Phantom Investigators - Demon Driver - Toonstalgia

 Phantom Investigators - Demon Driver

Toonstalgia

Quickly

The Phantom Investigators are contacted by a boy whose father is obsessed with his car.

Thoughts and Details

I have a deep love of animation. I grew up on Sledgehammer by Peter Gabriel, Take on Me by A-Ha. Liquid Television, Kablam, Ren and Stimpy, Beavis and Butthead, Daria, Angry Beavers, Rocko's Modern Life, Looney Tunes, Bump in the Night, Clash of the Titans... I can't list them all and if I tried, I would miss too many. Also, I like ghosts and demons and monsters. 

The Phantom Investigators features a unique blend of stop motion, live action and puppetry. Life with Loopy on Kablam featured the same style. Life with Loopy and Phantom Investigators fit in the same world because of the style and the type of the fantastic aspects of the stories. 

The kids and average people are stop motion animation figures with 2-D heads. Wad is a stop motion sculpture and occasionally a practical effect. Jinx is a puppet and stop motion. The transitions between most of the medium switching is done well, never seamlessly. That's the point. It works together to create the unique style. The viewer isn't meant to miss when the show switches from the animated character to human hands in a close up. It makes me laugh because it's such a fun, silly, Anderson touch. 

The puppets are one of my favorite parts of the show. The car puppet in this show is an exaggerated monster with red eyes and pointy teeth. The Great Spirit of Road Kill is ridiculous and I love it.

Detailed Synopsis

Nate's dad is late to pick him up because he lost track of time working on his car. Nate wants to spend time with his dad but his dad is going to work on his car. His dad drives recklessly. Nate calls the Phantom Investigators for help. Their initial investigation uncovers something strange is going on.

The rest of the team is at Felix Navarro's garage working on the Ghoul Mobile. Daemona consults her great grandmother's books and Jinxy the Bad Luck Demon for enlightenment on Nate's problem. They do an infodump to explain the general function of magic in the world and set up key pieces of information for the later resolution.

Daemona figures out Nate's dad isn't possessed directly. The car is possessed and influencing him. When they discover the true nature of the car, it attacks them.

The Phantom Investigators find a package with a piece of the demonic car. Daemona and Jericho follow this lead to a long closed salvage yard. They learn the evil Barracuda car came from a deal Barracuda Bill made with infernal forces and once the car is reassembled, evil ghosts will rule the roads.

The Phantom Investigators challenge Barracuda Bill to a car race for the lives of their friends and the fate of the world.

When it seems they are going to lose, they call on an Elemental. The Great Spirit of Road Kill eats Bill.

Nate's dad surprises him with a camper to go on a trip.