When James Baxter was first introduced in the season five episode “James Baxter the Horse.” And it was truly a special piece of TV. Smash cut to almost four years later, and he’s finally back in another exceptional episode, storyboarded by Seo Kim and Somvilay Xayaphone.
1. James Baxter
Much like his first go around, James Baxter is voiced and animated by the great animator James Baxter. (For the original promo, Pendleton Ward linked to an interview Baxter gave with The Animation Podcast, which is worth reposting.) According to production legend, Ward attended a lecture from Baxter way back when he was at CalArts and someone in the audience suggested that Baxter draw a horse on a beach ball. The visual never left Ward and when he got his own show, he was undoubtedly looking for the chance to incorporate that in here.
If “James Baxter the Horse” was all about creation, “Horse and Ball” is all about evolution. It’s about moving on to the next step, of trying to make sure your art is authentic. It also bears some of the themes and trends I’ve been seeing in this first batch of episodes.
2. James Baxter
In this one, James Baxter is cheering up a group of mole people saddened because one of their elders is dying. Everything seems to be going as expected — Finn, Jake, and BMO even jump out of bed to see James Baxter again — until James Baxter’s beach ball accidentally pops. He’s thrown into an existential crisis, reflecting on his past while Finn tries desperately to nurture him back to health and Jake and BMO search desperately for another beach ball. Overall, the episode doesn’t offer up a plethora of laugh-out-loud moments, but it does have some deep reflections on hero worship, creation, and expression. And “Horse and Ball” is all the better for it.
3. James Baxter
Knowing the end is near, it’s impossible to miss signs that the animators aren’t sure what to do next. The rug is almost literally pulled out from under James Baxter and no one quite knows what to do. The easiest and most immediate solution is to try to find a way to patch James Baxter’s beach ball, but the show sort of suggests that reversion is not great for personal growth or reflection. James Baxter spends so much of the episode despondent. And Finn, whose admiration for the horse knows no bounds, is at a loss trying to comfort him. “You’re a wonderful genuine one-of-a-kind horse. And you make so many people happy by being you,” Finn says. “So let go of what’s lost, man. It’s time for James Baxter to make James Baxter happy.”
And so James Baxter tries something new — in a delightful piece of animation — that makes him happy. Maybe no one understands what he’s doing, but his expression and exuberance are infectious.
4. James Baxter
Additionally, “Horse and Ball” has some nice insights on meeting your heroes and the people you look up to. Finn, Jake, and BMO rush outside in their PJs to see James Baxter when they hear his neigh, but Finn isn’t quite sure what to do once James Baxter is laid out on his couch. He does the usual try to act normal routine, and it’s funnier because he doesn’t exactly fail at it, but he’s nowhere near casual. Again, Kim and Xayaphone don’t give us a lot of physical movement or comedy from Finn, but they feel authentic and make those scenes feel richer. Plus, it’s always a good reminder that the artists you look up to just want to “be treated like a normal guy.”
5. James Baxter
What’s with that bat, by the way? Put yet another thing down on the list of stuff we’ll probably see come back. Also: horse city!
