Kim Possible: The Secret Files

Disney likes kids. That’s obvious. Without kids, let’s face it, there’d really be no animation industry. Sure, the geeks say, sure there would! We love cartoons! But in truth, geeks and adults of questionable mentalities don’t actually make up a huge chunk of the population. That’s why they’re picked on – because they’re a minority.

And because they’re usually fragile and snap like Saladas.

"Where did your little Kimmy learn to kick bottom like that?"

But be that as it may, Disney doesn’t really aim at these folks; they aim at the kids and the geeks are just a bonus. Plus, kids usually get their parents to buy them DVDs and not download them from the Internet as the geeks do. Also, Disney is running a Disney Channel that swallows around 22 hours a day of animation. Yeah they repeat stuff, but generally there’s scads of airtime they gotta fill. This is where shows aimed at the kids come into being. Sometimes we have to wonder about the logic of particular shows, but in Kim Possible there’s no question the formula works.

Kim Possible is a regular kid. Somewhere in her early to mid teens, she and best friend Ron Stoppable (get it?) work as operatives for their own freelance organisation which relieves the world of those who have world domination on their minds. All by using her brains and lithe body and definite arse-kicking power, rather than guns and drugs.

Here in this 67-minute compilation, Kim must outwit the evil robot army of Dr. Drakkan (a school friend of her scientist father) in Attack of the Killer Bebes. Then she’s gotta defeat DNAmy (unlike us here who must defeat DVDAmy on a regular basis… Hi Amy!) while away on a school excursion to the snow (with her parents as chaperones. Euuww!). Finally, she confronts Senor Senior Senior and his son Senor Senior Junior in a '70s-fuelled trip through an automated discotheque of animatronics. All while managing to coach the school soccer team.

This is fun and designed at empowering young women as part of the New Disney attitude mirrored by shows like The Proud Family which speaks to the minority groups of America. Kim uses her brains a lot, plus an awesome ability to kick arse karate style to manage her dimwitted and humourously clichéd adversaries. There are a few references to things kids won’t necessarily get, but these are throwaway gags designed to entertain any adults watching (hear Senor Senior Senior utter, ‘This ain’t no party, this ain’t no disco, this ain’t no foolin’ around’…). The whole emphasis of the show is on being a strong young woman in this enlightened 21st century, with Kim’s partner being a slower witted male, in Ron. It’s not a man bash, but is in fact a timely payback to the past by having a boy as the comic relief and second fiddle to Kim’s leadership.

There are throngs of big name animation voice talents thrown in, including folks from all over town and numerous studios which is confusing, but certainly welcome. Fans will recognise Nancy Cartwright (The Simpsons) immediately, but may take a moment to recognise Patrick Warburton, Nestor Carbonell (both of The Tick), Gary Cole, Phil LaMarr and John Di Maggio (both of Futurama).

The animation is deliciously stylised and features brilliant and appealing visuals that kids will no doubt get excited about. This show currently airs on the Disney Channel and while there are references to previous experiences not included here, is followable by anyone wishing to begin their Kim Possible experience.

Recent animation is great. Designed for TV it’s all done in widescreen (aspect ratio 1.78:1 with anamorphic enhancement) and computer scanned and coloured. The picture is hermetically sealed or something with not a single artefact ruining the perfect colour and crisp lines. Razor sharp picture quality is emphasised by perfect lighting and exaggerated design, creating a virtual retro caricature of society today.

The credits from each episode have been removed to one total credit list at the end and each episode is bridged by a 3D animated version of Ron’s pet Rufus, the naked molerat, arguing with Kim’s transponder.

I can’t find a fault regarding this video transfer and so the ten yellow spots are wholly justified. Perfect.

Whilst only delivered in Dolby Digital stereo, this is more than adequate and the standard for television releases of this nature. The dialogue is just the teensiest bit lower than the music throughout, creating an uncomfortable level adjustment occasionally. However, all dialogue is supremely delivered and in the way teenage girls talk, like, you know? Sound effects are all fine, sometimes more realistic and at others quirky and there are no synch issues at all. Music has been created by Adam Berry and is suitably actiony/espionage/spy flavoured in the same way as Agent Cody Banks or Spy Kids is. There are also a couple of hip semi-rap numbers thrown in for good measure, including the closing credits performed by cast members.

Only a couple here, but a nice soft intro to the world of Kim Possible. The first entrant is in an interactive game that isn’t so much a game as a memory test. You gotta either guess the combination or remember it from Rufus on a different screen before applying it to hack a file on one of the numerous baddies Kim must regularly deal with. Pretty lame really when a simple bunch of character biographies would have sufficed.

Next comes a bonus episode from the previous season that sees Kim with a major crush on some dude named Josh. The episode is entitled Crush and is only a 4:3 transfer, but still looks pretty good. A run time of 22:50 sees voice talent that includes Dan Castellaneta (the ineffable Homer Simpson), Gary Cole, John DiMaggio (Bender from Futurama) and Nicole Sullivan (Mad TV). There are also some none-too-subtle digs at animé included here that may raise an eyebrow or two. Which would be both and not the expression I’m talking about at all.

Finally, a music video featuring latest clone off the conveyor belt, Christy Carlson Romano. She’s also the voice of Kim, so she has a little cred, but the song is pretty much what you would expect from this sort of release.

While the geeks prepare to write me indignant email (possibly in 512 shades of red), I might add that most of their teenage fantasies are emulated in Kim here. She’s lithe, she’s sexy and she’s a girl. So maybe not every fantasy then, but certainly a huge chunk of them. However, she’s also smart, she’s tough and she don’t take no guff from no one. Plus she’s a cheerleader.

Teenagers are the target audience here and without doubt they will find (if they haven’t already) in Kim a girl they can relate to (to some degree). The animation is superb and speaking as an adult (and inevitably labeled geeky) the show looks great with enough subtle gags to keep the adults interested and reminded of just how far they are from the netherworld of the teen years.

Thank God.