PVoA: Cartoon Network Rant #1

I'm sorry to say that I don't know how to start this. Cartoon Network has been a very important part of my life. The channel introduced me to all kinds of animation: old and new. Sure, it has (and is currently doing) a few live-action projects, but it has never bothered me. That was because I never believed it would have a major impact on the animated side of the network. Heck, Rob Sorcher, the person that is currently the Chief Content Officer of Cartoon Network said that it will not effect the channel's animation output. And I believed that, since when the Stuart Synder regime came to the network, things were looking up. We saw the premiere of several successful animated series, the greenlight for a What A Cartoon!-esque short program (The Cartoonstitute), and the pickup of a new Genndy Tartakovsky series (Sym-Bionic Titan). They even canceled Out of Jimmy's Head. These people seemed to be genuine animation fans who knew what to do with the network and how to make it succeed.

But of course, things change. Someone at the network went ahead and decided that they should produce reality programming, and everybody went ahead with it. And on June 17th and June 20th, CN Real will premiere. Four reality shows, with two more coming by the end of the year. "Great!," is what I though at the time. I thought this would be a good thing to gain ratings for the channel and to finance the animated series. But then Cartoon Network started focusing all their energy into promoting them. Advertisements for new Batman: The Brave and the Bold and The Secret Saturdays are clumped together into a single ad for the entire block. Same for Chowder and The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack. But, being the optimist I am, I didn't really see this so much as a bad thing. Then, the creator of Chowder (C.H. Greenblatt) started getting worried (and later came to the conclusion) that his show will get cancelled. But I refused to believe this. But then Greenblatt said that Flapjack could also be in danger of cancellation, of which Thurop Van Orman has said nothing about. I refused to believe this either, since Flapjack didn't even premiere its second season yet, so the network had to see how it did in Season 2 before making the final decision. But then Jay Stephens (creator of TSS) came to Toon Zone with some troubling news: Cartoon Network Studios has closed its doors to comedy.

Yes, you read that right. Cartoon Network Studios, whose most popular animated series WERE comedies, have closed their doors to anymore animated comedy pitches and any comedy series in development (not production, so Adventure Time with Finn and Jake is safe). For the foreseeable future, Cartoon Network is now going to focus solely on action/adventure series. Sure, Jay has told us that the entertainment world changes all the time: that the doors for hilarity will likely be opened again in the future. That made my anger subdue, until I learned that Cartoonstitute was affected by this also. Of the planned 150 animated shorts to be made, only 14 were successfully completed. It was at the point when I realized that there was no real bright side to this other than 2 or 3 of these shorts becoming full-length series (if that's still happening). I completely and utterly hated what Cartoon Network has done. What the hell happened!!??

EDIT - Craig McCracken confirmed that only 39 shorts were to be made, which (in retrospect) makes more sense than 150 shorts. There is no way a studio could complete 150 shorts in 20 months without the help of several other studios. The only reason the project was canned was because of the horrible economy, so it was either the shorts program or something else.

Cartoon Network Upfront 2009: Animated

It's been two months since I've made a post on this blog. In that time I've been working on raising my grades in high school before the end of the term, convincing my parents to pay money for animation classes in Fall, and (most importantly) keeping a close eye on Cartoon Network. Cartoon Network held it's annual upfront on Wednesday, showcasing all the new stuff coming up in the next year...animation and live-action. Sure, there is a lot of animated goodness that has announced, but there is also as many live-action projects. Today, I will be reviewing and looking over the animated treats of the upfront.

*All images used in this blog post are completely and utterly owned by both Cartoon Network and Toon Zone

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Upcoming Animated Series (Four Originals and Three Acquisitions)

• Adventure Time with Finn and Jake - Finn, the human boy with the awesome hat, and Jake, the wise dog, are close friends and partners in strange adventures in the land of Ooo. Adventure Time started out as a short at Nickelodeon, and later on picked up by Cartoon Network. If you've seen the short on Youtube, you'd know that it has some wacky & random humor, rubbery animation, and pleasing colors. Having seen a complete storyboard for one of the episodes, I'm highly anticipating the premiere of this little gem.


• Stoked - Six teenaged groms (young surfers) come together for 12 weeks over summer to work and surf at the world renowned Surfer’s Paradise Resort on the legendary Sunset Island, home of the most epic surf break in the country. From the creators of Total Drama Island and 6teen, Stoked is basically what I would call "6teen on a beach". The characters and animation seem very similar. However, this show could surprise me. Only time will tell whether or not I'll become a fan.


• Total Drama Island - Showcasing all the elements of favorite reality TV shows—romances and friendships; scheming and sabotage; death-defying stunts and stomach curdling challenges within larger-than-life elimination competition—Total Drama Action succeeds Total Drama Island. Fourteen contestants face thrilling challenges on an abandoned film studio back-lot, all inspired by the movies. After reviewing Total Drama Island, I became a fan of the series. So of course I'm hoping Total Drama Action will be as good, if not better than the first season. Though hindered by Flash animation, the show had good writing and fabulous characters. And it successfully mocks reality television...


• Ben 10: Evolutions - An all-new animated series follows 16-year-old Ben Tennyson as his secret identity has been revealed to the world and he’s now an international mega-star super hero, loved by kids the world over but distrusted by many adults. Armed with a mysterious new Omnitrix, Ben will see action in places he’s never been. Before any confusion sets in, I'd like to say that this series takes place after the upcoming third season of Alien Force. I'd also like to say that I actually enjoy the Ben 10 franchise, and I'll happily accept another series.


• Sym-Bionic Titan - From creator Genndy Tartakovsky (Dexter’s Laboratory, Samurai Jack) comes an exciting hybrid of high school drama and giant robot battles. Sym-Bionic Titan follows the adventures of three beings from the planet Galaluna who crash-land on Earth while attempting to escape their war-torn world. This series had me at Genndy Tartakovsky...wonder how he'll juggle this and the Samurai Jack movie though.


• Generator Rex - Infected by microscopic molecular-altering nanites, 15-year-old Rex has the ability to grow incredible machines out of his body. Recruited by an organization called Providence, Rex travels the world investigating a host of biological mutations that were created by the same nanites that give Rex his powers. Created by Man of Action, the same group that gave us Ben 10, Generator Rex seems like an interesting concept. I'll be sure to check it out, if only for that badass-looking monkey with the cigar.


• Scooby-Doo: Mystery Inc. - A sleepy little village, Crystal Cove, boasts a long history of ghost sightings, poltergeists, demon possession, phantoms and other paranormal occurrences. The renowned sleuthing team of Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy and Scooby-Doo arrive to prove all of this simply isn’t real—but they don’t realize the locals don’t welcome their help. If you ask me, the plot for this series sounds more like a 26-episode story arc (or a DTV film) than an actually series. Nevertheless, I'm glad that we're getting more Scooby-Doo. Aren't you?

Animated Films

• Firebreather - Cartoon Network’s first original all-CG animation adventure presents Duncan Rosenblatt, a rather typical, awkward high school kid, except that his dad is a fire-breathing dragon and he is destined to protect the earth. Based upon a comic book series, Firebreather seems like an awesome concept. The main character doesn't hide his true self: he shows it to the world at all times. This already puts it near the top of my must-watch list.

Strangly enough, that was the only animated film mentioned at the upfront, despite having several more behind closed doors.

My Drawing Thread on Toon Zone

I put drawings there...just so you know. Linkage.

P.S. - Hope to have more stuff up on both my blogs soon...

And the Day is Saved!

Name: The Powerpuff Girls

Creator(s): Craig McCracken

Network(s): Cartoon Network; Reruns currently on Boomerang

Rating: A-

Original Airdates: November 18, 1998 – March 25, 2005

The Powerpuff Girls, believe it or not, was Cartoon Network's most successful original series. Making over a billion dollars worldwide, and also gaining a theatrical film back in 2002, is it any wonder why the channel honored it with a full day marathon ending with a brand new special that was written by creator Craig McCracken? While a few months late (the show's actual 10th anniversary was November 2008), the network gave it an amazing final hurrah. However, the idea had its start before the What a Cartoon! program. McCracken created the characters in college, and the PPGs could have become an animated series as early as 1994. But now let me get to reviewing the series itself.

Now, the series didn't get popular for nothing. The Powerpuff Girls had great humor: from parodying basic superhero and tokusatsu fare (the episode "Uh Oh, Dynamo" is a good example) to referencing pop culture (from Sesame Street to The Legend of Zelda). The series traveled a thin line between serious and hilarious, and did it perfectly at times. The humor wasn't the only good thing about the series: action was also a huge part. The action sequences were fun to watch and could be intense at times. The voice acting is good and believable, it isn't at all forced. You are able to care about the characters. The art style is stylized and simplistic in such a way that the creator has said he feels like he created a Flash show before Flash animation existed.

Sorry for the short review, but there isn't much to say, and I'm in a bit of a hurry. The review of the special will be up tomorrow, and I promise I'll have more to say.

Cartoon Review - Star Wars: The Clone Wars series

Honestly? I never thought I would actually get to doing this review. I've fallen asleep though a few episodes, and never actually completed watching an episode that had Anakin Skywalker front and center. But I was able to catch up (for the most part) and I'm all ready to go.

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Name: Star Wars: The Clone Wars


Creator(s): Do I seriously have to tell you this?


Network: Cartoon Network


Rating: B-


Premiere: October 3rd, 2008

Okay, when you heard that Cartoon Network snagged the newest Clone Wars series (you can't have forgotten Genndy Tartakovsky's superb mini-series), you had to know that the network would hype it up a lot. Here was a series that had "ratings-grabber" all over it. A series that was part of a huge franchise that has legions of fans, with a lot of those fans being tweenage boys in their target demograph. A series that would put Cartoon Network back on the map and make them the second most popular kids network in the United States once again. Stuart Synder truly wanted this series to succeed, so he got promoted it on every single Turner-owned (and non-Turner owned) network. He gave out money to help kids across the country make parties for the premiere. On the network itself, every break had at least one commercial devoted to the show. They spent most of their budget for acquisitions that year on Star Wars, and wanted to get their money's worth...and I'm pretty sure they did.


Now that I'm done talking about Cartoon Network's major promotion of the series premiere, let me talked about the series itself. Now the series takes place between Episodes Two and Three, chronicling the Clone Wars. Now you can see right off the bat that that is a little problem. Due to there being a movie talking what happens after the Clone Wars, its impossible to become attached to the characters. You know Anakin Skywalker is going to become Dark Vader. You know that Ahsoka Tano is going to die before or at series end. So right off the bat, you know the destination and the outcome. We can only hope that the journey is epic and entertaining. Sadly, while some might find the series amazing, I find half the series so far to be surprisingly boring.

Star Wars: The Clone Wars is basically a documentary film on a space war. Some parts make you fall asleep, and others are just so amazing that it's just plain awesome. I want to get into the series, but the only characters I find truly interesting are the Clone Troopers, Yoda, and Ahsoka. Mostly the rarely-seen characters or a characters you know every little about. Characters like Obi-Wan Kenobi and Anakin which I know a great about from the Internet don't really appeal to me, since you know their futures already.

The only real thing the series has got going for it is its great work and well-done CGI-animation. Everything else falls a little flat, despite the attempts of all the cast and crew. This series just isn't for me, but then again, I wasn't always into straight-foreword action series. I like shows that can make me laugh once in a while still being able to keep a serious atmosphere (Avatar: The Last Airbender, W.I.T.C.H., Huntik: Secrets and Seekers, Samurai Jack, etc.). Overall, this series is really trying. It just isn't quite there yet for me, so I sorry to say that I have to give this a B-.

Cartoon Review - Batman: The Brave and the Bold

Name: Batman: The Brave and the Bold

Executive Producer(s): James Tucker

Network: Cartoon Network

Rating: B+

Premiere: November 14, 2008

Okay, imagine that you are someone that just saw The Dark Knight this summer, and you loved it. Then you hear about a new Batman cartoon coming in a few months. You would think it would be a lot like the movie, wouldn't you? Featuring a dark and serious Batman, facing off against a bunch of Gotham villains. By himself with no Robin or Batgirl. Turn the TV on the day of the premiere, and you find out that you were dead wrong.

Congratulations, for you have come across something that hasn't been seen for YEARS...a light-hearted Batman cartoon! For you see, Batman: The Brave and the Bold isn't your average Batman cartoon. Based on the 50s comic series, Brave and the Bold, this series involves Batman leaving Gotham City and teaming up with heroes such as Blue Beetle and Wildcat, and facing off against villains like Gentleman Ghost and Black Manta. Actually, Batman is just here to draw you into the series, with the main attraction being the "hero of the week" he happens to be with. The real fun in the series is how Batman gets along with his partner, and how the overall problem ends up being solved. The series is simply a well-thought out excuse to showcase the various heroes and villains the DC Comics Universe, something that I truly enjoy. After all, without Batman being the header, characters like B'wana Beast would never make it to animation.

The artwork in this series is quite retro and harkens back to the Silver Age era of comics. The characters are often well-designed and the animation is well-done. Dialogue can be cheesy at times, but that just adds to the fun of this series. The series has no real storyline, unlike many of the other action series on Cartoon Network. If you only like a dark Batman, then its extremely likely that you will hate this series. Either way, this show gets a B+ from me.

Future "Racattack Junction!" Posts

January

• Cartoon Review - Batman: The Brave and the Bold (January 11th)
• Cartoon Review - Star Wars: The Clone Wars review (January 20) I'll be reviewing the series
• Cartoon Review - Total Drama Island revised (January 21th)
• And the Day is Saved! (January 22th) Powerpuff Girls Tribute
• Cartoon Review - The Powerpuff Girls Rule! (January 23th)
  
• Animation News #5 (January 25th)

February

Be on the lookout for interviews with a few series creators like Joe Murray...hopefully.