Tag cartoons

Exit Reviews on the Run, Now Entering Cartoon Country

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Just a quick heads-up regarding one of the recurring segments on this site. We won’t be making any more segments under the heading Reviews on the Run. The Pac is Back was the last one.

Country-Roads-US-FI-630x339

Haven’t we been down this road before?

Not exactly. Unlike last time, we’re not retiring the segment itself. I like the alterations that we made to the segment and those changes will remain intact. We’ve just decided to change the segment’s name. Preferably to a name that doesn’t contain the word “review”. The reason for this is because we never intended for this to be a review site; it was always meant to be a ‘discuss, celebrate, crack wise and spew out geek trivia about our favorite cartoons’ site. Initially, we felt like we had to have reviews of popular shows in order to stay relevant, but it was far too much work trying to force ourselves to write about things that we weren’t into, and whenever we would do so, our lack of enthusiasm would be all too noticeable in the blogs themselves. And even what we (laughably) referred to as reviews was just us spouting out random facts, making wise-cracks and jokes and nitpicking about cartoons instead of actually reviewing them. Basically, we’re only going to be discussing shows (or elements of said shows) that are of a particular interest to us. That will be the purpose of this segment, rather than doing full blown reviews of them. So while the segments will still be us looking at and offering our own unique opinions on cartoons, the cartoons that we’ll be covering here don’t have to be current or even running, nor does it even need to be an entire series. It can just be one episode or even one scene from an episode.

Generally speaking, the cartoons we talk about here (in the former RotR segments as well as others) span the range of the era that we grew up watching TV in: from the 70’s through the ’00’s, as well as some stuff from the 60’s and prior, which most folks in our particular age bracket encountered secondhand via syndicated reruns; largely Warner Brothers, Disney, Hanna-Barbera and MGM, but also more obscure stuff from other so-called ‘lesser’ studios as well, as such, some of these entries can, have and will get a tad esoteric at times. At times you may be thinking:

“WEIRDOS!”

On more than one occasion. However, don’t think that this is going to become one of those

“Cartoons were better in MY day! Flobbity-Flee!”

Retro-Snobbery sites. We try not to be time-warped; we like all kinds of things, regardless of the era in which they came from, so this is not to say that there won’t be any contemporary cartoons or shows which are currently in production at all; but they’ll only be shows that for one reason or another are interesting to us personally (it is our site, after all). For this reason, we’ll no longer be referring to them as reviews; in fact, expect the material here to get a lot less ‘review-y’ ’round these parts in the weeks and months to come. From now on, we’ll be calling this segment Cartoon Country, because it’s talk about cartoons, which is what this site is primarily about. So they’ll be the same segments that we’ve been doing as of late, just with a different name.

Walter Cronkite

“…And that’s the way it is.”

Funny is Not a 4-Letter Word

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Let’s talk for a bit about Genre Busters, shall we?

“Who ya gonna call?”

Now that we’ve gotten that obligatory joke out of the way, GENRE BUSTERS. I’m talking about cartoons like Avatar: The Last Airbender, Adventure Time, Steven Universe, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic and Over the Garden Wall, shows which operate on several levels, incorporating comedy with drama, action, adventure and mystery, pushing the envelope and offering something beyond what many have come to expect from your typical ‘cartoony’ cartoons.

Now while shows of this ilk aren’t my particular cup of tea, as a lifelong devotee of art and animation I can’t help but applaud these genre busting shows for showing us all what animation is truly capable of in the hands of skillful and talented people when given the chance.

However, the success of these shows, while noteworthy and commendable, is also a…..

DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD.

On the one hand, it’s good that shows like these manage to get on the air, but on the other hand, the successes of these genre-busting cartoons has created a new subculture of animation snobs who now turn their collective noses up at straight-up ‘funny cartoons’ and deride them as somehow being “inferior” and “insulting the medium”. “Bah!” They’ll snort. “That show’s just a comedy!” As though there’s something wrong with a show being a comedy. Not too long ago, a message board poster actually laid out these words of wisdom upon viewing a brief preview clip of the upcoming Wabbit: A Looney Tunes Production:

“I am wondering who exactly is WB catering too (yeah, that’s really how he spelled it). they did an amazing job with stuff like Tiny Toons and Animaniacs but The Looney Tunes Show had little to no emotional moments or depth to their characters, they act as though literally no human being alive liked Loonatics Unleashed and this seems like a return to the shorts that were nothing but animated puppets making jokes.”

“Animated puppets making jokes??”

“Exsqueeze me? Baking powder??”

“You got a problem with puppets making jokes, pal? That happens to be our bread and butter, man!”

OK, where to begin? First, Tiny Toon Adventures and Animaniacs were zany shows which were occasionally sentimental, not sentimental shows which were occasionally zany. Selective memory much? It’s also worth mentioning that those so-called “deep and emotional” segments such as “Puttin’ on the Blitz”, “Smitten with Kittens”, “Homeward Bound”, “Whale’s Tales” and “One Flew Over the Cuckoo Clock” were not only few and far and between and the exception, not the norm, of those shows’ usual fare, but they were also largely HATED by the general fanbases of said shows. Second, why the flaming heck are you watching a clip of a show called “Wabbit: A Looney Tunes Production” expecting depth and emotional moments anyway? It’s the freaking LOONEY TUNES. The Looney Tunes are FUNNY. They’ve always been funny. If you’re expecting something akin to Sophie’s Choice from a Looney Tunes cartoon, you’re living on a different planet than the rest of us and only setting yourself up for disappointment.

This same towering intellect of our time was also displeased by the recent Sonic Boom cartoon, as it commits the heinous crime of not being the 1990’s Sonic the Hedgehog cartoon from 1993-1994. he opines:

“This show is an insult to Sonic fans. Sonic SatAM should be revived, because it had drama and sadness, like My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic which is the super-duper bestest show of all time and will one day replace oxygen as the thing we need to breathe in order to stay alive. Sonic Boom has no moments of drama, sadness, tragedy or angst, so it turns Sonic into a bland character on a show for babies.”

Unfortunately, I’ve encountered attitudes like this far too often recently. I find it’s common among teens and in teen media to mistake angst for depth. They seem to think that if a character is depressed all the time, then they must have really deep thoughts about the world. It’s what we call Emo Disease.

In regards to the Sonic point (aside from the one on this guy’s head): I really get tired of this whole “characters who don’t cry or suffer a ton of angst and drama = bland and childish” rhetoric that genre-buster snobs now hold so dear. Yes, in some cases emotion and poignancy can do a lot of good, but just piling on cheap tragedies one after the other is an empty way of compensating for proper character development. There are other ways to develop characters and make your audience care about them besides just putting them through some contrived emotional wringer.

“If sadness equals character development, then I must be the deepest character ever conceived. Lucky me.”

All too often in this day and age, it seems that the wacky cartoons like Looney Tunes, Sonic Boom and Uncle Grandpa are looked down upon because they don’t meet these animation snobs’ standards of the supposed “right way” to make a cartoon, as if now every single cartoon now has to be Avatar: the Last Airbender or My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. What these chinless wonders fail to realize is that there is no one right way to make a cartoon. It genuinely angers me how people constantly want everything to be the same, and bash something simply because it doesn’t fit their narrow definitions. Cartoon creators typically make what they want to see and what they think is entertaining, which is how it should be. If you don’t like it, fine, but don’t act like every cartoon needs to follow some arbitrary checklist of your very specific desires. Seriously, get over it and yourself.

Right now I’m collaborating on a new cartoon show that I hope can get made one day, but it’s not going to be the next Avatar: the Last Airbender, Adventure Time, Sonic SatAM or Steven Universe. Quite frankly I’m just not interested in making that kind of show. Depth, pathos, drama and heart are fine if that’s what you’re into, but we can’t all be Miyazaki. Someone’s gotta just provide the belly-laughs, and that’s what I plan to do. Some people are going to like the kind of cartoons I plan to produce and some aren’t. I know not everyone out there is gonna share our tastes, and that’s ultimately going to be what we build our show around: OUR tastes, not those of a perceived majority. You can’t please everyone, and you never need to.

I can’t think of better words of wisdom than those of J.G. Quintel, creator of Regular Show, who said this:

“Make the things you want to see, not what you think other people want to see. It’s way too much work to be making something that you’re not even into.”

Well said, man.

Nerdvana: Cookin’ with Toons

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Today’s Nerdvana is all about food products. Specifically those appetizing food products that you see in cartoons and wonder what they’d taste like in real life. First up, Krabby Patties.

They make them look so good on the show, I’m sure at some point we’ve all wondered what these things actually taste like.
Plankton
“I know I have! Inquiring minds want to know. Kindly speak into my left antenna, which isn’t concealing a hidden recorder at all.”
 
I’m surprised that no major seafood franchise like Red Lobster or Long John Silver’s hasn’t capitalized on this and manufactured actual Krabby Patties to sell as some sort of promotion. It practically sells itself. Of course, they may have had second thoughts after learning the truth…
 
 

 

Still hungry? Let’s move on to another popular animated delicacy, Smurfberries.

Smurfberry2

“Smurfberries? I LOVE Smurfberries! Smurfberry pie, Smurfberry cake, Smurfberry pudding, Smurfberry tarts, Smurfberry muffins, Smurfberry donuts, Smurfberry shakes…”

“A question: given that the Smurfs were originally created by the wizard Homnibus, which came first, the Smurfs or the Smurfberries? Were the Smurfberries named after the Smurfs, or were the Smurfs named after the Smurfberries?”
 
Save it for Talkin’ Nerdy, Prof. But here’s a fun factoid: did you know that Post cereals actually made a food product with Smurfberries? It was called Smurf Berry Crunch.
Smurf Berry Crunch
Here’s an ad:

Ah, so Smurfberries are basically Crunchberries. That answers that. Moving on…

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I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention Scooby Snacks. One of the great mysteries of the universe: what the heck are Scooby Snacks and why do Scooby and Shaggy crave them so badly? (I remember there being Shaggy Snacks in one episode.) If Scoob’s name is on the product, does he get paid royalties for them or do he and Shag get to nosh on them for free? In Shaggy and Scooby-Doo Get a Clue! (aka “the Scooby show WB doesn’t talk about anymore”) the Scooby Snacks were enhanced by advanced nanotechnology, granting the duo temporary superpowers; I wondered what those tasted like?

“Well, like, one pack of them gave me laser eye beams and Scoob super speed, then we like blacked out, and we woke up in Atlantic City next to a nude Ken doll. Scoob had swallowed an entire saxophone and I found out I was married to Kiyone from Tenchi Muyo! Man, that was one hot crazy summer!”
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To say that C.H. Greenblatt’s late Cartoon Network series Chowder was hit or miss is putting it mildly, but I did and still do think the show had some fun and interesting concepts, and that if done correctly, a show built around cooking and dishes could make for an interesting series, or maybe just one interesting element in a series. Among the items mentioned on the show was Thrice Cream.
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I like this product not only because it was, according to the show’s title character, “The life giver and source of all that is creamy and good!” but also because its’ name incorporates the word thrice, which we’re trying to bring back into everyday usage.

Chowder has also given us the No-Fruit.

No-Fruit was a bizarre fruit which resembled a block of tofu with a leafy stem on top. In this state it tasted like literally nothing, but when its’ stem was pulled, it would begin transforming lightning fast into a wide assortment of fruits. A skilled chef would then have to strike the No-Fruit, Whack-A-Mole style, to land on whichever fruit he/she required. When morphed into another fruit, the No-Fruit would taste like the freshest and most delicious form of said fruit. Let’s get on this, genetic scientists!

Hmm, I wonder if No-Fruit could simulate a Smurfberry?

“Smurfberries? I LOVE Smurfberries! Smurfberry pancakes, Smurfberry waffles, Smurfberry biscuits, Smurfberry parfaits, Smurfberry burgers, Smurfberry tacos, Smurfberry pizza, Smurfberry lasagna, Smurfberry soup, Smurfberry noodles…”

-Check, please!

Toons & Tunes: Police Academy: The Series Intro

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Today’s Toons & Tunes is the opening to the 1998-89 animated series based on the famous Police Academy films starring Steve Guttenberg, Michael Winslow, Bubba Smith, David Graf, Bobcat Golthwait, Tim Kazurisnky, George Gaynes, et al, none of whom lent their voices to the cartoon show, sadly. I had successfully put this series behind my thoughts until Hobbyfan brought it bubbling back to the surface on Saturday Morning Archives.

I probably won’t be doing a Retro Bin on this show because while I do remember the show airing, many of the actual episodes blur together for me. The main thing I remember about Police Academy: The Series, aside from the customized vehicles the cops drove around in (Officers Tackleberry and Callahan’s patrol car resembled a mini-tank, for example) and how “off” Zed’s voice sounded (the voice actor didn’t even sound like he was trying to imitate Bob Golthwait) was the show’s theme song, which even then I remember thinking was pretty cool for a toon that was basically a farce. It was silly, but in a good way. Fun fact: the show’s theme song was performed by comedy rap group The Fat Boys, who also appeared in a single episode of the show playing themselves. Enjoy.

The Retro Bin: Video Power (1990-1991)

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Today, The Retro Bin spotlights a popular video game themed kids’ show from the 1990’s.

No, not that one. This one featured several different video game characters from different titles.
No, that was 80’s. This show featured several video game characters together as a team of action heroes.
captain-n
Wrong again, but you’re getting warmer. In addition to the aforementioned cartoon segments, this show featured a live-action host and game show elements.
OK, I’ll turn over all the cards. The show in question is Video Power, an American television series that aired in two different formats from 1990-1992 in syndication.
Both formats of Video Power revolved around video games, and actor Stivi Paskoski presided over both series playing video game master Johnny Arcade, of the South Hampton Arcades, no doubt.
Season 1 Intro:
“DUUUUUDE! That was Funky, Funky Fresh!”
 
The first format of Video Power consisted of both live-action segments and cartoon segments from the Acclaim Entertainment-produced series, The Power Team.
The cartoon was an adventure featuring Johnny Arcade and a team of heroes from different NES games and a Game Boy game published by Acclaim: Max Force, a policeman from NARC; Kuros, the knight from Wizards and Warriors; Tyrone, a basketball player from Arch Rivals, because we all know how well pro athletes work as superheroes…
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“LAME!”

Kwirk, a tomato from the game of the same name;

“In that opening, Kwirk jumps out of an NES, but the game Kwirk was exclusive to the Game Boy! Johnny Arcade is a big fat lair!!”

…and Bigfoot, a monster truck that had its own video game. Yes, the monster truck was a member of the team.

“What’re you sayin’, buddy? That vehicles aren’t essential to the team dynamic? Well, good luck walking to your next mission, smart guy!”
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The main enemy of each episode was mostly Mr. Big and his thugs, Joe and Spike, from NARC, while Malkil from Wizards and Warriors sometimes appears with the villains of NARC.

“Poseurs! If we suck so much, then why are these guys trying to rip us off?”
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In the live action segments, Mr. Arcade would review and preview games that were currently out or forthcoming for consoles, as well as giving hints and tips for gamers that were having trouble achieving certain tasks in games. Sometimes he would go to an expo or a convention to show the booths of forthcoming titles. Viewers were also able to write into the show to receive hints.

For the show’s second season which began in the fall of 1991, the producers of Video Power completely overhauled its format and opening.

“DUUUUDE! the first theme was awesome, but that theme was TOTALLY BODACIOUS TO THE MAX!!!”

The Power Team were given the pink slip and the series was turned it into a game show. Johnny was joined by Terry Lee Torok, who served as his co-host and did more actual hosting that Arcade did, and Steve Treccase, the former Remote Control keyboardist who served as the leader of an in-house band that was added to the show as well. The game consisted of kids in the audience putting “Johnny on the spot” by asking him questions, a round of video game playing, a quiz, more game playing and a prize round. The winning player would….

…You know what? Who cares? This show was just 90’s cheese. That’s really all you need to know. Video Power was a very 90’s video game cash-in show. End of story. I’m out.

“HA-HA! In your face, producers!”
“Word??”