Chicken Scratch (2002)

I came across this short on my Powerpuff Girls Movie DVD since 'Dexter's Laboratory' was one of my favourite shows on Cartoon Network alongside 'The Powerpuff Girls' and 'Johnny Bravo.' After having watched it, I found it straightforward yet cleverly written and reminiscent of the 'Rugrats' episode 'Chicken Pops' where Chuckie gets chickenpox and passes it on to the other kids.In this short, Dexter gets chickenpox and Dee Dee tells him how children contract it, thus making Dexter believe he would turn into a chicken if he scratches his spots. Dexter enters his lab to see if he can find a way to cure the chickenpox but he gets the urge to scratch. He eventually gives in and true to Dee Dee's word, he turns into a chicken much to her horror. This reminded me of the end of 'Chicken Pops' where an egg rolls beneath Angelica when she is in the car, she picks it up and believes she is turning into a chicken due to getting chicken pox and thinking she laid the egg.All in all, this is a short, smart and amusing cartoon that had a straightforward premise. 8/10.

At the front of the Power Puff Girls movie was a new Dexter's Lab short. Jerry Beck suggested its Oscar worthy, I'm not so sure, but I know that a nomination wouldn't displease me. Its a simple story who's only flaw is that it goes on perhaps a little too long for something so simple.Basically Dexter wakes up with Chicken Pox and his sister tells him what happens if you scratch yourself. Dexter then spends the rest of the time trying not to scratch.You know where its going- and you don't care. I didn't. Personally this deserved to be on the big screen if for no other reason then it seemed to play more like a John K (Ren and Stimpy or Ripping Friends) cartoon then a normal Dexter. The close ups of the inflames pox screamed K's work. I actually found myself smiling at some of its dumbness.Its not high art but I laughed better laughs then at the Powerpuff Girls Movie which followed it.

I once described the series Dexter's Laboratory as "A cartoon for all ages". When it comes to the first two seasons and Ego Trip, I stand by that. But ever since Dexter's Laboratory returned for a third season a while back, I found that I couldn't bear to watch it anymore. Every possible thing went wrong. The new season "boasted" terrible animation, awful writing and Christine Cavanaugh was replaced by Candi Milo (who I think gives a terrible voice for Dexter). Worst of all, Genndy Tartakovsky was not as involved as he used to be and it showed.So when I heard Genndy was going to be involved with this short, I had high hopes. The verdict? Not really all that good. I didn't care for the animation, nor for the performances from Candi Milo and Allison Moore (Christine Cavanaugh and Kathryn Cressida were better). I do consider this better than much (if not all) of the recent episodes, but it's no where near the quality of the first two seasons or Ego Trip, so I guess that's faint praise at best.Bottom line: Thumbs down.

If I'd known just how lousy Chicken Scratch was going to be ahead of time, I would have hit the concession stand or the bathroom before the main film started. With Dexter creator Genndy Tartakovsky almost completely out of the creative loop (due to his work on Samurai Jack), the writing and animation have become weird and unfunny. This short almost looks like something that could have come from the Spumco, in the vein of Ren and Stimpy, and both Candi Milo and Allison Moore sound awful in their respective character voices.Chicken Scratch will be included on the upcoming Powerpuff Girls Movie DVD. If you've seen it, you know enough to skip over it; if you haven't seen it, spare yourself the discomfort.(A note on the above credits: Christine Cavanaugh did not do the voice of Dexter. She was replaced by Milo at the beginning of the show's third season.)