- Meet the Raisins!
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Meet the Raisins! 
VHS cover for the film.Genre Comedy/Animation Directed by Will Vinton
Barry BruceStarring Cam Clarke
Brian Cummings
Jim Cummings
Dorian Harewood
Brian Stokes Mitchell
Todd TolcesCountry United States Original channel CBS Release date November 4, 1988 Running time 24 minutes Preceded by A Claymation Christmas Celebration (1987) Followed by Raisins: Sold Out!: The California Raisins II (1990) Meet the Raisins! is a 1988 animated 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. It was the Raisins' second appearance in a primetime special and their first dedicated feature. Meet the Raisins! would be followed by a sequel in 1990, Raisins: Sold Out!.
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.
Contents
Plot
Meet the Raisins! spoofs musical documentaries with its use of anthropomorphic food 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 Begaman. 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 claymation.[1][2]
Award nominations
- 1989 Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Animated Program
Soundtrack
Meet the Raisins! Soundtrack album by The California Raisins Released August 29, 1988 Genre Soundtrack Label Atlantic Professional reviews Meet the Raisins! is the official soundtrack to the CBS television special of the same name.[3] It consists of rock & roll and 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
- "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm Yours"
- "Shotgun"
- "Green Onions"
- "Ain't Too Proud to Beg"
- "At the Hop"
- "Get a Job"
- "Cool Jerk"
- "Tears on My Pillow"
- "Tutti Frutti"
- "Papa Oom Mow Mow"
- "Sh-Boom"
- "I Heard It Through the Grapevine"
Chart positions
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 will be released on DVD November 15, 2011. Included in the set will be the sequel to the claymation special, 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. [4]
Raisins: Sold Out!: The California Raisins II
Raisins: Sold Out!: The California Raisins II Genre Comedy/Animation Directed by Will Vinton Written by Rowby Goren Country United States Original channel CBS Release date August 29, 1990 Running time 24 minutes Preceded by Meet the Raisins! (1988) Raisins: Sold Out!: The California Raisins II is a 1990 animated 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 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 protege.
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."[5]
Releases
As was its predecessor, Raisins: Sold Out! was released in VHS.
The special will be released on DVD November 15, 2011. Included in the set will be 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. [6]
References
- ^ Fawthrop, Peter Meet the Raisins! Allmusic. Retrieved on 5-14-11.
- ^ Hal Erickson, Rovi Meet the Raisins The New York Times. Retrieved on 5-14-11.
- ^ Meet the Raisins! Amazon.com. Retrieved 5-14-11.
- ^ http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/California-Raisins-The-Collection/15901
- ^ Monroe, Valerie Raisins: Sold Out! Entertainment Weekly (August 24, 1990). Retrieved on 5-14-11.
- ^ http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/news/California-Raisins-The-Collection/15901
External links
- Meet the Raisins! at the Internet Movie Database
- Raisins: Sold Out!: The California Raisins II at the Internet Movie Database
TV specials and series Studio albums The California Raisins Sing the Hit Songs · Sweet, Delicious, & Marvelous · Meet the Raisins! · Christmas with The California RaisinsOther media The Grape Escape · The California Raisins 3-DCharacters A.C. · Beebop · Stretch · Red
Categories:- 1988 television films
- American animated television films
- American satirical films
- American television specials
- Animated comedy films
- CBS network shows
- Film spin-offs
- Films featuring anthropomorphic characters
- Films about music and musicians
- Mockumentary films
- Stop-motion animated films
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