The algorithm gods have spoken and deemed that the masses crave the mindless antics of a cartoon bird with a laugh that could make even the most patient Buddhist monk contemplate violence.
It seems implausible that a cackling cartoon woodpecker could steal the spotlight like this. Yet, here we are. Woody Woodpecker Goes to Camp, directed by Jonathan A. Rosenbaum, has not just pecked but bulldozed its way to the top of the Netflix streaming charts this week (as per FlixPatrol), leaving the likes of crime documentary What Jennifer Did and Spanish rom-com Love, Divided flapping helplessly in its wake.
Woody Woodpecker Goes to Camp is exactly what it sounds like — a sequel nobody asked for, yet everyone watched. Woody finds himself expelled from his forest abode and stumbles into Camp Woo Hoo, which is, of course, on the brink of closure. Cue the slapstick shenanigans and camp-saving heroics that could only impress viewers under the age of five or those nostalgic adults whose standards plummet after their third glass of wine on a Friday night. Or maybe Rosenbaum might just have a secret formula for nostalgic alchemy and seems to know something about audience appetites. Maybe in an era where shows like Stranger Things blend 80s nostalgia with supernatural suspense, the simplicity of a woodpecker might just be the palate cleanser we didn’t know we needed.
However, nobody can deny that Eric Bauza’s Woody is loud, nonsensical, and unapologetically disruptive – qualities that seem to be a perfect fit for the modern viewer’s fragmented attention span.
This hybrid of animation and live-action is about as groundbreaking as a re-run of Full House. That’s not to say that there’s anything wrong with familiarity. Just look at the endless sequels and spin-offs churned out by Pixar and DreamWorks. As long as there’s a recognizable character and a vaguely entertaining plot, audiences will flock to the theaters (or in this case, their streaming feeds).
Sometimes, people crave the comfort of a well-worn formula, and there’s certainly an audience out there for this kind of light, easy-to-digest entertainment. But for those of us who crave something a little more substantial, a little more daring, a little more – dare I say – groundbreaking? Well, let’s just say that Woody Woodpecker Goes to Camp isn’t exactly going to scratch that itch.
But hey, at least, with a 4.6, it’s a step up from the 2017 Woody Woodpecker movie, which scored a whopping 4.2 on IMDb. That’s quite a progress.
On the other hand, with a 6.1 IMDb rating and 18M views in the first five days since its April 10 release, What Jennifer Did has received praise for its handling of the true crime story. So, it didn’t exactly flop. The documentary’s director, Jenny Popplewell, previously helmed the respected American Murder: The Family Next Door, which sets high expectations for her latest work. Despite the controversy surrounding the use of AI-generated photos in What Jennifer Did, the documentary seems to have delivered a well-constructed narrative.
This gritty documentary takes a deep dive into the psyche of Jennifer Pan, a Canadian girl who got so tangled up in her own web of lies about school and life that she ended up hiring people to kill her own parents. In 2014, after a highly publicized trial, Jennifer Pan was found guilty of first-degree murder, attempted murder, and conspiracy to commit murder. She received a life sentence with no possibility of parole for 25 years, highlighting the severity of her actions.
So, it’s not like the true crime show “committed any crimes itself” to embarrass its way down the rankings. But then again, Baby Shark has over 10 billion views on YouTube. Maybe we have a collective obsession with all things bright, colorful, and mind-numbingly repetitive. And what could be more repetitive than a bird who’s been recycling the same shtick since the 1940s?
But hey, who am I to judge? If mindless entertainment is what the people want, then mindless entertainment is what they shall receive. And if that means watching a cartoon bird save a summer camp from the clutches of a generic villain, then so be it. Just don’t come crying to me when your kid starts imitating Woody’s laugh at 3 am.