Worst Cartoons of All Time (1930's to the present)

[Out of the Blue]

Now another Popeye movie...this time in CGI

It will probably be directed by Uwe Boll.  I think I'll take the 1980 movie with Robin Williams.

[Woops]

source: Cartoon Brew

The CGI Yogi
March 31, 2010 11:35 am




I wasn’t going to post about this. I was sent these images of CGI Yogi and Boo Boo a few days ago and decided they were so horrible that they couldn’t possibly be the finals. Now they seem to be all over the internet (you can see larger versions on The Movie Insider.com) and many readers have sent them in to me, wanting my opinion.

My opinion? As much as I hate the idea of this CGI Yogi Bear movie, I can’t believe these are the actual images of the characters that will be animated in the film. These designs are simply awful. What about you? What do you think?

Well, it's probably April 1st in New Zealand, but unfortunatly not in the US...


Much like Scooby Doo, Garfield, and Alvin & the Chipmunks, creepy.

[Out of the Blue]

Maybe it's just a generational thing but I'm just not wowed by CGI.

[Woops]

Casper the Friendly Ghost from the infamous Famous Studios... besides that the main character is bland, the exaggerated expressions of the frightened people aren't funny and gets old fast.

The only positive thing I can say is that the theme song is catchy.



Most of the MGM Droopy cartoons not directed by Tex Avery are hit or miss. "Droopy Leprechaun" is probably the worst since the Droopy is very out of character since he mostly runs from the "Mad Duke" (Spike in disquise) in the cartoon.

Favorites: "Wild & Woolfy", "Dumb Hounded", and "Dixieland Droopy"

[Woops]

Well...as long something good comes out of it

source

Mighty Mouse on again at Paramount
April 16, 2010 8:00 am



This isn’t really new news; we’ve posted about this in 2004 and 2006. But once again, the LA Times is reporting that Mighty Mouse is back in development as a feature film at Paramount.

The Times article has no new details other than the fact the film is being fast-tracked and they are seeking a new writer and director.

I initiated development of a Mighty Mouse movie when I worked for Nickelodeon Movies as an animation VP in 1995. I’ve been trying to get Viacom to do something… anything… with its Terrytoon properties for years. I’ve had development deals for Tom Terrific at Nick Jr. and Heckle & Jeckle at MTV. My pilot, Hornswiggle, was one result of these efforts (the cartoon was pitched and developed as a revival of Sick Sick Sidney). The Bakshi Mighty Mouse DVD last January was another by-product of my years of lobbying for these characters.

The grosses for feature cartoon hybrids (particularly pre-sold revivals like Alvin, Scooby Doo, etc.), and perhaps some visibility from the Bakshi-Mighty dvd, may have finally awakened Paramount to this classic studio “asset”. I hope it works this time. I hope they make a good movie. My only goal now is to use this opportunity to unearth the library of classic cartoons - and get them back out for the public to see.

Movie... uh, no  

Though thought was already (thankfully) scrapped several years ago...I would definitely buy a set of Terrytoons cartoons. If done similar to the Universal "Woody Woodpecker & friends" sets with Mighty Mouse with a selection of Heckle & Jeckle, Gandy Goose, and other Terrytoon shorts  included.  

Many are on YouTube, though the quality varies. I actually find them (especially Heckle & Jeckle) entertaining.

[Woops]

20 Worst Sat AM cartoons

You know, it’s easy to look back at the past through rose-colored glasses and claim that everything was better when we were kids, but guess what: it wasn’t. In fact, things were objectively worse in a lot of ways (are you really going to tell me that a broken-down Nintendo Entertainment System is better than an Xbox 360?). But one thing will always be true: Saturday morning cartoons suck. For every masterpiece like a Ren & Stimpy, there’s 20 completely abysmal abominations that kids watch because kids are stupid. In fact, here’s the 20 worst Saturday morning cartoons now

...in no specific order, though all very much cringe worthy  

6 celebrity tie-ins
2 based on movies
1 based on a sitcom (though there was many prime time tv based toons in the 1970's/early '80's)
2 rehashes of classic/older cartoon characters
several toy infomercials (also to cash in with popular trends like Pokemon & Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)

20 of the most infamous cartoons featured: (YouTube videos of the theme songs are posted on the article)

"Rosey & Buddy Show" (based on comedianne Roseanne)
"Rickety Rocket"
"Chuck Norris Karate Kommandos" (based on actor Chuck Norris)
"Rubik the Amazing Cube" (yes, based on the Rubik's cube)
"Laser Tag Academy" (based on a game)
"Laverne & Shirley Join The Army" (based on the '70's sitcom)
"Pro-Stars" (based on atheletes Michael Jordon, Wayne Gretsky, & Bo Jackson)
"Highlander: The Animated Series" (based on the movie)
"Hammer-Man" (based on MC Hammer)
"Johnny Test"
"Street Sharks" (Ninja Turtles rip-off)
"Turbo Teen"
"Loonatics: Unleashed" (cheesy futuristic super-hero versions of Looney Tunes)
"Butt Ugly Martians"
"Rambo" (based on movie)
"Waynehead" (created by Damon Wayans)
"Beverly Hills Teen"
"Bakugan" (Pokemon rip-off)
"Yo! Yogi" (Yogi & other early Hanna Barbera funny animals as "trendy" early '90's tweens)
"The Gary Coleman Show" (based on Gary Coleman)


Completely agree, though majority of the cartoons are fortunately long forgotten...though don't know why Cartoon Network constantly airs "Johnny Test" (not confused with "Johnny Quest") after the channel salvaged it from the now defunct Kids WB block. Then again, 99% of the shows on the channel are unwatchable...

Several of the Scooby clones like "The Amazing Chan Clan", "Speed Buggy", "Fang Face", "Jabberjaw" and even it own spin-offs like "The New Scooby Doo Movies" should've been mentioned. (While  "Scooby Doo, Where Are You?" is slightly tolerable, I find the franchise overrated)

[Woops]

Watched "Yogi's Space Race" on Boomerang out of boredom...

Basically a "Wacky Races" knock-off with Yogi, Huckleberry Hound, Jabber Jaw, and a few new (and long forgotton) characters... 

According to "The Cartoon Scrapbook", it's a lead-in  of a 90 minute show that features separate 30 minute segments featuring some of the characters.

source

One of Hanna-Barbera’s more popular characters, Yogi Bear was already a cartoon veteran before Yogi’s Space Race premiered in the fall of 1978. Intended to cash in on the Star Wars craze, this ninety-minute show consisted of several animated segments starring Yogi and his friends.


A long way from Jellystone National Park, Space Race saw Yogi and a host of other popular Hanna-Barbera characters navigating their way through the solar system in an interplanetary race. The teams were constantly hampered by the scheming duo Phantom Phink and Sinister Sludge, who spent more time setting traps for the other racers than they did racing.

pics found on Google:


Sooo... the Mystery Machine got modified into a space vehicle and Daphne teamed up with Melody from "Josie & The Pussycats" and an actual gold digger. Plus, both have new hair styles... (OK, corny comment)

[Woops]

Watched another episode of "Yogi's Space Race"  (don't ask, though mostly for it's vintage Limburger value) and it featured a random cameo appearance of Jana of the Jungle (similar to characters like Sheena the Jungle Woman)...

"Jana of the Jungle" intro

The theme is similar to '60's action Hanna Barbera cartoons. If there's another '70's Sat AM DVD, an episode should definitely be included (with 4 other semi-decent 'toons). She's kinda cute to boot
  

[Woops]

Just watched a few episodes on YouTube. It's not as bad compared to most cartoons from the '70's. It's very much OK though  the animation typical for tv animation from the era.

According to Wiki it never aired on Boomerang or Cartoon Network and last aired on USA network's "Cartoon Express" in the 1980's. Probably due to licensing from Toho.

It was part of the "Godzilla Power Hour" during the first season, though the giant lizard did air on Cartoon Network in the mid '90's & Boomerang several years ago and also been released on DVD (sans Jana).

There's a current comic book titled "Jungle Girl" featuring the main character named Jana (different character), though takes place at a "Lost World" type environment (ie dinosaurs) and doesn't wear a  necklace that's used like a boomerang.



According to  TV Tropes, the cartoon was created by Doug Wildey, which the comic was created by Doug Murray & Frank Cho. Well, there's Jann of the Jungle, which dates back to the '50's and Tarzan has a wife named Jane.

edited: the "Jana" cartoon creator name was Doug Wildey. Though he worked on "Johnny Quest" in the '60's.

[Out of the Blue]

So you've got a crush on a cartoon character?  Don't feel bad, there are plenty of people that get crushes on video game characters.

Don't take that seriously.  I'm just playing with you. 

[Woops]

New York Times article about "The  (New & Unimproved)  Looney Tunes Show"..."What's Up Doc? New Looneys"

some quotes and pics:


I highly doubt that they'll pull this off  since it'll lack the facial expressions from the cartoons, directed by Chuck Jones. Honestly, Wile E. Coyote  looks  like a figurine... (face is OK, though can't judge by the pic. Probably good if it's a stand alone pic from Deviant Art. Though don't have good expectations for the new short...)



 Daffy looks like he was strucked by lightening and as for Bugs... "Continue to draw me like this, buddy, and we'll *both* be outta work!"

Ask a first grader to identify Bugs Bunny and the response more likely than not will be a blank stare. Dora, sure. Mickey, alive and kicking. But Porky who?

Any proof?  

Warner has a reputation, both with fans and inside the industry, for ham-fisted campaigns to breathe new life into the franchise. Steven Spielberg sparked things up in the early 1990s with “Tiny Toons Adventures,” a series in which new characters interacted with the originals. But a 2002 effort, “Baby Looney Tunes,” was a dud for the former WB network and later for the Cartoon Network.

While "Tiny Toons" was a hit, it appears that most of the fans now are nostalgic adults that grew up in the '90's. Honestly, it's no difference than "Flintstone Kids" or "Pup Named Scooby Doo". Granted the characters aren't kiddie versions of the classic characters, they shared the same traits of their Looney counterparts. (ie Buster & Babs Bunny...no relation, Plucky Duck, Calamity Coyote, Dizzy Devil, etc)

While it has a cult following, it's mostly people who grew up in the '90's (as kids and/or teens) and not very many.

This revival, Mr. Register and Mr. Roth promise, will be different. One major shift involves the DNA of the wisecracking characters — it’s the same as what first made them stars in the 1940s. Bugs, Daffy, Porky and crew for the first time in years will look and behave in a manner that is familiar to adults who grew up on the cartoons. No babies. No punked-out space adventurers.

...so Flash animation and CGI that's dominating tv animation and movies

“The minute you start drawing Bugs Bunny exactly as he was drawn in 1949, you expect the same animation and the voice to be exactly the same,” Mr. Register said. “That’s obviously not possible, so you pull the best stuff from the characters and do something slightly new with it.”

How about just leaving them the way they supposed to be and air the original cartoons.

Sales of Looney Tunes merchandise have been sliding for about eight years, but still ring up over $1 billion annually on a global basis via 1,000 licensees. (To compare, Winnie the Pooh generates about $5 billion annually for Disney.) The hope is that “The Looney Tunes Show,” supported by the theatrical shorts, will fuel new product lines.
“We have to invest quite a bit of money in the content first,” said Brad Globe, president of Warner Brothers Consumer Products. “Once there is new content out there, then retailers will become more interested in it.”

Jerry Beck, an animation historian and the author of the coming “100 Greatest Looney Tunes Cartoons,” said that fans would welcome another attempt to bring back the brand and that Warner, having hired top animation talent to work on the project, seems to be on the right track this time.

As for low sales of merchandising...I'm guessing lack of television air play and DVD releases. There's countless DVD comps of Mickey & Donald, but not much for Bugs & Daffy besides sets aimed mostly  at collectors. What about somebody who would just want a disc of Daffy cartoons or Road Runner?

"100 Greatest Looney Tunes", that's cool, maybe Cartoon Network could air (or most of) the cartoons from the list. Maybe before the premiere of the new show to show the real deal...

[Woops]

Watched 12/13 episodes of "Jana of the Jungle" that were uploaded, though the  episodes appeared to be in bad quality  (ie "Rouge Elephant" being one of the worst since it's too dark/murky) and  "video wear" due to the source   but the audio could still be heard.  

"Suspicion" is the only episode that wasn't uploaded, ironically is the final episode.



Pros: appealing main character, background music, and doesn't have any annoying characters/tag-a-longs  that have no real purpose on the show >cough<Scrappy>cough<

Cons: characters lack personality (have they ever argued or have Jana or Ben & Montaro flirted with each other at one point?) and/or character development... typical '70's Hanna Barbera animation, though atleast it's not from Filmation...which was far more choppier, IMHO.



It lasted less than a season for some reason. On a Jana fan page, it stated that boys might've been turned off by an action cartoon with a female lead and girls were uninterested. Though primetime live action shows "Charlie's Angels" & "Wonder Woman" were popular among kids of both genders.

Plus "Josie & The Pussycats" lasted two seasons (counting the infamous  "...in Outerpace") and the comic book lasted from the 1960's to the mid '80's.

Considering that it's from the '70's, there's some messages about respect to animals and other people. Though nothing overly preachy like "Ferngully" or "Captain Planet".

"Godzilla" lasted a few seasons and was paired with reruns of "Johnny Quest" (ironically Jana creator Doug Wildey worked on) and "Hong Kung Phooey". Though the giant lizard works for the government to fight off other monsters rather than Godzilla rampaging Tokyo in the cartoon...

According to the Sat AM listings for the Fall of 1978, the second half of the "Power Hour" was up against "Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Show" and "Scooby's All Star Laff-a-Lympics"


To be honest, there's countless Sat AM cartoons that only lasted a season.

It doesn't mean it's bad since "The Jetsons", "Top Cat", "Johnny Quest" (though were primetime), and  "George of the Jungle", though remained in reruns in Saturday morning for a few years,  are among classics or fondly remembered.  

Favorite episodes: Though I've found most action oriented Hanna Barbera boring. (well, some of the "Space Ghost" villians  like Zorak are slightly more entertainig)

"Race For Life"... Amazonian women kidnaps Dr. Ben Cooper, a wildlife biologist and a man that they forced to go on a mission (which Jana saved when he almost drowned). The Amazonian Queen challenges Jana and one of her warriors to a race.

Something odd: The Queen has a daughter...then who's the father?

"The Animal Snatchers"

Poachers pretend to be documentary filmmakers to capture animals including Jana's white jaguar. Memorable scene: when she free herself from a net.

Something random: one of the poachers called her a "Meddling Jungle Girl"  


"The Countdown"

first episode, which Jana and her crew must retrieve a bomb, but a tribe considers it a gift from the Fire Demon and imprisons Jana...


"The Rogue Elephant"

Also an OK, though  the picture quality was very murky. Jana has to retrieved an elephant that escaped from a train...and a local tribe considers it a demon (since elephants aren't native in South America).

[Out of the Blue]

New York Times article about "The  (New & Unimproved)  Looney Tunes Show"..."What's Up Doc? New Looneys"

some quotes and pics:


I highly doubt that they'll pull this off  since it'll lack the facial expressions from the cartoons, directed by Chuck Jones. Honestly, Wile E. Coyote  looks  like a figurine... (face is OK, though can't judge by the pic. Probably good if it's a stand alone pic from Deviant Art. Though don't have good expectations for the new short...)

It looks like they are trying to go 3D.

[Woops]

New "Roadrunner" Shorts Get Theatrical Play Dates
By Maxie Zeus
05-21-2010, 12:45 PM

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Warner Bros. will give a theatrical release to three new CG-animated Roadrunner and Coyote shorts by attaching them to upcoming releases, the studio said yesterday.

The first of the three-minute shorts will be released on July 30 with Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore. The second will be released on September 24 with Legends of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole and the third on December 17 with Yogi Bear.

The shorts will be presented in stereographic 3D.

Guessing the CGI shorts will be on the show... though the movies will also be flops or overshadowed by other films

source:  Cartoon Network press release

The Looney Tunes Show: A new half-hour animated comedy series starring Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck. No longer confined to 7-minute shorts, Bugs and Daffy are out of the woods and living in the suburbs among such colorful neighbors as Yosemite Sam, Granny, Tweety and Sylvester. In addition to each episode’s main story, The Looney Tunes Show also features “cartoons within a cartoon.” The Tasmanian Devil, Speedy Gonzales, Marvin the Martian and other classic characters sing original songs in two-minute music videos called Merrie Melodies and the Road Runner and Coyote are featured in 2-1/2 minute CG shorts. This all new series is produced by Warner Bros. Animation. Sam Register (Teen Titans, Ben 10, Batman: The Brave and the Bold) is the executive producer. Spike Brandt and Tony Cervone (both Duck Dodgers, Back at the Barnyard, Space Jam) are the supervising producers.

[Out of the Blue]

though the movies will also be flops or overshadowed by other films

Because they just won't be that good.