My TV Show Review on Martha Speaks · 11:16pm Mar 21st, 2021
Yo, what's up, Kemosabes?
This is your friendly film, TV show, and episode reporter here with another review.
Today, for my 30th TV show analysis, I'm gonna give you guys my take of "Martha Speaks".
Here's the rundown of this show:
Martha is a dog who has the ability to communicate with humans, able to do so by eating alphabet soup. Despite living in the calm town of Wagstaff city with her human family, the Lorraines (consisting of a Mom named Mariella, a Dad named Daniel, a daughter named Helen, and a baby boy named Jake), and her dog friend Skits, Martha would find herself in situations that often result in comedic hijinks.
In addition to this, Martha and her family have various friends who are kids just like Helen: T.D. Kennelly, Truman Oatley, Milo Lee (who is introduced in Season 2), and Carolina (who is Helen's cousin). A lot of times, Helen and the rest of the kids would either be caught up in Martha's misadventures or have ones of their own.
As with many other things I previously reviewed, "Martha Speaks" was something I've been wanting to do an analysis of for a very long time. I may not have seen it on a daily basis like with "Wordgirl" back when I was a kid, but I did see episodes here and there and remembered them to be quite enjoyable.
So, what do I think of this show after all these years?
Well, in all honesty, I found "Martha Speaks" to be as wonderful as I remembered it being!
For instance, the overall direction and storytelling was marvelously well-done.
Admittedly, I've never read the book that this series was based on, which was likewise made by the show's creator: Susan Meddaugh. At the same time, though, I don't think reading the book would be necessary. I could tell that the show was quite faithful to the book, and the involvements of Meddaugh and head writer Ken Scarborough have obviously been very beneficial in making the show something with great quality and life. The show itself had comedy that was not only hilarious but very innocent, and the way the show team made it like a sitcom was extremely fun. Plus, there was a great amount of heart and emotion that helped the program come alive, and each episode contained a moral that was meaningful to live by.
On the subject of the show's use of vocabulary teaching, I will admit that "Wordgirl" did a much better job on that front, mainly because that show provided a clearer picture as to what certain words mean. But, "Martha Speaks" did also provide a great interest in vocabulary, and it still managed to teach viewers about words in its own way. The overall execution of the featured words was likewise so well-done that it's hard to imagine what the stories would be like without them.
The animation was amazing, if I may add.
Among many things, this series showcased some of the most excellent use of Adobe Flash technology I've ever seen. Everything about it felt like seeing the illustrations of a children's book brought to life, and I could tell that the animators weren't afraid of taking the opportunity to stretch their talents whenever they were given the opportunity. The parts with T.D. making sketches for stories is a prime example of that.
The music by Daniel Ingram was magnificent as well.
In every episode of the show, Ingram created melodies that greatly reflected the personality and innocence of the show, and there were even some really fun songs here and there. In my opinion, one of the best works in Ingram's musical career came in the form of Season's 1's "Martha Sings", which was openly worthy of an Oscar thanks to its melodies and songs.
Finally, the vocal performances, characters, and character development throughout the series was awesome!
Every character had a personality and innocence that helped them to stand out so well, and neither character was without development or depth either. The vocal performers had also given phenomenal portrayals, and the voices fit the characters so well that it was like they were born to play them!
It was Tabitha St. Germain and her performance as Martha that impressed me the most, because she portrayed Martha with wonderful personality, emotion, humor, and commitment. Every time I even took note of her performance, it was like she was able to think like a dog in preparation for the role. Plus, I love the fact that Martha and Skits were given backstories here and there, as they can help audiences get to know them like one would a friend.
In conclusion, "Martha Speaks" is truly a gem of a program. It's fun for the whole family, has lovable characters, everything!
So, I rate "Martha Speaks" five out of five stars.
I love this show!!! It’s based on children’s books of the same name too which is fascinating. The author has an interview on readingrockets that’s absolutely fascinating to listen to btw.
I'll definitely make sure to check this series out.
Interestingly, Martha Speaks was the first major acting role for Madeleine Peters.
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Wow. I didn't know that at all.
I wonder how she managed to keep her voice the same all these years.
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Voice Acting is an art, and a hard one, having dabbled in it myself.