In Defense of Disney's Bonkers

Disney's Bonkers is a surprisingly divisive series with a checkered production history; De-Jure inspired by the Toon & Human Dynamic of Roger rabbit and either loved or hated by by Nineties kids and Disney afternoon enthusiasts alike. Yet, despite this, I actually like the series...though not because of the eponymous main character

In This Article, I'll explain why

Disney's Bonkers follow the adventures of Bonkers D Bobcat, an ex-toon star turned Cop who solves toon related crimes. Like most cartoons from the era, however, it is Bonkers's relationship with the humans world that makes the show interesting.

Before I get into that; let me address the elephant in the room

very...funny...

Now the show has two fair common criticisms; Bonkers "annoying" personality and the lack of distinction between the humans and toon world. In the case of the former; I tend to cut Bonkers a little slack because not only is he a zany cartoon character but he's also not necessarily the real star of the show. If anything, he's like an Inspector Gadget, more or less there to be a decoy while the other characters do the real heavy lifting. It is also on this note that I overlook the latter problem, as I think the show would hardly be half as charming if the human world was live action.

That all said; Bonkers had two partners in the series; Lucky Piquel and Miranda Wright

Lucky Piquel was a grumpy, toon adverse, everyman detective who was paired up with Bonkers in the first half of the series. Miranda Wright was the more idealistic and good natured rookie cop who was up with Bonkers in the second half of the series. While Lucky was often impatient with Bonkers's antics, he would show a soft spot to Bonkers when the series called for. Miranda, on the other hand, had a higher tolerance for Bonkers's antics and was a much more sympathetic partner to Bonkers.

It's hard to say who was better as Bonkers partner. I personally prefer Miranda Wright for being a hot young woman in her twenties (hey, I'm just a guy) and I feel she's a lot more forgiving of Bonkers. That said, Lucky & Bonkers had a much more interesting contrast (ala Roger Rabbit & Eddie Valliant). Added to that, Bonkers looked like an optimistic idealist compared to Lucky's crusty personality, whereas Miranda's cool headed demeanor made Bonkers look like a buffoon in comparison.

Interestingly enough however, another advantage Lucky's arc had over Miranda was the Piquel family; namely Lucky's wife Dylandra and daughter Marilyn. Dylandra was a southern woman who's slender figure and beautiful appearance contrasted perfectly with her husband's (like Pete & Peg done right)

However; this brings me to probably my favorite character; Marilyn Piquel. Lucky's kid daughter, Marilyn was little Glasses girl and child genius who had a love and passion for cartooning. Once again, this was a perfect contrast with her more toon adverse father. That said, Lucky still really loves his family, and its often Marilyn who helped to bring out his softer side.

Now a couple of specific episode examples I Want to point out

Smells Like Old Toons is a break from the usual crime stopping episode format which, I felt, perfectly depicts the struggle of aspiring animators and Cartoonist. In the episode, Marilyn unintentionally gets an invite by Flugal studios to finish production on the last Beezle & Buzzle cartoon before the studio gets demolished. The episode really gives you a sense of Marilyn's passion for cartooning, trying to animate the cartoon even as the studio gets knocked down. Thankfully, the episode gets finished and Flugal studios sets up a new temporary studio...In Lucky's office

Imagine That was a redemption story centered around a toon pencil graffiti artist who Bonkers tries to stop. In the episode, Marilyn follows the pencil into a toon realm. However, Marilyn being who she is, helps the graffiti artist pencil realize his potential as a legitimate artist. The episode ends with the pencil now doing some remodeling of the Piquel house (to Marilyn's delight and Lucky's annoyance)

Tokyo Bonkers was an episode that played out more like an Inspector Gadget or an 80s cartoon than the more zany hijinks that Bonkers was known for. The show centers around Bonkers and Miranda Wright returning a former cartoon star turned terrorist Z-bot back to the Tokyo police, which gets complicated by Bonkers's poor judgment. Now having been to Japan twice, I can also tell you that the Tokyo in the episode was fairly accurate. However, my favorite aspect of the episode was how popular Bonkers is in Japan compared to at home in the states; a parallel to animation's Popularity in Japan compared to the US. Also, I also enjoyed Kiyoko as a supporting character in a Japan episode (much like Atsuko from Inspector Gadget's Japanese Connection episode)

Now as far as I know, the series should be on Disney+ and other streaming platforms (and internet archive if all else fails), so I highly recommend checking out the series and looking at it in a different light.