#craig mccracken deserves better

[bubblesbenson]

Finally, some good news from 2023.

Good riddance.

@reasyrandom

[freakyshibs]

Shows that were canned too early that deserved better (imo)

We all hate it when we get wayy too invested into a show with good characters, an interesting plot, and a solid setup right? Well it seems that the networks for these shows didn’t really see it that way sadly, some of these shows are known, others aren’t, but this is just gonna be me rambling about how we didn’t get more of these said shows 😭

The Owl House

Now this one I wont dig deep into too long? We did get a solid ending in the end, but we were definitely robbed of a full season 3

The fact that this was Disneys next big thing, (like Gravity Falls) and still got axed kinda baffles me a bit because executives love big ratings

I heard they cancelled it because of it ‘not fitting the disney brand’ (mostly because there were two main gay characters in it) which I thought was super unfair, because they really were that homophobic 💀

All in all, I enjoyed this show and wanted a full season 3

Close Enough

From Regular Show creator J.G Quintel, this show was definitely more for an older audience, and let me say they did amazing at it.

The shows humor didn’t revolve around cussing or sex jokes, (which is what I see all the time now in modern adult animation) and the show was definitely funny!

Unfortunately though, Max cancelled it after 3 seasons due to the merge of Discovery + and HBO Max, with Max canning alot of shows during that time, this being one of them

We kinda sorta got left on a cliffhanger of sorts?? At least imo. Liked the show and wish we had more

Wander Over Yonder

For a show made by Craig McCracken (Powerpuff Girls, Fosters Home) you’d think it would be popular and have a bunch of seasons right?

Well no, with this show only having two seasons after Disney cancelled it because ‘80 episodes were enough for this show’ which is kinda dumb?? I dunno I just don’t like executives and rules and stuff

I remember this show from my childhood, it was really good in my opinion, I feel like we could’ve had more if Disney didn’t cancel it as early as it did

Love you WOY 🫡

Inside Job

The fact that this show left on a cliffhanger too made me even more upset that Netflix cancelled it as early as they did

Not only was this another adult animated show that didn’t rely on cussing or sex jokes, the story was actually really interesting too and if the show did continue, we would’ve had a happy ending

Screw Netflix actually I will never forgive them for this one

Grojband

I CANNOT stress enough about how this show deserved so much more than what it got, I actually would’ve put it at number one, but the next one is kinda justifiable so ._.

From Todd Kauffman and Mark Thornton (Total Drama Island) this show featured a kid and his friends that were in a band, and used lead singers sisters diary as lyric ideas, bc they suck at writing them

And I loved it

I swear I don’t think I’ve ever been heavily interested in and emotionally attached to the characters in a show before, it was so good

The songs in this show were also heavenly, I suggest you give them a listen, theyre really good!

Also another reason I really liked the show was because it was a Canadian toon that didn’t revolve around gross out humor (I applaud them for that)

Unfortunately this was a show Cartoon Network screwed over BIG time, with when it came out during the summer it was airing, kids were mostly outside playing, never really gaining an audience, and then after the first half of the season aired, it was on a 2 YEAR hiatus. With fans questioning if the show would ever come back

Fortunately it did! Except Cartoon Network shoved it on their app, and a year later shoved it onto their sister channel, Boomerang. Then, after the show FINALLY ended their first season, the show was immediately cancelled, with Cartoon Network never really giving it a chance

The whole way Cartoon Network handled this show frustrated me immensely, with it having a decent fanbase, and people wanted more (me being one of them:()

The creators even had alot of plans for next said season, but I guess we will never get to see them (unless a Clone High situation happens but that’s doubtful)

Show was very underrated and deserved SO much more, Cartoon Network fumbled this one and the last show Im about to mention

Sym Bionic Titan

This sci fi animated series by Genndy Tartakovsky (Samurai Jack, Dexters Lab) only lasted one season with 20 episodes

With Cartoon Network cancelling it because of the failure to produce a TOY LINE

The fact this show got axed because of toys just makes me so upset

This was one of those shows that also left on a cliffhanger sadly, so we never really got to see how this show properly ended

With Genndy even saying that he wrote 10 more episodes, but now we will never get to see them

ALSO THE SHOWS SOUNDTRACK WAS SO GOOD?! Love when shows put banger songs in the bg, reminded me so much of Clone High

Anyways thats pretty much it? These are just my opinion tho, everyone is entirely different

[bubblesbenson]

Craig McCracken deserves better.

pov you are craig mccracken and you read the script for the pilot of the live action action adaptation of your beloved cartoon

[dan-crimes]

I am THINKING

Wander so unapologetically gets excited and happy about the smallest thing like he got SO excited over Ye Old Timey Candle Stick Makers as if it was the funnest thing ever and calls everything amazing but it never loses its meaning just cuz Wander likes basically everything doesn't make it any less special

Oh MAN he just cares so much it amazing

[sakebytheriver]

Watching a review of the Wednesday show and the guy was like "this show is good because it was everything Chilling Adventures of Sabrina should have been" and I was just like, bro no

Like I said it from the get go that this show was literally going to be a Sabrina knockoff and he literally just confirmed all of my suspicions, but said it was a good thing the show went this route and I just. That's the ultimate problem with the show that it would rather take aesthetics from Riverdale and Chilling Adventures of Sabrina, shows with great visuals but shitty writing that get tons of clicks rather than risk making something that would be respectful to the source material but an original work of art in this age of cliche Netflix Riverdale aesthetic teen dramas, like the main issue is that they didn't make the Wednesday show like this because they thought it would serve the family and their narrative they made it like this because it would be profitable. In no world should you be comparing some Riverdale spinoff to an Addams Family property, there should not be a world where we make the Addams Family a Riverdale aesthetic murder mystery show (which btw that was Riverdale's season one, a murder mystery), that's not their core, that's not their aesthetic, I don't want to live in a world where The Addams Family are two steps away from crossing over with a Riverdale property, the dialogue he played to show how well written the show was, made me cringe so much, like it was basic and cliche and it didn't subvert anything the way the Addams Family is supposed to and it just feels like such a waste of Jenna Ortega as Wednesday, because I do agree with him that she was insanely well cast and deserves to be Wednesday in a property that is actually good and is actually The Addams Family, they all do, this cast is like the only good thing this show adds to The Addams Family canon. He's not completely charitable to the show and he does point out the obvious flaws with the terrible love triangle, the cringey side characters, and the lackluster way they try to wrap up the big conspiracy at the end, but he admitted that he never liked the Addams Family or knows anything about the OG family and so taking his word on this show is something that needs to be taken with a massive grain of salt.

The issue at the core of this review is that he doesn't understand the source material and he doesn't understand that taking Wednesday away from her family and making her into a Chilling Adventures of Sabrina knockoff doesn't quite mesh with the source material's original intent and I don't think you always need to stick to the source material especially with something as lose as The Addams Family, but when the show is just ultimately Tim Burton trying to keep his career and his white goth aesthetic alive and using a property with characters already known by the public in order to ensure the most profit possible (remember Netflix telling Craig McCracken they didn'twant any new IPs only reboots and sequels) putting this family into a show that is antithesis to their core artistic directive and the way they just completely butchered every other character's personality in the Addams Family besides Wednesday is beyond disappointing. It's just so obvious after watching this review to me that the show only used The Addams Family for their aesthetic and that they (Tim Burton) wanted to use Wednesday Addams as a Winona Ryder goth manic pixie dream girl archetype rather than what her characterization and her family's characterization actually is

I think the biggest thing I took away from his review is that the Riverdale creator is a desparate Tim Burton wannabe who can't write a good script to save his life and so it makes sense to me that the new Tim Burton show was just a Riverdale looking teen drama with slightly better writing

[toondisneypunx]

Movies and TV shows I have been watching recently (October 2021- February 2022)

1. Inside Job

Rating: 10/10

Well, it isn’t just the fact Alex Hirsch was involved with it, this is quality. I kin Reagan myself and I enjoyed her character arc. Also, it has a wonderful cast of characters with interesting conspiracies. This is a must watch!

2. The Eternals

Rating: 7/10

While it was entertaining, the plot was not well executed. It was confusing for a Marvel movie. All the characters were introduced at the same time, making us see barely any character development. I enjoyed some of the fight scenes and the humour, but overall, it lacks as a Marvel movie. 

3. Kid Cosmic

Rating: 9/10

Another hit from the animation legend himself, Craig McCracken. As many people know, I am a huge fan of his work. Kid Cosmic has enjoyable characters and a captivating storyline. Do yourself a favour and go ahead and give it a chance. 

4. Encanto

Rating: 9.5/10

I know most people have seen it as it was super popular. However, I wanted to give some of my insight. I absolutely loved the well composed music by the theatre legend himself, Lin Manuel Miranda. I also enjoyed the family dynamic of the Madrigals, especially Bruno. I had We Don’t Talk About Bruno stuck in m head for weeks. 

5. House of Gucci

Rating: 7/10

While the movie was enjoyable, they were never clear about the time periods each event took place in, making it confusing. I did struggle to understand the plot but I did enjoy the story.

6. Spiderman: No Way Home

Rating: 10/10

Not going to spoil it but it was fantastic and action packed. It was very unpredictable from its plot and I was at the edge of my seat while watching it.

7. Home Sweet Home Alone

Rating: 3/10

Well, here's another Home Alone reboot but by Disney. I had no faith in this film, even before I saw it. It was predictable and unfunny. Even the Buzz McCallister cameo did not make the movie any better. The scenes where the bad guys get tricked was so unfunny and rather violent. This movie was just a cash grab.

8. Chris Chan: A Comprehensive History

Rating: 10/10

Before you ask, I do not SUPPORT anything Chris Chan has done. However, I was invested in her life story and how she became known on the internet. This documentary series is 59 parts and very detailed about her life. I can’t wait to see more episodes. 

9. Sing 2

Rating: 6.5/10

I do believe that even though the Sing franchise is not perfect, it’s over hated. This movie follows an average sequel formula, introducing new characters and having a predictable plot. I enjoyed the directing and music throughout the movie. 

10. The King’s Daughter

Rating: 4/10

While the movie was watchable, it was mediocre at best. There was overuse of CGI for the mermaid character and the plot was predictable. The worst part of the film was that they used one of Sia’s pop songs in a 1600′s setting.

11. Arcane: League of Legends

Rating: 9.5/10

While I’ve never played League of Legends, I was still able to enjoy and understand the plot of the show. The show has many good characters and arcs.  I cannot wait for the release of season 2. My only problem with the show is that it was slow paced and kind of boring during the fourth and fifth episode, but eventually the pace picks back up. This show definitely deserves a watch.

12. Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2021)

Rating: 6/10

I was initially expecting this movie to be awful, but I was pleasantly surprised. Of course, this iteration has many flaws, but it was executed well. The main thing I disliked about the film was that they left out some plot points the original film had included, like when Greg auditioned for the play and his dislike for Patty. Overall, it was “okay” at its best.

13. The Cuphead Show!

Rating: 8.5/10

I was super excited for this show because I actually played the game myself. While the show kept the tone of the game, it had a few flaws. I did not see some of the characters (or bosses) I wanted to see. I understand the show was mainly trying to focus on Cuphead and Mugman, but I wanted to see more characters. I enjoyed seeing the Devil, King Dice and The Root Pack the most. I have high hopes that season 2 will improve on the show.

[heloflor]

Started watching Wander over Yonder this week and is currently halfway through season 2 (yeah I am VERY late to the party). Unless people start asking me about the show, this is going to be my only post about it because there’s honestly only one thing that I want to comment on :

Given how season 1 is episodic with no real continuity, given the art style of some places, the variety in the characters designs, the smooth animation, the bonus storyboards in the credits and the witty writing, it really feels like the people behind the show are just a group who wanted to have fun with their creativity and used a TV show as a catalyst. And it’s great !

Note that I have no idea how the production of this show went. For all I know, it could have been production hell.

But from the way the show is, it really feels as if the Craig McCracken hired a team of writers, artists, etc, had a meeting with all of them and went “Alright so here’s my idea for a show about a joyful orange furball and his badass Yoshi best friend travelling across space and going on wacky adventures, with a recurring skeleton villain and his eyeballs army. Now, what do you guys want to see these characters do ?”, and then they left the team go haywire.

There are quite a few episodes that gives off this impression. The best examples being “The Void” or that one scene in “The Matchmaker” with a succession of different title cards. There’s even stuff like “The Box” with the dream sequence + all the different aliens we get to see.

Special mention to “The Breakfast” in which they tell two stories in one by splitting the screen and it’s incredibly well done ! The characters saying the same thing at the same time, one character leaving one screen at the same time another enters the other, the music working for both scenes, when a lot is happening on one screen, nothing happens on the other so that we don’t miss a thing, the short reverse at the end…I heard that the show got an Annie for this episode and honestly it truly deserves it !

And if you want my general point of view of the show : it’s really good and fun ! It gives me a bit of a Spongebob vibe at times but I see this as a good thing. Though, if there’s one complains to make, it’s that a lot and I mean a LOT of stories in season 1 start with Wonder disregarding Sylvia, to her annoyance and dismay. And most often than not, Sylvia’s the one who ends up suffering. At the very least, there are also quite a few episodes in which Wander gets hurt as well, so it at least tries a little to balance it out. Though things could definitely be better for that poor girl.

I also really like how it’s one of these shows in which the creator went to Disney executives, asked if he could make queer characters, got no as an answer and so decided to go ahead and make queer characters anyways.

 (Side note : the episode “The Nice Guy” is an absolute autistic mood. Like, obviously Wander shows neurodivergent traits in basically every episode but this one in particular really hits home.

I mean : letting people get in before him, trying to find the exact same drink as the one Sylvia asked and not knowing what to do when he doesn’t find it, not wanting to bother the cashier and waiting to be noticed to talk to him, telling the cashier the entire context behind getting a drink instead of immediately going to the point, asking if he can mix drinks in the machine and asking several times just to be absolutely sure, trying to make sure the drink has the exact correct proportions, finding a penny and immediately asking if it belongs to anyone, going to the end of the queue even when he’s the very first because he doesn’t want to bother and likes to help, cleaning one part of the floor and then ending up doing the whole thing because it’s not the same anymore, feeling bad for the kid and giving her the drink.

Like, who am I watching here ? A random cartoon character or 10 years-old me trying to get their shit together ?

I swear the most surprising thing about this episode has to be the fact that not once did Wander try to fix the bumpy mat, especially after seeing someone trip and almost fall because of it.)

[fly-pow-bye]

Dance Pantsed

Directed by: David P. Smith Art Director: Kevin Dart Written and Storyboarded by: Chris Mitchell, David P. Smith, Will Mata Story by: Dave Tennant, David P. Smith

In 2013, Cartoon Network announced that they were working on a new Powerpuff Girls special, and it aired in 2014. It brought back all the major characters and their voices, they got Ringo Starr to voice a character, and it has a brand new CGI art style. What it doesn't have is Craig McCracken, who, as mentioned before, left Cartoon Network and never came back. The commercial for this special did stress that while there are a lot of changes, they didn't dare touch the formula. Admittedly, that could just be referring to how the Powerpuff Girls are still made of sugar, spice, everything nice, and Chemical X.

Townsville is being visited by three special celebrities: mathematician Fibonacci Sequins, opera singer Wendy Baggs, and the Calcutta Stink Badger. All three of them are kidnapped by Mojo Jojo piloting a robotic terror, and the Powerpuff Girls help out with their special Plan Broccolini, where Bubbles uses her ice breath to freeze it, Buttercup rapidly punching it into pieces, and Blossom eye lasering it into a gummy bear. This plan is so good that it seems to be the only plan they do, which becomes a problem when Bubbles gets too addicted to Dance Pants Revolution to fight crime or open pickle jars. They get rid of it, only for Mojo Jojo to secretly give Bubbles a gift she can't resist: a sequel named Dance Pants R-Evil-lution 2, a revolution so evil that it turns her into a celebrity-stealing robot, and it slowly turns the other girls into them, too. The people of Townsville have to figure out how to turn them back. Also, the Professor's past as a dancer, The Mayor and Miss Bellum's falling out, and the answer to why Mojo even wants a mathematican, singer, and a badger in the first place will all be revealed in this special that is totally not a pilot.

This episode follows in the footsteps of Rule in that it's more focused on being a fast paced comedy, throwing many jokes at the wall and hoping they stick. With Rule, a lot of them did stick, and there were a lot of good in-jokes and easter eggs for the fans. I can't say the same for this special, as, with a few exceptions, a lot of the jokes just fall flat. A lot of this is just how weird the characters act throughout this special, with the Mayor just yelling at Miss Bellum for a benefit of a subplot that goes nowhere, we learn the Professor was a dancer, which is only for the benefit of this plot, and when the Powerpuff Girls aren’t being controlled by evil dance video games, they throw tantrums and act like brats. It all ends with a lousy payoff that makes no sense, too. I can't deny that it is a very good looking special with great backgrounds, great animation, and not-so-great everything else. I think this line from my full review of this says it all: "I should say this special won an Emmy because of its art, and I can't say it was undeserved. I should also say it certainly deserved its lack of Emmy for anything else." (2/5)

[enlightenedrobot]

In all seriousness... someone probably needs to write a thesis about Margaret Keane’s influence on the art world as viewed through a feminist lens. I’m... not gonna be that person because it’s a little out of my depth... but speaking laconically... Keane did paintings that looked like this:

What people seem to know about her is that her art is commonly called “kitsch” and that her ex-husband tried to pass her art off as his own. Some animation fans might also know that her artwork inspired both the works of Tim Burton as well as the big eyed looks on Craig McCracken’s The Powerpuff Girls.

That said... I don’t think enough people realize that her art’s probably the main influence on the art movement we know today as Pop Surrealism, a movement popularized by an artist named Mark Ryden. His stuff looks like this.

If his art looks familiar, he’s the guy who did the album cover for Tyler the Creator’s Wolf.

Not all pop surrealists have taken after Mark Ryden’s style (Ron English, for example, seems mostly inspired by advertising and comic books, and his stuff is maybe a bit more reminiscient of, say, Andy Warhol)... but a lot of Ryden’s contemporaries still use similar big eyed waifs.

(Marion Peck... incidentally she’s Ryden’s significant other)

(Nicoletta Ceccoli)

A closely related art movement that seems to have some overlap with Pop Surrealism is the Superflat movement, spearheaded by Takashi Murakami. And while Murakami himself doesn’t have many big-eyed waifish girls populating his artwork, many other artists under that label actually do.

(Yoshitoma Nara)

(Chiho Aoshima)

Now... to say that Keane is the sole influence on any of these artists is terribly reductive and ignores the cultural context in which most of these art pieces are created... but you can’t deny the resemblance. Hell, Ryden even features an explicit homage to Keane in this painting.

That skirt? a reference to this piece by Keane.

I dunno... it feels like this woman was screwed over by the art world... her works were never given the same respect Ryden and his contemporaries get. Her husband and her critics were bad enough... but now we have entire art movements built around the style and subjects she developed... and she’s still considered kitsch? She deserves better than that.

[coolchevistianofficialsite]

Sorry for that ask on Amphibia merch (only ask I sent, I swear), I only brought it up since you've mentioned BCG having merch and just wanted to give potential news, sorry for coming off as annoying. To make it up, what are your favorite episodes of Harvey Beaks and Chowder (shows you loved that deserved better treatment in your eyes)? And what do you mean by Disney Schedules asks? Is it asks from that person or something else? I know annoying DT anons (not one btw) are ones sad about it ending.

Oh i should be the one who saids sorry but really 90% of the anon asks are always on both DuckTales and Disney Scheduling and im really tired on it, i assume this anons really want me just to say: Disney Schedule = BAD and with DuckTales well they still want me to beat a dead horse on how it was handled it

For Amphibia merch well i hope we get some books like Big City Greens and The Owl House ones just to test and maybe just maybe in a near future guide books like The Magic Book Of Spells and Journal 3 and official Sprig Plushies on Disney Stores or at least give us a ,Magicband at the Disney Parks with some early PNG Key Art like they did with Gravity Falls, the sad thing is if you're not a Disney Junior Show (WAIT HECK EVEN Disney Junior Shows only get 1 year of merch) chances of getting official merch are 10% let's hope The Ghost And Molly McGee, Moon Girl And Devil Dinosaur changes everything with its trademarked merch

Favorite Chowder Episodes

Chowder's Babysitter

Hey, Hey It's Knishmas!

The Hot Date

Shnitzel Quits

The Deadly Maze

The Apprentice Scouts

Chowder Loses His Hat

The Apprentice Games

The Birthday Suits (Fun Fact: Craig McCracken worked on this one)

Favorite Harvey Beaks Episodes

Pe-Choo!

The Spitting Tree

The Rentl Bike

Comet Night

Randl's Scandl

Night Maid

Harvey Fights Kratz

Bark Kart

Harvey's Favorite Book

Certified Babysitter

The Sleepover's Over

The Rebel

Nightclub Night

Double Digits (This one was relatable this year when i had one existencial crisis)

Steampunks

Bag of Naughty

It's Christmas, You Dorks!

Rockbark Rocks

Ocean Promotion

Harvey's Pet

The Bad Seed

Alone

Grand Motel

Rage Against the Michelle

Hair to Help

Ocean Promotion

Later Dingus!

The Blister

Secret Gordon

The End and the Beginning

[signor-signor]

Pines Twins support SaveWOY

Don’t get me wrong, Gravity Falls has an amazing premise and memorable characters, but it’s no secret that I’ve been weary of its perpetual popularity. The show already ended right, yet it seems that most people aren’t moving on from it. If the show gets to end the way its creator envisioned it, I move on. Fish Hooks, one of the shows lucky enough to get three seasons, isn’t talked about a lot because it got a true conclusion - that’s the kind of notion I follow. Alex Hirsch got to end GF his way. Craig McCracken, however, didn’t get to end Wander Over Yonder his way because somebody didn’t see the need to make more, so I try to give WOY as much attention as I can in hopes of seeing what he planned for that third and final season.

Continuing my series of characters from DTVA shows and their SaveWOY-related messages, here are Mason (Dipper) and Mabel Pines. It’s all dialogue this time around.

Dipper (still wearing Wendy's hat): (to audience) Let's be frank. Gravity Falls gets WAY too much love and attention even though it already ended right. Wander Over Yonder, on the other hand, is still incomplete, but most people don't even bother to support it.

Mabel (cuddling Waddles): (gasp) Say it isn’t so! Haven’t they seen that space capsule or heard those screechy monkey sounds? The world should be fighting to find out what will happen to the monkey, not going gaga over our one summer vacation in Gravity Falls - that ended years ago! Bill Cipher’s dead! What more do they want from us?

Dipper: What I'm getting at is, just because many of you love our show doesn't mean we're the best of the best and Wander isn't. Think of the resonating messages he brought up that we never did word-for-word, like, "Never hurts to help" and "An enemy is just a friend you haven't made yet."

Mabel: (to audience) Oh, and don't forget the references and shout-outs! I personally like that Mystery Kids Mysteries cartoon. Soosy Du is a riot! Also, I wanna see if Mavis has a pig that looks like Waddles and friends who look like Candy and Grenda.

Dipper: One good turn deserves another, so why don't you save Wander's show and let the world know how Lord Hater came to be, like how the world got to know Grunkle Stan and Grunkle Ford's backstory? Trust me, you won’t be sorry.

Lord Hater: (to audience, nonchalantly, touching the tips of his own fingers) Yes, save the show and get a chance to know even more about yours truly... (furiously, pointing to Waddles, electricity pulsing through his hand) OR I'LL TURN THIS PORKER INTO STRIPS OF BACON!

(Waddles squeals)

Mabel: Not Waddles!

Peepers: (pulling on Hater's cloak) No, sir! Please! Think about the fans and how they’ll react!

Lord Hater: But their show's unsurpassable popularity is one of the reasons nobody knows all about my super cool origin story!

Peepers: That can't possibly be true, can it? C’mon, sir, let them be. You can take it out on the Wander dummy and the Sylvia punching bag. We’ll make new ones later, what with all the free time we have.

Lord Hater: Fiiine. (to Waddles) Don’t think this is over, pinky, ‘cause it isn’t.

Dipper: The sooner Disney lets Craig McCracken end his show his way, the sooner Wander can reform Hater.

Mabel: They’d better. I heard Hater’s spider pet, Captain Tim, likes ham, (to Waddles) but don’t worry, Waddles, I won’t let him get near you.

(Waddles snorts)

[tymime]

My favorite animation of the 2010s

Overall, the 2010s was an extremely mixed bag. For the most part television cartoons were kinda lousy for Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon, but pretty amazing for Disney Junior and other Y-rated Disney shows.

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic (2010) This is one of the big ones, really. Even after the initial buzz and hype seemed to fade after making such a big splash and causing a societal shift in the form of bronies, this show kept me going through the decade with it’s layered characters and dynamics, complex mythology and fun songs. It’s a great example of character development and world-building done right.

The Amazing World of Gumball (2011) This was probably Cartoon Network’s best show during the decade. I like Regular Show a lot, but it’s character design leaves a little to be desired in my opinion. Gumball was daring to be different among a dozen Adventure Time wannabes, focusing on creative slapstick gags and social satire and expanding on toon physics rather than going “Dude! We’re so modern!”. The way the show also defies convention by having almost every character drawn in a different style is also pretty cool. My only complaint is the use of gross-out humor and often unpleasant-looking faces.

Kung Fu Panda 2 (2011) The main thing I remember about this movie is I think it has one of the most interesting sympathetic villains in quite a while. It also has amazing action sequences and cinematography.

Wander Over Yonder (2013) Craig McCracken really proves that he’s still got it in this show- it’s his best work since The Powerpuff Girls, I think. It’s criminally underrated, and really deserved to have more than two seasons. Wander Over Yonder is really the only cartoon in about twenty years that continues the spirit of classic ‘90s Cartoon Network shows, and it’s influences are clearly on display: you can spot the inspiration from Looney Tunes, Tex Avery, 1960s Hanna-Barbera, Jay Ward, psychedelia such as Yellow Submarine and even Peanuts. And it’s only made better by having a bigger Disney budget. On top of that it has a great positive message of kindness and friendship, truly believing that anybody can be redeemed.

Harvey Beaks (2015) Harvey Beaks is one of those shows that I liked a lot but hardly anybody else seemed to know about, like most of the cartoons I’ve liked since 2002 or so. Like others in this category, it’s woefully underrated and was canceled after only two seasons. I already liked C.H. Greenblatt’s Chowder, so I figured I’d like this show too. I was pleasantly surprised by how incredibly charming this show was, with a similar vibe to other “animals in the forest” series like Winnie the Pooh, The Wind in Willows, and The Wombles, but with a fun edginess and character dynamic that sort of reminds me of Hey Arnold! or the heyday of Peanuts. It has one of the best ensemble casts in a long time.

Tangled: The Series (aka Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure) (2017) This series seems to have learned from the best live-action TV shows like Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. and others like it and made it into a disgestible family-friendly show, with complex characters, differing and often clashing motivations, a deep backstory and lore, and a long plotline that actually doesn’t get confusing or boring! Not to mention the songs are really amazing. It helps that Alan Menken is writing them, and they’re among his best work.

Zootopia (2017) It was in my late teens that I discovered that I was sort of obsessed with talking animal characters. There’s just something about giving an animal human qualities- make them capable of human speech, anything from Bugs Bunny to The Lion King is cool with me. Zootopia is one of the very, very best examples of this. It’s probably the most convincing as far as world-building goes, because you really believe that this is a world that caters specifically to animals and their needs. The character design and animation is fantastic too, and the characters have tons of appeal, not to mention the elegantly done social commentary and parallels to modern day race relations.

Coco (2017) Amazing songs. The scene where Miguel sings “Remember Me” for Mamá Coco makes me cry every time.

Green Eggs and Ham (2019) I really can’t say enough good things about this series. The animation is truly incredible- that wonderful combination of Looney Tunes wackiness and squash and stretch and that Disneyesque three-dimensionality and solid construction that I love so, so much. I don’t think there’s been 2D animation that I found so moving and heartwarming since Lilo & Stitch or The Princess and the Frog. And there are many things I think the series does better than those movies. It’s just that good. I’ve been a firm believer for many, many years that silly, wacky cartoon characters are entirely capable of deep emotion and powerfully heartfelt stories, and this series is proof of that. And this is a Warner Bros. production! When was the last time WB did anything this well-animated and ambitious? Possibly never, since Space Jam and Back in Action were hybrids, and Quest for Camelot was only kinda meh. Also, the fox and the mouse are adorable.

Now, some folks would probably be upset that I left out Gravity Falls. I get it, it’s an amazing show, but it’s not quite as inspiring to me as the others on this list.

[skunky2]

Top 11 Worst Cartoons of the 2010′s!!

We had so many great cartoons introduced in this decade and while I haven't seen every last one I can say this decade was one of the best for animation in general! Sadly for every good animated show produced in this era there are also some bad apples in the bunch the following cartoons are some of the worst I have seen but please remember this is only my opinion if you like any of these shows then that's great continue to enjoy them don't let me stop you!!! 

        Now let's get this list started!!!

11. Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs the series         (2017-2018) 

Ok before we talk about the show I want to make one thing clear I don't hate the films in fact I actually find them enjoyable even going as far as calling them guilty pleasures the show on the other hand is a huge flop compared to the movies were the films had creativity and fun humor the show lacks that in fact this is by far the most boring show to be based on a freaking film about an invention that makes it rain food!! The other problem I have with this show is it's set before the events of the films so Flint hasn't even become an inventor yet but instead it's about him in high school and apparently him and Sam knew each other already did they even watch their first film!? Also the mayor is the principle because why not seriously this has got to be the worst show based on a hit animated film it's so painfully unfunny that I question how kids found it entertaining to begin with!!!! Not every movie needs a tv series and this one proves it!

10.  Total Dramarama (2018-ongoing) 

Oh the pain to see the Total Drama series downgraded to this especially since the original Total Drama Island took a ton of risk for a show aimed at kids also how did we go from a series that spoofed reality  shows to a bad Muppet Babies rip-off!! What's really sad is that creators have no desire to produce a new Total Drama series they just want to work on this. On the plus side it's still not as bad as other shows your going to see later on the list. 

9. Super Noobs (2015-ongoing) 

Other then the "how do you do fellow kids" title I wasn't expecting this show to wow me considering it was brought to you by the same dude that brought us Johnny Test aka the original most hated cartoon of all time I got the DA pics to back me up! The worst part is this show has a very interesting concept but it's ruined due to the bad humor and characters. The show is about a group of outcast middle schoolers who receive super powers in the form of power balls from aliens who then become their mentors and how they must save the world from an evil virus that threatens the world sounds like an awesome plot too bad it's not pushed further. 

8. Almost Naked Animals (2011-2013)

Yes this is a children's cartoon not a title for an X rated film. All I can say about this show is why? Why would anyone greenlight a show about an animal nudist hotel not only is it disgusting but those character designs yikes!!!! They look so ugly looking no one wants to see something that looks this hideous!!  Not to mention the humor is just as terrible as the art design. 

7. Breadwinners (2014-2016) 

You know when you feature twerking in your show you automatically fail. The best way I can describe this cartoon is it's just awful first off the two idiot main characters who I'm not going to refer by name since they are some of the most stupidest names for characters seriously  SwaySway and Buhdeuce!? Anyway the show is about these two "ducks" I say ducks like that since they look nothing like ducks they look like frogs or aliens or something. Try to make your character if they are an animal try to look as close as possible as the species they're supposed to be so it will make it easier for you audience to identify them. Well they fly around in a rocket car or something I really don't care and deliver bread to stock-image ducks which brings me to another problem they can't even draw background characters they just go on Google find a duck photo and photoshop cartoon eyes and whatever on it how lazy a can you be!! Also I found out a long time ago your actually not supposed to give ducks bread yeah it can use malnutrition and illness to them so this cartoon is spreading the wrong message to kids. 

6. Brickleberry (2012-2015)

You know why I despise most adult cartoons because most of them are either trying way to hard to be quote on quote "adult" with overuse of swearing, gore, shock humor, and sex jokes and guess what this show is full of this!! Not only is the animation similar to that to Family Guy it's just as disgusting and offensive!!! The show revolves around these park rangers and their everyday lives at their jobs and the characters aren't very good either they are pretty much all assholes, stereotypes of usual characters you see in adult animation, and your typical characters that are just there to offend you! In fact the little bear cub character is pretty much the shows answer to Brain from Family Guy with the personality  of Cartman from South Park. Now I haven't seen this show in a long time but I just remember it wasn't a pleasant experience if you want to check it out just be warned it's not for the faint of heart.  Also the creators of this show produced another show for Netflix that is just a carbon copy with cops instead of rangers and I though that Seth McFarlane was lazy when it came to plots!! It's called Paradise P.D. btw 

5. Teen Titians Go!  (2013-Ongoing) 

Yeah, Yeah, Yeah you've heard it all before this show is garbage, a disgrace to DC comics, stupid etc. The animation community has tore this show apart so there really isn't much to say that already hasn't been said but I will say this I never intended to hate this show as much as I do in fact I was fine with it when it fist came out I mean the original Teen Titians cartoon from 2003 will always be better then this show in every possible way but I wasn't one of the fans to jump on the hate wagon when this was announced I mean I had nothing wrong with it just focusing on comedy if you remember correctly the original had eps that were just as silly and bizarre. The main reasons why this show is so high up on this list is for the following reasons the first is I've never seen a show like this disrespect a fan base this much  it's like the creators have it out for the original fans and they get joy out of mocking them with all these pathetic critic call out eps they do it also shows that they can't take criticism at all!!!! Second is how the creators view their show and animation in general they literally came out in an interview and said the reason why they made the show so stupid is because it's for children you do know kids aren't stupid right guys they deserve shows that don't try to talk down to them!!!! But the main reason for my anger towards this show is how they made an episode awhile were the moral literally was that cartoons are only for kids and told the original fans to grow up!! Mainly the creators themselves have this warped mindset that I honestly wish would just die out that only children should be allowed to watch cartoons and that their show should be immune to all the hate since it's for kids so they use the "just for kids" excuse for their show being like it is. It's hard to believe they would even have a mindset like that when they are adults themselves making an animated cartoon show. I didn't mean to rant this long but I mainly hate everything this show stands for and sadly it's going onto to get 300+ eps. Personality I really think it's time for this show to officially Go not because I don't like it's mainly because it's showing signs it's on it's last legs and with that Sixth Titian thing they pulled this summer and repeating episode plots is starting to show that the writers are becoming burned out this show was never good but I think it's time it ended. There are tons of other reasons this show is bad but I rather not go into them this has gone on long enough already. 

4. PPG 2016 (2016-Ongoing) 

Well TTG isn't the worst reboot/spinoff Cartoon Network produced in this decade the honor has to go to this piece of trash Powerpuff Girls 2016!! Why was this made simple CN wanted more money so they made this show to sell toys yes that was the only purpose of this reboot to sell merchandise too bad the show sucked so hard that the target demo along with the fans of the original Powerpuff Girls hated it! There are tons of problems with this reboot that have already been explained such as god awful animation errors, bad writing, and let's not forget the memes those outdated memes. Not to mention they removed the character Ms. Bellum since the creator thought that having a beautiful, warm-hearted, motherly, intelligent and strong-willed woman on the show was offensive to the new generation! Not to mention they got rid of breast but they did allow the girls to twerk tho!!! Yes because having an intelligent good-looking woman with boobs is bad but kindergarteners doing a sexually explicate dance is fine!! Seriously I feel so bad for Craig McCracken it was bad enough he was screwed over by Disney but to have his show turned into this!! 

3. The Problem Solverz (2011-2013) 

If you want to know my opinion for the worst animated show Cartoon Network has ever made it would be this one! Not only is the show ugly to look at but it uses enough bright colors to make your eyes bleed. The show is about these detectives who solve problems in their home town too bad they cause 90% of the problems they need to solve. These characters are so nasty to look out we got this ugly fish-like man, some robot, and a big nosed hideous lipped Domo wannabe. It was cancelled from tv but ran it's final season on Netflix. I still feel pain for any child that had to sit though this. 

2. Pickle and Peanut (2015-2018) 

Ugh this show!!!! If you've never seen it you may guess this would be something on Adult Swims line up since they're more known for wired shows like this but no it's not from Adult Swim in fact you'll never believe who made this Disney!!! Yes Disney Television Animation produced this the very same company that bought us shows like Gravity Falls, Phineas and Ferb, Star Vs. and so on made this garbage. There are several problems with this show first off the animation remember when I said that Breadwinners was lazy for using stock-images as background characters well this is the same damn thing but in reverse they couldn't even animate a pickle and a gosh darn peanut this is a peeve I have with most modern cartoons if it's not for a joke then why use stock-images it just makes your show look lazy! Second the humor it sucks it's mainly is "trying" to be Regular Show since both characters are slackers and get into bizarre adventures. Also this show loves to show gross-out shots like the ones in Spongebob for example but unlike Spongebob these are not funny and just plain disgusting like how is this show fun for kids to watch I mean I can understand why kids love cartoons like TTG but I can't see any child liking a show like this!!! Finally we have to talk about the god awful theme song it's not even a theme song but a random robot voice listing off things adults think that children are into so pretty much they're trying way too hard to appeal to kids just like with PPG 2016. There really isn't much more to say about this show it's just awful and it's still hard to believe Disney had a part in making this.

Now it's time for the cartoon from the 2010's that I believe disserves the crown as the worst show from this decade. Out of all the shows I've seen this year none of them of completely  disgusted me more then this one it pretty much has everything  I despise in modern adult animation it makes Brickleberry look tame in comparison!!! It comes to us from our friends at Adult Swim may I present to you the cartoon that I consider the worst!

1. Mr. Pickles (2013-Ungoing) 

I honestly don't know where to start on this one it's just god awful!! First it's got all the things I despise in adult animation shock humor, sex jokes, violence for the sake of it, and ugly character designs!! The show is about a family who owns a dog who is either the devil himself or one of his loyal followers and the dog does extremely messed up things to people stuff I rather not try to remember let's just say this show is MA for reason. If you have a faint heart please stay away from this show at all cost!!!

So there it is my opinions for the worst shows from this decade I hope you all enjoy it since I worked really hard on it.

I didn’t include Big Mouth or Paradise P.D. because I’ve never seen them but yeah I know they’re bad. 

[seeksstaronmewni]

The Future of Star Butterfly... or The End?

The end of @disneyanimation‘s/@disneyxd‘s finest franchise yet, @daronnefcy‘s Star vs. the Forces of Evil, is a time of great lamentation for me, as I love Star Butterfly to an insane extent (and thus the respective franchise).

I love Season 3 more than Season 4 (and in Season 3 is the most important reason why I love Star), but the show’s been little different since Season 2. The show changed very much after Season 1 (my favorite season) in character design, animation and the storyboard artists involved. SvTFOE is a really great show, but I personally see room for improvement, if Disney chooses to produce any future content, whatever media that is. Before we act on petitions for new content (try not to push Disney Television Animation too hard on this. It’s up to them, NOT Daron Nefcy, and Disney’s probably really busy with other shows at the moment), let’s consider some aspects of the show...

First, I note some specific things that I dislike about SvTFOE in general.

Mostly “Traditional” Animation: What happened to the animation? The animation started out in Season 1 (and the pilot) as what I call “model-rigged” animation (some call it “flash”), animated by @littledigits at Mercury Filmworks (The Powerpuff Girls Movie, Mickey Mouse, Wander Over Yonder). The visual approach appeared to be very cartoon-y, like WOY, and the attention to detail in not only character design but also the effects design, multi-layered background panning and camera de-focusing was present only in 13 individual (11-minute) season 1 episodes, and also in the 2017 “Interdimensional Scavenger Hunt”. Such things of those episodes are not in later episodes as they are only traditionally animated. Toon City’s animation seemed slow-paced and a little jerky to convey quick movements at times, which didn’t feel like that of Mercury. Now, I came to love model-rigged animation because of SvTFOE, but generally I prefer traditional animation, which is fairly fitting for the more dramatic, intense episodes of the series. The first Toon City episode, “Mewberty”, had a number of design/animation mistakes (i.e. the shots of the “My turn” moment). Of the 2 animation companies that were involved, Rough Draft Korea (which also worked on the Season 1 episode “Blood Moon Ball”) and Sugarcube, though Rough Draft does animation for some of the best in American animation, yet I prefer the visual approach of Sugarcube as the designs are much cleaner and look a little more on-model. The lines in Rough Draft episodes aren’t as smooth and the models kind of look more different (perhaps off-model) per shot and/or movement, but the animation Rough Draft did on Samurai Jack EPISODE XCVIII, namely Ashi’s fight scene, looks amazing. rwinger24 pointed some important elements lacking in the 2016-2019 episodes out: “Absent from the Mercury and Toon City animation (are) these animation principles- Anticipation- Follow through and overlapping action- Slow in and slow out (the Rough Draft Korea episodes miss this principle as the animation appears jarring/unnatural)- Secondary action(And notable absence of motion smears)... (and, like) 80s /90s cartoons sometimes (the picture bobbing/weaving from the telecine transfer, and not the constant use of 24 drawings like SVTFOE does (mostly from Rough Draft Korea).

Different, Less-Detailed Character Design?: The character design never looked more graphic and detailed than in Season 1, done by @cheyennecurtisart and @lynnvwang as well as @cunch. This’s particularly noticeable in the Mercury Filmworks episodes. The designs in the Toon City episodes aren’t as smooth and, the way the episodes are, not necessarily as exaggerated in cartoon-y fashion as the Mercury Filmworks episodes. The change in character design, which I noticed, is so drastic, that my follower rwinger24 suggested that I should make a post about the changes. As for the rest of the series, @aniramiart became the main designer along with @beckyandfrank / @tinykittenteeth. They do some good designs, given what Star endured or how she reacted at certain times, but most of them aren’t as detailed as Cheyenne’s. What I dislike most about this design change is that, regarding mostly Stephanie Ramirez’s designs (plus storyboard artists and Rough Draft’s animation), the character design of at least Star begins to resemble Gravity Falls a bit much, which detracts from the unique designs of SvTFOE in its first Season. Relatively, one of young Star’s designs in “Marco Grows a Beard” (Tyler Chen’s first episode) also resembled the character design of Gravity Falls, but that was still Cheyenne & Lynn Wang on the episode. On the other hand, the Season 2-4 designs look more on-model and smoother in the Sugarcube episodes. Otherwise, in potentially cartoon-y designs, it just doesn’t stretch as far as those of Season 1/Mercury episodes, though that wouldn’t exactly be fitting for the more dramatic episodes. The designs, of course, depend somewhat on storyboards. Perhaps the wackiest storyboards are by Ian Wasseluk (who rwinger24 references in the cartoon-y looking approach on the series), as well as Dave Stone (from Teen Titans GO!) on “Match Maker”.

Quiet (and typical) Sound Design: Throughout the show, the sound design’s style was very quiet. It’s more foley than SFX. The sound effects designed by both music score composer @brianwithanh and Advantage Audio’s Robert Poole (Season 1) and Heather Olsen (Seasons 2-4) are unique to the series and absolutely nothing I criticize. What I dislike of the sound design is that, given the very cartoon-y visuals (particularly Seasons 1-2), the sound design is more realistic than cartoon-y (save for very rare cases like the opening scene to Bon Bon the Birthday Clown, which was very deliberate as I imagine). Usually, Advantage seems to sound either too cartoon-y (i.e. The Fairly OddParents) or too quiet. In the case of more dramatic episodes, the cartoon-y sound shouldn’t be pushed. If Jesse Aruda, Roy Braverman, and/or Rich Danhakl did the sound design (Danhakl did the sound design of The Tom and Jerry Show at Advantage and edited sound on “Mathmagic” & “The Bounce Lounge”), their array of cartoon sounds would be better than the usual, very specific designs of Michael Warner, Robert Duran, Poole II and Olsen. The other main critique I give is that, like most sound services, the action-y sound effects (explosions, crashes, etc.) depend more on typical Hollywood Edge/Sound Ideas (that is “stock” sound effects) than the unique sounds of Joel Valentine and Skywalker Sound; there’re also the common, if applicable, use of “Cats Two Angry Yowls”, “Medium Exterior” Crowds and other cliche vocal recordings that are overused, particularly by Advantage Audio. Recording walla as well as other animals (or at least using lesser-used animal and crowd vocals) would be an improvement. Even the horse sounds used (rarely using one from the Sound Ideas Lucasfilm Sound Library) are mostly the typical, pitched-up if necessary. Compare that to an entire SFX library of horse sounds that Skywalker’s Nia Hansen (sound design assistant of Big Hero 6′s movie but not the show) recorded just for War Horse--and she was credited as only an apprentice [sound] editor!

“Controversial” Content: The last thing I dislike, from more or less a Christian point-of-view, is that there are a few episodes that have material and/or images that I, for one, among many, would view as “controversial” or “polarizing”. I’m a little suspicious of some situations that may regard controversial subjects in a few other episodes as well, though no dialogue explicitly states such things. I can not say what that material is or what episodes have it, but I mean the best in concern for the sake of the series’ reputation. The least that we can do (and I certainly do), in all situations, is to pray for the salvation and sake of Daron Nefcy and her amazing team.

(BRIEF SPOILER!) Second, before we can give influence to anyone to contribute to the Star vs. the Forces of Evil franchise, we need an answer to this very important question:

Is this really the end of Star vs. the Forces of Evil?: It was always on my mind as to whether or not “Cleaved!” was more than the end of the main story linked throughout Seasons 1-4 (though the last villain, in Season 4, is Mina, from Season 2). Does Disney claim that it’s the series finale because they had to move on to other projects, or is the story of Star Butterfly, the Underestimated, at the true end that Daron Nefcy wanted? Think about Wander Over Yonder: it was cancelled after season 2, but, although that season wrapped up a story throughout that season (and began at the very end of Season 1), still there are more stories that could be told... if Disney wanted to produced new WOY content, with or without Craig McCracken. Also, (spoiler) Star is not gone; worlds collided, and there can be more adventures for the franchise (perhaps Hope Hadley or Charlie Booth/“Gustav” could get a spin-off?). Whatever more we want of SvTFOE or WOY, we must speak to Disney Television Animation about this and let them to know, NOT the show creators. Don’t ask Daron Nefcy about new SvTFOE content in the future; ask Disney TVA about that.

Third, in response to what I personally dislike about major changes in the series since SvTFOE Season 2, and as a devote fan of Star Butterfly / Star vs. the Forces of Evil, I wish to propose, to all of those at Disney Television Animation, suggestions of creatives who deserve to contribute their amazing talent to the future content of Disney’s most beautiful franchise yet.

Who should run the show?: As far as I know, creator Daron Nefcy suggested that she left Disney after SvTFOE (“I’ve been slowly cleaning out my office (I know, sad!)”) to do a voice on Nico Colaleo’s Ollie and Scoops, so, if Disney intends to produce any new content, then it may happen with Daron out. Who would I suggest to help run the show? Dave Wasson, Season 1 Co-Executive Producer/Supervising Director, could return. I strongly believe that Lynne Naylor-Reccardi (Samurai Jack, The Ren & Stimpy Show, The Shnookums and Meat Funny Cartoon Show) would be a very good choice in running the show, in addition to storyboarding, writing, directing, character design, and/or art direction; she produced Hercules and Xena: The Battle for Mount Olympus and was a major part of that film. Then, of course, for the sake of detail and action, Genndy Tartakovsky would be a great choice; he’s currently with Sony on a few projects and CN for Primal, so at least people from his team, like Paul Rudish of Mickey Mouse and Bryan Andrews and/or Mark Andrews of Sym-Bionic Titan, would be really good for directing. I certainly trust how good they are at both action and heart, on shows like Samurai Jack. As for really wacky, cartoon-y styles, I also would recommend Kyle A. Carrozza, @tvskyle from CN’s Mighty Magiswords, who is currently at Warner Bros. on Animaniacs, and Bob Camp from The Ren & Stimpy Show (also a storyboard artist for Sym-Bionic Titan and Suburban Daredevil), to contribute directing/producing and storyboarding. I would recommend @crackmccraigen, who "wanted to make Star when back when @daronnefcy pitched it to us at The Cartoonstitute. CN said no though.” However, so far, Craig left Disney; he currently produces Kid Cosmic for Netflix.

Who should write and storyboard the stories?: First, I suggest Tim Hodge (@baldmelon​, The Tom and Jerry Show, Jonah: A VeggieTales Movie, Aladdin, Mulan), who also worked for Disney, as well as @gadworks​, @kalikazoo​, @mikepelensky​, Darrick Bachman (Samurai Jack, Mickey Mouse) and Richard D. Pursel (Tom and Jerry Tales, Mighty Magiswords, The Ren & Stimpy Show). For more action-y sequences, I’d look to Genndy Tartakovsky, Bryan Andrews and/or Paul Rudish; they sure know their action stuff. Lastly, I note Charlie Bean, David Krentz, Kyle A. Carrozza, Lynne Naylor-Reccardi, Will Finn, Stephen DeStefano, Jeremy Polgar (Samurai Jack Season 5, Teen Titans Go!) and Bob Camp, among others. Former writers/storyboarders Mike Mullen, @ianwasseluk, Scott O’Brien, Kyle Neswald, Kat Ketchum, @brettvaron, @giancarlovolpe and Dave Stone should return. A newer storyboard artist for Spongebob, April “Pinkie” Davis, has some humorous potential too and I’d highly recommend her. Josh “Zeurel” Palmer and @akron-squirrel​ are also very talented artists/animators who deserve a show.

Who should contribute visual design?: Luckily, Cheyenne Curtis returned for a few episodes after Season 2; she currently works at Nickelodeon but might like to help on the designs. In point of fact, she should be “Lead Character Design”. I’m not sure if it was Cheyenne or Lynn Wang who did the really graphic character designs (Match Maker, Brittney’s Party, The Other Exchange Student, etc.), though hopefully Lynn Wang could occasionally contribute to future SvTFOE content, with or without Cheyenne. Among the 2 (and perhaps Jennifer Goldberg as well), the new character designers I’d suggest to contribute would include Jeremiah Alcorn (@alcornstudios, Teen Titans Go!, Wander Over Yonder), Lynne Naylor-Reccardi (The Ren & Stimpy Show, Samurai Jack), Carey Yost (The Powerpuff Girls, The Ren & Stimpy Show), and April “Pinkie” Davis (Spongebob Squarepants). I’d also recommend Bryan Arnett (Wander Over Yonder, The Mighty B!), Adam Rosette (who did designs for the original test pilot or something in 2014, according to the IMDb), Craig Kellman (The Powerpuff Girls Movie, Dexter’s Laboratory), and Kyle A. Carrozza and Lindsay Smith-Carrozza (Mighty Magiswords), among others. As for the location design, it changed little, but I’d still refer to The Parpan Brothers, Season 1 art directors @joshparpan & @justinparpan (currently art directors at CN for @victorandvalentino) and perhaps their assistant Jason Stebbings. David A. Dunnet and Larry Murphy are very good cartoon location designers. Certainly, Stephen DeStefano (@stephendestefano​, Samurai Jack, Mickey Mouse, The Ren & Stimpy Show) would serve as a swiss army knife of visual design in storyboards, character design and location design! I’m not concerned about most of the prop designs either, though Dustin d’Arnault is a rising talent in cartoon props/effects design, like Chris Battle. I’m not too concerned about effects design, referring to the original one, Tony Unser, and the last one, Eric Gonzalez, but contributions from Dustin d’Arnault and the amazing MIchel Gagne would do wonders for the show. As for newer, fresher talent, @akron-squirrel​, Josh “Zeurel” Palmer and Scott Forester are some excellent choices for new creatives visual development.

Should the show/new content onward be in a “Scope” aspect ratio, like 2.40:1? Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Tigtone and Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal are in a “letterbox” widescreen format, and it’d look more cinematic to do the shots in a director-envisioned “CinemaScope” format.

Who should direct the animation?: The main timing supervisor Shaun Cashman was a part of The Powerpuff Girls and Sym-Bionic Titan, so that’s good for the *traditional* animation (not to mention timing director Patrick Gleeson, who animated the works of Don Bluth), but personally timing/animation directors and supervisors should include Genndy Tartakovsky, Tony Fucile (perhaps a stretch, but he’s really good), and Robert Alvarez. Rough Draft’s designs should look a little smoother IMO, though I generally prefer Rough Draft over Sugarcube. Of course, for the more comedic SvTFOE content in the future (but not limited to cartoon-y scenes), I want Megan Ferguson to return, preferably with Mercury Filmworks. Mercury could at least help animate background layouts and visual effects for the traditionally animated episodes. Still, I learned from Final Space and namely the Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure episode “Cassandra’s Revenge” that “puppeted” animation can work very well in more serious, cinematic scenes that aren’t as “cartoonish”. Additional animation contributions from Gabe del Valle and Josh “Zeurel” Palmer would be good to reference too.

Who should contribute sound design?: First and foremost, if I had to pick one and only one sound designer, I’d look to Joel Valentine, a private contractor who generally did cartoon sound for only Cartoon Network Studios until Craig McCracken got him to contribute to Wander Over Yonder Season 2, perhaps leading Joel to work currently on Disney’s Big City Greens (still also on Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal). He does both cartoon and action sound on a very unique level, and he proved to be very realistic with vocal sfx (babies, crowds, animals) in Samurai Jack Season 5, making very scarce use of Hollywood Edge SFX. I also really like that castanet sound he uses for characters shaking for any reason. With or without Joel, my devote follower @rwinger24 prefers Spongebob sound designer Jeff Hutchins to contribute; Jeff has a hilarious sense of cartoon sound design, and not only did he learn from Joel, but he also received from Joel The Producer’s Sound Effects Library AND Joel’s ADAP library, with which Jeff could replicate the unique sound styles of Joel, like he did before. Jeff also tends to work at Hacienda Post, where founder and supervisor Timothy J. Borquez could contribute and consult sound design just as his team did at Horta Editorial on The Ren & Stimpy Show, which also has its own stylized array of SFX--and this would work very well for a show with design and animation as detailed in comedic fashion as Ren & Stimpy (think “Brittney’s Party”). It was rumored on IMDb that Warner Bros. Sound (division Audio Circus) worked on SvTFOE; Jeff worked there too, and I guess that they could contribute. Then, of course, the show deserves contributions from Skywalker Sound, namely designers like Tom Myers, Steve Boeddeker, David Acord, Frank Eulner and Al Nelson, as well as Chris Scarabosio, Kyrsten Mate and Nia Hansen; Matthew Wood & David Acord are also a good team in voices (I’d even go so far as to suggest Ben Burtt to contribute). With Skywalker, there’d be better selections for action sfx (like explosions or ricochets) and other SFX in general, plus more realistic vocal sfx and walla. I also like the works of Robert Hargreaves (DigiPost.TV) and Glenn Oyabe. Among Joel, Hacienda and Skywalker, still, I intend not to cut Advantage Audio out; the series’ sfx and Brian H. Kim’s sounds are probably there, as are the series’ foley artist John Lampinen, but I would want Jesse Aruda and Rich Danhakl to be in place of Poole II or Olsen. (as of September 10th, 2019 A.D., Danhakl replied to me in an e-mail, “Count me in for the toonie Star spinoff (I’ll pass the message along to Jesse [Aruda] and Roy [Braverman])!”) A main proposition to approach the series’ sound as a whole, as Ben Burtt suggested in an article, is this: “You don’t achieve the final cut of your movie the first time that you cut it. [(Picture) Editing is] too big of a job. You assemble the first cut based upon all of your best available knowledge. You’re finding your way through the story. You’re checking notes, a script, and seeing what the material might dictate. Then you build each successive cut, and you see what’s wrong and what’s right. It takes time and a series of developmental steps. No director want to rush through it. The same process should hold true for sound design. There needs to be a development phase where you have the same type of time to experiment, fail, and nurture the sound design to full bloom in all its beauty.” Speaking of Ben Burtt, he might as well contribute since it seems that he does little sound design for projects these days. Previously I made a post about the important emphasis of the series’ sound design.

I pray every day of my life that Star vs. the Forces of Evil as a franchise of Disney will be blessed with creative talents who I really admire, and I hope for the best. Speaking of Hope, I find supportive/background character Hope Hadley, created by character designer Cheyenne Curtis, to be an interesting and attractive character, so I wonder if Cheyenne (who works at Disney) and Disney (who owns the rights to Hope) would create something out of her, as I said before--and Cheyenne thinks about this possibility: “If I ever get a cartoon show it’s my goal to have multiple episodes throughout the season with rain.” Either way, my devote follower @rwinger24 would agree with some of my choices (particularly of sound and Jeff Hutchins).

If you’re a devote SvTFOE fan and you agree with any of these decisions, then SHARE THE POST! Let Disney know, and see what Daron Nefcy also thinks of this too (even if she can not return). I also encourage you to share IMDb lists of Creatives for Future SvTFOE Content and the same for Cheyenne Curtis’s cartoon show and/or this Tumblr post summarizing names of those to join and return on SvTFOE, so that we--and the amazing creatives whom we admire--can be a part of the unique franchise of SvTFOE! I love Star Butterfly enough to want to spark an influence, however we can.

Besides that, Samurai Jack seemed to end after Season 4, but it returned after 12 years, 5 months and 14 days with Season 5. God knows what new content/media Disney could produce (with or without Daron Nefcy) in the future!

Tweet version here. Share that too!

Finally, forget not to share also this complimentary post listing some of the most important creatives for Disney TVA to recruit for new SvTFOE content!

I thank you for sharing, noticing and/or reading the post.

If you wonder why I love Star much, see this post (spoiler if you saw not Season 3 yet)

BTW, if you like The Powerpuff Girls and/or relative team members, check this post out too (and share it if you agree)!

[ptbf2002]

Animated Atrocities - Bye Bye Nerdy

Show - Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends Season/Episode - Season 2, Episode 11 Air Date - July 1, 2005 Writer(s) - Tim McKeon Director(s)/Editor(s) - Craig McCracken, Vaughn Tada (Storyboard), Chris Savino (Animation), Paul O'Flanagan (Animation) Rating - 33/100 Other Note(s) - Oh My God, This Episode Makes Me Very Annoyed, And Makes Me Feel Sorry For Mac, Bloo acts more selfish in this episode as he decides to change Mac's personality from smart to cool. Bloo is also far dumber because he sees Mac in a classroom after school and thinks that he's a nerd. Like What The Hell, He Doesn't Deserve To Be Called A Nerd, Proves That Bloo Was Just A Jerk, Mr. Herriman Is An Idiot In This Episode, Because He tries to get Bloo adopted by another family and even cheers when Bloo is getting adopted to another family When BLOO HE WASN'T PUTTED FOR ADOPTION JESUS CHRIST!!!!!! Jamez Was The Worst Here In This Episode, Because And ending was just stupid that is just plain cruel and hard to watch. Bloo gets made fun of by Mac's peers, so Mac stands up for him, but after Jamez says otherwise and calls Mac a nerd, Mac and Bloo get teased by Mac's peers, just because he hangs out with Bloo, his imaginary friend. When Bloo asks Mac why he was studying inside, it turns out that Mac had detention for shooting spitballs, and Bloo says that he is cool, but when Mac does an equation, Bloo calls him a nerd even after what happened, then Mac angrily chases him and the episode ends there, which shows that Bloo never learned his lesson. To be fair, Mac outright revealing to a bunch of kids and (to a lesser extent) Jamez that he spends time with Bloo wasn't exactly a bright move since Mac's is pretty much revealing that despite being a teenager, he (Mac) still spends time with an Imaginary Friend (Bloo) despite being too old to have him, and as such, Mac should have known that he would get pick on, but that doesn't make this ending that much better. Is That What The Writers Did This? It's Like Tim McKeon, Which He's The One Who Wrote This Episode, Hates Mac Like Chris Savino Hates Lincoln Loud. Jamez Should've Been Blamed And Punished For What He Just Did To Mac, Bloo Was Out-Of-Character In This Episode, And This Is Another Mac Torture Porn Episode. Original Meme Template: https://imgflip.com/memetemplate/196127392/MrEnters-Notebook Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends Belongs To Craig McCracken, Lauren Faust, Mike Moon, Boulder Media Limited (Ireland), Cartoon Network Studios, Cartoon Network, Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. WarnerMedia & AT&T Inc.

[the7dwiki]

At Toonzone, I posted a retrospective on The 7D! It’s a long post, so under the jump here’s my thoughts:

Today marks a day since the finale of The 7D first premiered in the United States. The production of the show was overseen by Tom Ruegger, and he brought along many of the staff who worked with him on past Warner Bros. and Hanna-Barbera series. The 7D took place years before the time of Snow White, with its own separate universe, and it paid homages to the 1937 Disney film, as well as some Disney and pop culture references. Even with all the talent involved and an all-star cast of veteran voice actors plus Kelly Osbourne (Hildy) and Leigh-Allyn Baker (Queen Delightful), this lighthearted and funny series is still very underappreciated. When The 7D was first announced for Disney Junior (later moved to Disney XD) in 2012, even with Ruegger being named as the executive producer, there were negativity and attacks towards the show and its staff, especially with you-know-who of Cartoon Brew. However, when the show debuted in July 2014, it became a ratings hit on Disney XD, making it at the time the No. 2 premiere in the network's history. Its official tie-in gaming app was downloaded more than a million times, enough for it to become No. 1. Then, the much anticipated Star vs. the Forces of Evil debuted months later, which eclipsed The 7D. SvtFoE became Disney XD's darling, and suddenly the writing's on the wall for The 7D over the next year. A schedule change on the last several episodes of the first season on January 2015 forced the season finale, "The Rock of Sages", off Disney XD as it was announced that there were some animation problems. Despite that, a few scenes from the episode was featured on that month's promo for the series, though one of the clips was revealed to be a deleted scene. Meanwhile, DXD in the U.S. continued to sat on the episode for several months while other Disney channels around the world had access to the season finale. "The Rock of Sages" finally premiered on the U.S. on September 2015, then many more months had been passed until the second season premiered on January 2016. At that time, The 7D was placed in a Saturday morning time slot at 9:30; DXD promoted the second season premiere and a few subsequent episodes well, which got strong ratings. After then, DXD had mostly stopped promoting the series, causing the ratings to drop sharply. The network also began the reduction of reruns; by the last months of the series' original run, its Saturday morning time slot became the only time one can watch the show on TV. New episodes and reruns aired on that lone time slot, and it was frequently preempted by random marathons or other special events. (It led many fans to forget that The 7D was still airing.) Further complicating matters was the series' cancellation by Disney before the start of Season 2 around New Year's but hadn't made public until the following April, cutting the number of episodes intended for the second season from 39 to 20. The 7D had proved to be a decent sized hit, but in my opinion it got lost in the shuffle as the ever-increasing popularity of story-driven shows like Gravity Falls and the aforementioned SvtFoE, in addition to DXD's over-attention towards them and a few others. Tastes were changed -- drama and angst are in, silliness is out. It came at a wrong time. Plus, the show wasn't a good fit for DXD: the show's brand of silly comedy and lightheartedness doesn't quite mix well with the network's other programming. Even though Disney encouraged The 7D's producers to aim for all ages, it instead ended up on a network that gears towards boys. Outside the U.S., the show is/was regularly shown on a Disney Channel or Disney Junior in some countries (in the U.K. and Ireland, The 7D was moved from DXD to Disney Channel earlier this year). The circumstances surrounding The 7D's abrupt cancellation remains a mystery. Wander Over Yonder's Craig McCracken, Gravity Falls' Alex Hirsch, and Penn Zero: Part Time Hero's Sam Levine had announced why their series ended and told their fans what they had in store had the series been continued. Over a year has passed, and none of The 7D's staff revealed why the series had ended so soon. Me and my friends speculated that there were some behind-the-scenes stuff going on between corporate and the show's staff, or Disney for some reason forced them into a NDA. Despite whatever troubles the show had, I'm glad I got to enjoy it. The 7D was the one reason I made many friends online over it. It has a lot of great songs that it was criminal not to release a soundtrack as Disney had done for other shows (Parry Gripp once mentioned that they were in talks to release one for The 7D)! The 7D makes you feel better when you had a bad day, and it deserves another chance. Sorry for the long post, I'm just passionate about this show! So...what are your thoughts on or memories of The 7D?