The past few years have been ripe with cutting-edge and hilarious animated series, but Hulu’s Solar Opposites has quickly made itself stand out amongst the herd. Coming from some of the creative minds behind Rick and Morty, Justin Roiland and Mike McMahan, Solar Opposites comfortably lampoons sitcom staples, albeit with heightened alien concepts that attempt to deconstruct the nature of the genre.
Solar Opposites features exceptional writing, lovable characters, and extreme stories that get the most out of the fact that it’s an animated series. Like any animated series, the voice talent that’s assembled plays a crucial factor in the show’s success. There are some incredible performers who lend their voices to certain Solar Opposites characters, but some of them fit in better than others.
10 Nailed It: Rob Schrab Channels The Perfect Disdain For Principal Cooke
Solar Opposites spends a good deal of time at school as Yumulack and Jesse go through the motions of what’s expected of Earth children. Their unconventional approach to education sometimes ruffles the feathers of the school’s principal, Principal Cooke, who Rob Schrab makes sure is always bristling with disdain. Rob Schrab has been a part of the creative team for Community and Rick and Morty and even though he’s just doing his regular voice for Principal Cooke, it’s still a perfect fit. The rage that Principal Cooke spits out at Yumyulack and Jesse is palpable.
9 Fell Short: Kari Wahlgreen’s Mrs. Frankie Remains One-Note
Yumyulack and Jesse seem to often function like beacons for trouble whenever they’re at school. Their antics aren’t always intentional, but they often come under fire from Kari Wahlgreen’s Mrs. Frankie. Wahlgreen fills Mrs. Frankie with overflowing disappointment over the children that surround her. On her own, Mrs. Frankie might work, but she’s practically always coupled up with Principal Cooke. Cooke makes the bigger impression and Mrs. Frankie feels slightly redundant as a result. There’s potential for Mrs. Frankie to grow into her own character and hopefully, season three will give her more to do.
8 Nailed It: Justin Roiland’s Red Goobler Tows The Lines Between Hilarious And Threatening
Solar Opposites has only produced two seasons so far, but there are still some characters who have been able to receive multiple appearances and get a chance to further develop. The Red Goobler is a living embodiment of Shlorpian stress and anxiety.
Korvo freaks out so much that the Red Goobler gets born, who’s obsessed with Korvo’s destruction. Justin Roiland provides plenty of voices in Solar Opposites, but the Red Goobler allows him to go for broke and deliver such an unnerving vocal performance. The frenetic nature of the Red Goobler makes Roiland’s brief lines hit with even greater impact.
7 Fell Short: Jane Lynch Doesn’t Get Enough To Do As Kabronius
Jane Lynch is one of those formidable performers who can be immediately identified by her boisterous voice. She’s an actress with a great deal of range, but she, unfortunately, gets stuck playing vengeful variations on her Glee character most of the time. Solar Opposites features Lynch as a fellow Shlorpian alien, Kabronius, who provides a counterpoint to the more relaxed lifestyle that Korvo and company have adopted on Earth. It’s nice to hear Lynch, but Kabronius doesn’t give her enough to do and the character would be even more forgettable if it was voiced by anyone else.
6 Nailed It: Andy Daly’s Lindsey Tim Helps Bring Humanity To The Wall
There’s a lot to love in Solar Opposites, but what’s proven to be one of the most successful aspects of the series is the ongoing dystopian narrative that’s set within Yumyulack’s wall of shrunken humans. The dramatic narrative that plays out in this tiny ecosystem is marvelous and part of the reason that it works as well as it does is the humanity that Andy Daly channels into the new wall captive, Lindsey Tim. Lindsey helps incite a revolution, only to succumb to dark temptations, but his performance never wavers.
5 Fell Short: Wendi McLendon-Covey’s Robotic P.A.T.R.I.C.I.A. Is Designed To Be A Stereotype
Solar Opposites gets a lot of mileage out of its deconstruction of sitcom tropes and what a typical American family should look like. The Shlorpian family are extremely exceptional, but their heightened efforts to fit in often only cause greater problems. Solar Opposite’s fascination with stereotypical gender roles culminates in the construction of a condescending and controlling robotic wife for Korvo and Terry, P.A.T.R.I.C.I.A.
Wendy McLendon-Covey, who has plenty of sitcom mom experience, is a smart choice here, but the mechanical matriarch just doesn’t get enough to do. McLendon-Covey mostly delivers monotone one-liners.
4 Nailed It: Jason Mantzoukas Is A Sublime Agent Of Chaos As Vanbo
Jason Mantzoukas is a fantastic comedian who typically only improves whatever world he’s added to, whether it’s Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The Good Place, or any number of alternative comedy endeavors. Mantzoukas has rapidly built an enviable voice acting career that takes advantage of the enthusiastic and gregarious attitude that he always brings to his characters. Accordingly, Mantzoukas is a sublime choice for Vanbo, an antagonistic alien presence that the Shlorpian family are forced to tolerate. There’s such glee in Vanbo’s voice as he cramps everyone’s style and plays the perpetual wild card.
3 Fell Short: Alan Tudyk’s Nanobot Man Isn’t Anything New From The Acclaimed Performer
Alan Tudyk has done an exceptional job as he’s slowly transitioned from fringe genre performer to one of Disney’s more reliable voice actors. Tudyk always commits to his performance and there’s an endless amount of passion that’s present in his voice. Accordingly, an appearance from Tudyk never hurts, but it just seems as if he could have been better utilized in something like Solar Opposites. A Nanobot Man quickly captures the interest of the community, only for them to gradually learn the folly of this plan. Tudyk’s standard exuberance powers the Nanobot Man, but it’s nothing special from Tudyk.
2 Nailed It: Alfred Molina Makes Sure That The Duke Of The Wall Is Full Of Gravitas
Solar Opposites’ wall narrative only grows more compelling the deeper it’s examined and the season two entries that explore this microcosm of society are some of the season’s strongest entries. These episodes reframe the roles of many wall residents from the first season. The Duke is presented as a tyrannical leader, but in season two he’s turned into an unlikely underdog ally alongside Christina Hendricks’ Cherie. A character that’s as complex as The Duke needs a compelling voice actor who can channel both pathos and intimidation. Alfred Molina doesn’t disappoint in this position.
1 Fell Short: Jim Rash’s Neighborly Keith Doesn’t Stand Out Among The Crazier Crowd
Jim Rash is another actor who was a regular presence on Community and has lent his voice over to Rick and Morty. Rash has such an easily recognizable vocal register that it often does the heavy lifting and character work that’s absent in the writing. Rash shows up as Korvo’s neighbor, Keith, who lives a normal life and has modest snack-based entrepreneurial goals. Rash isn’t bad as Keith, but the character doesn’t get a chance to properly develop and as a result, the voice is nothing that Rash hasn’t done plenty of times before.
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