Not having read the books by Mordecai Richler, I was unfamiliar with the series until it appeared on Qubo. I tended to overlook it in favor of the cartoon series with which I was more familiar -- Veggie Tales, 3-2-1 Penguins. However, since the program airs daily on one of the HDTV stations owned by ION television, I warmed to the show rapidly.
Jacob's adventures are often bizarrely exaggerated. While his family is fairly normal and presented in a balanced fashion, other characters, from neighbors to school staff to "master" criminals, are hilariously over-the-top.
The animation is a fascinating and seamless blend of drawn animation and computer animation. The characters were apparently drawn once and every time a character appears, he has the same exact hair and face, line by line. The backgrounds and settings are charmingly sketchy and look like water-colors out of a picture book.
The voice-acting is top-notch. My favorites are Harvey Atkin as Jacob's dad, and Fiona Reid as Miss Sourpickle. Harvey is a valued and recognizable character actor who appeared regularly on 'Cagney and Lacey'. Jacob's dad is a wise but daffy author of kid's adventure novels. Fiona Reid is new to me, but her performance is clever and nuanced.
Billy Rosemberg voices Jacob, and is utterly charming. Jacob is a doe-eyed, adorable kid who must overcome his fears in order to protect his tenuous rights as the youngest member of his family.
It is fortunate that there are so many episodes of this series in the can. I haven't seen all of them, and every new episode is eagerly enjoyed. I'll look forward to having this one on DVD (someday?).
It is rare that a cartoon series revolves around a Jewish kid (from CANADA, yet!). "Jacob Two-Two" is a delight.
