LOUDER AND PROUDER Fails to Carry THE PROUD FAMILY’s Legacy
By Trevor Jones, Movieguide® Contributor
THE PROUD FAMILY: LOUDER & PROUDER is a 2022 animated slice of life comedy that premiered on Disney+. It follows Penny Proud (Kyla Pratt), a 14-year-old teenager navigating the perils of middle school. With her boisterous middle-class family, Penny learns to accept herself in the modern age of social media. The show is a revival/continuation of the classic 2001 cartoon, THE PROUD FAMILY.
LOUDER & PROUDER is a problematic and underwhelming return to glory. It features a vibrant color palette and expressive animation. However, it suffers from inconsistent writing, shallow social commentary, and tacky LGBTQ ideas. For viewers who want to experience this TV-PG update, Movieguide® urges caution for older children.
The most noticeable upgrade is the art direction when comparing LOUDER & PROUDER to its source material. The production design is vibrant, sharp, and full of excellent color choices. The animation is fluid and expressive. The show’s technical merits alone outshine the classic series’s rough, hand-drawn look.
What cannot be salvaged is its “woke” worldview. LOUDER & PROUDER gorges itself with materialistic and faux-family ideals. For one, Penny and her schoolmates are obsessed with social media to the extreme. They obsess over their looks, follower count, and mingle with potential boyfriends. Penny’s family guides her on social behavior, but they rarely give good advice. They teach Penny to “be her true self,” and nothing more. Moreover, the show’s moral content is as inconsistent as its writing.
The writing is hit-or-miss. The Disney+ update features down-to-earth characters who perform wacky hijinks similar to the original series. It incorporates a mix of slapstick, absurd visual gags, and witty dialogue. When the show leans on the surrealistic side, it shines. Penny encounters talking pandas, wins an intergalactic basketball game, and uses her Instagram influence to boss people around. It falls flat when the Proud Family leans more on “subtle” emotions.
The series attempts “humble” moments between Penny and her family. When Penny stumbles, she reconciles with her overprotective father Oscar and her firm mother Trudith. These moments wring hollow and lack the proper build-up. The dialogue is on-the-nose and weak. The pacing is clumsy, and its “moral” messages are done in the driest way possible.
To make itself relevant to 2020’s American culture, LOUDER AND PROUDER interjects modern-day topics. The characters namedrop “bitcoin,” getting “canceled” on social media, and the existence of male beauty influencers. These inclusions are shallow at best. The most telling example is the episode “Bad Influence(r),” where Penny becomes an Instagram star through her video skits. She gains sponsorship deals, “cancels” her best friends, and amasses enough power to shut down her school. This episode does a poor job examining Penny’s ego and the pitfalls of online fame.
The most significant downgrade to LOUDER & PROUDER is its dismal portrayal of male characters. Penny’s overprotective father, Oscar Proud (Tommy Davidson), is relegated to a one-dimensional comic relief. In the original series, Oscar was a failed yet persistent entrepreneur. His strict parenting clashed with Penny’s more independent nature. However, he always cared and stood up for his family’s dignity. When Penny challenged Oscar, he had some semblance of dignity. In LOUDER & PROUDER, he lacks a spine. He is dunked around by his wife, his daughter, and his “hip” mother Suga Mama. His “stern yet caring” persona is minimized to a wimpy caricature.
The other male characters exercise zero development. Penny picks up a date with Kareem, a six-foot-tall schoolboy whose only quirk is reading books and playing basketball. Michael, Penny’s male schoolmate, has a flamboyant personality and is confirmed to be gay. A boy named “KG” joins Penny’s circle and reveals he has two fathers. In one episode, Penny competes with beauty guru Makeup Boy, ruins his reputation, and then reconciles with him at the end. Both old and new male characters fail to break out of their superficial nature.
In conclusion, LOUDER & PROUDER fails to improve upon its Disney Channel ancestor. The humor is inconsistent, the modern-day topics are aggravating, and it lacks the conviction to explore its “progressive” ideals. The art design and animation are fantastic. Its empty, materialistic, and anti-male worldview fails to elevate its shallow commentary. For fans and newcomers alike, MOVIEGUIDE® urges strong caution for older kids and young teens.
Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.
You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.
Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
Now more than ever we’re bombarded by darkness in media, movies, and TV. Movieguide® has fought back for almost 40 years, working within Hollywood to propel uplifting and positive content. We’re proud to say we’ve collaborated with some of the top industry players to influence and redeem entertainment for Jesus. Still, the most influential person in Hollywood is you. The viewer.
What you listen to, watch, and read has power. Movieguide® wants to give you the resources to empower the good and the beautiful. But we can’t do it alone. We need your support.
You can make a difference with as little as $7. It takes only a moment. If you can, consider supporting our ministry with a monthly gift. Thank you.
Movieguide® is a 501c3 and all donations are tax deductible.
