See Ya,Space Cowboy....In 2016!
Wednesday, December 16, 2015
Monday, December 7, 2015
Top 20 Underrated Cartoon Gems
This Is An ACF Special Presentation!
Thundercats,The Real Ghostbusters,Ducktales,Batman:The Animated Series,Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,The Simpsons,The PowerPuff Girls,Garfield and Friends,Gravity Falls. What do all of these shows have in common? They are all well known and well beloved.
.....And because of that,they can't be on this list.
This list will comprise of 20 of the most underrated animated gems,including shows that aren't that well known.
This Is The List of Underrated Gems!
Honorable Mention - Thundarr The Barbarian: Sure you may call this 80's classic a He-Man rip-off,but this show is very different from Masters of the Universe. The action scenes and animation are superior too. Even though the show was short lived,it remains an underrated classic to this day.
Honorable Mention - SkySurfer Strike Force: This hidden jem was an American Henshin Hero show with a cool attitude. This was Ruby-Spears Productions Final Animated Series before going belly-up.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
#20 - The Tick: While popular back in the day,this fun show has been largely forgotten nowadays. The show's abserdist humor and hero parodies make this show a joy to watch. Spoooooooon!
#19 - Silverhawks: This show makes the list because it's always in the shadow of Thundercats. In it's own right,Silverhawks is just as fun to watch as Thundercats. The characters are cool and the action is great. Partly Metal,Partly Real,All Awesome!
#18 - The Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers: An Animeish show from the 80's with a great story and plenty of awesome action. It was also the 1st "kids" cartoon not to sugercoat death. No Guts,No Glory!
#17 - Bionic Six: Another cool animeish show from the 80's and one thats way too tough to find on Youtube. I doubt they have this show on DVD or Blu-ray. Bionic Six is a fun show with great action scenes and a decent story. The animation is awesome too. Bionics On,Super Future Family!
#16 - Men In Black: The Series: Everyone knows the M.IB.,but very few knew that they had an Animated Series. Agent J and Agent K in animated form are just as good as(maybe even better than) their live action counterparts. All the freaky and kooky aliens the M.I.B meet make this show a great watch. The Worms,however,make this show a Can't Miss. The M.I.B,saving the Earth from the scum of the Universe!
#15 - Dan Vs.: A modern underrated gem that Nikki Reed and Henry Schleiff would love everyone to forget. Dan Vs. is about a guy named Dan raging against the many things that annoy him most. It's a fun show with likable characters,so give this series a shot. Plus,it's made with adults in mind,but still ok for older kids to watch.
#14 - Max Steel (the original series): This show has been long forgotten since it aired on KidsWB all those years ago. It was the blocks 1st CGI animated series and one that was awesome. The show later was picked up by Cartoon Network,but was dropped a year later. Going Turbo!
#13 - Dr. Katz: Professional Therapist: Another adult sitcom that's (mostly) safe for older kids to watch. This show is about a therapist that helps comedians with their problems. This is yet another fun show that has been forgotten. Thanfully,unlike most shows on this list,you can find this series on DVD. The Doctor Is In!
#12 - The Critic: A funny animated sitcom that lived its life in the shadow of the Simpsons. Jay Shermen is a movie critic that reviews movies and often times gives them a bad reveiw. Outside of work,He is a single parent living in hollywood and is best known for his signature catchphrase: "It Stinks!" Another fun show made for adults that older kids can watch. It Stinks? I Think Not!
#11 - W.I.T.C.H.: One of the very few Underrated Animated Gems from Disney. The Animeish style,fun characters,and near-engaging story make this show a true animated gem. Guardians Unite!
#10 - Hi! Hi! Puffy Ami Yumi: An animated show based on J-Rock group,Puffy. This was Cartoon Network's tribute to Anime. This long-forgoton animated gem was one of Cartoon Network's last good shows. Even more sad....Only a Small Handful Of Episodes Made It To DVD!! *facepalm*
#9 - Where on Earth is Carmen Sandiego: One of the most underrated shows on the Fox Kids Block. Carmen Sandiego may have had educational stuff in it,but it was much more than Edutainment. It was an Adventure Show first and formost. This was a fun watch and if you can find this series on DVD,by all means buy it.
#8 - The Bots Master: Another show with Anime influence. This one comes from the early 90's. It's about a cool guy and his Bots (called boyz) battling an evil corperation and their robots. This show was action pact and a delight to watch on Sunday Mornings. It's Laser Time,Boyz!
#7 - Mummies Alive:One of the Final good shows from DiC. Mummies Alive is yet another Sunday Morning gem that people tend to forget about. If you like Action Cartoons and Mummies,this series has them both in spades..with a little Sentai thrown in. Let's Kick Tut!
#6 - Bravestarr: In New Texas,Marshal Bravestarr,a lawman with great powers,battles a host of vicious outlaws. This Show Is Great. It combines Westerns,Sci-Fi,and Super Heroes all in one show. Plus,Bravestarr is one of the very first Native American Super Heroes! All brought to you by our friends at Filmation. Eye Of The Hawk! Ears Of The Wolf! Strength Of The Bear! Speed Of The Puma! Bravestarr is Awesome!
#5 - Histeria: A show about history.....done in a very comedic matter. I used to love watching this show every afternoon on KidsWB. But,in recent times,many have forgotten this series. Such a shame,as it's one of the most entertaining cartoons that Warner Bros. has ever produced. If you have a chance to find this show,watch it.
#4 - The Big Guy and Rusty: Yet another show that pays homage to various Robot Anime,with Rusty being an obvious nod to Astro Boy. The show aired on Fox Kids for 2 seasons,but soon after,it was never aired again. The show was a fun one and it's a shame this series never made it to DVD. Sony owns the rights to this series I think.
#3 - The Real Adventures of Johnny Quest: An awesome 90's take on the classic Hannah-Barbera series. Despite being on Cartoon Network many times during it's golden days,It's never thought about anymore. To make matters worse,the series is very tough to find on DVD. If you do find both seasons on DVD,consider yourself lucky.
#2 - Kaijudo: Rise of the Duel Masters: Another show that has been tossed away in the trash by Henry Schleff when he turned The Hub into Discovery Family. Kaijudo is an American remake of the Anime Duel Masters and a great one. The show lasted for 2 seasons and was taken off the air almost immediatly after the final episode (thanks to that idiot nikki reed). This show deserved post-series reruns.
#1 - The Centurions: This was one of the most underrated shows ever. Not only is this series nnovative (for the time),but it provides some of the best art and anination of the 80's. The action scenes are top notch too (by 80's cartoon standards,at least). Power X-treme!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And there you have it,20 of the most Underrated Cartoon Gems. This list was something that was spur-of-the-moment,but kinda needed.
Next up on ACF...Just a few more posts before I take Holliday Vacation!
Thundercats,The Real Ghostbusters,Ducktales,Batman:The Animated Series,Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,The Simpsons,The PowerPuff Girls,Garfield and Friends,Gravity Falls. What do all of these shows have in common? They are all well known and well beloved.
.....And because of that,they can't be on this list.
This list will comprise of 20 of the most underrated animated gems,including shows that aren't that well known.
This Is The List of Underrated Gems!
Honorable Mention - Thundarr The Barbarian: Sure you may call this 80's classic a He-Man rip-off,but this show is very different from Masters of the Universe. The action scenes and animation are superior too. Even though the show was short lived,it remains an underrated classic to this day.
Honorable Mention - SkySurfer Strike Force: This hidden jem was an American Henshin Hero show with a cool attitude. This was Ruby-Spears Productions Final Animated Series before going belly-up.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
#20 - The Tick: While popular back in the day,this fun show has been largely forgotten nowadays. The show's abserdist humor and hero parodies make this show a joy to watch. Spoooooooon!
#19 - Silverhawks: This show makes the list because it's always in the shadow of Thundercats. In it's own right,Silverhawks is just as fun to watch as Thundercats. The characters are cool and the action is great. Partly Metal,Partly Real,All Awesome!
#18 - The Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers: An Animeish show from the 80's with a great story and plenty of awesome action. It was also the 1st "kids" cartoon not to sugercoat death. No Guts,No Glory!
#17 - Bionic Six: Another cool animeish show from the 80's and one thats way too tough to find on Youtube. I doubt they have this show on DVD or Blu-ray. Bionic Six is a fun show with great action scenes and a decent story. The animation is awesome too. Bionics On,Super Future Family!
#16 - Men In Black: The Series: Everyone knows the M.IB.,but very few knew that they had an Animated Series. Agent J and Agent K in animated form are just as good as(maybe even better than) their live action counterparts. All the freaky and kooky aliens the M.I.B meet make this show a great watch. The Worms,however,make this show a Can't Miss. The M.I.B,saving the Earth from the scum of the Universe!
#15 - Dan Vs.: A modern underrated gem that Nikki Reed and Henry Schleiff would love everyone to forget. Dan Vs. is about a guy named Dan raging against the many things that annoy him most. It's a fun show with likable characters,so give this series a shot. Plus,it's made with adults in mind,but still ok for older kids to watch.
#14 - Max Steel (the original series): This show has been long forgotten since it aired on KidsWB all those years ago. It was the blocks 1st CGI animated series and one that was awesome. The show later was picked up by Cartoon Network,but was dropped a year later. Going Turbo!
#13 - Dr. Katz: Professional Therapist: Another adult sitcom that's (mostly) safe for older kids to watch. This show is about a therapist that helps comedians with their problems. This is yet another fun show that has been forgotten. Thanfully,unlike most shows on this list,you can find this series on DVD. The Doctor Is In!
#12 - The Critic: A funny animated sitcom that lived its life in the shadow of the Simpsons. Jay Shermen is a movie critic that reviews movies and often times gives them a bad reveiw. Outside of work,He is a single parent living in hollywood and is best known for his signature catchphrase: "It Stinks!" Another fun show made for adults that older kids can watch. It Stinks? I Think Not!
#11 - W.I.T.C.H.: One of the very few Underrated Animated Gems from Disney. The Animeish style,fun characters,and near-engaging story make this show a true animated gem. Guardians Unite!
#10 - Hi! Hi! Puffy Ami Yumi: An animated show based on J-Rock group,Puffy. This was Cartoon Network's tribute to Anime. This long-forgoton animated gem was one of Cartoon Network's last good shows. Even more sad....Only a Small Handful Of Episodes Made It To DVD!! *facepalm*
#9 - Where on Earth is Carmen Sandiego: One of the most underrated shows on the Fox Kids Block. Carmen Sandiego may have had educational stuff in it,but it was much more than Edutainment. It was an Adventure Show first and formost. This was a fun watch and if you can find this series on DVD,by all means buy it.
#8 - The Bots Master: Another show with Anime influence. This one comes from the early 90's. It's about a cool guy and his Bots (called boyz) battling an evil corperation and their robots. This show was action pact and a delight to watch on Sunday Mornings. It's Laser Time,Boyz!
#7 - Mummies Alive:One of the Final good shows from DiC. Mummies Alive is yet another Sunday Morning gem that people tend to forget about. If you like Action Cartoons and Mummies,this series has them both in spades..with a little Sentai thrown in. Let's Kick Tut!
#6 - Bravestarr: In New Texas,Marshal Bravestarr,a lawman with great powers,battles a host of vicious outlaws. This Show Is Great. It combines Westerns,Sci-Fi,and Super Heroes all in one show. Plus,Bravestarr is one of the very first Native American Super Heroes! All brought to you by our friends at Filmation. Eye Of The Hawk! Ears Of The Wolf! Strength Of The Bear! Speed Of The Puma! Bravestarr is Awesome!
#5 - Histeria: A show about history.....done in a very comedic matter. I used to love watching this show every afternoon on KidsWB. But,in recent times,many have forgotten this series. Such a shame,as it's one of the most entertaining cartoons that Warner Bros. has ever produced. If you have a chance to find this show,watch it.
#4 - The Big Guy and Rusty: Yet another show that pays homage to various Robot Anime,with Rusty being an obvious nod to Astro Boy. The show aired on Fox Kids for 2 seasons,but soon after,it was never aired again. The show was a fun one and it's a shame this series never made it to DVD. Sony owns the rights to this series I think.
#3 - The Real Adventures of Johnny Quest: An awesome 90's take on the classic Hannah-Barbera series. Despite being on Cartoon Network many times during it's golden days,It's never thought about anymore. To make matters worse,the series is very tough to find on DVD. If you do find both seasons on DVD,consider yourself lucky.
#2 - Kaijudo: Rise of the Duel Masters: Another show that has been tossed away in the trash by Henry Schleff when he turned The Hub into Discovery Family. Kaijudo is an American remake of the Anime Duel Masters and a great one. The show lasted for 2 seasons and was taken off the air almost immediatly after the final episode (thanks to that idiot nikki reed). This show deserved post-series reruns.
#1 - The Centurions: This was one of the most underrated shows ever. Not only is this series nnovative (for the time),but it provides some of the best art and anination of the 80's. The action scenes are top notch too (by 80's cartoon standards,at least). Power X-treme!
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
And there you have it,20 of the most Underrated Cartoon Gems. This list was something that was spur-of-the-moment,but kinda needed.
Next up on ACF...Just a few more posts before I take Holliday Vacation!
Friday, December 4, 2015
Ultimate Boss: Dual Animation/Family Network Part 3.
Welcome to Part 3 of The Ultimate Boss:Dual Animation/Family Network. In this part,We'll be taking a look at the Networks starting line-up.
Now,due to the uncertainty of what shows will be on the line up,I will listing the types of shows instead.
Now,due to the uncertainty of what shows will be on the line up,I will listing the types of shows instead.
Here's what I will air on Weekdays.
12 am - Paid Programming
12.5 am - Paid Programming
1 am - Paid Programming
1.5 am - Paid Programming
2 am - Off Air
2.5 am - Off Air
3 am - Off Air
3.5 am - Off Air
4 am - Off Air
4.5 am - Off Air
5 am - Paid Programming
5.5 am - Paid Programming
6 am - Paid Programming
6.5 am - Paid Programming
7 am - News
7.5 am - News
8 am - Classic Animated Show
8.5 am - Classic Animated Show
9 am - Classic Animated Show
9.5 am - Classic Animated Show
10 am - Religious Programming
10.5 am - Religious Programming
11 am - Classic Show
11.5 am - Classic Show
12 pm - Classic Show
12.5 pm - Classic Show
1 pm - Classic Show
1.5 pm - Classic Show
2 pm - Classic Animated Show
2.5 pm - Classic Animated Show
3 pm - Classic Animated Show
3.5 pm - Classic Animated Show
4 pm - Animated Action Show
4.5 pm - Animated Action Show
5 pm - Animated Action Show
5.5 pm - Animated Action Show
6 pm - Animated Action Show
6.5 pm - Animated Action Show
7 pm - News
7.5 pm - News
8 pm - Retro Sitcom/MVW Retro Reality TV (on thursdays)
8.5 pm - Retro Sitcom/MVW Retro Reality TV (on thursdays)
9 pm - Retro Sitcom
9.5 pm - Retro Sitcom
10 pm - Movie
10.5 pm - Movie
11 pm - Movie
11.5 pm - Movie
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here's what I will air on Saturdays.
12 am - Paid Programming
12.5 am - Paid Programming
1 am - Paid Programming
1.5 am - Paid Programming
2 am - Off Air
2.5 am - Off Air
3 am - Off Air
3.5 am - Off Air
4 am - Off Air
4.5 am - Off Air
5 am - Paid Programming
5.5 am - Paid Programming
6 am - Paid Programming
6.5 am - Paid Programming
7 am - News
7.5 am - News
8 am - Saturday Morning Cartoons
8.5 am - Saturday Morning Cartoons
9 am - Saturday Morning Cartoons
9.5 am - Saturday Morning Cartoons
10 am - Saturday Morning Cartoons
10.5 am - Saturday Morning Cartoons
11 am - Saturday Morning Cartoons
11.5 am - Saturday Morning Cartoons
12 pm - Original Programming
12.5 pm - Original Programming
1 pm - Original Programming
1.5 pm - Original Programming
2 pm - Original Programming
2.5 pm - Original Programming
3 pm - Movie
3.5 pm - Movie
4 pm - Movie
4.5 pm - Movie
5 pm - Classic Show
5.5 pm - Classic Show
6 pm - Classic Show
6.5 pm - Classic Show
7 pm - Retro Sitcom
7.5 pm - Retro Sitcom
8 pm - Retro Sitcom
8.5 pm - Retro Sitcom
9 pm - Animated Action Show or Anime
9.5 pm - Animated Action Show or Anime
10 pm - Animated Action Show or Anime
10.5 pm - Animated Action Show or Anime
11 pm - Animated Action Show or Anime
11.5 pm - Animated Action Show or Anime
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here's what I will air on Sundays.
12 am - Paid Programming
12.5 am - Paid Programming
1 am - Paid Programming
1.5 am - Paid Programming
2 am - Off Air
2.5 am - Off Air
3 am - Off Air
3.5 am - Off Air
4 am - Off Air
4.5 am - Off Air
5 am - Paid Programming
5.5 am - Paid Programming
6 am - Paid Programming
6.5 am - Paid Programming
7 am - News
7.5 am - News
8 am - Religious Programming
8.5 am - Religious Programming
9 am - Sunday Morning Cartoons
9.5 am - Sunday Morning Cartoons
10 am - Sunday Morning Cartoons
10.5 am - Sunday Morning Cartoons
11 am - Sunday Morning Cartoons
11.5 am - Sunday Morning Cartoons
12 pm - Original Programming
12.5 pm - Original Programming
1 pm - Original Programming
1.5 pm - Original Programming
2 pm - Original Programming
2.5 pm - Original Programming
3 pm - Movie
3.5 pm - Movie
4 pm - Movie
4.5 pm - Movie
5 pm - Classic Show
5.5 pm - Classic Show
6 pm - News
6.5 pm - News
7 pm - MVW Crash
7.5 pm - MVW Crash
8 pm - Retro Sitcom
8.5 pm - Retro Sitcom
9 pm - Retro Sitcom
9.5 pm - Retro Sitcom
10 pm - Retro Sitcom
10.5 pm - Retro Sitcom
11 pm - Classic Show
11.5 pm - Classic Show
Yes! I Finally git thjs done! Not a bad starting line-up,eh?
And Unlike some Family Networks,this line-up will be always consistant. That's gonna do it for this edition of Ultimate Boss.
Stay Gold and See ya.
12 am - Paid Programming
12.5 am - Paid Programming
1 am - Paid Programming
1.5 am - Paid Programming
2 am - Off Air
2.5 am - Off Air
3 am - Off Air
3.5 am - Off Air
4 am - Off Air
4.5 am - Off Air
5 am - Paid Programming
5.5 am - Paid Programming
6 am - Paid Programming
6.5 am - Paid Programming
7 am - News
7.5 am - News
8 am - Classic Animated Show
8.5 am - Classic Animated Show
9 am - Classic Animated Show
9.5 am - Classic Animated Show
10 am - Religious Programming
10.5 am - Religious Programming
11 am - Classic Show
11.5 am - Classic Show
12 pm - Classic Show
12.5 pm - Classic Show
1 pm - Classic Show
1.5 pm - Classic Show
2 pm - Classic Animated Show
2.5 pm - Classic Animated Show
3 pm - Classic Animated Show
3.5 pm - Classic Animated Show
4 pm - Animated Action Show
4.5 pm - Animated Action Show
5 pm - Animated Action Show
5.5 pm - Animated Action Show
6 pm - Animated Action Show
6.5 pm - Animated Action Show
7 pm - News
7.5 pm - News
8 pm - Retro Sitcom/MVW Retro Reality TV (on thursdays)
8.5 pm - Retro Sitcom/MVW Retro Reality TV (on thursdays)
9 pm - Retro Sitcom
9.5 pm - Retro Sitcom
10 pm - Movie
10.5 pm - Movie
11 pm - Movie
11.5 pm - Movie
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here's what I will air on Saturdays.
12 am - Paid Programming
12.5 am - Paid Programming
1 am - Paid Programming
1.5 am - Paid Programming
2 am - Off Air
2.5 am - Off Air
3 am - Off Air
3.5 am - Off Air
4 am - Off Air
4.5 am - Off Air
5 am - Paid Programming
5.5 am - Paid Programming
6 am - Paid Programming
6.5 am - Paid Programming
7 am - News
7.5 am - News
8 am - Saturday Morning Cartoons
8.5 am - Saturday Morning Cartoons
9 am - Saturday Morning Cartoons
9.5 am - Saturday Morning Cartoons
10 am - Saturday Morning Cartoons
10.5 am - Saturday Morning Cartoons
11 am - Saturday Morning Cartoons
11.5 am - Saturday Morning Cartoons
12 pm - Original Programming
12.5 pm - Original Programming
1 pm - Original Programming
1.5 pm - Original Programming
2 pm - Original Programming
2.5 pm - Original Programming
3 pm - Movie
3.5 pm - Movie
4 pm - Movie
4.5 pm - Movie
5 pm - Classic Show
5.5 pm - Classic Show
6 pm - Classic Show
6.5 pm - Classic Show
7 pm - Retro Sitcom
7.5 pm - Retro Sitcom
8 pm - Retro Sitcom
8.5 pm - Retro Sitcom
9 pm - Animated Action Show or Anime
9.5 pm - Animated Action Show or Anime
10 pm - Animated Action Show or Anime
10.5 pm - Animated Action Show or Anime
11 pm - Animated Action Show or Anime
11.5 pm - Animated Action Show or Anime
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here's what I will air on Sundays.
12 am - Paid Programming
12.5 am - Paid Programming
1 am - Paid Programming
1.5 am - Paid Programming
2 am - Off Air
2.5 am - Off Air
3 am - Off Air
3.5 am - Off Air
4 am - Off Air
4.5 am - Off Air
5 am - Paid Programming
5.5 am - Paid Programming
6 am - Paid Programming
6.5 am - Paid Programming
7 am - News
7.5 am - News
8 am - Religious Programming
8.5 am - Religious Programming
9 am - Sunday Morning Cartoons
9.5 am - Sunday Morning Cartoons
10 am - Sunday Morning Cartoons
10.5 am - Sunday Morning Cartoons
11 am - Sunday Morning Cartoons
11.5 am - Sunday Morning Cartoons
12 pm - Original Programming
12.5 pm - Original Programming
1 pm - Original Programming
1.5 pm - Original Programming
2 pm - Original Programming
2.5 pm - Original Programming
3 pm - Movie
3.5 pm - Movie
4 pm - Movie
4.5 pm - Movie
5 pm - Classic Show
5.5 pm - Classic Show
6 pm - News
6.5 pm - News
7 pm - MVW Crash
7.5 pm - MVW Crash
8 pm - Retro Sitcom
8.5 pm - Retro Sitcom
9 pm - Retro Sitcom
9.5 pm - Retro Sitcom
10 pm - Retro Sitcom
10.5 pm - Retro Sitcom
11 pm - Classic Show
11.5 pm - Classic Show
Yes! I Finally git thjs done! Not a bad starting line-up,eh?
And Unlike some Family Networks,this line-up will be always consistant. That's gonna do it for this edition of Ultimate Boss.
Stay Gold and See ya.
Monday, November 30, 2015
The Saturday Morning Block Rater
As most of us likely know,Saturday Mornings were a very special time back in the day. Kids across the US woke up every SatAM,fixed a bowl of cereal,and rushed to the TV to watch their favorite Shows. Nowadays that's impossible..unless they have the Blu-Ray or DVDs of such shows.
Anyway,Each SatAM block provided us with great entertainment..but they weren't all awesome.
This Is the Saturday Morning Block Rater.
NBC
Unnamed NBC Block 1.0 (1967-1983)
This was the 1st SatAM Block. I don't remember anything about this block..not even the final year (I was born in '82). From what I've seen though [via youtube],it wasn't anything too special.
Grade: C-
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unnamed NBC Block 2.0 (1983-1989)
The 2nd incarnation of the unnamed NBC Block. Don't remember much about it's early years,but the 87-89 years is when this block really started to pick up. With shows like Mr.T,Alvin and the Chipmunks,Alf: The Animated Series,Punky Brewster,Kidd Video,Ed Grimley,and The Smurfs.
They also began airing PSAs,but unlike the retarded ones of today these PSA's were intelegent and much more memorable. The 1st incarnation was called "One To Grow On". In 1989,"One To Grow On" was replaced with "The More You Know".
Another little tidbit about this era is that in the '84-'87 years,The Late Casey Kasem did the voice work for the bumpers. Cool,huh?
The rollercoster bumpers were a nice touch too.
Even though NBC hit it big in '87-'89,It would only get even more awesome in it's next incarnation.
Grade: B-
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unnamed NBC Block 3.0 (1989-1992)
This is when the awesomeness of NBC's SatAM programming reached it's highest. Saved By The Bell debut and became an instant classic. Plus we had fun and memorable animated series like: Captain N and The Adventures of Super Mario Bros.3,Camp Candy,Prostars,Wishkid,Captain N and the New Super Mario World,and The Karate Kid.
The bumpers were fun too..especially the claymation Bedroom one from '89-'90. And the Chip & Pepper segments from 1991 were just weird(but strangely fun). The most memorable bumpers[for me,at least] were the ones with that wide-headed kid.
This was the absolute best time to watch the NBC Saturday Morning block..unfortunatly,things would just go down hill from there...way down.
Grade: A
------------------------------------------------------------------------
TNBC 1.0 (1992-1994)
1992 was the year that NBC decided to ditch their Animated stuff and just focus on the teen sitcoms. On the plus side,Unlike the horrid teen sitcoms that Disney and Nick have,These sitcoms were pretty good. Califirnia Dreams remains a favorite...even to this day. Saved By The Bell:The New Class wan't too bad either.
But thats all the good that can be said about this block. From that point on everything falls apart for NBC's SatAM line-up.
Grade: C+
------------------------------------------------------------------
TNBC 2.0 (1994-2001)
1994 was the year that NBC's SatAM block officially lost its ligitness AS a SatAM block. This is due to the lack of fun and smart programming. I stopped watching it fully in 1994. But the worst was yet to come.
Grade: D-
------------------------------------------------------------------
Discovery Kids on NBC (2001-2006),qubo on NBC (2006-2012),and NBC Kids (2012-Today)
Baby shows have taken over NBC and continue to reign supreme.
These blocks don't even Deserve to be called SatAM Blocks..Period.
Grade: F+
=====================================================================
CBS
Unnamed CBS Block 1.0 (1968-1971)
This is CBS and I have no clue what the hell this block was about since I wasn't even born yet. The Only thing I know about kt is that it featured Captain Kangaroo.
Grade: D
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unnamed CBS Block 2.0 (1971-1986)
The only things I remember about this incarnation of the block is that it aired Fat Albert,Saturday Supercade,and those cool video game inspired bumpers. The space bumpers were nice too.
Also,in 1985,the CBS Story Break made it's debut. I love it's theme song.
All and all,it was an average time for CBS on Saturday Morning. But things would get much better.
Grade: C+
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
CBS Kid TV (1986-1992)
This is when CBS was hitting their SatAM pique. Lots of fun shows during this era. We had Garfield and Friends,Peewee's Playhouse,Muppet Babies,Hey Vern,It's Ernest,Galaxy High,Where's Waldo,and of course,Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
The promos and bumpers were very memorable too...especially the ones with the kids working the master control room. The Fido Dido bumpers were also fun and memorable.
This was one excellent SatAM block,too bad CBS couldn't follow up with their next blocks.
Grade: A
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Toontastik/CBS Kidz (1992-1997)
This era added a couple of Disney animated series to the list. Shows like Raw Toonage,Aladdin(series),The Little Mermaid (series),and Timon and Pumbaa. I also loved watching Beakman's World. Bill Nye[the science guy] also aired during this era.
In 1994,CBS decided to give the block an action oriented sub-block called the action zone. It aired action cartoons such as: Caddilacs and Dinosaurs,Wild C.A.T.S.,and Ninja Turtles.
The "In Your Eye" bumpers from the early days of this block were fun,though not as memorable as the Fido Dido ones. The Toontastik bumpers were forgetable and not as fun.
This block had its moments and fun shows,but in terms of execution,I coudn't help but to feel that this block was a bit lacking compared to it's previous incarnation. The early days were good,but started to lose it's greatness as time went on.
Grade: B-
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
KidzShow (1997-2000)
Things started going south for this block from the get-go,with only a very small handful of stuff worth watching (like the weird al show,beakmen's world,and the felix the cat bumpers). The serge of Canadian shows in 1998 decimated the block and left it's ratings reeling.
In 1999,CBS lost its ligitness as a provider of Saturday Morning Entertainment.
In 2000,the block began to free fall.
Not much to say about this block except that it started out mediocre and just went downhill from there.
Grade: D-
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nick Jr. On CBS (2000-2006),KOL Secret Slumber Party (2006-2007),KEWLopolus (2007-2009),Cookie Jar TV (2009-2013),and CBS Dream Team (2013-Today)
Nick Jr on CBS = Baby Crap. KOL Secret Slumber Party = Girly Crap. KEWLopolus = Even More Girly Crap. Cookie Jar TV = Canadian Crap. And CBS Dream Team = Educational Crap.
These Blocks Are Crap..Total Nonstop Crap!
Grade: F+
====================================================================
ABC
Unnamed ABC Block 1.0 (1973-1987)
The Alphebet Network's Very 1st SatAM Block.
The Legendary 'School House Rock' debuts and would continue to run until 1997.
I don't remember too much about this era. However,from what I Do remember is that the block aired various Hannah Barbera and Looney Tunes stuff. They also aired The Real Ghostbusters [which debut in '86].
The bumpers were not too bad,though not too remarkable either.
Mediocre is best to describe this block. Though ABC Does get better at this.
Grade: C+
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unnamed ABC Block 2.0 (1987-1997)
Now This block I remember. This is when ABC started become more fresh. They still aired Looney Tunes and new episodes of The Real Ghostbusters.
They also aired Beetlejuice,The Addams Family (90's),Pirates of Dark Water,Land Of The Lost,C.O.W.Boys of Moo Masa,Sonic SatAM,Cro,Tales from the Crypt Keeper,ReBoot,Bump in the Night,And Various Disney Shows.
The various claymation bumpers were fun. They began airing from 1987-1989. They returned in 1992,this time starring the 3 main characters from the show 'Bump in the Night'. These bumpers lasted until 1994. The final batch of bumpers aired from '96-'97. These bumpers starred the Toy Story Army Men.
All and all,the shows were fun,the bumpers were fun,and the most memorable factor was pretty good. The
Grade: B-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
One Saturday Morning (1997-2002)
During this fun era,Disney took full control of ABC's Saturday Morning. The whole block took place inside a zany building and aired almost nothing but Disney shows. The Only non-Disney show was Science Court.
There were also alot of fun segments,including: Mrs.Mungers Class,Genie's 'Great Minds Think for Themselves',and Manny The Uncanny.
The block was great and it felt so right watching it. This was,without a doubt,the best SatAM Block on ABC.
Grade: A
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
ABC Kids aka Disney Channel on ABC + Power Rangers (2002-2011)
It's The Disney Channel on ABC....with Power Rangers. This is not a True Saturday Morning Block.
Infact Kim Possible,The Replacements,Emporors New School,and Power Rangers were the ONLY things watchable on this block. Everything else can just be tossed in the trash.
But things would only get worse.
Grade: F-
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Litton's Weekend Adventure (2011-Today)
Edutainment...nuff said!
Grade: F+
==========================================
FOX
Unnamed Block (1987-1991)
Fox may suck nowadays,but back then,they were good.
This was Fox's very first SatAM block. However,not much to this block,as it was just the Weekday line-up on a Saturday. So nothing special.
Grade: C
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fox Kids Network (1991-1995)
Not much to say about Fox Kids Network on Saturday,as it was just the Weekday Block with 1 or 2 exclusive shows.
But that didn't mean it was bad..far from it. The bumpers were fun and the shows were great. The one of the most memorable things about this era was the Dynamo Duck bumpers. This was also the block that introduced America to Super Sentai with Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers.
Other memorable shows were: Tazmania,Tiny Toon Adventures,Batman:The Animated Series,Tom and Jerrys Kids,Eek the Cat,Bobby's World,X-Men,Spider-Man:The Animated Series,Animaniacs,and Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers.
So there you go,Fox Kids Network SatAM edition is the same as it's Weekday Afternoon counterpart,with the exception of a few exclusive shows. A very good block,but nothing too spectacular.
Grade: B-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fox Kids (1995-2002)
The next incarnation of Fox's SatAM Block. Same deal as before,it's just the same as it's Weekday block,but with exclusive shows.
Still,the block was very fun and how about that catchy promo from the early days,huh? Fox Kids Is Cool,Indeed! The bumpers were also fun.
Some of the fun shows were: Power Rangers,Where On Earth is Carmen Sandiego?,The Tick,The Adventures of Batman and Robin,Life With Louie,Big Bad Beetleborgs,and Digimon.
Out of all of the SatAM blocks that Fox had,this one was the most memorable and most beloved. In the mid-late 90's,Fox Kids was my main SatAM block.
Grade: B+
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fox Box (2002-2005)
A downgrade from Fox Kids and the beginning of 4Kids Entertainment's reign.
Not much about this block except that Anime took up 80% of the block. They also had a really sucky dub of Ultraman Tiga. Every show on this block was mediocre. The only exception was Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2k3.
The promos and bumoers weren't that great either. There's also the fact that 4Kids overedits many of the Anime that they aquire. Not Good!
Grade: D
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4Kids TV (2005-2009)
Same as The Fox Box except with more Anime. The promos were still weak and the bumpers were still lame.
Once again the only show worth anything on this block was Ninja Turtles.....that is,until Fast Forward. Fast Forward marked the downfall of the 2k3 Turtles series.
The lack of American shows,that disgusting Bratz cartoon,and 4Kids doing their thing make this block pitiful.
Grade: D+
====================================================
WB/CW
Kids WB: The WB Era (1995-2006)
The glory days of KidsWB. This block aired almost nothing but cool and beloved animated shows...especially those made by Warner Bros.
And in 1998,KidsWB introduced the world to the Pokemon Anime,which became an absolute hit. In 2000,Yu-Gi-Oh! made its American debut and it also became popular.
And starting in 1998,most of the WB shows that aired on Fox Kids,started migrating to KidsWB. Awesome.
Some of the promos and bumpers were very entertaining. I won't go into detail,so you'l just have to experience them for yourselves.
The most memorable and beloved shows include: Freakazoid,Animaniacs,Pinky and the Brain,Superman:The Animated Series,Yu-Gi-Oh!,Static Shock,Batman Beyond,Max Steel,Jackie Chan Adventures,Men in Black: The Series,The new Batman Adventures,and of course,Pokemon.
Although the Saturday AM version of KidsWB was just a copy of it's Weekday block,but with exclusive shows,there's no denying the coolness that was KidsWB.
Unfortunatly,things would just go downhill from here.
Grade: B+
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kids WB: The CW Era (2006-2008)
Amost every show during this era was Canadian,thus why this block sucked. The promos were weak,the bumpers were lame and most of the shows were sucky.
The Batman,Spectacular Spider-Man,and Yu-Gi-Oh! were the Only good shows. But not even they could save this cringeworthy block.
Pitiful huh? Well things only go down hill from here.
Grade: F
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
CW4Kids (2008-2010)
Nothing good about this block,as it's just an extention of 4Kids TV. The Only shows worth watching on this block were Spectacular Spider-Man,Yu-Gi-Oh!,and Kamen Rider Dragon Knight.
The promos and bumpers were ultra lame.
Grade: F-
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Toonzai (2010-2012)
This block is just CW4Kids renamed. Yu-Gi-Oh! is the Only thing watchable. Also the promos sucked and the bumpers were mediocre.
Where Epic Anime Lives? What A Load Of BS!
Grade: F
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Vortexx (2012-2014)
When Saban took back Saturday Morning,we were relieved,because we all believed that Saban would would Save SatAM. Boy Were We Wrong!
Vortexx was nothing more than Toonzai 2.0 with crappy promos and bumpers. None of the shows were watchable (especially the new ones).
I hate Justice League Unlimited and Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexel. They aired Power Rangers Lost Galaxy for a short time,but not even that show could save this retarded block.
Oh Haim Saban,how far you've fallen.
Grade: F+
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Litton's One Magnificent Morning (2014-Today)
After Vortexx was canned another block took it's place.....and it was ugly. This block is 100% pure Edutainment. Very little fun factor(if any) can be found in Edutainment.
Grade: F+
=============================================
Fox Family/ABC Family
Unnamed Weekend Morning Block (2001-2005)
This block basically just picked up where Fox Kids left off. So all was good.
Grade: B-
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jetix (2005-2006)
An all action cartoon block. The overflow of Canadian shows almost killed this block.
The promos and bumpers were ok,nothing special.
If it wasn't for those stupid canadian shows,Jetix would've been much better.
Grade: C-
============================================
USA Network
The USA Action Xtreme Team (1996-1998)
I always ignored the SatAM edition of this block and focused on it's Sunday and Weekday Morning editions instead.
The promos and bumpers were as fun as the shows themselves. I loved this Block as a whole and wish it stayed longer.
Grade: B-
============================================
Cartoon Network
Toonami:The Rising Sun (1999-2001)
It's just Toonami re-arranged for Saturday Mornings. So it's nothing special. They didn't even have exclusive shows.
Grade: C
============================================
The Hub Network
Unnamed Block (2012-2014)
Just thought I'd post this here. Nothing really special about this block either,as it's just the Networks normal programming re-arranged for Saturday.
Grade: D-
===========================================
This was an interesting,yet weird experiment that I wanted to do. I may not do this type of thing again. You probaly noticed that I left out PBS and it's various blocks. The reason for that is,I never watched them,nor cared for them. It's also why I never listed their Weekday Afternoon block in my 'Weekday Afternoon TV' tribute posts.
Anyway,I'm finished here. What's next? I have no idea.
Anyway,Each SatAM block provided us with great entertainment..but they weren't all awesome.
This Is the Saturday Morning Block Rater.
NBC
Unnamed NBC Block 1.0 (1967-1983)
This was the 1st SatAM Block. I don't remember anything about this block..not even the final year (I was born in '82). From what I've seen though [via youtube],it wasn't anything too special.
Grade: C-
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unnamed NBC Block 2.0 (1983-1989)
The 2nd incarnation of the unnamed NBC Block. Don't remember much about it's early years,but the 87-89 years is when this block really started to pick up. With shows like Mr.T,Alvin and the Chipmunks,Alf: The Animated Series,Punky Brewster,Kidd Video,Ed Grimley,and The Smurfs.
They also began airing PSAs,but unlike the retarded ones of today these PSA's were intelegent and much more memorable. The 1st incarnation was called "One To Grow On". In 1989,"One To Grow On" was replaced with "The More You Know".
Another little tidbit about this era is that in the '84-'87 years,The Late Casey Kasem did the voice work for the bumpers. Cool,huh?
The rollercoster bumpers were a nice touch too.
Even though NBC hit it big in '87-'89,It would only get even more awesome in it's next incarnation.
Grade: B-
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unnamed NBC Block 3.0 (1989-1992)
This is when the awesomeness of NBC's SatAM programming reached it's highest. Saved By The Bell debut and became an instant classic. Plus we had fun and memorable animated series like: Captain N and The Adventures of Super Mario Bros.3,Camp Candy,Prostars,Wishkid,Captain N and the New Super Mario World,and The Karate Kid.
The bumpers were fun too..especially the claymation Bedroom one from '89-'90. And the Chip & Pepper segments from 1991 were just weird(but strangely fun). The most memorable bumpers[for me,at least] were the ones with that wide-headed kid.
This was the absolute best time to watch the NBC Saturday Morning block..unfortunatly,things would just go down hill from there...way down.
Grade: A
------------------------------------------------------------------------
TNBC 1.0 (1992-1994)
1992 was the year that NBC decided to ditch their Animated stuff and just focus on the teen sitcoms. On the plus side,Unlike the horrid teen sitcoms that Disney and Nick have,These sitcoms were pretty good. Califirnia Dreams remains a favorite...even to this day. Saved By The Bell:The New Class wan't too bad either.
But thats all the good that can be said about this block. From that point on everything falls apart for NBC's SatAM line-up.
Grade: C+
------------------------------------------------------------------
TNBC 2.0 (1994-2001)
1994 was the year that NBC's SatAM block officially lost its ligitness AS a SatAM block. This is due to the lack of fun and smart programming. I stopped watching it fully in 1994. But the worst was yet to come.
Grade: D-
------------------------------------------------------------------
Discovery Kids on NBC (2001-2006),qubo on NBC (2006-2012),and NBC Kids (2012-Today)
Baby shows have taken over NBC and continue to reign supreme.
These blocks don't even Deserve to be called SatAM Blocks..Period.
Grade: F+
=====================================================================
CBS
Unnamed CBS Block 1.0 (1968-1971)
This is CBS and I have no clue what the hell this block was about since I wasn't even born yet. The Only thing I know about kt is that it featured Captain Kangaroo.
Grade: D
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unnamed CBS Block 2.0 (1971-1986)
The only things I remember about this incarnation of the block is that it aired Fat Albert,Saturday Supercade,and those cool video game inspired bumpers. The space bumpers were nice too.
Also,in 1985,the CBS Story Break made it's debut. I love it's theme song.
All and all,it was an average time for CBS on Saturday Morning. But things would get much better.
Grade: C+
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
CBS Kid TV (1986-1992)
This is when CBS was hitting their SatAM pique. Lots of fun shows during this era. We had Garfield and Friends,Peewee's Playhouse,Muppet Babies,Hey Vern,It's Ernest,Galaxy High,Where's Waldo,and of course,Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
The promos and bumpers were very memorable too...especially the ones with the kids working the master control room. The Fido Dido bumpers were also fun and memorable.
This was one excellent SatAM block,too bad CBS couldn't follow up with their next blocks.
Grade: A
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Toontastik/CBS Kidz (1992-1997)
This era added a couple of Disney animated series to the list. Shows like Raw Toonage,Aladdin(series),The Little Mermaid (series),and Timon and Pumbaa. I also loved watching Beakman's World. Bill Nye[the science guy] also aired during this era.
In 1994,CBS decided to give the block an action oriented sub-block called the action zone. It aired action cartoons such as: Caddilacs and Dinosaurs,Wild C.A.T.S.,and Ninja Turtles.
The "In Your Eye" bumpers from the early days of this block were fun,though not as memorable as the Fido Dido ones. The Toontastik bumpers were forgetable and not as fun.
This block had its moments and fun shows,but in terms of execution,I coudn't help but to feel that this block was a bit lacking compared to it's previous incarnation. The early days were good,but started to lose it's greatness as time went on.
Grade: B-
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
KidzShow (1997-2000)
Things started going south for this block from the get-go,with only a very small handful of stuff worth watching (like the weird al show,beakmen's world,and the felix the cat bumpers). The serge of Canadian shows in 1998 decimated the block and left it's ratings reeling.
In 1999,CBS lost its ligitness as a provider of Saturday Morning Entertainment.
In 2000,the block began to free fall.
Not much to say about this block except that it started out mediocre and just went downhill from there.
Grade: D-
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
Nick Jr. On CBS (2000-2006),KOL Secret Slumber Party (2006-2007),KEWLopolus (2007-2009),Cookie Jar TV (2009-2013),and CBS Dream Team (2013-Today)
Nick Jr on CBS = Baby Crap. KOL Secret Slumber Party = Girly Crap. KEWLopolus = Even More Girly Crap. Cookie Jar TV = Canadian Crap. And CBS Dream Team = Educational Crap.
These Blocks Are Crap..Total Nonstop Crap!
Grade: F+
====================================================================
ABC
Unnamed ABC Block 1.0 (1973-1987)
The Alphebet Network's Very 1st SatAM Block.
The Legendary 'School House Rock' debuts and would continue to run until 1997.
I don't remember too much about this era. However,from what I Do remember is that the block aired various Hannah Barbera and Looney Tunes stuff. They also aired The Real Ghostbusters [which debut in '86].
The bumpers were not too bad,though not too remarkable either.
Mediocre is best to describe this block. Though ABC Does get better at this.
Grade: C+
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Unnamed ABC Block 2.0 (1987-1997)
Now This block I remember. This is when ABC started become more fresh. They still aired Looney Tunes and new episodes of The Real Ghostbusters.
They also aired Beetlejuice,The Addams Family (90's),Pirates of Dark Water,Land Of The Lost,C.O.W.Boys of Moo Masa,Sonic SatAM,Cro,Tales from the Crypt Keeper,ReBoot,Bump in the Night,And Various Disney Shows.
The various claymation bumpers were fun. They began airing from 1987-1989. They returned in 1992,this time starring the 3 main characters from the show 'Bump in the Night'. These bumpers lasted until 1994. The final batch of bumpers aired from '96-'97. These bumpers starred the Toy Story Army Men.
All and all,the shows were fun,the bumpers were fun,and the most memorable factor was pretty good. The
Grade: B-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
One Saturday Morning (1997-2002)
During this fun era,Disney took full control of ABC's Saturday Morning. The whole block took place inside a zany building and aired almost nothing but Disney shows. The Only non-Disney show was Science Court.
There were also alot of fun segments,including: Mrs.Mungers Class,Genie's 'Great Minds Think for Themselves',and Manny The Uncanny.
The block was great and it felt so right watching it. This was,without a doubt,the best SatAM Block on ABC.
Grade: A
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
ABC Kids aka Disney Channel on ABC + Power Rangers (2002-2011)
It's The Disney Channel on ABC....with Power Rangers. This is not a True Saturday Morning Block.
Infact Kim Possible,The Replacements,Emporors New School,and Power Rangers were the ONLY things watchable on this block. Everything else can just be tossed in the trash.
But things would only get worse.
Grade: F-
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Litton's Weekend Adventure (2011-Today)
Edutainment...nuff said!
Grade: F+
==========================================
FOX
Unnamed Block (1987-1991)
Fox may suck nowadays,but back then,they were good.
This was Fox's very first SatAM block. However,not much to this block,as it was just the Weekday line-up on a Saturday. So nothing special.
Grade: C
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fox Kids Network (1991-1995)
Not much to say about Fox Kids Network on Saturday,as it was just the Weekday Block with 1 or 2 exclusive shows.
But that didn't mean it was bad..far from it. The bumpers were fun and the shows were great. The one of the most memorable things about this era was the Dynamo Duck bumpers. This was also the block that introduced America to Super Sentai with Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers.
Other memorable shows were: Tazmania,Tiny Toon Adventures,Batman:The Animated Series,Tom and Jerrys Kids,Eek the Cat,Bobby's World,X-Men,Spider-Man:The Animated Series,Animaniacs,and Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers.
So there you go,Fox Kids Network SatAM edition is the same as it's Weekday Afternoon counterpart,with the exception of a few exclusive shows. A very good block,but nothing too spectacular.
Grade: B-
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fox Kids (1995-2002)
The next incarnation of Fox's SatAM Block. Same deal as before,it's just the same as it's Weekday block,but with exclusive shows.
Still,the block was very fun and how about that catchy promo from the early days,huh? Fox Kids Is Cool,Indeed! The bumpers were also fun.
Some of the fun shows were: Power Rangers,Where On Earth is Carmen Sandiego?,The Tick,The Adventures of Batman and Robin,Life With Louie,Big Bad Beetleborgs,and Digimon.
Out of all of the SatAM blocks that Fox had,this one was the most memorable and most beloved. In the mid-late 90's,Fox Kids was my main SatAM block.
Grade: B+
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fox Box (2002-2005)
A downgrade from Fox Kids and the beginning of 4Kids Entertainment's reign.
Not much about this block except that Anime took up 80% of the block. They also had a really sucky dub of Ultraman Tiga. Every show on this block was mediocre. The only exception was Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 2k3.
The promos and bumoers weren't that great either. There's also the fact that 4Kids overedits many of the Anime that they aquire. Not Good!
Grade: D
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4Kids TV (2005-2009)
Same as The Fox Box except with more Anime. The promos were still weak and the bumpers were still lame.
Once again the only show worth anything on this block was Ninja Turtles.....that is,until Fast Forward. Fast Forward marked the downfall of the 2k3 Turtles series.
The lack of American shows,that disgusting Bratz cartoon,and 4Kids doing their thing make this block pitiful.
Grade: D+
====================================================
WB/CW
Kids WB: The WB Era (1995-2006)
The glory days of KidsWB. This block aired almost nothing but cool and beloved animated shows...especially those made by Warner Bros.
And in 1998,KidsWB introduced the world to the Pokemon Anime,which became an absolute hit. In 2000,Yu-Gi-Oh! made its American debut and it also became popular.
And starting in 1998,most of the WB shows that aired on Fox Kids,started migrating to KidsWB. Awesome.
Some of the promos and bumpers were very entertaining. I won't go into detail,so you'l just have to experience them for yourselves.
The most memorable and beloved shows include: Freakazoid,Animaniacs,Pinky and the Brain,Superman:The Animated Series,Yu-Gi-Oh!,Static Shock,Batman Beyond,Max Steel,Jackie Chan Adventures,Men in Black: The Series,The new Batman Adventures,and of course,Pokemon.
Although the Saturday AM version of KidsWB was just a copy of it's Weekday block,but with exclusive shows,there's no denying the coolness that was KidsWB.
Unfortunatly,things would just go downhill from here.
Grade: B+
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Kids WB: The CW Era (2006-2008)
Amost every show during this era was Canadian,thus why this block sucked. The promos were weak,the bumpers were lame and most of the shows were sucky.
The Batman,Spectacular Spider-Man,and Yu-Gi-Oh! were the Only good shows. But not even they could save this cringeworthy block.
Pitiful huh? Well things only go down hill from here.
Grade: F
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
CW4Kids (2008-2010)
Nothing good about this block,as it's just an extention of 4Kids TV. The Only shows worth watching on this block were Spectacular Spider-Man,Yu-Gi-Oh!,and Kamen Rider Dragon Knight.
The promos and bumpers were ultra lame.
Grade: F-
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Toonzai (2010-2012)
This block is just CW4Kids renamed. Yu-Gi-Oh! is the Only thing watchable. Also the promos sucked and the bumpers were mediocre.
Where Epic Anime Lives? What A Load Of BS!
Grade: F
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Vortexx (2012-2014)
When Saban took back Saturday Morning,we were relieved,because we all believed that Saban would would Save SatAM. Boy Were We Wrong!
Vortexx was nothing more than Toonzai 2.0 with crappy promos and bumpers. None of the shows were watchable (especially the new ones).
I hate Justice League Unlimited and Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexel. They aired Power Rangers Lost Galaxy for a short time,but not even that show could save this retarded block.
Oh Haim Saban,how far you've fallen.
Grade: F+
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Litton's One Magnificent Morning (2014-Today)
After Vortexx was canned another block took it's place.....and it was ugly. This block is 100% pure Edutainment. Very little fun factor(if any) can be found in Edutainment.
Grade: F+
=============================================
Fox Family/ABC Family
Unnamed Weekend Morning Block (2001-2005)
This block basically just picked up where Fox Kids left off. So all was good.
Grade: B-
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Jetix (2005-2006)
An all action cartoon block. The overflow of Canadian shows almost killed this block.
The promos and bumpers were ok,nothing special.
If it wasn't for those stupid canadian shows,Jetix would've been much better.
Grade: C-
============================================
USA Network
The USA Action Xtreme Team (1996-1998)
I always ignored the SatAM edition of this block and focused on it's Sunday and Weekday Morning editions instead.
The promos and bumpers were as fun as the shows themselves. I loved this Block as a whole and wish it stayed longer.
Grade: B-
============================================
Cartoon Network
Toonami:The Rising Sun (1999-2001)
It's just Toonami re-arranged for Saturday Mornings. So it's nothing special. They didn't even have exclusive shows.
Grade: C
============================================
The Hub Network
Unnamed Block (2012-2014)
Just thought I'd post this here. Nothing really special about this block either,as it's just the Networks normal programming re-arranged for Saturday.
Grade: D-
===========================================
This was an interesting,yet weird experiment that I wanted to do. I may not do this type of thing again. You probaly noticed that I left out PBS and it's various blocks. The reason for that is,I never watched them,nor cared for them. It's also why I never listed their Weekday Afternoon block in my 'Weekday Afternoon TV' tribute posts.
Anyway,I'm finished here. What's next? I have no idea.
Saturday, November 28, 2015
For the Honor AND Courage of Grayskull! - How She-Ra Helped Me Respect Female Animated Characters!
Yeah, what she said! :D
Hey there, Toonsters!
Long ago, before he took it down, Stefan wrote a blog about the role of female animated characters. Some could be damsels in distress, while others were portrayed as strong-willed and courageous characters who want to be equals to their male counterparts. This blog is an example of that notion, but this is for a different reason. It is about the one character who helped me learn about respecting the female characters in all of animation. And the character I am talking about is the Princess of Power herself, She-Ra.
We all know the story. Princess Adora, the twin sister of Prince Adam aka He-Man, was kidnapped by Hordak when she was a baby. Years later, she became the Force Captain of the Evil Horde, only to be found and freed of Hordak's hold by He-Man and through the Sword of Protection, she became She-Ra, the Princess of Power. As She-Ra, Adora aids the Great Rebellion to free Etheria, Eternia's sister planet, from the Horde's evil wrath. Even though He-Man is one of my favorite icons of the 80s, She-Ra, on the other hand, has a special place in my heart. And the question is: How did She-Ra's courage helped through the dark times of my life, especially with the part about liking and respecting female characters in animation and all of fiction. Believe me, dude, it is a long story.
It is because of She-Ra that gave me the courage to love, honor and respect female characters in the long haul, starting with The Little Mermaid, but it didn't start out that way. Since my father's passing, and even if I was trying to better myself, I didn't have the courage to watch The Little Mermaid. During the mid 1990s, I ended up watching, without a doubt, one of my favorite animes of all time, Sailor Moon. Though not the strongest and wisest fighter, Sailor Moon makes up all up, so to speak, with courage. I use to get up at 6:00 in the morning and watch her all the time. And the more I watch her, the most memories of my past were starting to unlock. And because of Sailor Moon, not only it unlocked my courage, but also unlocked everything 80s, including She-Ra. I didn't even know until now is the fact that if it wasn't for She-Ra, there wouldn't be other strong-willed female characters in animation like Sailor Moon. It was both Sailor Moon and She-Ra's courage that helped me gained the strength to overcome my fears and ended up watching The Little Mermaid, with no ill feelings whatsoever.
I owe everything to She-Ra, and especially her voice actress, Melendy Britt. She may be strong and beautiful, but she has lots of wisdom that is beyond her years. Whether it's fighting the Horde as She-Ra or giving advice to two Southern Water Tribe siblings to aid the Avatar to bring balance to the world as Gran-Gran. Other than Elsa and Jem, I wish She-Ra was my aunt, always helping me out, giving me advice, encourage me to not give up and so on and so forth. Not only she has given me courage to respect and honor female animated characters or female fictional characters in general (like video games, comic books, etc.), but she has also given me the courage to do something else. Not just fighting for the rights for animation, but also righting the wrongs which was done in the past, especially what Hallmark did to most of the Filmation cartoons when they were all converted to their sped up PAL versions and got rid of the negatives. The road is long and hard, especially convincing DreamWorks, who now owns all of the Classic Media properties, including the Filmation cartoons, to fix the audio on those cartoons because I know how to fix them, but I gotta try. There is a reason why one of my favorite virtues is call Righteousness. Because I will fight on and put right which was done wrong, no matter what it takes and no matter what some people say. Lou Scheimer's legacy must be preserved. Cause if She-Ra knows if I am doing the right thing, I'm sure Lou thinks the same way cause what I am doing is for him. By the Power and for the Honor of Grayskull, I will restore which was ruined and I will definitely live up to what I am being called...The Animation Crusader.
And I owe it to all to one half of the Most Powerful Siblings of the Universe. Thank you She-Ra...and thank you to you, too, Ms. Melendy Britt. ;)
If you want to praise and give your admiration to Filmation, Lou Scheimer, his daughter, Erika, and the voice actors from their cartoons, visit their Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/louscheimerfilmation/ and if you want to share fan letters, fan art, pictures, everything in between about Lou, John Erwin, Melendy Britt, Alan Oppenheimer and so forth, contact them at their Gmail address, louscheimer@gmail.com. Remember, precious animation, like those from Filmation, must be preserve.
Well, I won't be blogging for awhile. Since the holidays are coming, I figure I take a month long vacation and help out my mother and do everything else. Besides, I got a Derpy Hooves script to finish and one movie project involving the very subject I was talking about in my blog, restoring Filmation's cartoons to their normal proper pitch. But, don't worry, when I come back, I will resume my Toon Ninja Reviews on Avatar: The Last Airbender and I will help Stefan with a project he has in mind. Whatever it is, I'm sure it's a big one and every little bit helps. Well, until then, Stay Frosty and...Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. ;)
(I Have the Power Short Version - She-Ra end credits theme play)
*Fade Out
Wednesday, November 11, 2015
Disney/ABC Hercules
What if Disney created a Hercules TV show for ABC that was close to the actual Mythology,but with a Disney/ABC spin? It would be a Spin-off of the hit show 'Once Upon A Time'.
It would go like this: In ancient times,Italy and Greece are under the tyrannical rule of the Gods,lead by Hera,the Lord of the Gods. She grabbed power after ousting Zeus. Zeus had a fling with a young widow and mother named Alcmene,who had a crush on the former God King ever since she was a teenager.
Soon,Alcmene is impregnated with his Son,her 2nd child,with a then 3-year-old Ipecles being the 1st. Once born,she nanes the child,Hercules.
Hera thinks nothing of this fling at first,but when the fates tell her that Hercules will become a hero who will fight her and defeat her,ending her tyrannically rule. Hera sends snakes to kill the child,but it fails thanks to the baby's awesome strength. Hera decides to leave Herc alone,in hopes that he'll turn out differently...she was wrong.
As a teenager,Hercules enrolls at Cheron's Heroic Warrior Acadamy to start his hero training. There,he meets and befriends Iolous and Jason,a senior.
Hera tries to thwart Hercules attempts to graduate,but fails. In adulthood,Hercules is a well known freelance hero. He marries Deinera and has 3 children with her. Hera,in atempt to ruin Herc's legacy,causes him to go crazy and has him slay his wife and kids. News travels fast and the people start their anti-hercules hatefest. The gods (who are not herc's enemies) are also angry,since it is forbiden for a DemiGod to kill a mortal unless it's in self defence or if it's their job.
To redeem himself in both the eyes of the Gods and Mortals,Hercules must complete 12 great labors perfectly.
After successfuly completing the labors,Hercules' honor is restored with the Gods and the people slowly re-embrace him. When Herc finds out that it was Hera who made him homicidal,he becomes even more determined to overthrow her.
Knowing that Herc can't do this alone,Iolous joins his buddy and the 2 of them fearlessly battle Hera and her forces..including her #2 and favorite son,Ares.
Well what do you think? Should Disney/ABC retry their hand at the Herculean Legend? I sure as hell think so.
Next Up,The SatAM Block Rater.
It would go like this: In ancient times,Italy and Greece are under the tyrannical rule of the Gods,lead by Hera,the Lord of the Gods. She grabbed power after ousting Zeus. Zeus had a fling with a young widow and mother named Alcmene,who had a crush on the former God King ever since she was a teenager.
Soon,Alcmene is impregnated with his Son,her 2nd child,with a then 3-year-old Ipecles being the 1st. Once born,she nanes the child,Hercules.
Hera thinks nothing of this fling at first,but when the fates tell her that Hercules will become a hero who will fight her and defeat her,ending her tyrannically rule. Hera sends snakes to kill the child,but it fails thanks to the baby's awesome strength. Hera decides to leave Herc alone,in hopes that he'll turn out differently...she was wrong.
As a teenager,Hercules enrolls at Cheron's Heroic Warrior Acadamy to start his hero training. There,he meets and befriends Iolous and Jason,a senior.
Hera tries to thwart Hercules attempts to graduate,but fails. In adulthood,Hercules is a well known freelance hero. He marries Deinera and has 3 children with her. Hera,in atempt to ruin Herc's legacy,causes him to go crazy and has him slay his wife and kids. News travels fast and the people start their anti-hercules hatefest. The gods (who are not herc's enemies) are also angry,since it is forbiden for a DemiGod to kill a mortal unless it's in self defence or if it's their job.
To redeem himself in both the eyes of the Gods and Mortals,Hercules must complete 12 great labors perfectly.
After successfuly completing the labors,Hercules' honor is restored with the Gods and the people slowly re-embrace him. When Herc finds out that it was Hera who made him homicidal,he becomes even more determined to overthrow her.
Knowing that Herc can't do this alone,Iolous joins his buddy and the 2 of them fearlessly battle Hera and her forces..including her #2 and favorite son,Ares.
Well what do you think? Should Disney/ABC retry their hand at the Herculean Legend? I sure as hell think so.
Next Up,The SatAM Block Rater.
Tuesday, November 10, 2015
Is the Internet making Television Extinct: Part II - The Uncertain Future of Cable and Satellite!
In my last blog, awhile back, I mentioned that the internet is slowing becoming the new medium for watching television, including animation, and because of that, television as a whole is in the verge of extinction, which includes the very subject I will talk about.
Ever since the merger of AT&T and DirecTV, we feared the worse that this will start the slow extinction of cable and satellite. Because of the advent of the internet, many companies, such as Netflix, want to take advantage of this medium, making TV shows internet exclusives only. And with so many devices such as Smartphones and Tablets at our disposals, they can watch them wherever and whenever they like. And leaves with one question, what about TV in general, especially with cable and satellite? Like I said, television as a whole is slowing towards the path of extinction and we end watching show on the internet. But there is one problem with that. Companies like Netflix want us to pay for membership in order to watch our favorite shows. The poor and middle class people can't afford to pay to watch shows online. We need television because we rather watch them for free than to watch them online for paid memberships (some companies, not all, there is Crunchyroll, where we watch anime for free, even without a membership). Paying for our cable and satellite providers once a month is one thing, but this is totally different. I rather watch my anime and my favorite cartoons for free than to pay membership to watch it online. I'm pretty sure many people like my good buddy, Stefan, agrees with me. So, if you want to keep television alive and preserved for future generations, talk to your local congressman in your state, the FCC or any other cable, satellite and online company (and be civil about this). Cause one thing is for sure, no TV show or anime is worth sums of money every month. It's time we preserve television's future. I am tired of the poor and middle class have to suffer through this.
A recent theory is that the various media companies have been championing the death of Cable and Satellite. Proof of this comes from the fact that the program direction of many TV Networks have been stupid and lazy. It's like they don't care about TV and want it to die.
It's something to think about.
This has been a ACF Special Bulletin.
Ever since the merger of AT&T and DirecTV, we feared the worse that this will start the slow extinction of cable and satellite. Because of the advent of the internet, many companies, such as Netflix, want to take advantage of this medium, making TV shows internet exclusives only. And with so many devices such as Smartphones and Tablets at our disposals, they can watch them wherever and whenever they like. And leaves with one question, what about TV in general, especially with cable and satellite? Like I said, television as a whole is slowing towards the path of extinction and we end watching show on the internet. But there is one problem with that. Companies like Netflix want us to pay for membership in order to watch our favorite shows. The poor and middle class people can't afford to pay to watch shows online. We need television because we rather watch them for free than to watch them online for paid memberships (some companies, not all, there is Crunchyroll, where we watch anime for free, even without a membership). Paying for our cable and satellite providers once a month is one thing, but this is totally different. I rather watch my anime and my favorite cartoons for free than to pay membership to watch it online. I'm pretty sure many people like my good buddy, Stefan, agrees with me. So, if you want to keep television alive and preserved for future generations, talk to your local congressman in your state, the FCC or any other cable, satellite and online company (and be civil about this). Cause one thing is for sure, no TV show or anime is worth sums of money every month. It's time we preserve television's future. I am tired of the poor and middle class have to suffer through this.
A recent theory is that the various media companies have been championing the death of Cable and Satellite. Proof of this comes from the fact that the program direction of many TV Networks have been stupid and lazy. It's like they don't care about TV and want it to die.
It's something to think about.
This has been a ACF Special Bulletin.
Sunday, November 1, 2015
Cartoon Network: What Should Have Been
Cartoon Network,once a haven,is now a ruined city with a huge toxic pool. Destroyed by a Terrorist act called 'Executive Meddling'. Thanks to Stuart Snyder and,to a lesser extent,Jim Samples,Cartoon Network went from Awesome to Absolute Crap! Before we go into 'What Should Have Been',let's take a look at the History of the Network.
It all started in the 1986,when Turner Broadcasting acquired the MGM,Looney Tunes,and Popeye libraries. And in 1988,Turner aired these Cartoons on it's newly created TNT network. In 1990, Turner purchased animation studio Hanna-Barbera Productions and acquired its large library. Sometime later,it bought the airing rights to most of the Ruby-Spears library. These Toons would be aired on a special block on TNT and the response was very positive.
On October 1, 1992, Cartoon Network was created as an outlet for Turner's vast library of animation. The Launch programs for the network were reruns of classic Warner Bros. cartoons,Popeye cartoons, MGM cartoons,and Hanna-Barbera cartoons. Many Hanna-Barbera TV cartoons like Magilla Gorilla were often used as time fillers.
Most of the short cartoons aired in half-hour or hour-long packages, usually separated by character or studio. For example,Down Wit' Droopy D aired old Droopy Dog shorts, The Tom and Jerry Show presented the classic cat-and-mouse team, and Bugs and Daffy Tonight provided classic Looney Tunes shorts.
Late Night Black and White showed early black and white cartoons (mostly from the Fleischer Studios), and ToonHeads aired themed cartoon shorts with original, unique bumpers and trivia about the cartoons they were showing.
Another early show was High Noon Toons, which was a programming block hosted by cowboy hand puppets Haas and Lil' Jo. I never heard of that block before,but from the sound of it,I bet it was Lame with a Capital L.
The network's first original show was The Moxy Show and was created in 1993. In 1994,Hanna-Barbera's new subsidiary,Cartoon Network Studios was founded and started production on The What-A-Cartoon! Show (also known as World-Premiere Toons).
The show premiered in 1995 and was made up of a series of independent short cartoons. It was also the network's third original series,with the second being Space Ghost: Coast to Coast.
The main purpose of The 'What A Cartoon Show' was to help Cartoon Network expand its library of exclusive programming. It introduced a number of new cartoon ideas. Six of them were spun off into their own series runs.
These six series were: Dexter's Laboratory (1996), Johnny Bravo, Cow and Chicken (1997), The Powerpuff Girls (1998), Mike, Lu and Og, and Courage the Cowardly Dog (1999).
These shows were the first batch of Cartoons known as Cartoon Cartoons. I Am Weasel (1997) and Ed, Edd n Eddy (1999) were the first two Cartoon Cartoons not to be introduced in a What A Cartoon short.
In 1996, Turner merged with Time Warner. This lead up to a 2000 announcement that Cartoon Network would be the exclusive TV home of the classic Warner Bros. animated library.
Newer WB animated productions also started appearing on the network as old Kids WB reruns. Though some modern WB cartoons,such as Teen Titans and Justice League,were Cartoon Network exclusives.
In 1997,2 popular program blocks made their debut,Toonami and Cartoon Cartoon Fridays. Toonami was a weekday afternoon block that aired Action Cartoons and Anime. The block was first hosted by Moltar of Space Ghost Coast to Coast and then by the Tom androids.
Toonami was,without question,Cartoon Networks most popular program block...well,until 2006 that is,where the block itself was decimated. The block ended in 2008.
Anyway,Cartoon Cartoon Fridays otherwise known as CCF was a Friday Night Block that was hosted by the Cartoon Cartoons themselves and later by 2 human hosts. This block ended in late 2006 and was replaced with the crappy Fried Dynamite.
Cartoon Network underwent its 2nd makeover (the first being in 1996)on June 12, 1998,launching the Powerhouse theme that was used until June of 2004.
Adult Swim began as a small block in Late 2001,it's purpose was to air shows that Adults to enjoy. As it got bigger and bigger,the block became more stupid,radical,and cringeworthy. It turned to complete crap in 2005. But,in 2009/2010,AS was re-classified as a Network and time-shared with CN. Why Time Warner didn't just give AS is own separate Network during that time is beyond me.
Anyway....Let's talk about the Bumpers.
The Powerhouse theme had bumpers involving characters from most of the cartoons it aired or objects and places with the Cartoon Network's Checkerboard logo. The word NEXT was used in several "Coming up Next" bumpers.
There were multiple color variations for the bumpers backgrounds: Yellow for morning timeslot, Green for afternoon timeslot, Blue for evening timeslot, Purple for action cartoons (used in all timeslots),Black for overnight timeslot (starting at midnight),Red for specials and Thanksgiving,Black with Orange outlines for Halloween,and White and Light Blue for Christmas.
Often, an announcer would say something witty over these bumpers...up until 2003 that is. Other times they had a music cue that was a cross between the show's theme and Raymond Scott's "Powerhouse".
There were also animated bit segments,with several variations for each one. In 2003,the "Powerhouse" theme music was replaced with the show's own theme song.
Don't you wish Cartoon Network still did this? Anyway,In 2004,Miguzi made it's debut and replaced Toonami on the weekdays. Toonami was moved to Saturdays and Adult Swim got bigger.
On June 14, 2004, Cartoon Network updated its logo, and its slogan: “This is Cartoon Network!” This is also the first CN era with a female voice announcer. Although she was eventually replaced with no such voices announcing for the network since.
Cartoon Network's 1st president,Shawn Grove,left Cartoon Network due to a major heart attack.Jim Samples took his place. The first program ever aired on the relaunched Cartoon Network was Rescue Heroes,a shitty Canadian show that used to air on the,now extinct,CBS Saturday Morning Block.
And thus the Canadian Invasion begins. An invasion that should've been prevented.
In fact,Canadian Cartoons are one of the many reasons why Cartoon Network is damaged beyond repair.
Anyway,The new bumpers featured 2D cartoon characters from their shows interacting in a CGI city made up of sets from their own shows.
By now, nearly all of Cartoon Network's classic cartoon programming had been relocated to its sister network Boomerang,which was created in 2003,to make way for new programming. However,they did manage to keep Tom and Jerry and Scooby-Doo. 2 shows that are currently being milked to death by those lowlife CN executives.
On April 10, 2006, the network removed more shows from the 1990s and scrapped the CGI City look. Later that year,shows like Time Squad (2001), Mike, Lu & Og (1999), I Am Weasel (1997), Looney Tunes,and Sheep in the Big City (2000) were also taken off the network. What Jerks!
In Early 2006,Cartoon Network changed it's slogan once again,this time it was the simplistic “Cartoon Network — Yes!,” and was spoken by Fred Fredburger, a character on The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy.
The network also used bumpers featuring the cast of Camp Lazlo (2005) as stick puppets and characters in front of a red background. How Stupid!
The 2006-2007 campaign featured three different styles of bumpers. The first style is "Lunchbox of Doom", featuring an assortment of show clips inside a CGI Gothic lunchbox,witch was a reference to an episode of The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy.
The second is "VS.", comparing two cartoon characters. Their final style was a remake of the 2004 CGI City look.
Jim Samples,2nd president of the Cartoon Network,resigned on February 9, 2007 due to the Boston Mooninite Scare. Samples had been network president for three years after Shawn Grove.
Stuart Snyder,aka The Man Who Made Everything Worse,was named as Samples' successor and he took control on May of 2007.
Under Snyder's control, Cartoon Network underwent a number of terrible changes. Through 2007,Cartoon Network retained the image campaign that began in 2006.
On September 1, 2007, the networks look was revamped. Bumpers and Station Identification were themed to The Hives song "Fall is Just Something That Grown-Ups Invented". These aired for several months. It was a disaster to say the least.
A month later, on October 15, the channel began broadcasting in high definition. It was Suckage in HD.
Anyway,every October since 2007, Cartoon Network airs Goosebumps,a show that once aired on Fox Kids program. In April 2008, Cartoon Network began airing a one minute sign-off bumper, depicting a child's daily activities from sunrise to nighttime. In the end, it reads "Good Night. See you tomorrow!" before Adult Swim began.
It was their first sign-off bumper after 7 years of showing such a nightly block. This sign-off was later revised to match the network's new look. It now simply shows a square saying "10:00", followed by "Check Ya Later" and the new CN logo.
In 2008,Cartoon Network announced that it was working on a new project called "Cartoonstitute", which was headed by animators Craig McCracken (as executive producer) and Rob Renzetti (as supervising producer). Both report to Rob Scorcher, who created the idea.
The program would've worked in a way similar to What A Cartoon! However,Cartoonstitute was eventually cancelled, and only one of the shorts,Regular Show,was selected.
Cartoon Network had also begun to air some imported Canadian programs from Teletoon such as George of the Jungle, 6teen,The Total Drama Series,and Chaotic. This was one of the Stupidest errors that Cartoon Network has ever made. Snyder,you Suck!
On May of 2008, Cartoon Network began airing animated shorts, called Wedgies. These shorts were used to fill in spots between shows.
On July of 2008, the network changed looks yet again. This new look was created by Tristan Eaton and Kidrobot. The bumpers of that era had white, faceless characters called Noods. The Noods look similar to the do-it-yourself toy known as Munny, also created by Kidrobot. This look was retarded.
A Nood would often come in contact with a color blob or a color bar and absorb the color to become either a Cartoon Network character or change into another color. Other bumpers featured characters interacting with one another. Various commercial parodies starring the characters of Carton Network also aired.
From July 2008 to October 2008, Greg Cipes, Kevin's voice actor in Ben 10: Alien Force,became the network's announcer.
He has since been replaced with Will Arnett. The programming blocks were also changed to fit in with this look, with different Noods being used.
In June 2009, a block of live-action reality shows began airing in a programming block promoted as CN Real.[which has now ended]
The network has also aired some limited sports programming, including Slamball,during the commercial breaks. On February of 2010, Cartoon Network started using bumpers that feature Noods being formed by real-life objects such as paint, grass, and confetti. Sometime later,the Noods were replaced.
Soon after,Cartoon Network debuted a third logo. This logo was featured on the network's "Move It Movement" tour. It made its television debut in May along with a new theme and new bumpers. Also,the Noods were phased out.
Also in 2010,The CN Real block ended. Thank God! However,just because CN Real died off,didn't mean that the network was gonna get better. It was still in terrible terrible shape. Even without CN Real,they still aired Live-Action crap. Live-Action Movies are also a mainstay now.
Last year,Stuart Snyder was replaced as Cartoon Network President. I forgot the new presidents name,but she can't undo the damage,in fact,she could be upholding the Status Quo set by Snyder. She might be a Stuart Snyder fangirl deep down.
And even though Stuwie Snyder is no longer at Cartoon Network,his influence is still alive and well.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What Happened: Stuart Snyder!
What Should've Been: Stuart Snyder is never hired and his influence is non-existent. A more "in touch" person is hired instead.
What Happened: Live Action and CN Real!
What Should've Been: Live Action shows and movies are Never allowed to air. And the Abomination known as CN Real isn't even a thought.
What Happened: Canadian Cartoons.
What Should've Been: They are either never allowed to air OR they are confined to a block dedicated to Canadian stuff.
What Happened: Adult Swim Extention
What Should've Been: There were many Intellegent ways to handle this. 1 - Move the block from Cartoon Network to TBS. That makes much more sense,as AS fits way better on TBS,than on CN. 2 - When turning the block into a "Network",ether have it time-share with TBS or give it it's own Channel.
What Happened: Thise Annoying Anti-Bulling PSAs.
What Should've Been: No PSAs Period! Besides,They. Don't. Work! Period! Thus,a waste of time and money.
What Happened: Bumpers,Promos and stuff featuring Kids.
What Should've Been: This Never Ever Happens!
What Happened: Milking and Over-Milking.
What Should've Been: These things never happen.
What Happened: The various short lived Pre-School blocks.
What Should've Been: Any and All Kiddie Crap is Unworthy of Cartoon Network and it's Fans,thus they are Never allowed to air.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As you can obviously tell,Cartoon Network is just a shell of it's former self and Nothing can be done to restore it.
That's it for now. Next time on ACF,The SatAM Block Rater. So until then,
See Ya,Space Cowboy.
It all started in the 1986,when Turner Broadcasting acquired the MGM,Looney Tunes,and Popeye libraries. And in 1988,Turner aired these Cartoons on it's newly created TNT network. In 1990, Turner purchased animation studio Hanna-Barbera Productions and acquired its large library. Sometime later,it bought the airing rights to most of the Ruby-Spears library. These Toons would be aired on a special block on TNT and the response was very positive.
On October 1, 1992, Cartoon Network was created as an outlet for Turner's vast library of animation. The Launch programs for the network were reruns of classic Warner Bros. cartoons,Popeye cartoons, MGM cartoons,and Hanna-Barbera cartoons. Many Hanna-Barbera TV cartoons like Magilla Gorilla were often used as time fillers.
Most of the short cartoons aired in half-hour or hour-long packages, usually separated by character or studio. For example,Down Wit' Droopy D aired old Droopy Dog shorts, The Tom and Jerry Show presented the classic cat-and-mouse team, and Bugs and Daffy Tonight provided classic Looney Tunes shorts.
Late Night Black and White showed early black and white cartoons (mostly from the Fleischer Studios), and ToonHeads aired themed cartoon shorts with original, unique bumpers and trivia about the cartoons they were showing.
Another early show was High Noon Toons, which was a programming block hosted by cowboy hand puppets Haas and Lil' Jo. I never heard of that block before,but from the sound of it,I bet it was Lame with a Capital L.
The network's first original show was The Moxy Show and was created in 1993. In 1994,Hanna-Barbera's new subsidiary,Cartoon Network Studios was founded and started production on The What-A-Cartoon! Show (also known as World-Premiere Toons).
The show premiered in 1995 and was made up of a series of independent short cartoons. It was also the network's third original series,with the second being Space Ghost: Coast to Coast.
The main purpose of The 'What A Cartoon Show' was to help Cartoon Network expand its library of exclusive programming. It introduced a number of new cartoon ideas. Six of them were spun off into their own series runs.
These six series were: Dexter's Laboratory (1996), Johnny Bravo, Cow and Chicken (1997), The Powerpuff Girls (1998), Mike, Lu and Og, and Courage the Cowardly Dog (1999).
These shows were the first batch of Cartoons known as Cartoon Cartoons. I Am Weasel (1997) and Ed, Edd n Eddy (1999) were the first two Cartoon Cartoons not to be introduced in a What A Cartoon short.
In 1996, Turner merged with Time Warner. This lead up to a 2000 announcement that Cartoon Network would be the exclusive TV home of the classic Warner Bros. animated library.
Newer WB animated productions also started appearing on the network as old Kids WB reruns. Though some modern WB cartoons,such as Teen Titans and Justice League,were Cartoon Network exclusives.
In 1997,2 popular program blocks made their debut,Toonami and Cartoon Cartoon Fridays. Toonami was a weekday afternoon block that aired Action Cartoons and Anime. The block was first hosted by Moltar of Space Ghost Coast to Coast and then by the Tom androids.
Toonami was,without question,Cartoon Networks most popular program block...well,until 2006 that is,where the block itself was decimated. The block ended in 2008.
Anyway,Cartoon Cartoon Fridays otherwise known as CCF was a Friday Night Block that was hosted by the Cartoon Cartoons themselves and later by 2 human hosts. This block ended in late 2006 and was replaced with the crappy Fried Dynamite.
Cartoon Network underwent its 2nd makeover (the first being in 1996)on June 12, 1998,launching the Powerhouse theme that was used until June of 2004.
Adult Swim began as a small block in Late 2001,it's purpose was to air shows that Adults to enjoy. As it got bigger and bigger,the block became more stupid,radical,and cringeworthy. It turned to complete crap in 2005. But,in 2009/2010,AS was re-classified as a Network and time-shared with CN. Why Time Warner didn't just give AS is own separate Network during that time is beyond me.
Anyway....Let's talk about the Bumpers.
The Powerhouse theme had bumpers involving characters from most of the cartoons it aired or objects and places with the Cartoon Network's Checkerboard logo. The word NEXT was used in several "Coming up Next" bumpers.
There were multiple color variations for the bumpers backgrounds: Yellow for morning timeslot, Green for afternoon timeslot, Blue for evening timeslot, Purple for action cartoons (used in all timeslots),Black for overnight timeslot (starting at midnight),Red for specials and Thanksgiving,Black with Orange outlines for Halloween,and White and Light Blue for Christmas.
Often, an announcer would say something witty over these bumpers...up until 2003 that is. Other times they had a music cue that was a cross between the show's theme and Raymond Scott's "Powerhouse".
There were also animated bit segments,with several variations for each one. In 2003,the "Powerhouse" theme music was replaced with the show's own theme song.
Don't you wish Cartoon Network still did this? Anyway,In 2004,Miguzi made it's debut and replaced Toonami on the weekdays. Toonami was moved to Saturdays and Adult Swim got bigger.
On June 14, 2004, Cartoon Network updated its logo, and its slogan: “This is Cartoon Network!” This is also the first CN era with a female voice announcer. Although she was eventually replaced with no such voices announcing for the network since.
Cartoon Network's 1st president,Shawn Grove,left Cartoon Network due to a major heart attack.Jim Samples took his place. The first program ever aired on the relaunched Cartoon Network was Rescue Heroes,a shitty Canadian show that used to air on the,now extinct,CBS Saturday Morning Block.
And thus the Canadian Invasion begins. An invasion that should've been prevented.
In fact,Canadian Cartoons are one of the many reasons why Cartoon Network is damaged beyond repair.
Anyway,The new bumpers featured 2D cartoon characters from their shows interacting in a CGI city made up of sets from their own shows.
By now, nearly all of Cartoon Network's classic cartoon programming had been relocated to its sister network Boomerang,which was created in 2003,to make way for new programming. However,they did manage to keep Tom and Jerry and Scooby-Doo. 2 shows that are currently being milked to death by those lowlife CN executives.
On April 10, 2006, the network removed more shows from the 1990s and scrapped the CGI City look. Later that year,shows like Time Squad (2001), Mike, Lu & Og (1999), I Am Weasel (1997), Looney Tunes,and Sheep in the Big City (2000) were also taken off the network. What Jerks!
In Early 2006,Cartoon Network changed it's slogan once again,this time it was the simplistic “Cartoon Network — Yes!,” and was spoken by Fred Fredburger, a character on The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy.
The network also used bumpers featuring the cast of Camp Lazlo (2005) as stick puppets and characters in front of a red background. How Stupid!
The 2006-2007 campaign featured three different styles of bumpers. The first style is "Lunchbox of Doom", featuring an assortment of show clips inside a CGI Gothic lunchbox,witch was a reference to an episode of The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy.
The second is "VS.", comparing two cartoon characters. Their final style was a remake of the 2004 CGI City look.
Jim Samples,2nd president of the Cartoon Network,resigned on February 9, 2007 due to the Boston Mooninite Scare. Samples had been network president for three years after Shawn Grove.
Stuart Snyder,aka The Man Who Made Everything Worse,was named as Samples' successor and he took control on May of 2007.
Under Snyder's control, Cartoon Network underwent a number of terrible changes. Through 2007,Cartoon Network retained the image campaign that began in 2006.
On September 1, 2007, the networks look was revamped. Bumpers and Station Identification were themed to The Hives song "Fall is Just Something That Grown-Ups Invented". These aired for several months. It was a disaster to say the least.
A month later, on October 15, the channel began broadcasting in high definition. It was Suckage in HD.
Anyway,every October since 2007, Cartoon Network airs Goosebumps,a show that once aired on Fox Kids program. In April 2008, Cartoon Network began airing a one minute sign-off bumper, depicting a child's daily activities from sunrise to nighttime. In the end, it reads "Good Night. See you tomorrow!" before Adult Swim began.
It was their first sign-off bumper after 7 years of showing such a nightly block. This sign-off was later revised to match the network's new look. It now simply shows a square saying "10:00", followed by "Check Ya Later" and the new CN logo.
In 2008,Cartoon Network announced that it was working on a new project called "Cartoonstitute", which was headed by animators Craig McCracken (as executive producer) and Rob Renzetti (as supervising producer). Both report to Rob Scorcher, who created the idea.
The program would've worked in a way similar to What A Cartoon! However,Cartoonstitute was eventually cancelled, and only one of the shorts,Regular Show,was selected.
Cartoon Network had also begun to air some imported Canadian programs from Teletoon such as George of the Jungle, 6teen,The Total Drama Series,and Chaotic. This was one of the Stupidest errors that Cartoon Network has ever made. Snyder,you Suck!
On May of 2008, Cartoon Network began airing animated shorts, called Wedgies. These shorts were used to fill in spots between shows.
On July of 2008, the network changed looks yet again. This new look was created by Tristan Eaton and Kidrobot. The bumpers of that era had white, faceless characters called Noods. The Noods look similar to the do-it-yourself toy known as Munny, also created by Kidrobot. This look was retarded.
A Nood would often come in contact with a color blob or a color bar and absorb the color to become either a Cartoon Network character or change into another color. Other bumpers featured characters interacting with one another. Various commercial parodies starring the characters of Carton Network also aired.
From July 2008 to October 2008, Greg Cipes, Kevin's voice actor in Ben 10: Alien Force,became the network's announcer.
He has since been replaced with Will Arnett. The programming blocks were also changed to fit in with this look, with different Noods being used.
In June 2009, a block of live-action reality shows began airing in a programming block promoted as CN Real.[which has now ended]
The network has also aired some limited sports programming, including Slamball,during the commercial breaks. On February of 2010, Cartoon Network started using bumpers that feature Noods being formed by real-life objects such as paint, grass, and confetti. Sometime later,the Noods were replaced.
Soon after,Cartoon Network debuted a third logo. This logo was featured on the network's "Move It Movement" tour. It made its television debut in May along with a new theme and new bumpers. Also,the Noods were phased out.
Also in 2010,The CN Real block ended. Thank God! However,just because CN Real died off,didn't mean that the network was gonna get better. It was still in terrible terrible shape. Even without CN Real,they still aired Live-Action crap. Live-Action Movies are also a mainstay now.
Last year,Stuart Snyder was replaced as Cartoon Network President. I forgot the new presidents name,but she can't undo the damage,in fact,she could be upholding the Status Quo set by Snyder. She might be a Stuart Snyder fangirl deep down.
And even though Stuwie Snyder is no longer at Cartoon Network,his influence is still alive and well.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
What Happened: Stuart Snyder!
What Should've Been: Stuart Snyder is never hired and his influence is non-existent. A more "in touch" person is hired instead.
What Happened: Live Action and CN Real!
What Should've Been: Live Action shows and movies are Never allowed to air. And the Abomination known as CN Real isn't even a thought.
What Happened: Canadian Cartoons.
What Should've Been: They are either never allowed to air OR they are confined to a block dedicated to Canadian stuff.
What Happened: Adult Swim Extention
What Should've Been: There were many Intellegent ways to handle this. 1 - Move the block from Cartoon Network to TBS. That makes much more sense,as AS fits way better on TBS,than on CN. 2 - When turning the block into a "Network",ether have it time-share with TBS or give it it's own Channel.
What Happened: Thise Annoying Anti-Bulling PSAs.
What Should've Been: No PSAs Period! Besides,They. Don't. Work! Period! Thus,a waste of time and money.
What Happened: Bumpers,Promos and stuff featuring Kids.
What Should've Been: This Never Ever Happens!
What Happened: Milking and Over-Milking.
What Should've Been: These things never happen.
What Happened: The various short lived Pre-School blocks.
What Should've Been: Any and All Kiddie Crap is Unworthy of Cartoon Network and it's Fans,thus they are Never allowed to air.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As you can obviously tell,Cartoon Network is just a shell of it's former self and Nothing can be done to restore it.
That's it for now. Next time on ACF,The SatAM Block Rater. So until then,
See Ya,Space Cowboy.
Saturday, October 24, 2015
The Top 10 Pioneers of Animation!
"We are the music makers...and we are the dreamers of dreams." - Willy Wonka
In my last Top 10 blog, I talked about those who ruined our childhood, our dreams, the networks and threatened to destroy animation as a whole forever. Speaking of which, this one I will talk about will feature the exact opposite. Those who worked to the bone to give kids AND adults the best animation ever created and believe that animation still have a place in this world. While some gave up on that notion, while others still continue to believe in it to this day, I will give you my top 10 pioneers of animation. Shall we? ;)
10. Haim Saban - When we think of the name, Haim Saban, what thought comes in your head? A man who not only brought Super Sentai to the states, but also some of the anime we saw at the time. Throughout the 80s and 90s, Saban was one of the most powerful names in Children's TV, not just in cable, but also regular TV, too. His company, Saban Entertainment, was once struggling with some of its early shows which they collaborated with DIC at the time like The New Archies and Kidd Video. But by the late 80s and into the early 90s, Saban became a force to be reckon with. Although they did dubs of children's anime like Grimm's Fairy Tale Classics, Noozles and The Mysterious Cities of Gold, but they also did the action ones like Samurai Pizza Cats, Flint the Time Detective, Mon Colle Knights, Transformers: Robots in Disguise (aka Transformers: Car Robots, the original anime, not the current show on Cartoon Network) and of course, our personal favorite, Digimon. And even though we got multiple universes, the ones from Digimon Adventure 1 & 2 are my personal favorites. Also, as an added bonus, and though it's not animated related, Saban was also responsible for bringing Super Sentai to the states in the form of Power Rangers. Even though they did the same to the Metal Heroes and the other Tokasatsu shows with VR Troopers, Masked Rider (aka Kamen Rider) and Big Bad Beetleborgs, they didn't have the same success as Power Rangers did. Not only he helped created Power Rangers and dubbed the animes, but he also did, without the shadow of a doubt, the most recognizable tunes in all of animation. Saban, along with Shuki Levy, did most of the iconic tunes from the 80s and 90s shows that we still hear today, such as Inspector Gadget, The Littles, M.A.S.K., He-Man, She-Ra, Heathcliff, The Real Ghostbusters and even Power Rangers to name a dozen. By the beginning of the new millennium, Saban itself was struggling so bad, that they sold Power Rangers and most of their library to Disney. And it's been like this until Saban brought most of their properties back and reformat the company as Saban Brands, starting with rebooting Power Rangers with Power Rangers Samurai. Then, by the last year of Saturday Morning Cartoons, Saban created the Vortexx block, where Toonzai, which was owned by 4Kids, left behind. We was hoping that this block was going to be this era's saving grace. Boy, we were wrong. By the time I saw the edited version of the first episode of Justice League Unlimited with Green Arrow, I figured that Vortexx wasn't going to last long. Because of the Children's Television Act of 1990 by the FCC, combined with the changing of viewing by means of cable, satellite, DVR and the internet, most of the shows we like to see were edited for time AND content. To make matters worse, although he saved Power Rangers and most of the animes we like to see, Saban didn't have what it takes to stand up for the little guy and tell corporations to "SIT ON IT! ,when it comes to bringing cartoon blocks on regular TV and have them uncut and uncensored, not anymore. He was awesome back then, but now, he didn't have what it takes to make a decent cartoon block on regular TV no more. And because of that, Vortexx, the last of its kind as TV Tropes once referred to as, has ended its run and was replaced by the so-called "One Magnificent Saturday" live action "Edutainment" block by Litton Entertainment, who doesn't understand what true quality Children's TV is all about. The last glimmer of hope for Saturday Mornings was no more and Saban was a shell of his former self. Still, let us not remember Saban for what he has done today, selling us out for greed and all that, just to appease the FCC and those blasted Moral Guardians. Let us remember him for he once was: one of the many people who made the 80s and 90s awesome with not only with the anime dubs, Power Rangers and not to mention all the awesome music they made for the cartoons we grew up watching, and that's saying something.
9. Margaret Loesch - Despite having the same last name as Dana Loesch from the TV News channel, The Blaze, Margaret Loesch is anything but a news reporter. In the 80s, she was one of many people who helped Sunbow and Marvel Productions create such shows like G.I. Joe, Transformers, Jem, and My Little Pony 'n' Friends. But, it was not until the early 90s when she hit paydirt with the creation of the cartoon block known as Fox Kids. Like Saban, Ms. Loech understood the quality of children's TV, as long as we have action and adventure in our cartoons. After Fox Kids closed down in the beginning of the new millennium, she was never heard from again...until October 10th, 2010, when she, along with Donna Epps, helped bridged the 50/50 partnership between Discovery and Hasbro, with the creation of the Hub Network. Ms. Loech still believed in the best of two worlds, the past and the future, when the Hub was created. During its initial run, the Hub was a success with not only shows from yesteryear, but also shows in our modern times like Transformers Prime and My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. However, by 2013, Donna Epps was replaced by Nikki Reed and the Hub was starting to fall apart, by removing all action cartoons permanently. And by the time Discovery, under Henry "Tirek" Schleiff's command, decided to take 10% from Hasbro and announced that the Hub was going to be shutdown, Loesch's dream of a well-balanced network, where everything comes together, was dead and so was her career working with the Hub and Discovery in general. Loesch left her position as the Hub's general manager when the Hub was going to be rebranded as Discovery Family on October 13th, 2014, only a few days after the Hub celebrated its 4th AND last celebration. Like Haim Saban, Loesch's heart was in the right place. But as long as greed, deception and abuse of power is the law of the land, she will never make another well-balanced network like the Hub. And even if she does, like all the networks before it, in the hands of a corrupt exec, they will all suffer the same fate as the Hub. So don't blame Ms. Loesch for her failures. The execs made her succumb to their greed and corruption. They are the ones responsible for the Hub's destruction and the birth of Discovery Family...not her.
8. Gen Fukunaga - This is one of the few guys who has done justice for anime when it come to distribution. But it didn't happen over night. Before FUNimation became the famed anime distributor that we know today, Gen Fukunaga use to play second fiddle to other companies like Saban and the dubbing company from Canada, Ocean Group, especially doing the first English dub of Dragon Ball Z (bringing and licensing DBZ to the states was Fukunaga's uncle's idea, who, at the time, was one of the producers at Toei). But, when the first dub ended in a cliffhanger in the middle of the Namekian saga, Fukunaga-san's people left Saban and Ocean Group and continue to distribute the remaining DBZ episodes and the rest was history. Since then, under Fukunaga-san's leadership, FUNimation has become one of the greatest distributors for all anime. Aside from the Dragon Ball series, they also distributed Kodocha, Fruits Basket, Case Closed (aka Detective Conan), Sprial, Yu Yu Hakusho, Negima, Baki the Grappler, Kiddy Grade, Blue Gender and so on and so forth. And after all this, FUNimation is still going strong, rivalling other distributors like Viz Media. Speaking of which, too bad FUNi missed out on redubbing Sailor Moon and have Viz Media redub it instead. But that's another story.
7. Michael Eisner - From 1984 to 2005, Michael Eisner was once the head of the Walt Disney Company. Eisner, after his time with Paramount, came to Disney around its darkest time in the 1980s. And by the late 80s and into the early 90s, he helped saved Disney from certain doom and uncertainty. If it wasn't for him, we wouldn't gotten not only Who Framed Roger Rabbit, but also the very movie that brought back its magic in the first place, The Little Mermaid. He revived Disney from a fate that is worse than death. For the next decade, under Eisner's leadership, Disney has enjoyed relative peace, not only with the movies, but also with television and with the theme parks, too. To show that he was one of us, he use to appear in those anthology movie blocks like The Magical World of Disney and The Disney Sunday Movie, appearing with the other Disney characters when they introduce tonight's feature movie. By the time the new millennium came, everything changed. Fearing that he has abused his power too much (not to mention wanting to put PIXAR out of business), by 2005, Eisner resigned as the head of the Walt Disney Company and gave that position to his successor, Robert Iger and...well, you know the rest. Despite his shortcomings in his last years, we cannot forget what Michael Eisner has accomplished. In short, No Eisner, no Little Mermaid, no Disney, period. Other than wanting to put PIXAR out of business, I got no grudge against Mr. Eisner. My grudge is against those who are not dreamers, and Eisner is not one of them (at least to the best of my knowledge).
6. Rankin/Bass Productions - Whenever we think of Christmas specials every year, it's the very company, founded by Arthur Rankin, Jr. and Jules Bass. From 1960 to 1987, Rankin/Bass was one of the very companies that given us animated magic every Christmas. But they come in 2 varieties, hand drawn animation and stop motion animation (mostly stop motion), especially with specials like Frosty the Snowman, Santa Claus is Comin' to Town, A Year Without Santa Claus, The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus, Little Drummer Boy and of course, our personal favorite, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer (which to this date, CBS can't make up their minds on what version to show and didn't bother to fix the audio and video synch up near the end). But, it is not just Christmas specials they have made, they also made other shows and specials that we also like, including The Hobbit, The Flight of Dragons and of course, one of the most popular cartoons in the 80s, Thundercats. Rankin/Bass' main people includes, Maury Laws, who is the musical director on most of the animated special, screenwriter Romeo Muller and some of the voice actors such as veteran voice actor Paul Frees and people like Paul Newman, Lynne Lipton and most of all, Larry Kenney, who all 3 did voicework for Thundercats, Silverhawks and Comic Strip. Although debunked in 1987, we will never forget all the nostalgia Rankin/Bass has left behind, not just with Christmas, but with everything awesome in animation. And it's moreso after all these years, especially getting an autograph from the voice of Lion-O himself.
Your father was a great man. Compared to the "Edutainment" programs we see today, he was one of a few people who truly understands quality children's TV. In otherwords, action cartoons with life lessons and morals mixed in that are awesome, especially with He-Man and She-Ra. If there were more people like Lou Scheimer, television would've be more exciting to watch. I just hope and pray action cartoons will make a comeback someday. Until then, let's keep hoping. Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Jason Andrew Ayala (aka Anime Jason)"
When the moderators of the page posted it and showed it to Ms. Scheimer, she broke into tears because what I said about Lou was true. Lou Scheimer is to Filmation like Walt Disney is to Disney. Unlike Discovery and Litton Entertainment, he TRULY understood what quality children's TV is all about. It can be educational, as long as we have action, adventure, and comedy mixed in. Without those other elements, then the show is completely boring. Those shows that have no action whatsoever belong in the "Edutainment" list. Bottom line, if there were more people like him, animation would be mainstream moreso than ever. And even in this insane world, this would be the sanest choice. This is why Lou Scheimer is the number one pioneer of all animation.
And that's the way it is. I hope you enjoyed my list. If we had more people like them, animation will finally have the same rights as us. But let's keep hoping. Until next time, stay frosty, my friends. Now, if you'll excuse me, I got some audio to fix on those Filmation shows!
In my last Top 10 blog, I talked about those who ruined our childhood, our dreams, the networks and threatened to destroy animation as a whole forever. Speaking of which, this one I will talk about will feature the exact opposite. Those who worked to the bone to give kids AND adults the best animation ever created and believe that animation still have a place in this world. While some gave up on that notion, while others still continue to believe in it to this day, I will give you my top 10 pioneers of animation. Shall we? ;)
10. Haim Saban - When we think of the name, Haim Saban, what thought comes in your head? A man who not only brought Super Sentai to the states, but also some of the anime we saw at the time. Throughout the 80s and 90s, Saban was one of the most powerful names in Children's TV, not just in cable, but also regular TV, too. His company, Saban Entertainment, was once struggling with some of its early shows which they collaborated with DIC at the time like The New Archies and Kidd Video. But by the late 80s and into the early 90s, Saban became a force to be reckon with. Although they did dubs of children's anime like Grimm's Fairy Tale Classics, Noozles and The Mysterious Cities of Gold, but they also did the action ones like Samurai Pizza Cats, Flint the Time Detective, Mon Colle Knights, Transformers: Robots in Disguise (aka Transformers: Car Robots, the original anime, not the current show on Cartoon Network) and of course, our personal favorite, Digimon. And even though we got multiple universes, the ones from Digimon Adventure 1 & 2 are my personal favorites. Also, as an added bonus, and though it's not animated related, Saban was also responsible for bringing Super Sentai to the states in the form of Power Rangers. Even though they did the same to the Metal Heroes and the other Tokasatsu shows with VR Troopers, Masked Rider (aka Kamen Rider) and Big Bad Beetleborgs, they didn't have the same success as Power Rangers did. Not only he helped created Power Rangers and dubbed the animes, but he also did, without the shadow of a doubt, the most recognizable tunes in all of animation. Saban, along with Shuki Levy, did most of the iconic tunes from the 80s and 90s shows that we still hear today, such as Inspector Gadget, The Littles, M.A.S.K., He-Man, She-Ra, Heathcliff, The Real Ghostbusters and even Power Rangers to name a dozen. By the beginning of the new millennium, Saban itself was struggling so bad, that they sold Power Rangers and most of their library to Disney. And it's been like this until Saban brought most of their properties back and reformat the company as Saban Brands, starting with rebooting Power Rangers with Power Rangers Samurai. Then, by the last year of Saturday Morning Cartoons, Saban created the Vortexx block, where Toonzai, which was owned by 4Kids, left behind. We was hoping that this block was going to be this era's saving grace. Boy, we were wrong. By the time I saw the edited version of the first episode of Justice League Unlimited with Green Arrow, I figured that Vortexx wasn't going to last long. Because of the Children's Television Act of 1990 by the FCC, combined with the changing of viewing by means of cable, satellite, DVR and the internet, most of the shows we like to see were edited for time AND content. To make matters worse, although he saved Power Rangers and most of the animes we like to see, Saban didn't have what it takes to stand up for the little guy and tell corporations to "SIT ON IT! ,when it comes to bringing cartoon blocks on regular TV and have them uncut and uncensored, not anymore. He was awesome back then, but now, he didn't have what it takes to make a decent cartoon block on regular TV no more. And because of that, Vortexx, the last of its kind as TV Tropes once referred to as, has ended its run and was replaced by the so-called "One Magnificent Saturday" live action "Edutainment" block by Litton Entertainment, who doesn't understand what true quality Children's TV is all about. The last glimmer of hope for Saturday Mornings was no more and Saban was a shell of his former self. Still, let us not remember Saban for what he has done today, selling us out for greed and all that, just to appease the FCC and those blasted Moral Guardians. Let us remember him for he once was: one of the many people who made the 80s and 90s awesome with not only with the anime dubs, Power Rangers and not to mention all the awesome music they made for the cartoons we grew up watching, and that's saying something.
9. Margaret Loesch - Despite having the same last name as Dana Loesch from the TV News channel, The Blaze, Margaret Loesch is anything but a news reporter. In the 80s, she was one of many people who helped Sunbow and Marvel Productions create such shows like G.I. Joe, Transformers, Jem, and My Little Pony 'n' Friends. But, it was not until the early 90s when she hit paydirt with the creation of the cartoon block known as Fox Kids. Like Saban, Ms. Loech understood the quality of children's TV, as long as we have action and adventure in our cartoons. After Fox Kids closed down in the beginning of the new millennium, she was never heard from again...until October 10th, 2010, when she, along with Donna Epps, helped bridged the 50/50 partnership between Discovery and Hasbro, with the creation of the Hub Network. Ms. Loech still believed in the best of two worlds, the past and the future, when the Hub was created. During its initial run, the Hub was a success with not only shows from yesteryear, but also shows in our modern times like Transformers Prime and My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. However, by 2013, Donna Epps was replaced by Nikki Reed and the Hub was starting to fall apart, by removing all action cartoons permanently. And by the time Discovery, under Henry "Tirek" Schleiff's command, decided to take 10% from Hasbro and announced that the Hub was going to be shutdown, Loesch's dream of a well-balanced network, where everything comes together, was dead and so was her career working with the Hub and Discovery in general. Loesch left her position as the Hub's general manager when the Hub was going to be rebranded as Discovery Family on October 13th, 2014, only a few days after the Hub celebrated its 4th AND last celebration. Like Haim Saban, Loesch's heart was in the right place. But as long as greed, deception and abuse of power is the law of the land, she will never make another well-balanced network like the Hub. And even if she does, like all the networks before it, in the hands of a corrupt exec, they will all suffer the same fate as the Hub. So don't blame Ms. Loesch for her failures. The execs made her succumb to their greed and corruption. They are the ones responsible for the Hub's destruction and the birth of Discovery Family...not her.
8. Gen Fukunaga - This is one of the few guys who has done justice for anime when it come to distribution. But it didn't happen over night. Before FUNimation became the famed anime distributor that we know today, Gen Fukunaga use to play second fiddle to other companies like Saban and the dubbing company from Canada, Ocean Group, especially doing the first English dub of Dragon Ball Z (bringing and licensing DBZ to the states was Fukunaga's uncle's idea, who, at the time, was one of the producers at Toei). But, when the first dub ended in a cliffhanger in the middle of the Namekian saga, Fukunaga-san's people left Saban and Ocean Group and continue to distribute the remaining DBZ episodes and the rest was history. Since then, under Fukunaga-san's leadership, FUNimation has become one of the greatest distributors for all anime. Aside from the Dragon Ball series, they also distributed Kodocha, Fruits Basket, Case Closed (aka Detective Conan), Sprial, Yu Yu Hakusho, Negima, Baki the Grappler, Kiddy Grade, Blue Gender and so on and so forth. And after all this, FUNimation is still going strong, rivalling other distributors like Viz Media. Speaking of which, too bad FUNi missed out on redubbing Sailor Moon and have Viz Media redub it instead. But that's another story.
7. Michael Eisner - From 1984 to 2005, Michael Eisner was once the head of the Walt Disney Company. Eisner, after his time with Paramount, came to Disney around its darkest time in the 1980s. And by the late 80s and into the early 90s, he helped saved Disney from certain doom and uncertainty. If it wasn't for him, we wouldn't gotten not only Who Framed Roger Rabbit, but also the very movie that brought back its magic in the first place, The Little Mermaid. He revived Disney from a fate that is worse than death. For the next decade, under Eisner's leadership, Disney has enjoyed relative peace, not only with the movies, but also with television and with the theme parks, too. To show that he was one of us, he use to appear in those anthology movie blocks like The Magical World of Disney and The Disney Sunday Movie, appearing with the other Disney characters when they introduce tonight's feature movie. By the time the new millennium came, everything changed. Fearing that he has abused his power too much (not to mention wanting to put PIXAR out of business), by 2005, Eisner resigned as the head of the Walt Disney Company and gave that position to his successor, Robert Iger and...well, you know the rest. Despite his shortcomings in his last years, we cannot forget what Michael Eisner has accomplished. In short, No Eisner, no Little Mermaid, no Disney, period. Other than wanting to put PIXAR out of business, I got no grudge against Mr. Eisner. My grudge is against those who are not dreamers, and Eisner is not one of them (at least to the best of my knowledge).
6. Rankin/Bass Productions - Whenever we think of Christmas specials every year, it's the very company, founded by Arthur Rankin, Jr. and Jules Bass. From 1960 to 1987, Rankin/Bass was one of the very companies that given us animated magic every Christmas. But they come in 2 varieties, hand drawn animation and stop motion animation (mostly stop motion), especially with specials like Frosty the Snowman, Santa Claus is Comin' to Town, A Year Without Santa Claus, The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus, Little Drummer Boy and of course, our personal favorite, Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer (which to this date, CBS can't make up their minds on what version to show and didn't bother to fix the audio and video synch up near the end). But, it is not just Christmas specials they have made, they also made other shows and specials that we also like, including The Hobbit, The Flight of Dragons and of course, one of the most popular cartoons in the 80s, Thundercats. Rankin/Bass' main people includes, Maury Laws, who is the musical director on most of the animated special, screenwriter Romeo Muller and some of the voice actors such as veteran voice actor Paul Frees and people like Paul Newman, Lynne Lipton and most of all, Larry Kenney, who all 3 did voicework for Thundercats, Silverhawks and Comic Strip. Although debunked in 1987, we will never forget all the nostalgia Rankin/Bass has left behind, not just with Christmas, but with everything awesome in animation. And it's moreso after all these years, especially getting an autograph from the voice of Lion-O himself.
Thank you, Mr. Kenny! I hope, for your sake, that we will have a future for action cartoons. Here's to hopin'. Until then, the Code of Thundera, Justice, Truth, Honor, and Loyalty, will live on in all of us Animation Crusaders everywhere until justice is done. Thundercats, HOOOOOO!!!
5. Hayao Miyazaki: For 5 decades, Hayao Miyazaki, the co-founder of Studio Ghibli, is one of the most created storytellers in the history of anime. Although they have action, most of the anime movies Miyazaki-san was involve in has a strong, moral outlook in life, from environmentalism to pacifism. Just like Ishiro Honda, Miyazaki-san is a sensitive man with a humanist streak who sees a world with no pollution, no bigotry and no war, only peace and unity. With movies like Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, Kiki's Delivery Service, My Neighbor Totoro, Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle, Miyazaki-san is to anime like Walt Disney is to Western Animation. And a added note, he was also responsible for help create the Lupin III movie, The Castle of Cagliostro. Miyazaki-san is one of the few pioneers of animation is a dreamer, in more ways than one, just the next pioneer I know all too well...
4. John Lasseter: The founder of the once fledgling, now one of the most popular animation studios, PIXAR, John Lasseter started his career working for Disney in the early days. Around that time, Lasseter, after seeing the Lightcycle scenes from Tron, realized that computer graphics would be great for traditional animation. He was fired from Disney after he helped with the creation of The Brave Little Toaster, but he ended up working with George Lucas' people at Lucasfilm (before Disney bought it all those years ago). At Lucasfilm, Lasseter worked at its computer division, working on his first short, The Adventures of Andre and Wally B. But, when Lucas sold the computer division, it was renamed PIXAR and became a separate company with Steve Jobs as the majority shareholder, the rest, as the say, was history. From Toy Story to A Bug's Life, Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Cars, Wall-E and many more (man oh man, it's a long list), PIXAR became a successful animation company like Disney itself. Speaking of which, Lasseter later became the chief creative officer for Walt Disney Animation Studios after Disney bought PIXAR on January 24th, 2006, working on not just the animation here, but also helping out the imagineers at the Disney Parks. Although I got admiration and respect to towards the guy, there was one pet peeve I got, and it's has nothing to do with his work with Disney or PIXAR, but it has something to do with my fandom towards him. Like with Glen Keane, I wrote a fan letter to him, and drew a fan art of Buzz Lightyear for him, telling him how I was impressed with his work and talking about Disney's current state and so forth. When I got a reply, It wasn't the reply I was hoping for. I ended up with a type of reply, only a teleprompter can write, rather a handwritten letter from Mr. Lasseter himself. And although I got a picture of Woody and Buzz with Lasseter's name on it, I felt cheated. So, in an act of honor, I send it back cause I rather get a response from an actual person and an autographed picture, SIGNED, than to get it from a teleprompter. Despite that, I still respect Mr. Lasseter for what he has accomplished. And he was right about one thing, if it wasn't for Tron, there wouldn't be a Toy Story. And like I said before, my biggest wish of for him to run the Walt Disney Company, not Robert Iger.
Mr. Lasseter, sir, if you are reading this, please give me a real response. No computers, no teleprompters, just an old fashion letter and a signed picture from your own hand. I want to know if you liked my fanart of Buzz Lightyear. You are a great man, sir, but it would be a shame if you don't respond to me the old fashioned way. But, I still respect you and hope and pray you do well with both Disney and PIXAR. To Infinity...AND BEYOND!!
3. Ozamu Tezuka: If Hayao Miyazaki is the king, then this guy is the "God of Anime and Manga." Tezuka-san was the man responsible for the creation of one of the greatest icons of all anime, Tetsuwan Atom (roughly translation: The Mighty Atom), better known to us westerners as Astro Boy. Tezuka-san is to Astro as Disney is to Mickey Mouse. Winsor McCay may have created the first animated character, Gertie the Dinosaur, but Tezuka-san created the first anime character in Astro Boy. If it wasn't for Astro, we wouldn't got other icons in anime and manga like Gigantor (Tetsuijin-28-go), Speed Racer (Mach GO GO GO!), Kimba the White Lion, Voltron (Beast King GoLion) and of course Sailor Moon and Goku (Dragon Ball series). His legend will never be truly forgotten. Speaking of Disney...
2. Walt Disney: You know the old saying, "It all began with a mouse." And that was the case with the man himself, Walt Disney. Disney was one of many pioneers responsible for making western animation awesome and memorable. First, the creation of iconic character and this company's famed mascot, Mickey Mouse. Although he first appeared in Plane Crazy, it was Steamboat Willie that made Mickey a household name, along with his friends, Donald Duck, Goofy, Pluto, Minnie Mouse, Daisy Duck, Chip & Dale and many more. Uncle Walt, as we fans like to affectingly call him, not just created Mickey Mouse, but also created not just the first Disney animated movie, but the first animated movie, period, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Because of that, Disney became one of the most popular animated companies in the world, alongside Warner Bros. with Looney Tunes and Bugs Bunny and MGM with Tom & Jerry and Droopy. Disney wasn't done yet after accomplishing these two goals. He was also responsible for the creation of not only Disneyland, but also Walt Disney World. Unfortunately, Disney didn't live to see his famed theme parks in their completion, as he died before the release of The Jungle Book. Although he died, Disney's legacy lived on. After the 70s and into the dark, dismal 80s, Michael Eisner took over and save the company from certain doom and by the late 80s and into the 90s, starting with The Little Mermaid, Disney enjoyed relative peace with not just the Disney Renaissance, but also Disney cartoons on TV, especially in the block called the Disney Afternoon. But, when Eisner resigned and Robert Iger took over, with the exception of Tangled, Wreck-It-Ralph, Frozen and the purchase of PIXAR, Marvel and Lucasfilm, Disney has fallen into a dark, dank abyss, from which it will never come out unless someone who is Disney, Michael Eisner and John Lasseter rolled into one who can bring it to its third golden age. But for now, let us remember the visionary and the pioneer, who, just like me and Stefan, understands that both the past and future are united as one. Here is two you, Uncle Walt. In these dark times, I just hope your company find some light at the end of the tunnel. Godspeed.
Before I get to my number one favorite pioneer of animation, here some of my honorable mentions.
Honorable Mentions
Hanna-Barbera: The famed cartoon studio from the mind of William Hanna and Joseph Barbera. From the 60s and into its end in the new millennium, when it phased out by Warner Bros., Hanna-Barbera was one of the greatest cartoon studios of all time, next to those of Fletcher Studios, the MGM cartoons with Tom & Jerry and Droopy and the Looney Tunes. From the likes of Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Hound, Snagglepuss, Quick Draw McGraw, Auggie Doggie and Doggie Daddy, The Flintstones, The Jetsons and action cartoons like Space Ghost, Birdman, Mightor, The Herculoids, Shazzan, Jonny Quest and Swat Kats, Hanna-Barbera's library was so big it was FUNtastic. So much so, they use to call the cartoon block at the time, which should be the name of an actual world, The Funtastic World of Hanna-Barbera. Not only that, but they are also responsible for the creation of Cartoon Network, which to this day, is not as popular as it first appeared in the early 90s. This would've been in the list, if not for one main reason, Scooby-Doo. Most of Hanna-Barbera's line up have pushed aside into obscurity, in favor for more Scooby-Doo. It's like the WB made a god out of Scooby. Nothing against the Scoob, but I think he is milked enough. Not just Scooby, but Tom & Jerry as well, though originally an MGM franchise. If they didn't milked these overrated franchise, Hanna-Barbera would be on the list. Bill and Joe are rolling over in their graves over this. For Shame!
Glen Keane: The son of Bil Keane, the creator of Family Circus. Glen Keane is one of the greatest artists in the history of animation. Most of his work has been done at Disney until he left after he helped on Tangled. Keane was best known for creating such iconic characters such as Elliot from Pete's Dragon, The Beast from Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Rapunzel, and my personal favorite, Ariel the Little Mermaid. On a added note: while involved in The Little Mermaid, Keane was one of the people who wanted the song, Part of Your World, to stay in the movie after that debacle at dailies involving kids, including one kid dropping a container of popcorn. Keane won his pleas and the producers kept the song in the movie and the rest was history. Long ago, I wrote a fan letter to Glen Keane and send it, along with a fanart of Ariel, to him. After that, I got a response from him and he was wonderful. It's a wonder why he is not just a great artist, but a great man.
Thank you, Mr. Keane. You have made my day. In your honor, I will keep on drawing! A first step of making my dreams come true. Wait for me, Jodi. My dream will be realized, as long as I believe in myself.
And that leaves:
1. Lou Scheimer: The true face of quality Children's TV, especially here in the good ol' U.S. of A.. Along with Norm Prescott and Hal Sutherland, Lou Scheimer founded the famed American cartoon studio known as Filmation. From 1962 to 1989, Filmation was one of the most popular cartoon studios in all the world. Not as popular as those of MGM, Hanna-Barbera and Warner Bros., Filmation is what I like to call "The Little Studio that Could." Their list of shows were otherwise legendary, like the cartoons featuring the DC Superheroes like Superman and Batman, comic strip hero Flash Gordon, Tarzan, Zorro, The Lone Ranger, Star Trek the Animated Series, Blackstar, BraveStarr, Ghostbusters (the OTHER Ghostbusters, not the Real Ghostbusters) and of course, their big 3, He-Man, She-Ra and Fat Albert. Although their cartoons are full of action, adventure, comedy, romance and so forth, Scheimer made sure that their shows have life lessons either within the show like Fat Albert or after the episode like those from He-Man and She-Ra. The morals and life lessons were added to help kids be better people when they grow up and those same kids are not adults and they thank those cartoons and the people behind them for getting their lives straight and on the right path. Filmation closed their doors in 1989 after making their final production, Happily Ever After (an unofficial sequel to Snow White), which was released a year after. As for the Filmation library itself, they were sent to many distributors from the famed makeup company L'Oreal to the famed greeting card company, Hallmark. Nothing against them personally, especially with their creative cards for many occasions, and with the exception of Ghostbusters, Star Trek and the DC Superhero cartoons, what Hallmark did was unforgivable. I mean, throwing away the original negatives after converting them to PAL with the infamous 4% speed up treatment, NOT...COOL. When I saw them on either DVD or on the Internet, there are not how they sounded when I first saw them as a kid. We are stuck with those versions and it has been ever since, even after most of their library is now owned by DreamWorks under their classics division. As for Scheimer, he wanted to make a comeback with more action cartoons in the later years. But, with the way executives, the FCC and those moral guardians think of animation these days, they shot him down. He died a broken man, that and suffering from health problems, including Alzheimer's Disease. In the end, you stood up for what's right, Lou. Now I have to do the same. But, there is still hope for restore Mr. Scheimer's legacy. You see, I have noticed about the PAL speed up treatment and I want to fix the problem. Although I am not good with the picture quality, but the audio is my cup of tea. Thanks to the program called Audacity, I have the technology, the capability to fix the audio on most of the Filmation library. By changing the pitch to -5.000, I can restore the audio back to how it sounded when it first came out. I haven't talked to DreamWorks about this, but one day, I will. Precious cartoons must be preserved. As for everything else, I've been keep tabs on the Lou Scheimer Filmation Generation Facebook page, looking back on what Mr. Scheimer and what Filmation has accomplished. It all start with this. Before they disabling their messaging feature, I wrote a message to Erika Scheimer herself about her father himself:
"To Erika Scheimer,
Sincerely,
Jason Andrew Ayala (aka Anime Jason)"
When the moderators of the page posted it and showed it to Ms. Scheimer, she broke into tears because what I said about Lou was true. Lou Scheimer is to Filmation like Walt Disney is to Disney. Unlike Discovery and Litton Entertainment, he TRULY understood what quality children's TV is all about. It can be educational, as long as we have action, adventure, and comedy mixed in. Without those other elements, then the show is completely boring. Those shows that have no action whatsoever belong in the "Edutainment" list. Bottom line, if there were more people like him, animation would be mainstream moreso than ever. And even in this insane world, this would be the sanest choice. This is why Lou Scheimer is the number one pioneer of all animation.
And that's the way it is. I hope you enjoyed my list. If we had more people like them, animation will finally have the same rights as us. But let's keep hoping. Until next time, stay frosty, my friends. Now, if you'll excuse me, I got some audio to fix on those Filmation shows!
"Like the song says, we have the power...and so do you!"
Tuesday, October 13, 2015
October 13th - The Death of the Hub and the Rise of Discovery Family!
This blog is brought to you by the letter "D"...
For it represents 3 things: Death, Destruction, and above all, Darkness. It was one year ago today, on October 13th, 2014, Discovery did the unthinkable by killing off the Hub and gave us Discovery Family, whose "Edutainment" programming makes those of Litton Entertainment blush. I gave up watching My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic because of THEM. And as a result, I have missed out on all the awesome things I would've see on season 5, including the Cutie Mark Crusaders finally getting their cutie marks. I have made my choice, and now I have to live with it, especially dealing with Tirek, who is in the form of Henry Schleiff, who is running Discovery Family and doesn't care about the bronies, the past, nor the viewers in general. Schleiff and his select few will pay for his crimes, that's for sure.
Saturday, October 10, 2015
October 10th, 2015 - Two Milestones, one good, one very bad!
Today is October 10th. You know what happens on October 10th? Two milestones I know all too well. Let's start with this one, before I really blow a gasket. The first milestone on this day, 5 years ago today, was the birth of the network known as the Hub, which as of late, has disappeared from the conscience of our lives, all because of executive meddling and the denouncement of the past and future, like the slogan "Where Everything Comes Together." We would've celebrated the Hub's 5th Anniversary, if Discovery didn't come all BIG and BAD and kill it off and turned it into Discovery Family. To make a long story short, this meme will speak for itself:
I'll be back next time with my Top 10 Pioneers of Animation, which I am almost finished anyway. Until then, Stay frosty!
The next milestone, is a sweet one and I will keep celebrating it until everything comes true for me. And that is celebrating the birthday of the heart and soul of Ariel the Little Mermaid herself, Jodi Benson. She is 54 years old today. Even getting older, her beautiful voice remains the same. Happy Birthday, Jodi, wherever you are. I hope my dreams of meeting you comes true someday.
I'll be back next time with my Top 10 Pioneers of Animation, which I am almost finished anyway. Until then, Stay frosty!
Wednesday, October 7, 2015
Breaking! ABC Family To "Change" This January
In an effort to be "Trendy" and "Cool",Disney has decided to "Re-vamp" ABC Family for "Becomers" and call it 'Freeform'. A Becomer is a stupid name they made up to describe the Youth of America. They will be the main target audience.
Now,I've read articles about this and I gotta say,Disney seems to be insistent on turning the Network into a wasteland of stupidity and incompetence. Though,they have been doing That since 2007.
Freeform will have the following garbage:
Their Current Roster of Retarded Shows.
Reality Shows
Trashy Shows About Celebrities.
Celebrity Focus in General
More Idiotic BS for Stupid Teenage Girls and Retarded Women
Idiotic BS For Men and Boys.
In other words,they'll just be adding on to the BS. So no major change here,except for the name.
While I agree with the name change (face it this pathetic excuse for a network stopped being a family network years ago),I Don't Agree with the choice of shows. Speaking of shows,The 700 Club will still be airing and will likely become the Only intelligent show on the Network.......Now That's Just Sad!
So what does this mean for the various Animated Movies and Holiday Specials? Well their future is still up in the air. If "Becomers" don't want them,those movies and specials won't air and never will again.
Expect the change sometime in January.
Now,I've read articles about this and I gotta say,Disney seems to be insistent on turning the Network into a wasteland of stupidity and incompetence. Though,they have been doing That since 2007.
Freeform will have the following garbage:
Their Current Roster of Retarded Shows.
Reality Shows
Trashy Shows About Celebrities.
Celebrity Focus in General
More Idiotic BS for Stupid Teenage Girls and Retarded Women
Idiotic BS For Men and Boys.
In other words,they'll just be adding on to the BS. So no major change here,except for the name.
While I agree with the name change (face it this pathetic excuse for a network stopped being a family network years ago),I Don't Agree with the choice of shows. Speaking of shows,The 700 Club will still be airing and will likely become the Only intelligent show on the Network.......Now That's Just Sad!
So what does this mean for the various Animated Movies and Holiday Specials? Well their future is still up in the air. If "Becomers" don't want them,those movies and specials won't air and never will again.
Expect the change sometime in January.
Thursday, September 17, 2015
Is A Male Sailor Senshi Possible?
It's been a long long time since I did Anything Sailor Moon related. So here we go.
The topic at hand is: Can There Be Male Sailor Senshi? I say Why not? Yes,I know,Naoko Takaeuchi explicitly said that only Females can be Sailor Senshi. However,Akira Toriyama said the same thing about Super Saiyan's,and that only full-blooded and half-blooded Saiyans can become one. But,recently,that's not the case anymore,as confirmed by Recent episodes of Dragon Ball Super,Pan can become a Super Saiyan.
And if a 1/4th Saiyan can become a Super Saiyan,I don't see why a Guy can't become a Sailor Senshi. Of course their costumes would be completely different,but still have the look and feel of a Sailor Soldier uniform. And instead of "Make UP" as part of the Henshin phrase,it'll be "Suit UP" for the guys.
In conclusion,a Male Sailor Senshi would be revolutionary. Here's hoping to see at least 1 in the future of the franchise.
That's gonna do it for now. I wanna know what my fellow Moonies think? Should there be a Male Sailor Soldier?
Anyway,next time on ACF: Jason's "Top 10 Animation Pioneers". Followed by,"What Should Have Been: Cartoon Network." Then It's "The SatAM Block Rater"
Until then, See Ya, Space Cowboy.
The topic at hand is: Can There Be Male Sailor Senshi? I say Why not? Yes,I know,Naoko Takaeuchi explicitly said that only Females can be Sailor Senshi. However,Akira Toriyama said the same thing about Super Saiyan's,and that only full-blooded and half-blooded Saiyans can become one. But,recently,that's not the case anymore,as confirmed by Recent episodes of Dragon Ball Super,Pan can become a Super Saiyan.
And if a 1/4th Saiyan can become a Super Saiyan,I don't see why a Guy can't become a Sailor Senshi. Of course their costumes would be completely different,but still have the look and feel of a Sailor Soldier uniform. And instead of "Make UP" as part of the Henshin phrase,it'll be "Suit UP" for the guys.
In conclusion,a Male Sailor Senshi would be revolutionary. Here's hoping to see at least 1 in the future of the franchise.
That's gonna do it for now. I wanna know what my fellow Moonies think? Should there be a Male Sailor Soldier?
Anyway,next time on ACF: Jason's "Top 10 Animation Pioneers". Followed by,"What Should Have Been: Cartoon Network." Then It's "The SatAM Block Rater"
Until then, See Ya, Space Cowboy.
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