Happy Tree Friends: First Blood (2002)

My favorite cartoonlet in Happy Tree Friends: First Blood is when Sniffles the Anteater tries to eat the ant family as they say grace at the dining room table but they stake down his tongue and attack it with a cheese grater, lemon juice, and so on. To those who gripe about the violence, this is no different than occasional Loony Tunes scenes involving Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Foghorn Leghorn, and Wile E. Coyote -- it just makes frenetic action, decapitation, and evisceration a constant theme. To those who complain about the grating theme song, these episodes originally appeared one week apart; no one is forcing you to watch them back to back. In fact, the voice talent and frenetic theme song is a big part of the Happy Tree Friends appeal because it sets the ironic tone of oh-so-cute yet doomed-to-die. Just be ready for lots of squishy messy deaths. (TV-MA means no kids!) First Blood includes: Spin Fun Knowin' Ya (Lumpy the Moose spins the kids on the merry-go-round way too hard), House Warming (Handy the Beaver builds Petunia a treehouse that explodes), Helping Helps (Splendid the Flying Squirrel tries to cover up a fatal rescue), Crazy Ant-ics (ant family fights back against Sniffles the Anteater), Havin' a Ball (Pop retrieves a ball through heavy traffic and helicopter blades), Water You Wading For? (Cuddles the Bunny encounters pirhanas and a gator in the swimming hole), Nuttin' Wrong with Candy (Nutty the Squirrel has a run-in with a vending machine), Wheelin' and Dealin' (Lifty and Shifty the Raccoons steal other car parts during a race), Pitchin' Impossible (Mole causes mayhem at the amusement park), Stayin' Alive (Disco Bear is not the best dance partner), Treasure These Idol Moments (golden idol causes death of five), Chip Off the Ol' Block (lawnmower leads to serious infant mayhem), Nuttin' but the Tooth (Toothy the Beaver plays Frankendentist on Nutty), Hide and Seek (Flippy the Bear acts out Vietnam-vet flashbacks on playmates). 4 stars.