Da Boom Crew Rockets into Space

by Angela Scott

This is the story of me and my crew - Da Boom Crew. We created our own video game when we played heroes battling outer space villains. And, all of our adventures are on these boom carts. But, one day, we were sucked up by a supernatural vortex, and dropped into a world identical to our game - surrounded by monsters, aliens and a Peoplesaurus. And now, we have to find all of the boom carts in the universe.

So the intro begins for "Da Boom Crew" the latest animated adventure airing Saturday mornings on WB Kids! Coming from the gifted hands of Bruce W. Smith, creator of "The Proud Family" and director of "BeBe's Kids" no wonder this show provides real kids from the streets comically navigating through life's misadventures.

Justin, Nate, Jubei and Rickie are "Da Boom Crew" a group of orphans trekking the galaxy in search of missing boom carts. The sci-fi animated adventure adds more spice to a Saturday morning line-up that already features African Americans cartoon characters such as "The Proud Family," Static Shock and Tutenstein.

As a sci-fi adventure, Smith says "Da Boom Crew" offers a nice mix between "Star Wars" and "Boyz-N-The Hood." Serge Michaels, a fellow animator whom Smith worked with at Disney, approached Smith's Jambalaya Studio with the original story concept for the outer space adventure.

"We blended the two sci-fi concepts together," Smith says. "I began to sketch and create this universe
of characters, who they are, and that black experience." Smith says that the Nate and Justin characters are similar to Michaels and his brother. Regarded as one of the top leading animators, Smith says he shaped the villains around the whole product, and took great thought into creating the character of Hedlok played by Morris Day of "The Time." "These kids are makeshift urban kids that create this video game. If you think of "Back To the Future," all of these energies came together and then here's the phenomenon that turns their world inside out," Smith explains.

Set in the inner city, "Da Boom Crew" is a group of urban tweens who create a homemade video game. While the kids are having a blast dueling aliens and monsters that they created, a supernatural vortex pulls the kids into the world they created. While the adventure includes lots of monsters and villains out to stop the kids from collecting their boom carts, it's Hedlok who serves
as the "thorn-in-the-side" to the other villains. Still dressed in timeless flashy suits, Hedlok's zany
antics help keep the other monsters at bay and the crew on the run. Expect typical Morris Day laughs, as well as additional comic relief from his favorite sidekick, Jerome Benton, who plays Jerome, another anti-hero.

Known for creating memorable animated characters, Smith, a 42-year-old married father of four kids ranging in age from 23 to 10, credits his wife Denise and family for helping him remain connected to what's cool and what's old school. The Los Angeles native hails from the "hood" and grew up in a house full of kids much like his buddy, Penny Proud. While Smith's three older siblings played basketball and football, the cartoonist found passion sketching out animated tales based upon his South Central neighborhood, as well as creating satires based upon popular black '70s TV shows. "I was huge into the whole "blaxploitation period," recalls Smith. "And, I created this 'Sanford & Son' comic strip."; The master animator says he first began attending animation classes at the age of 10 after his fourth-grade teacher took notice of Smith's talented doodles. Smith says he became the designated class artist who created all of the class posters. And, his Century Park Elementary School teacher also started providing Smith's parents with information on no- and low-cost animation classes available. The executive producer of "Da Boom Crew" says he spent many summers in a palette of art and animation classes in order to advance his drawing skills.

After high school, Smith continued his pursuit as an animator and graduated from the California Institute of the Arts. Hollywood took notice and Smith's directing gigs came in with Michael Jordan's "Space Jam" and Robin Harris' "BeBe's Kids" as well as supervising animation in "Tarzan" and "The
Emperor's New Groove."

As "The Proud Family" is well into it's third season on the ABC Family Channel, fans continue to adore
Penny's tales in the 'hood. And what inspired Smith to create this typical L.A. family?

"People and stuff that you see on 'The Proud Family' is what I grew up seeing in my Inglewood neighborhood. The character Penny is just like my daughter Rachel," Smith admits. "I just kind of did a sketch of my wife and myself in caricatures and that kind of formed the Oscar and Trudy."

For Smith, animating the African American experience has been a true pleasure. As a child, Smith enjoyed watching Bill Cosby's "Fat Albert" and "The Cosby Kids." Adding diversity in "Da Boom Crew"
and "The Proud Family" tops off the animated shows, especially in a culture where hip-hop is now an influential force. The cartoonist says his characters demonstrate the spirit of youth in very unpredictable situations.

"I'm not trying to have them speak in the stereotypical tongue. "Da Boom Crew" is not a hip-hop show, where kids speak like they do in rap videos," Smith explains. "Recreating the black experience in animated form is deeper. And once you see "Da Boom Crew," you see how these kids are just like you and I," says Smith.

With "The Proud Family" and "Da Boom Crew" in full throttle, Smith is currently working on a full-length
feature of "The Proud Family." Check your local stations for air times and dates to catch both "The Proud Family" and "Da Boom Crew."


Angela D. Scott lives in the Los Angeles area and is the Special Sections Editor, L.A. Parent. This professional writer is a single mother of two daughters, Shani and Samara.