High school can be a major challenge for anyone, especially if you’re literally a monster. That’s the premise of Cartoon Network’s new animated short, Welcome To My Life; which made its debut earlier this month.
Welcome To My Life was created, written, directed, storyboarded, and narrated by Elizabeth Ito, a veteran of Adventure Time and Hotel Transylvania. The story follows a young monster named Douglas, who has taken on the nickname “T-Kash.” Although T-Kash has a fearsome exterior, he’s got a very gentle heart. And the same is true for his mother and father.
The telling thing about this story is that T-Kash was more accepted by his peers when he was much younger. In high school, T-Kash is among the outcasts with only a few students who could truly be called friends. But even with his impressive size, T-Kash finds himself being bullied after making an ill-conceived comment.
It’s refreshing that T-Kash’s response to adversity isn’t anger or even depression. There is a touch of sadness to T-Kash’s personality, and he clearly dreads the prospect of getting into a fight with the bully. However, the short also demonstrates that T-Kash has found other ways to win over the students at his school. For example, he’s one of the members of the football team.
The short doesn’t simply wipe away T-Kash’s problems by the end of the story, but it does present a solution to his current issue that doesn’t involve fighting. Nor does the short go out of its way to be funny, although there are definitely funny moments in it. Watch T-Kash’s dad when he forgets to give his son his lunch. He doesn’t waste it!
Welcome To My Life is currently just a one-off, and there are no plans to make a series out of it. That said, we feel that there’s definitely potential for more stories with T-Kash. The low key tone is very different from Cartoon Network’s regular lineup of shows, but that doesn’t mean that the network shouldn’t expand upon it. If anything, they need a show like this to broaden its reach.
Would you be up for a Welcome To My Life animated series? Let us know in the comment section below!
Images: Cartoon Network
