About a year ago, I vaguely remembered a Disney cartoon called "The Weekenders" from around 2000/2001, and I decided to do a little research on it. I'm so glad I did! "The Weekenders" chronicles the weekends of four average kids: Tino (Jason Marsden), Carver (Phil LaMarr), Lor (Grey DeLisle), and Tish (Kath Soucie). On paper, it does sound like a rather dull show. But what sets this show apart is its attention to the details.Many cartoons base their humor on slapstick rather than clever writing. The quality of the "The Weekenders" writing, however, is such that you could actually imagine it being a live-action sitcom. Though it is supposedly a "kids' show," many jokes will fly over kids' heads. There are also some lines that are simply hilarious and unexpected.Stellar voice acting adds to the attractiveness of "The Weekenders." Jason Marsden, famous for playing minor and semi-regular roles in sitcoms, voices the neurotic Tino. Phil LaMarr (the voice of Samurai Jack and Wilt from Foster's) plays fashion-obsessed Carver. Ubiquitous voice actress Grey DeLisle portrays Lor, the "jock," and Kath Soucie rounds out the bunch as the "brain," Tish. Each of the characters is very realistic and you can see yourself and others in them, much like Charles Schulz's "Peanuts." "The Weekenders" also employs unique techniques for an animated series. Often, the characters make asides to the audience (the screen fades to gray while only that character speaks). Also, running gags such as the disastrous off-screen exploits of Chloe Montez reward fans who watched the show from the beginning. Finally, like "As Told by Ginger" the characters actually change clothes when the days change in the show.Overall, consistently witty writing, strong voice acting, and unique techniques make "The Weekenders" very fun to watch. It's truly a shame this show didn't have a long run like some other animated series; it certainly had the workings to do so.

It sets a bad example to give bogus history. On the Weekenders episode where Lor is studying for her history exam,she is told that the answer to the question "What did Sherman give to Lincoln as a Christmas present?" was the city of Atlanta. In fact this is incorrect. The correct answer which should have been given on the episode is instead the city of Savannah, Georgia. Atlanta fell in the summer of 1864. Savannah,on the other hand was captured in December, 1864 and was followed by Sherman sending Lincoln the famous message of it being presented to Lincoln as a Christmas present. The writers should have checked their facts better before giving out this incorrect information on the episode.

I love The Weekenders, and I also love Recess. And I'm 18. But the point of my comment is addressing the fact that some people keep saying that the characters are "stereotypical." I can't argue with that, but I don't see it as a flaw - in cartooning, it's hard (although not impossible) to portray people/places without using stereotypes. That's what makes good cartoons so accessible to such a wide range of ages and people. The episodes are so short - just think of how hard it would be to portray a complex, non-stereotypical character (let alone four at one time) in 15 minutes! Because of the characters' "stereotypical" personalities, we can connect to them extremely easily.I adore this cartoon, Tino is my favorite character (I love Jason Marsden's voice acting). It's awesome that the characters change clothing without losing their "look." The one thing that puzzles me is where the group gets all the money for pizza, Chug-a-Freezes, and chili-cheese fries every weekend – I didn't have that much cash, nor would my parents give it to me, when I was in middle school! That said, I'm not sure how people can love this and hate Recess – surely they understand that Recess is portraying fourth graders, while The Weekenders is portraying middle-schoolers! All that aside, I think the animation is fun, the plot lines hilarious, and I would definitely recommend this for anyone of any age who is young at heart.

This is a great Disney Cartoon that follows the tale of four pre-teen friends during the weekend:Tino - The protagonist who pulls some "Malcolm In The Middle" style narrartion and confides in his mom about troubles in paradise.Carver - The other male in the group, a black boy with tons of style and somewhat of a big head (egotistical I mean).Lor - The tomboy who loves to be the boss but can get totally giddy at times, and has about 10 brothers.Tish - The german import genius girl who is obsessed with taking notes and learning, yet isn't always the smartest as she lives in a dreamworld of some sort.While the show isn't necessairly groundbreaking, the acting is remarkable, the characters are lovable, and the plot lines are downright entertaining.