I’m sure when SuperDeluxe.com finally closes shop and folds into AdultSwim.com all their videos will still be available, but just in case some get lost in the exchange, I’ve been watching as many of them as possible. Perhaps a little obsessive, but it’s already paid off. Penelope: Princess of Pets, a short consisting of only three episodes, created by the comedy team of Kristen Schaal and Kurt Braunohler, is packed with delightfully schizophrenic parody, charming performances, and a foul mouthed parrot. Not to mention an amazing theme song that is worth viewing on it’s own.
The project was first added to SuperDeluxe.com more than a year ago and seems to have ended prematurely. Schaal, who is significantly more famous than her partner (I was like, "I know who that is," and then remembered her from The Daily Show, because somehow I have never seen Flight of the Concords), is the protagonist Penelope, who develops the ability to talk to animals when she "becomes a woman." Braunohler plays her sidekick, Kyle "the Orphan," who picks her up on the side of the road in the first episode.
Penelope’s parrot Ruby is the first animal she talks to, a hilariously gruff alcoholic (Who does his voice? If he’s not famous already, he needs to be). The show follows the fantasical whims of its creators, while keeping the theme of Penelope’s supernatural abilities as its impetus.### She is determined to save the world from the evil Senator Stone, played by Stone and Stone, a comedy team of the two brothers.
But the plot is clearly not the focus of the show, and the funniest moments are in the odd details, like in episode two when Kyle goes off to get Jujubes on his roller shoes. The same episodes also has an appearance from H. Jon Benjamin, my fav!
For a seemingly haphazard production, the editing and misc en scene in Penelope are quite interesting (the cardboard house in ep. three is really cool), and adds context to each scene. Schaal is charming and, though she and Braunohler seem to be just screwing around, the show has its share of hilarious moments. A good find. Watch the whole thing in under 10 minutes and then lament that there’s not more to see.
