I happened to see a fanart of this series in a friend's fave gallery. It was somewhat coincidental, as I had remembered the series but couldn't bring to mind its title, 'Wunschpunsch'.
So here we are. ^^
I drew the main feline protagonist (Mauricio) once several years ago. I cannot recall whether it was for ACO or sketch dump, but either way the original drawing is long gone (so I've made this one to replace it).
So, what is a 'Wunschpunsch'?
It's the name of the formula the antagonist spellcaster's use to power their spells.
As for the show, it's a French-Canadian animated series I'm not too familiar with (I've seen only four or five episodes).
I'll let the theme song explain it,
This is the story of,
A witch and wizard and
They made a magic potion,
For casting spells
And the spells will turn the city
Topsy-turvy
And it's up to the animals
To save the world
I'd say that's mostly accurate, based on the little I've seen, albeit the part about 'saving the world' is a bit much. The antagonists, Tyrannia and Bubonic, don't seem particularly ambitious (their spells are mostly silly/mischievous).
Overseeing Tyrannia and Bubonic is an insect wizard named Mr. Maggot (who, for all the world, looks like a roach). Maggot seems interested in keeping the spellcaster's busy, but Maggot's orders don't seem particularly goal-oriented.
So why bother?
The first episode of the series ('Plant Panic') explains it thus,
MAGGOT: "Now listen to me, you woebegone wizards! Let me remind you that some two-hundred-and-ninety years ago, you obtained ...your 'State Master of Supreme Wizardness'. In return, you were supposed to..."
BUBONIC: "Cast spells?"
MAGGOT: "Exactly! Terrible spells in order to spread evil and terror all over the city! Do you remember now?"
So, 'evil for evil's sake/so we can have a plot for each episode'? Got it!
The spells can always be reversed, if acted against within seven hours.
The self-imposed task of thwarting the spells belongs to the spellcasters' pets: Mauricio the Cat and Jacob the Raven.
The spells often entail negative consequences for the animals of the city, hence the pet's interest in breaking them. The solution for breaking a given spell comes in the form of a riddle, which the pets must solve and act upon within the seven hours (lest the effects of the spell becomes permanent).
It should be noted that the pets like their owners---there's no conflict among them (Tyrannia and Bubonic are unaware of Mauricio and Jacob's actions against their magic).
Tyrannia and Bubonic are aunt and nephew, respectively ...which is a fact my mind has trouble accepting, given the two are written as if they were married.
It's difficult to explain, but these two have a comical-tolerance for each other that, again, befits a cartoon couple.
Mauricio and Jacob are ok as characters. Of the two, Jacob has the most personality.
Regarding the art style of the characters ...it strikes me as something of a cross between an early 90's Nicktoon and the cartoon style of those funny birthday cards one finds at Wal-Mart.
To look at the characters, one might think 'Wunschpunsch' would be either a gross-out 'comedy' series or just really, really stupid/edgy. 'Wucschpunsch' is neither of these---the style doesn't influence the tone or humor of the series at all. In fact, I'm not sure exactly what audience or humor 'Wunschpunsch' is going for, if any. The show is just silly-cute (not much more to it than that).
Finally, the pencils. I drew this ACO with the Zephyr (big surprise!), and delineated it with this very vintage Eberhard Faber 'Mongol' 482 pencil.
The Mongol is still produced today in (I think) some Eupropean countries. This particual Mongol was American-made, and (based on the arrangement of the text and the bands on the ferrule) is an early model.
The Mongol makes a fine line and maintains its point, but doesn't erase well, as the ghosting on this card will testify.
Keywords
male
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sketch
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aceo
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aco
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jacob
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mauricio
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3 years, 7 months ago
01 Sep 2020 15:19 CEST
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