Imagining a Better World With ‘C-Bear’

From a baggy-pants-wearing teddy bear with the voice of Tone Loc to an Afrocentric, conspiracy-obsessed supporting character, it’s clear that Fox’s new animated show “C-Bear and Jamal” isn’t the usual Saturday morning fare.

The series, set in South-Central Los Angeles, is about a magical stuffed animal who, through fantasy excursions, aids and abets fifth-grader Jamal in mischief, but also, in his own streetwise way, encourages character building and responsibility.

Or as C-Bear himself puts it, he uses every show to “kick a lesson to his little homeboy.”

Any resemblance to Bill Watterson’s “Calvin and Hobbes” comic strip is strictly superficial.

The series was “four years in the trying,” according to co-executive producer Loc, the rapper, actor and single father of two whose desire to do a cartoon show led to its development. “It is something I’ve been down with since the beginning. C-Bear seems like me so much it’s almost like bringing myself to the table.”

Loc credits Fox Children’s Television executive Roland Poindexter with taking the show “under his wing” and nurturing its development after Loc and animation company Film Roman had approached the network with their ideas.

Poindexter said that what attracted him to the series--besides Loc’s involvement--was “the opportunity to tell good stories and important stories from a perspective rarely seen on kids’ television, that of a young African American boy.”

“It was important to all of us who worked on the show that, if it were going to be set in South-Central, it actually reflect the population of South-Central. That isn’t just black people,” he pointed out, “or just Latino people. It’s a mixture of many different ethnicities and cultures . . . which is going to make great stories.”

Those stories involve C-Bear’s magic, Jamal’s learning process, traditional cartoon mayhem with the jealous family dog, comical references to black culture and consumerism and sly satires of such pop icons as the artist formerly known as Prince.

With 13-year-old Arthur Reggie III providing the voice of Jamal, the stories also highlight the loving presence of the youngster’s overworked, widower dad (played by comedian George Wallace) and his grandparents (Dawnn Lewis and Darryl Sivad), plus the eccentricities of his multicultural friends, voiced by Kim Fields Freeman, Aries Spears, Margaret Cho, Paul Rodriguez and Jeannie Elias. (Debbie Allen is the voice director.)

Music is another big part of the series’ originality. In addition to songs by Loc, composer Kurt Farquhar “gives a whole different slant to the musical style for the show,” director-producer Swinton Scott said. “Classical music, hip-hop, bebop, blues--this guy knows all about it.”

The most unusual element of all, however, in the midst of parody, hilarity and slapstick, may be the way school and education are depicted: with respect.

That respect is meticulously observed, Poindexter said.

“One of the primary objectives is to foster in the audience a sense of the personal power and responsibility that each kid has,” he said. “Part of that responsibility is to do your best in school and live up to your full potential, so we didn’t want to satirize those elements that we’re trying to put a positive spin on.”

Jamal’s teacher was carefully conceived, as are the assignments and projects Jamal and his friends work on in the classroom, according to Todd and Richey Jones, creative consultants and co-creators of the show (with Franklin Ajaye and Barry Douglas). The Jones brothers write the stories, along with Al Sonja L. Rice and story editor Sib Ventress.

“There aren’t that many sort of inner-city cartoons that have been on the air,” Richey Jones said. “That’s why it was important for us to show realistically what education has to offer.

“We try to give [the teacher] a lot of feeling in terms of how she relates to kids and their problems,” Todd Jones added. “She doesn’t preach at them, but she definitely is concerned with their development, not only educationally and mentally, but character-wise.”

Jamal’s father--”one of the most heartfelt characters,” Todd said--is another carefully conceived element. Although he works “very hard” as a security guard to provide for his son and his elderly parents, “he takes the time to eat breakfast with his son and walk him to the bus stop every day.”

It’s not all sweetness and light. The acrimonious relationship between C-Bear and the family dog is the show’s nod to traditional slapstick violence, and Jamal’s grandmother is stereotypically ditsy in the first few episodes, although the writers say that her character deepens subsequently, as do others.

“As we develop the series we start to layer the characters and say some deeper things [after] the kids are invested emotionally,” Todd said. “Certainly all of our adult characters are there to provide a positive influence in Jamal’s life and serve as role models for our audience.

“Part of the reason why we’ve given some of the other adult characters more quirky personality traits is so they don’t get lost in the mix, but I think we go a long way toward having C-Bear indicate that he’s not the only person who is going to be instrumental in Jamal’s life.”

C-Bear, however, isn’t above leading Jamal astray before steering him right.

“C-Bear isn’t perfect,” Poindexter said. “He’s going to make mistakes as well because he is such an irascible character, and at the same time he will often try to agitate Jamal in his effort to draw him to the right conclusion. He’s going to create an environment in which Jamal is going to go from Point A to Point B, and see his dilemma from every perspective, so that when he comes through to the other end of it, he has a well-rounded experience and can make a decision based on that.”

It may seem odd that an 11-year-old boy carries around a teddy bear--indeed, Jamal’s father questions his son’s relationship with the bear--but as Loc explains, “Yes, he’s getting a little old to be hanging with this bear, but it is the last thing his mom gave to him [before she died]. That’s the connection. C-Bear is basically like a brother almost, to a guy who’s an only child.”

Besides, Loc said, “Jamal’s always trying to be the man, always wants to be more on the older side of things, so he’s not generally into hugging and cuddling the bear.”

* “C-Bear and Jamal” airs Saturdays at 7 a.m. on Fox (Channel 11).