Feeln like watching Rainbow Brite?

Well now is your chance! Rainbow Brite is back and brighter than ever. Click the link for a fun review on the first two episodes of the new series only on Feeln.




Ok, so I'm a girl's girl. Like, I can totally talk ThunderCats, He-Man, and C.O.P.S. But my heart is always going to be pink and fluffy. I grew up on a steady diet of She-Ra, Jem and the Holograms, My Little Pony, Strawberry Shortcake, and of course, Rainbow Brite. Those were my girls. My posse. My ticket to fashion and adventure. For some of those properties, it's like nothing has changed. Strawberry Shortcake and My Little Pony continue to delight fans of all ages while She-Ra and Jem still juggle with their role popping in and out of society. It's the brightest girl in the bunch that has seemed to struggle the most with maintaining pop culture relevancy through the years.

There always seems to be some manor of Rainbow Brite merchandise for fans. Spencer's Gifts has long had various items celebrating Rainbow Brite. Last year Hallmark released a vintage Rainbow Brite ornament for the holidays. A number of years ago Playmates released a line of Rainbow Brite dolls that looked more pre-teen and sadly there wasn't much to collect. The line quickly faded away. Before that there was another line of Rainbow Brite dolls that were a 20th anniversary line celebrating the 80's incarnation of toys. But with all that said, there has not been a new animated show featuring Rainbow Brite and the Color Kids since the 80's, which is a travesty.

However, times have changed and the dim waste land of colorless cartoons are beginning to look a little brighter. Rainbow Brite is back with an all new animated series that can be viewed over at Feeln.com. Feeln is a movie subscription service site that provides viewers the opportunity to watch movies and original programming. There is a one week free trial but after that the subscription costs only 4.99 a month and users have access to many feel good movies, original shorts, and of course the Rainbow Brite series. Feeln is also a division of Hallmark, which for those who never knew, Rainbow Brite was a product of Hallmark. Much like Strawberry Shortcake was from American Greetings.

Let's dish the episodes though. The actress voicing Rainbow Brite, Emily Osment, teased a picture of her script for the show over the summer and a trailer for the series was released a month or so ago. Some fans weren't exactly sure what to expect, but the wait is now over as the first two episodes are up and ready for viewing pleasure. I have seen both and at just under fifteen minutes, the episodes are very easy to enjoy and are packed with an entertaining story.

The first episode of the season is called Cloudy with a Chance of Gloom. The writer Rachel Vine crafts a nice story. This first episode is a great introduction that borrows from the original Rainbow Brite movie, Rainbow Brite and the Star Stealer. We are introduced to Earthling Brian, and as a result, he ends up introducing us to Rainbow Brite and Rainbowland. From there Rainbow and her new friend introduce the viewer to some of the familiar cast of characters. Color Kids are mentioned, but the focus of this first episode is purely meant as an introduction into the world as well as the main characters.

Starlite is a "verbose stallion" and provides wonderful comic relief to gel with Rainbow Brite's bubbly personality. (There's one particular scene that has Rainbow Brite calling for Starlite to name off things that are cute, it's hilarious.) Brian is also pretty humorous as the character that is trying to take in the colorful world around him. Rainbow's Sprite Twink now goes by Mr. Glitters and is the cutest thing going. Murky and Lurky are also back and provide some humorous villain relief. Other villains Stormy and the Dark Princess round out the other characters in this episode. Those bad guys should all sound familiar to Rainbow Brite fans and it is their plot involving color that will remind fans of pieces of the original. I also like the damaged friendship between Rainbow Brite and Stormy. Also, the mysterious Dark Princess casts a captivating spell as a bad guy shrouded in darkness for the first episode while full of nefarious actions against Rainbow Brite.

It is the actions of the bad guys that continues the story with the second episode entitled The Ring's the Thing. Rainbow Brite finds herself on an adventure to save Brian and battle it out with some bad guys. The Color Kids also appear making this a truly wonderful rebooted series.

Both episodes have delightful writing and animation that reminds me of shows like Ren and Stimpy and the Powerpuff Girls. The opening theme song to Rainbow Brite is catchy, it has a 90's sound, like something a Veruca Salt-lite band would come up with. The talents of Emily Osment as Rainbow Brite and Molly Ringwald as the Dark Princess are also great. Emily breathes a near manic bubbliness to Rainbow Brite that some feared would be more airhead than positive force, however, I feel that with the voice, animation, and writing, this newest version of Rainbow Brite is a super cute energetic character that will work for kids and also make fans of the original series smile in success. In one scene Rainbow Brite throws out some stars like they were of the ninja variety.

Molly Ringwald is also malicious as the Dark Princess. She does a great job of doing the voice of a bad guy. You can hear a hint of her regular voice, but she really does a great job voicing a villain. The Dark Princess is also a great throwback to other fantastic 80's villains. At first there is a shadowy form for the character until the reveal of the true appearance. That is a nice touch.

With only two episodes released, I feel that Feeln has something wonderful in their hands. Rainbow Brite is back and the show is perfect for fans both new and old. It's just a cute viewing experience. As much as I love the dark and moody shows, sometimes a girl just wants something fluffy and Brite. Don't take my word for it though! I watched the new episodes with dear friend Canary Yellow. Check out what Canary had to say!

Miss M: Wow. Thanks to this nice Roku device, we were able to stream all new Rainbow Brite episodes on the TV!
Canary Yellow: Did you seriously get a Roku device just to watch Rainbow Brite?
Miss M: Maybe.
Canary Yellow: You'll do anything for a good product placement piece, won't you?
Miss M: No comment. So, what did you think of the new Rainbow Brite?

Canary Yellow: What did I think? I thought it was fabulous! No mellow yellow attitudes from me, the show brought me to a happy place. Like a ray of sunshine through the hour glass of time, this is the Rainbow Brite show to watch. Aside from the original one of course.
Miss M: I know. Everything was just refreshing about it.

Canary Yellow: Right?! The colors were bright and vibrant. I was of course the first Color Kid to be shown. Rainbowland was as stunning as ever. Rainbow Brite was totally over the top and it worked. I'm glad there was a fight scene with Stormy and her. What a rivalry! She-Ra and Catra who? We've got a new hero/villain duo now.
Miss M: Slow your roll, nothing can beat She-Ra and Catra.

Canary Yellow: We'll just have to agree to disagree. Moving on though, Murky was still green around the gills with evil, but Lurky... Can we take a moment to talk about Lurky?
Miss M: Yes! The gym does a Lurky good. My goodness, he buffed up.
Canary Yellow: Totally. And what were your thoughts on the Dark Princess reveal?

Miss M: I think they need to make her into an action figure. She was giving us Lady Loki, remember when Loki was a woman for a moment?
Canary Yellow: For sure. Total Lady Loki meets Dark Princess. No pretty in pink looks for that chick.
Miss M: Do you think they'll make any merchandise for this new Rainbow Brite?
Canary Yellow: Why does everything go back to merchandise with you?
Miss M: Really Canary Yellow? Look who you are talking to.

Canary Yellow: I can't tell if you are the nostalgic hope for your generation or the destruction of all that is good.

Miss M: Well that's a heavy handed title. I'm gonna go with generational hope for 500.

Canary Yellow: So remind your readers where they can go to view these new episodes.

Miss M: That's right. Travel to Feeln.com and sign up for the video on demand service. Cost is free for a week and then after that the fee is $4.99 a month.

Canary Yellow: $4.99 a month! Just to watch Rainbow Brite?
Miss M: Well, you will also have access to other feel good movies and original programming. I'm not sure I'll keep it going, but I can see it working for some people. Here's hoping they'll release the show on DVD too.
Canary Yellow: No, what we really need to hope for is that the Color Kids get some stand alone episodes.

Miss M: Totally. The Color Kids are where it's at. I remember being a kid and thinking that Buddy Blue and I were going to grow up and get married. To this day I still look around a crowd for guys with blue hair.

Canary Yellow: You're really weird Miss M.
Miss M: I know. I totally know.

Canary Yellow: Well I'm off to Rainbowland. The viewing party was... real. See ya next time?

Miss M: For sure. We're gonna shine with Rainbow Brite! Soon! See what I did there? Singing a line from the opening theme song?

Canary Yellow: Riiight. Take care M.

Miss M: (stands around awkwardly) Ha. Yeah! Yay for Rainbow Brite viewing parties! That's right. Who's the cool chick in town?

Miss M: Le sigh. I really need a life.

Join in the celebration! #BriteisBack! Be sure to check out the episodes only on Feeln. It's a renaissance for 80's girl properties! It's good to be a dorkette.

Don't go too far! The wedding event of November is coming up soon. Michelangelo and Mona Lisa will be tying the knot, but will anyone (cough-Miss M-cough) find a way to stand up for her love? Find out as November sweeps continues!