Some general cartoon questions

[djfox_2001]

I've been out of the animation loop for a long time now and figured some of you guys could help me out. I would really appreciate it actually, feel free to lock it after some questions have been answered. Instead of posting all of these in seperate boards i figured i'd try here. Like i said i don't mind if this get locked later on, but i would really love some help here.

What are some of your feelings on the state of mainstream animation in the last few years?

Who owns the original G.I. Joe cartoon and does it still air?

You guys have any opinions on Boomerang?

Is Toon Disney dead and buried? Did they ever air Gummi Bears or the 90s afternoon toons like Darkwing Duck etc?

What oldies have respectable reboots airing today?

Are the Saturday Morning Cartoon Vols worth picking up?

What classics are must haves in a dvd collection? That actualy were released of course

If anybody has any random opinions to throw out or suggestions that would also be cool. I was a huge animation fan in the 90s as a child, especially enjoyed the klasky Csupo stuff and 90s Disney Afternoon block, also have become a fan of older generations cartoons aswell.

 

[jo s]

Depends on the individual show/movie in question. Some of it's good, some of it's not so good. Just like any other era of animation.

Hasbro. The original series airs on The Hub (formerly Discovery Kids) in the early AM.

I think it's a potentially good idea for a channel that's sadly being wasted by having a parent company that doesn't care about it. There's a whole forum here at TZ dedicated to Boomerang, the Retro Forum; you should check it out.


Yes. It's Disney XD now. It's been XD since February 2009.

You should check out My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. Yeah, it's My Little Pony, but it's actually quite good. It helps that its' executive producer is Lauren Faust of Powerpuff Girls/Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends fame.

 

[Punny Gosling]

Regarding Toon Disney: Yes, they did air all the old Disney Afternoon shows, but they were all phased out as the newer shows filtered in. By the time the show became Disney XD, only Gargoyles remained, but in an early AM timeslot.

 

[Wedaei]

I don't get Boomerang but I wish that I did.


Yes and yes. Most of the Disney Afternoon shows were given the boot once Jetix came along.


My Little Ponies. It's on the Hub.

 

[Aliona]

You mean the ones by Warners? Here are some reviews of them. If any of the shows included appeal to you, I'd say go for 'em.


That's actually a hard question to ask simply because it all depends on your definition of "classic". I'd guess I'd recommend the usual favorites (the Looney Tunes Golden Collections, the Flintstones, the Jetsons, the earlier seasons of the Simpsons, Futurama, Gargoyles, Darkwing Duck, DuckTales, TaleSpin, Chip 'N' Dale Rescue Rangers, Batman: The Animated Series, Superman: The Animated Series, Batman Beyond, Justice League/Unlimited, Samurai Jack, Dexter's Laboratory, the PowerPuff Girls, Animaniacs, Tiny Toons, Freakazoid and Pinky & the Brain), but if you want an animated series that's a classic, a retro show, and also a bit off-the-beaten-track and slightly more obscure, I'd recommend Mighty Mouse: The Adventures, produced by Ralph Bakshi, which featured work from folks who later went on to work on hits like Ren & Stimpy, the Pixar films and some of the stuff I listed above, but who were at the time still rookies for the most part (some of them were still in school or had just gotten out at the time, believe it or not). Another sometimes overlooked classic is Duckman, a satirical adult cartoon which in terms of edginess is somewhere between PG fare like the Simpsons or Futurama and edgier PG-13 or R class fare like Family Guy or South Park, just to give a warning if you're somewhat easily offended. I think Duckman could be best described as being almost like the glory days of the Simpsons, only wilder. But I think I've said more than enough, and I don't this to turn into another list thread, so I digress...



You should try to take advantage of this sale if there's a Best Buy close enough to you. And I'd suggest checking Boom Studios' Darkwing Duck, Chip 'N' Dale Rescue Rangers and (forthcoming) DuckTales comic book series.

Oh, and Shout Factory will be releasing the first season of the Wild Thornberries on May 17. I'd highly recommend picking this up. It's far from my favorite show but I thought it at least had a somewhat dark and mysterious atmosphere akin to that Aaahh! Real Monsters which was pretty cool in retrospect. And if this sells well enough, it could open the door for more shows from Nick (both animated and live-action, vintage and contemporary) to get a respectable DVD treatment from Shout. Just don't buy any of the Wild Thornberrys DVD-Rs from Amazon, since they're a bit pricey and have no extras, whereas the Shout release might have some.