Today I watched the first episode of “Gravedale High,” a series developed as a vehicle for Rick Moranis by NBC. Moranis voices Mr. Maxwell Schneider, a teacher who unwittingly takes a job at a school inhabited entirely by monsters, save for himself, the only human in sight. His class is populated by a variety of monsters, updated versions of every monster you’ve seen in a black and white movie.
There is some notable voice casting including Ricky Lake who plays Cleofatra; an overweight and nerdy mummy, Tim Curry who plays history teacher Mr. Tutner, Jackie Earle Haley who plays Gil Waterman; a lagoon creature and surfer type reminiscent of Spicoli, and of course Moranis himself.
The series only ran for 13 episodes before being cancelled. I had never heard of this show and when I encountered it I was excited, horror cartoons are always welcome in our house but sadly, I was disappointed. I only watched the one episode, which is perhaps not a fair assessment of the show but it was mediocre at best. The episode was a run of monster stereotypes and bad puns which was, of course, expected, but it didn’t have anything terribly exciting or noteworthy to make me want to return.
The episode centers on the school newspaper, the Gravedale Gazette, which has declined in popularity. The paper is turned over to a student called Duzer, a Medusa type with a snake hair pony tail. In an attempt to increase readership, Duzer changes the paper from an honest publication about school happenings to a gossip rag called the Grave Intruder. The readership skyrockets but quickly upsets the entire school when they realize that rumors and lies have been written about all of them.
A subplot involving Mr. Schneider and the Headmistress Crone’s fabricated relationship has Schneider running from Crone as he discovers that she IS actually interested in him and has a desire to make that rumor true.
The students quit the paper after becoming the subject of ridicule and hate from the rest of the student body for the lies they’ve printed. In an effort to show Duzer the error of her ways, they print a special edition with the headline “Duzer Loves Frankentyke” and they all learn a valuable lesson about the importance of an honest press.
Despite my disappointment in this particular episode, I do love Rick Moranis and am always happy to discover previously unknown work of his. It may also be a likeable show for a younger audience with a predilection for monsters. If you’ve got kids, it might be worth a watch. You can check it out below.