Happy New Year, everyone! 2021 was a year where Old School Lane had its ups and downs, but the ups it had were some of my favorite moments. All throughout the month of December, we've been looking back on the 10 years of Old School Lane. But now, we conclude it with looking back on my favorite videos. Technically, I didn't start making full time videos until 2015, but the ones I've written, edited, and starred in have been some of my proudest accomplishments as a content creator. I had replaced blogging for video work and I didn't look back. So, with that said, here are my favorite videos from Old School Lane.
Top 10 Nicktoons That Need Comic Book Adaptations ft. Comic Uno
Originally posted on the Old School Lane website on April 22, 2015 and uploaded on YouTube on June 18, 2015.
The videos that Kevin and I did were simple, unscripted, and required no additional clips or editing. But this was my first attempt of doing a full blown video. Plus it was a countdown and a collaboration which, again, my first time doing it. In honor of the Invader ZIM comics being announced, I had thought of another Nicktoons that deserved to have comic book adaptations and I decided to call in an expert of comics, my friend Kat "Comic Uno" Calamia, to help me out. Since then, some of our predictions came true. There would later on be Rugrats and The Legend of Korra comics coming out a few years later. I have become a lot better in my videos since I posted this, but I still look back on this one fondly as my starting point. To learn more about how Kat and I did it, we did a commentary video together.
Why Nickelodeon's Thanksgiving Fest Was Historically Significant to the Channel?
Originally uploaded on November 26, 2015 on YouTube.
This would be my first analytical video on YouTube looking back on an obscure Nickelodeon Thanksgiving special from the 80's. While I did do a blog review on it a few years prior, I had since rewatched it and found it to be a bit charming despite its rough animation spots (except for the Thanksgiving segments by Joey Ahlbum), spotty voice acting, and simplistic storylines. I did research on it and found out it was more important to Nickelodeon than I realized. I then contacted Joey for further details on his experience working on it years before I invited him for an interview on Casual Chats. I don't watch this special compared to the other Thanksgiving specials on Nickelodeon, but I appreciate its place in the channel's history.
The Weinerville Chanukah Special Discussion/Review
Originally uploaded on December 20, 2015 on YouTube.
It was the 20th anniversary of Nickelodeon's first Hanukkah special and no one was doing a video on it because whenever people think of "Nickelodeon" and "Hanukkah", they immediately think of the Rugrats Hanukkah special. I wanted to change that and focus on one of my favorite underrated Nickelodeon shows Weinerville. Out of the 3 Weinerville specials, this was my favorite for how wacky it was telling a "modern" version of the origin tale of Hanukkah using potato latke aliens as the Jewish people and aliens led by their dorky leader as the Maccabees. It was great to highlight this overlooked gem during the Hanukkah season.
What Makes As Told by Ginger a Groundbreaking, Yet Overlooked Nicktoon?
Originally uploaded on January 24, 2016 on YouTube.
On October 2015, I had did my first themed month of videos looking back on the 2000 Nicktoon As Told by Ginger in honor of its 15th anniversary. I had wanted to do my final video of that themed month talking about why I felt the show was overlooked and underappreciated despite the groundbreaking things it achieved. When I had completed my first draft, I was unsatisfied with it and set it aside working on other projects until I was ready to complete this script. After months of research and hypothetical statements, I was ready to post my video a few months later. To this day, this is still my favorite video I've ever posted and one I'm still proud of.
From Pilot to Final Product: The Adventures of Pete & Pete
Originally uploaded on February 14, 2016 on YouTube.
Out of all the shows I've covered on From Pilot to Final Product, The Adventures of Pete & Pete is still to this day my favorite one. I looked back on the show's pilot episode on its pilot season in honor of both Valentine's Day and on the episode's 25th anniversary and talked about what stuck around and what changed when the show got greenlit for a show. While it wasn't as drastically different compared to other pilots I've covered such as Nick Arcade or Adventure Time, it was still on its early run when the humor and characters were just getting their footing. However, this is where it all started and it would get better and better. While my coverage of the shows I would be doing later would get better, I still feel the most proud with this one.
Should We Say Goodbye to Halcyon Days?
Originally uploaded on May 23, 2016 on YouTube.
This was a very personal video that I did when I turned 30. It was a reflection on how I was feeling at the time and trying to have the perfect balance of doing videos while at the same time trying to be more like an adult. In reality, it was a very tough time in my life. I was working at a dead end job, I was living at home with my parents, I wasn't dating anyone, and I had hated where my life was going. But I had to remember that what I was doing was what I loved and didn't want to quit. Since then, I'm going to school for broadcast journalism, I'm currently engaged, and I'm the happiest I've ever been. Looking back on that video, I can't believe that was me. I definitely need to an update video. In the meanwhile, I did a commentary video on it if you wish to check it out.
How Did Doug Become Influential with Its Simplicity?
Originally uploaded on August 23, 2016 on YouTube.
During 3 Original Nicktoons Month, I did an analytical video on the 1991 Nicktoon Doug and talked about how its simple presentation would later be the foundation of the slice of life cartoon genre that was prominent throughout the 90's and 00's. In recent years, the show has generated a lot of hate from the Internet calling it "boring", "bland", and "underwhelming". But I defended Doug talking about how it was one of the most important animated shows ever made.
The History of Hey Arnold: The Jungle Movie
Originally uploaded on December 13, 2016 on YouTube.
This was originally suppose to wrap up Hey Arnold! Month to celebrate the show's 20th anniversary, but due to my dad being at the hospital, I had delayed the video until months later. When I heard the news that Hey Arnold: The Jungle Movie was going to premiere on Nickelodeon after a 15 year wait, I had decided to do an analysis video talking about how it got cancelled back in 2004 and how the fanbase made it come back to life. I looked back at old archived fan forum posts, newspaper articles, videos, podcasts, and interviews to make sure it was deeply covered. Years after I posted it, this is a video I'm very proud of.
Is Disney's Doug Really That Bad?
Originally uploaded on April 22, 2017 on YouTube
This topic was actually a request from my listeners when I was doing a livestream trying to help the website Manic Expression raise money for a crowdfunding campaign. It took me months to watch the episodes of both the Nickelodeon and Disney version of Doug, go over its pros and cons, and Doug's First Movie. I wanted to do a detailed video talking about Disney's Doug because all I've ever seen when people talking about it was "it wasn't as good as the Nickelodeon version" and that was it. I wanted to showcase Disney's Doug in an elaborate way that I had not seen before and tried to give the show a proper chance. However, only 2/3 of the series was available when I first saw it. But now, the entire series is on Disney+ and I need to go back and give it a proper watch.
The Definitive Kwanzaa Special: Rugrats vs. The Proud Family
Originally uploaded on December 31, 2017 on YouTube.
This was a topic that I really needed to give the proper research and respect to since I'm not African American. Before I had watched both of these episodes, I had watched the official Kwanzaa documentary The Black Candle to get context on the history, 7 days and their meanings, and significance of the holiday. Then I watched them twice and wrote down how they were as both stand alone episodes and Kwanzaa episodes. Even though I didn't celebrate Kwanzaa, I really wanted to give this video the respect it deserves since it was a holiday that doesn't get a lot of specials. I'm very proud on how it turned out.
A Lookback into Arnold's Christmas
Originally uploaded on January 1, 2019 on YouTube
Out of the holiday analytical videos I've done, this one is my all time favorite. Not too surprising since Arnold's Christmas is my all time favorite Nickelodeon holiday episode. I did a ton of research on the Vietnam War and the aftermath, doing character studies on Helga, Gerald, and Mr. Hyunh, and how the atmosphere and music fits the special perfectly. I had loved doing this video and wanted to give it the proper time and effort to make it as perfect as possible.
Heroic Gem or Junk: Cybersix
Originally uploaded on October 8, 2019 on YouTube.
This was the first video based on a series of videos where I look at obscure or overlooked superhero movies, shows, comics, video games, etc. and I am super, super proud of it. It took me months of research to learn everything about Cybersix and it was fascinating. I talked about the pros, cons, why I felt the show was overlooked, and my overall thoughts on it. It was great giving attention to a show I felt was underrated and underappreciated.
The Pros, Cons, and Aftermath of Hey Arnold: The Jungle Movie
Years after Hey Arnold: The Jungle Movie premiered on Nickelodeon, Arun Mehta from The Arun Mehta Show and I collaborated together to talk about the pros, cons, and aftermath of a film that fans had fought for for 15 years. The pros and cons were easy to cover, but the aftermath took way longer to release because Nickelodeon went through so many changes that I didn't want to miss anything and had to release updates to make it less outdated. It may had taken a long time, but we were really happy with the final product. Another one I'm very proud of doing.
Media Hall of Fame: 4 Stories on How Fans Became Integral to their Favorite Animated Shows
Originally uploaded on March 5, 2021 on YouTube.
The first video on a series where I highlight something that deserves to be praised, I covered 4 stories where the fans were so passionate about their favorite shows that they officially became a part of it. It was partially inspired by the animation community being very hateful that I wanted to highlight the good things that they've done. Then I heard the news of Half Shy, a fan of Adventure Time, writing a song for one of the specials for Adventure Time: Distant Lands and I had to do a video on it. I looked up a few other stories and put it together. Had I done this video a few months later, I would have easily placed Rebecca Rose on the video where she did analytical videos on The Owl House on YouTube and now she's the production associate of the show itself. But I'm still very proud on how it turned out.
That's it for now! Thank you so much for being around celebrating 10 years of Old School Lane. Here's hoping that 2022 would be the start of some great things. Until then, happy new year!
-Patricia
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