and Wanda would run the risk of being too similar, and Wanda’s great as she is. Having them both be polar opposites that still attract is a very smart move.
As for the revenge against Vicky, it’s quite a fun and cathartic sequence. The short does a good job making you want to see her get her comeuppance, and it’s pretty satisfying to see it play out, along with all the amusing visuals that go with it. There’s also a little bit towards the end that suggests that Vicky knows something is up with Timmy’s goldfish and is set on finding it out. As far as I recall, that’s not a thing in the official show, but I’m curious if future shorts will play more into it.
Overall, I really do like this short. It’s nothing amazing, and there is the occasional coloring error or animation mistake(Vicky is swimming above water, for instance), but the animation and writing are solid enough to make for a good foundation of what’s to come.
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