Drawing Lots and Lots of Little Pictures- A Cartoon Thread

[R.R. Bigman]

"Allegedly", Jussie Smollett faked being a victim of a hate crime to further his own career.

I should probably also mention how the kid who plays Coach Gordon, Emilio's character, in the opening flashback went on to create Bitcoin.

 

[LBD_Nytetrayn]

Wow, that's some wild stuff.

 

[Bongo]

Somebody tricked me into watching this ongoing documentary series about the history of Looney Tunes. It's pretty good so far!

 

[FelixSH]

Wow, it took me way too long to find this thread. No idea if this is my fault, I'm bad at this, sometimes.

Anyway, I'm watching Kid Cosmic, and it's really fun. Powerful rings fall to earth, to a desert place in the middle of nowhere, where a kid finds them. He and his family (including the cat), get the rings, and use them to defend the earth from the invaders who want to take the rings.

It's fun, and I like the artstyle. Also, there is a cat. It's also short, with one season of ten episodes. Also has more continuity than one might expect.

 

[Octopus Prime]

I keep meaning to watch that, and now I know I should trust those instincts!

 

[FelixSH]

It took me one or two episodes to get into it, but that might be just that I needed to adjust to it. But it got really enjoyable, the mood is pretty chill (I think due to the artstyle). That artstyle is also in some way inspired by old superhero comics.

I feel like I want to say more, but can't really express anything. Strange. Anyway, it's nice.

Edit: Just realized that it's from Craig McCracken, who also did Powerpuff Girls, Fosters Home for Imaginary Friends and Wander Over Yonder. And it's also from Lauren Faust, who started the excellent My Little Pony: FIM cartoon.

 

[Daikaiju]

Just wondering... If Lion-o had grown up normally, wouldn't Wily-kit be candidate #1?

 

[R.R. Bigman]

Does King of the Hill ever get bad like The Simpsons does after season 8?

 

[FelixSH]

Not bad, but when I watched the whole show, a few years back, I found the characters becoming broader at the end. And the show made Hank more and more into the guy, who is always right, instead of making fun of him too.

I only watched the show one time, and it's been s few years already, so my memory might not be quite accurate. But I'm sure it never got actively bad.

 

[Octopus Prime]

At worst it gets fine

 

[Mr. Sensible]

Does King of the Hill ever get bad like The Simpsons does after season 8?

It became incredibly formulaic (Hank commits some unintentional social faux pas and/or suffers a light indignity, then later resolves the problem with his trademark brand of common-sense/conservative Texan values).

 

[R.R. Bigman]

It became incredibly formulaic (Hank commits some unintentional social faux pas and/or suffers a light indignity, then later resolves the problem with his trademark brand of common-sense/conservative Texan values).

That still sounds much better than post 2000’s Simpsons’ mix of lazy celebrity guest episode, Homer gets a new job/discovers new talent, and outdated “current” event commentary/parody, all done with an unsettling amount of mean-spiritedness.

I think King of the Hill might be a better TV show than The Simpsons just looking at averages.

 

[R.R. Bigman]

The King of the Hill season 3 finale is a masterpiece.

 

[Johnny Unusual]

Trailer for Luca if anyone is interested.

Not a lot to say, except the animation is very pretty as always and I always like a big guy who a mustache and no eyes.

 

[Patrick]

I was digging it up until they revealed the gimmick. I'd like a version that's just kids going on a summer adventure.

 

[Octopus Prime]

Been watching Solar Opposites since it showed up on Disney + in Canada (yet Owl House still has not...), and yes, it’s very much leaning on Rick and Morty in nearly every capacity.

HOWEVER

The only two areas in which it is not leaning on Rick and Morty is that it’s riffing on the likes of Invader Zim and The Munsters, instead of Doctor Who and BttF. And more importantly; everyone on the show likes each other. Dan Harmon has nothing to do with the show and it lacks the outright misanthropy that defines all his work.

Even the Rick analog, the alien who introduces each episode talking about how much he hates Earth and everything on it is, at worst, a curmudgeon and is desperate for everyone to like him.

Also, terrible internet people have yet to poison the show by association. It’s win-win!

 

[Sprite]

Yeah, I rewatched the first three Rick and Morty seasons with husband, having a great time and wondering why I fell off from the show. And then this happened:

“Am I... evil?”
“Worse. You’re smart.”

And I was like oh right there it is.

 

[Kirin]

It's kind of weird, my partner tried to show me some random Rick and Morty and I bounced off it real quick because it's just too relentlessly mean to be any fun. But then she got me into Community, which is *also* created and written by Dan Harmon, and *that* one stuck. I mean sure they sometimes get mean in the moment but in the end the main cast all basically support each other. I dunno, for whatever reason the latter works for me while the former just completely doesn't. I guess this isn't really the right thread for this topic though...

 

[MetManMas]

I saw most of the "Pickle Rick" episode a few years back, my first non-commercial look at Rick and Morty. Just...ew. Really, it just reminded me why I've largely fallen off of a lot of adult animation: Gross shock value stuff with a big emphasis on maturity through horrible violence and bad words instead of actually being mature.

I'm pretty much over the "Look at the quirky asshole(s)" stuff that makes up so much of the adult animation landscape.

 

[Exposition Owl]

a big emphasis on maturity through horrible violence and bad words instead of actually being mature.

Ugh, that kind of thing drives me up a wall. It’s like when the Dudes on the Internet years ago said that they wanted a “mature” Zelda game, by which they meant a grimdark Zelda game with lots of gore and bare breasts. By “mature” they don’t mean adult—they mean adolescent.

 

[FelixSH]

Been watching Solar Opposites since it showed up on Disney + in Canada (yet Owl House still has not...), and yes, it’s very much leaning on Rick and Morty in nearly every capacity.

HOWEVER

The only two areas in which it is not leaning on Rick and Morty is that it’s riffing on the likes of Invader Zim and The Munsters, instead of Doctor Who and BttF. And more importantly; everyone on the show likes each other. Dan Harmon has nothing to do with the show and it lacks the outright misanthropy that defines all his work.

Even the Rick analog, the alien who introduces each episode talking about how much he hates Earth and everything on it is, at worst, a curmudgeon and is desperate for everyone to like him.

Also, terrible internet people have yet to poison the show by association. It’s win-win!

This totally sold me on Solar Opposites. I watched through Rick and Morty one time, just out of curiousity and than because it had good parts. But the nihilism and misanthropy always bugged me. So, a show that's as clever, but with actual empathy sound, indeed, like a win-win.

Didn't help that R&M seemed to have created a fandom that was even bad compared to other fandoms. Which is quite a feat.

It's kind of weird, my partner tried to show me some random Rick and Morty and I bounced off it real quick because it's just too relentlessly mean to be any fun. But then she got me into Community, which is *also* created and written by Dan Harmon, and *that* one stuck. I mean sure they sometimes get mean in the moment but in the end the main cast all basically support each other. I dunno, for whatever reason the latter works for me while the former just completely doesn't. I guess this isn't really the right thread for this topic though...

I feel like Community at least knows that the people are actually terrible? Unlike Rick and Morty, where the show acts like Rick is intelligent, and therefore beyond the need to be a decent human being. And as you said, the main cast still does support each other. The basic vibe just feels less antagonistic.

Ugh, that kind of thing drives me up a wall. It’s like when the Dudes on the Internet years ago said that they wanted a “mature” Zelda game, by which they meant a grimdark Zelda game with lots of gore and bare breasts. By “mature” they don’t mean adult—they mean adolescent.

I guess I completely missed that one. Well, can't say I'm sad about it. I mean, someone once mentioned the idea for a steam- or cyberpunk Zelda game, which does sound interesting and dark. But not gore and naked women, please.

 

[Octopus Prime]

In the interest of full disclosure, the show is still chock a block with violence and cusses, if that’s a deal breaker.

 

[R.R. Bigman]

The Shout Factory app has The Last Unicorn, so I watched it. I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a more melancholy animated film. Maybe a lot of that fell comes from the soundtrack, which was done by the band America and is also best part of the movie. I can’t get the main theme out of my head.

I wish animation could be more wistful and subdued again.

 

[Johnny Unusual]

I think the Last Unicorn is also on Criterion this month.

 

[R.R. Bigman]

OK KO and Clarence are two shows that I wish had gotten more love. I still don’t get why OK KO did not take off with kids. There could have been so many fun toy ideas, with action figures and accessories. I still want real, physical POW cards.

Clarence was absolutely not what the cartoon watching twenty and thirty somethings wanted to see, but I loved it for it’s willingness to have nearly the entire cast be poor, come from non-traditional family arrangements and be 90’s era gross, which also fits the setting.

 

[SpoonyBard]

Wait why was I not informed that Harvey Birdman was getting a spinoff?!

 

[Octopus Prime]

I wasn’t either and consider this a cruel breach of conduct!

Padget is involved which is everything I needed to know to be exthrizzilated

 

[lincolnic]

Yep, that trailer looked great. Excited for Birdgirl!

 

[Johnny Unusual]

I appreciate that the rhythm is similar to the old show but tonally it also feels like a show of this era where it seems geared to having positive, likeable leads.

 

[Octopus Prime]

Padget doesn’t seem to be quite as energetic as she was in the original, but that only means she’s bringing an 11/10 to the show instead of a 15.

AND SPEAKING OF FEMALE LED SUPERHERO CARTOONS

After hearing Teg and Drowaeyn chatting about it for a couple of days, I decided to watch an episode of Miraculous Ladybug. Which, based on my experience so far, I deem “better than expected”. Shows got a lot of what I liked about Sailor Moon (lots of on-point comedy and Friends Being Pals) and less of what I dislike (action scenes are well choreographed and exciting instead of Stock Footage and Dramatic Posing).

No comment on how many plots are about small businesses run by evil space vampires, but that’s kind of narrowcasting for me.

Also, apparently “Evil-ize” is a verb in this universe and I love that.

The first episode was not an origin, however so I was kind of forced to play catch up with everyone’s weird super powers and character dynamics, but this is a show intended for small kids so I’m sure that’s not too big a hurdle.

The villain looks way more intimidating when he isn’t in his costume.