Meet the Raisins!

Meet the Raisins! is a 1988 claymation television special directed by Will Vinton, featuring the advertising characters The California Raisins. The show was broadcast November 4, 1988, on the U.S. television network CBS during primetime.[1] It was the Raisins' second appearance in a primetime special and their first dedicated feature. Meet the Raisins! was followed by a sequel in 1990, Raisins: Sold Out! This special premiered after one of the This is America, Charlie Brown specials.

Meet the Raisins!
VHS cover for the film.
Created byCalifornia Raisin Advisory Board
Will Vinton Studios
Based onThe California Raisins
Screenplay byArthur Sellers
Story byBarry Bruce
Mark Gustafson
Craig Bartlett
Arthur Sellers
Directed byWill Vinton
Barry Bruce
StarringKarreem
David Scully
David Downing
Ted Roisum
Todd Tolces
P.Q. Baer
Tim Conner
Randy Patterson
Marly Stone
Country of originUnited States
Production
Running time27 minutes
Release
Original networkCBS
Original releaseNovember 4, 1988 (1988-11-04)
Chronology
Preceded byA Claymation Christmas Celebration (1987)
Followed byThe Raisins: Sold Out!: The California Raisins II (1990)

For the first time, the California Raisins were given individual names and characterizations: A.C. (vocals), Beebop (drums), Stretch (bass), and Red (guitar/piano).[2]

The 24-minute special shortly followed its similarly titled soundtrack album released on August 8, 1988 on Atlantic Records. Aired during the characters' peak in popularity, Meet the Raisins! is presented in a mockumentary style depicting the Raisins' musical career. It was nominated for the 1989 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program.

Plot

Meet the Raisins! spoofs musical documentaries with its use of anthropomorphic produce characters. Through its historical perspective, the special also provided an opportunity to elaborate on the personalities and introduce names of the simple yet popular characters. It follows the California Raisins' humble beginnings, rise to musical success, fall from stardom, and eventual comeback. This includes "home movie" clips, scenes of the group's early days as the Vine-Yls, concert footage, and interviews with the people behind the success of the California Raisins, including manager Rudy Bagaman. The group is also shown performing various hit songs.

Reception

The special gained praise for its witty, family-friendly humor, as well as its impressive clay animation, which was state-of-the-art at the time.[3][4]

Award nominations

Soundtrack
Meet the Raisins!
Soundtrack album by
The California Raisins
ReleasedAugust 29, 1988 (1988-08-29)
GenreSoundtrack
LabelAtlantic
Soundtrack
Review scores
SourceRating
Allmusic link

Meet the Raisins! is the official soundtrack to the CBS television special of the same name.[5] It consists of early rock & roll as well as R&B hits largely from the Motown era.

"I Heard It Through the Grapevine," the group's signature song, reached #84 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1988. The soundtrack received praise from Allmusic's Peter Fawthrop who named it an AMG Album Pick.

Track listing
  1. "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours"
  2. "Shotgun"
  3. "Green Onions"
  4. "Ain't Too Proud to Beg"
  5. "At the Hop"
  6. "Get a Job"
  7. "Cool Jerk"
  8. "Tears on My Pillow"
  9. "Tutti Frutti"
  10. "Papa Oom Mow Mow"
  11. "Sh-Boom"
  12. "I Heard It Through the Grapevine"

Singles
Year Single Chart Position
1988 "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" Hot 100 84

Releases

Meet the Raisins! was released on VHS on March 14, 1989. It was re-released on September 12, 1990 with a California Raisin plush doll.

The special was released on DVD November 15, 2011. Included in the set is the sequel to the claymation special, The Raisins: Sold Out!: The California Raisins II along with all 13 episodes of the animated series, The California Raisin Show and 4 original TV ads.[6]

The Raisins: Sold Out!: The California Raisins II
The Raisins: Sold Out!: The California Raisins II
Created byCalifornia Raisin Advisory Board
Will Vinton Studios
Based onThe California Raisins
Written byRowby Goren
Directed byWill Vinton
StarringBrian Cummings
Jim Cummings
Dorian Harewood
Brian Mitchell
David Scully
Todd Tolces
Country of originUnited States
Production
Running time24 minutes
Release
Original networkCBS
Original releaseAugust 29, 1990 (1990-08-29)
Chronology
Preceded byMeet the Raisins! (1988)

The Raisins: Sold Out!: The California Raisins II is a 1990 claymation television special directed by Will Vinton, featuring the advertising characters The California Raisins. The show was broadcast August 29, 1990, on the U.S. television network CBS during primetime. It was the sequel to the Emmy-nominated special Meet the Raisins! in 1988.

This special has the band hiring a slick-talking new manager, Leonard Limabean, in an attempt to make a comeback. Under his guidance, the Raisins try their hand at various new musical genres, including Disco Polka, Country Rap, and Demolition Rock, to humorous effect. The group's troubles begin to manifest, however, upon the replacement of singer A.C. with their manager's young protégé, Lick Broccoli.

Reception

Valerie Monroe of Entertainment Weekly gave the special a mediocre C+ review. She described it as "a lot like traditional Saturday-morning cartoon fare: harmless, but not especially enriching."[7]

Releases

As was its predecessor, The Raisins: Sold Out! was released in VHS.

The special was released on DVD November 15, 2011. Included in the set is the original claymation special, Meet the Raisins! along with all 13 episodes of the animated series, The California Raisin Show and 4 original TV ads.[8]

References
  1. Lenburg, Jeff (1999). The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons. Checkmark Books. p. 295. ISBN 0-8160-3831-7. Retrieved 6 June 2020.
  2. Erickson, Hal (2005). Television Cartoon Shows: An Illustrated Encyclopedia, 1949 Through 2003 (2nd ed.). McFarland & Co. pp. 171–172. ISBN 978-1476665993.
  3. Fawthrop, Peter Meet the Raisins! Allmusic. Retrieved on 5-14-11.
  4. Hal Erickson, Rovi Meet the Raisins The New York Times. Retrieved on 5-14-11.
  5. Meet the Raisins! Amazon.com. Retrieved 5-14-11.
  6. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-11-24. Retrieved 2012-02-20.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  7. Monroe, Valerie Raisins: Sold Out! Entertainment Weekly (August 24, 1990). Retrieved on 5-14-11.
  8. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-11-24. Retrieved 2012-02-20.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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