ANIMATED SHORTS: LOOKING BACK AT THE BEST OF 06, REANIMATED'S CREATORS & MORE

[MattBrady]

ANIMATION’S CENTENNIAL - WAS IT SOMETHING TO CELEBRATE?
REANIMATED, OBAN & MORE

by Steve Fritz

On April 6, 1906, J. Stuart Blackton created what many now consider the first animated cartoon, Humorous Phases of Funny Faces. It makes one wonder how this vaudevillian, journalist, entrepreneur and lightning sketch artist would think of animation today?

Earlier this year, someone asked me if I could write about animation every day. The answer was a simple “In my sleep.” When I started writing about animation over fifteen years ago, I only got to write a piece here, a piece there, and most of them retrospectives on past masters like Chuck Jones or Max Fleischer. Today, a day doesn’t go by when several press releases magically appear in my mailbox or a few animation-only DVDs are dropped by my door. This December is the first month where I didn’t go to some theatrical screening or other (so far…I anticipate screenings for Arthur & The Invisibles and Happily Never After before the new year). I can watch animation on the tube 24-7 without touching my remote. Toons are now so pervasive it’s become part of our everyday environment (just look at the ads around this articles if you don’t believe).

So, why do I feel like this hasn’t been the best year? The answer is simple, while the quantity of animation is increasing geometrically, the quality hasn’t reciprocated.

Let me tell you two stories to illustrate this point.

At one time, I freelanced for the National Basketball Association. For the record, the sports league is headed by a man who truly is a marketing genius in the form of Commissioner David Stern. He’s also a remarkably sociable and pleasant man to talk to, when he has a moment to spare that is.

One time I was in the office cafeteria when he popped in. After saying hello to him, he paused to ask what my name was because he had forgotten it. This lead to an interesting moment. He mentioned how when he first started working for the league he could remember the names of everyone who worked for the NBA, from his top execs to the lowliest part-timer. He knew who I was, I had been working there for over a year by that time, but he just couldn’t remember my name, and that bothered him. I took no offense. Hey, it’s something when a man of that stature says hello to you.

The conversation continued, too. At one point I recalled asking him, based on what he just said, did he think there was a point where he would stop adding teams to the league.

Without batting an eye he immediately said “32,” implying, at least as long as he was commissioner, there would never be more than 32 teams. Why? As far as he was concerned the quality of play inside the NBA would be seriously diluted if it went any further. It was basic law of diminishing return.

The second story is equally important.

One day I was at a major convention examining the latest work of one of the major cartoon studios. A well-dressed and important looking lady came up and started watching the work with me. As it turned out, she was the head recruiter for that organization. She was in town to examine a bunch of recent college grads. She was also looking for more.

I mentioned to her that a friend of mine was a stand-up comedian who decided to go back to school and study animation. This friend would be graduating next year, and was studying in Philadelphia (where we obviously weren’t). Would she like the name?

The woman snatched the phone number and name out of my hand faster than lightning. Then she asked me, very seriously, if I knew about 100 more people like my friend. The demand for animators is still so severe this woman was in a constant hunt for these people. If an animator wasn’t happy with the TV/film business, he could easily jump over to video games, advertising studios, net companies, you name it.

So what does these two stories have to do with this year? Look at the number of animated feature films up for Oscar consideration:

The Ant Bully (Warner Brothers) Arthur and the Invisibles (Weinstein Co/MGM) Barnyard (Paramount) Cars (Disney/Pixar) Curious George (Universal) Everyone's Hero (20th Century Fox) Flushed Away (DreamWorks Animation)
Happy Feet (Warner Brothers)
Ice Age: The Meltdown (20th Century Fox)
Monster House (Sony Pictures)
Open Season (Sony Pictures)
Over the Hedge (DreamWorks Animation)
Paprika (Sony Pictures)
Renaissance (Miramax Films)
A Scanner Darkly (Warner Independent Pictures)
The Wild (Disney)

…and I can add about five more that didn’t make the list. This includes Hoodwinked, which only went into mass release this January, Doogal, to a Norwegian film called Captain Sabertooth that managed to get some U.S. distribution. I would also be remiss to ignore Michel Ocelot’s Azur & Asmar. As I said last summer, there never was a year when this many animated films were released.

Some scream about an animation “glut” (more on that in a future column), but what happened is the talent pool needed to truly support this growth is stretched to the limit, especially on the story man end of it. Good story men, experienced animators who can tweak a work from being barely entertaining to absolutely incredible, were always hard to find. I personally think the loss of Joe Rannft at Pixar was one of the reasons why Cars didn’t knock people out the way others Pixar productions had. Rannft had the magic that could say cut a few seconds here, add this little bit there, and the difference would be incredible. It’s also been proven the only way one becomes a good story man is by working your way up the ladder. While we got lots and lots of young animators entering the field, many just aren’t experienced enough to be of the same quality, if they get there at all.

Meanwhile, the number of films and other animated-related projects is still going to come at this tremendous rate. It’s a matter of concern. Just think of the comic “boom” of the early 1990’s. Lots and lots of comics, but just how many Rob Liefeld-inspired light table/splash pages did we really need?

Then again, back in the days when animation geeks such as myself used to think it was a great year if we got three whole features should also remember one simple rule. Even if there was one film in a year, or 21, that didn’t mean there wouldn’t be some stinkers in the mix. While this year produced its share of bad films, I would be remiss to say there weren’t some truly good ones as well. The same applies for TV and the other media we now have to contend with.

As has been my tradition since I started this column, it’s time to review just what I consider the best. To keep things consistent, I’ve modified my categories, making a definite split between family (aka juvenile) and adult. Don’t be surprised if this keeps modifying as I continue.

FEATURE FILMS

Best Feature Film – Adult

Candidates:
A Scanner Darkly (Warner Independent)
Paprika (Sony Classic)
Renaissance (Miramax)

WINNER: Renaissance.

This was probably one of the toughest categories as far as I was concerned. All three films are highly innovative and of the highest quality. So why did I go with the French confection instead of the best PK Dick film ever made or the latest anime masterwork from Satoshi Kon? Simply it was the one that truly kept me riveted to my seat. I found the use of extremely polarized rotoscoping mixed with just the incredible universe blue screened around the characters incredibly impressive. Daniel Craig just blew me away with his portrayal of a futuristic cop trying to stop a “cosmetic” treatment that would ultimately destroy the world. If only there were more films like this...

Best Feature Film – Family

Candidates:
Curious George (Universal)
Happy Feet (Warner Bros)
Hoodwinked (Weinstein)
Monster House (Sony)
Over The Hedge (Dreamworks)

WINNER: Monster House

I said it before, I’ll say it again. Kids love a good scare. Monster House was a great scary movie. Yes, some of the stop motion animation left something to be desired as far as the human characters were concerned. This issue could be easily overlooked thanks to the incredibly imaginative storytelling, immaculate action sequences and wonderful voice performances from the entire cast. Then there’s the house herself. She was an incredible piece of work. Kudos to the supervising animator on that one. For the record, if Monster House hadn’t come out, I would have been tossing a coin between Over The Hedge and Hoodwinked.

Before I go, I do want to add an honorable mention to Barnyard. Yes, it was flawed, but I don’t care what others think, it was a comic tour de force and deserved a lot better than it got.

Best Direct-To-DVD Feature Film

Full Metal Alchemist: Conqueror of Shambala (FUNimation)
Ultimate Avengers 1 (Lions Gate/Marvel)
Ultimate Avengers 2 (Lions Gate/Marvel)

WINNER: Full Metal Alchemist: Conqueror of Shambala.

In a strange way I get the feeling this isn’t the last adventure of the Elric Brothers, and I’m glad. The animation was superlative, the story was involving and the denouement satisfying. Even if it is the end of the FMA series, it was a nice way to go. As for the Marvel entries? Good starts here folks. I can’t wait to see what’s coming with both Iron Man and Dr. Strange. Expect this category to grow considerably with the Hellboy and DC entries.

Best TV Series: Adult

The Boondocks (Adult Swim/Sony)
Drawn Together (Comedy Central)
Metalocalypse (Adult Swim)
South Park (Comedy Central)
The Venture Brothers (Adult Swim)

WINNER: The Boondocks.

Probably the toughest category of the bunch, but I’ll have to hand it to Magruder & Company. The series ended on an extremely high note, had incredible animation, some gorgeous artwork and great stories. I can’t wait for the next season. Also, if anyone were to ask me about the other shows, I’d highly recommend them to. Parker & Stone nailed it with this year’s South Park. The latest season of Drawn Together had me in stitches. Both Metalocalypse and The Ventures just rocked. In fact, I would say this is the healthiest category of the bunch, I could have added another batch of series to this list with the likes of Family Guy, American Dad, Harvey Birdman, ATHF, Robot Chicken and Samurai 7.

Best TV Series: Family

Avatar: The Last Airbender (Nickelodeon)
Dragon Hunters (Cartoon Network)
Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends (Cartoon Network)
Monster Allergy (Kids WB)
Oban Star-Racers (Jetix)

WINNER: Avatar: The Last Airbender

As a friend of mine put it, what sets this show apart from the pack is it never talks down to kids, it talks UP. Nickelodeon boasts that it spends $1 million dollars per episode and one can see it all on the screen. It also has sterling dialogue, excellent voice acting, imaginative and gorgeous character and background designs. Why it’s the total package. A truly amazing series that deserves the growing fanatical following it’s getting.

Best Direct-To-DVD Series

Desert Punk (FUNimation)
Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Christo (Geneon)
Kami Chu (Geneon)
Karas (Manga)
Speed Grapher (FUNimation)

WINNER: Gankutsuou

The latest effort from anime superstar Mahiro Maeda is his most impressive yet. It’s a swirling canopy of animation techniques, complex plot lines and rocking soundtrack (courtesy of former Strangler Jean Jacques Burnell). This futuristic adaptation of the Dumas classic, with a serious nod towards Alfred Bester’s The Stars My Destination, pushes visual boundaries like nothing made-for-TV I’ve seen in ages. Then, after a virtual visual tour-de-force in its penultimate episodes, it settles down for a perfect ending. I hadn’t been so jazzed about a new anime series since I first saw Serial Experiment Lain, and I think this series will eventually earn equal props.

Best Retrospective Collection

Before Walt (Inkwell Images)
The Filmation Series (BCI)
Gatchaman (ADV)
Looney Toons: The Golden Collections (WB)
The Walt Disney Collections (Disney)

WINNER: Gatchaman

No mistake, this has been an exceptionally great year for animation retrospectives. So what made me decide on the Gatchaman? Simply the absolute depths of detail this nine-BOX (27 DVDs) went into the subject, not forgetting the incredible restoration work, the Alex Ross covers or just the plain historical importance of the series. A superlative collection in a year of superlative collections. Really, you can’t go wrong with any of them.

So that’s that for this year. As the new year comes, one can’t help but wonder what Blackton would think of projects ranging from Monster House to Avatar, or television in general (he died tragically in a car accident in 1941). Next column we discuss concepts that probably go completely over his head when we start looking at 2007.

RE-ANIMATED RATINGS GIVE CREATORS A HAPPY HOLIDAY

Adam Pava and Tim McKeon must certainly be double dipping the egg nog. Heck, I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re hugging themselves under the mistletoe.

The reason is simple, Re-Animated, the live-action/animated film they created for Cartoon Network wound up the highest rated original movie in that cable channel’s entire history; beating out the likes of Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends: Good Wilt Hunting,, the Foster’s pilot and the Kids Next Door: Operation Z.E.R.O.. Nielsen ratings report the special, which aired on Friday, December 8, pulled in just short of 1.5 (1.482) million kids aged 2-11, a 30% increase over that time block’s usual numbers.

For McKeon and Pava, getting the show on the air was a long and laborious process, something they now want to share the credit with.

“We have been working at Cartoon Network for a number of years,” says Pava. “Then we pitched them an idea to do Re-Animated as a TV show, but they wanted it as a movie. That was about a year-and-a-half ago. That actually turned out to be better because we got a bigger budget, more time and all those other things. I mean you couldn’t do things like the Decaporail if you were on a TV budget.”

Why did the show do so well? When you break it down it owes a lot to classic productions of yore, especially the work of Sid & Marty Kroft.

“We’re fans of Sid & Marty Kroft,” Pava concurred.

“I think there’s a lot of their influence in Re-Animated,” McKeon adds. “Also, obviously, Roger Rabbit was a huge influence. We just love golden age cartoons and giant walk-around characters wearing funny outfits. There’s some Kroft aspects in that for sure.”

There’s also a lot of Kroft veteran Charles Nelson Reilly in the performance of Matt Knudsen, who played the main villain, Sonny Appleby.

“When he auditioned he sort of came with that character nearly fully formed,” said Pava. “It just had us laughing. It just had us laughing so hard. We originally had Sonny written as a kind of classic Snideley Whiplash type of villain.”

“He added sort of this awesome sense of low self-esteem that was just super-funny that we wrote to his performance from then on,” said McKeon.

The two also give a lot of credit to the studio Renegade Animation, who not only did a lot of the animation, but a lot more.

“Renegade Animation, who have done Hi Hi Puffy Ami Yumi show and a ton of commercial work,” says McKeon. “They are primarily a flash animation company, but they do other stuff as well, including their own proprietary form of Flash animation. They helped us come up with the look of the show.

“And they really helped form the characters,” Pava chimes in. “They really made the characters pop and put a lot of effort in to get the emotions. They also helped create a lot of the props that could be incorporated into the live action world. Good examples are the cereal box at the beginning of the movie, or the posters and dolls in Robin’s room. They also did all the design work on the theme park.”

As for the character design, these two Foster’s writers give a fellow colleague, Shannon Tindell, a lot of props.

“We were lucky to get him,” says McKeon. “Since his contribution he’s won an Emmy for his character designs and is way too busy these days.”

As for the future, the two are keeping themselves busy.

“Right now we’re working on a bunch of stuff on our own,” says McKeon, “but this project was a lot of fun. We would love to do more, if it’s possible.”

One gets the feeling, based on the ratings, they will.

ADULT SWIM BREAKS OUT THE HO-HO-HOS WITH X-MAS SPECIAL BLOCK

The bitter bastards at Adult Swim will be celebrating the yuletide season in their own inimitable manner.

It kicks off this Saturday, December 23 at 11:00 p.m. with a flurry of Inu Yasha films, Starting with the latest (maybe last) film, 4. From there it will count down backwards to the first movie.

Then they’ll stuff the weekend stocking with a line-up of specials on Sunday, Dec. 24, from 10 p.m. until whenever. After all, what would Christmas be without longwinded stories, family violence, awkward moments, celebrity cameos, kicks to the groin and lots of liquor?

10:00 p.m. Futurama: "A Tale Of Two Santas" - As Christmas approaches Bender faces execution when he fills in for the murderous Santa robot.

10:30 Aqua Teen Hunger Force: "Cybernetic Ghost of Christmas Past from the Future" - A Robot comes over and causes Carl's house and pool to fill with blood. He tells a really long, boring story that has something to do with Christmas.

10:45 Aqua Teen Hunger Force: "T-Shirt of the Dead" - An ancient Egyptian t-shirt gives Meatwad unfathomable powers. Special guest appearance by Santa Claus.

11:00 Family Guy: "A Very Special Family Guy Freakin' Christmas" - The Griffins have a Merry Christmas even though Lois and her carefully laid holiday plans fall apart. Stewie is convinced there really is a Santa Claus.

11:30 Assy McGee: "Conviction" - A local drug epidemic overtakes the city and puts Detective McGee's life at stake. This one has nothing to do with Christmas.

11:45 Robot Chicken Christmas Spectacular- Gohan and Goku help save Christmas. Then Santa Claus is killed - but was it due to an international drug-smuggling ring? A smattering of sacrilegious fare rounds out the special.

12:00 a.m. Squidbillies: "Rebel With A Claus" - Early ruins Christmas.

12:15 Moral Orel: "The Best Christmas Ever" – Moralton on Jesus' birthday...a very special Moral Orel.

12:30 The Venture Bros.: "A Very Venture Christmas" - In this Christmas special, everyone on the Venture Compound is getting into the holiday spirit. Dr. Venture is a bit behind on his shopping, but he's excited about hosting his annual Christmas Eve shindig. Brock turns out to have some sentimental Yuletide traditions. Dean and Hank, who still believe in Santa Claus, accidentally unlock a magical demon who threatens to ruin Dr. Venture's annual Christmas party and murder all his guests. Dr. Billy Quizboy and Mr. White hit on Traina, Dr. Orpheus's underage daughter. Meanwhile, The Monarch plans the ultimate gift for his paramour, Dr. Girlfriend - the destruction of the entire Venture Compound. It's a wonderful life.

12:45 Tom Goes to the Mayor: "Rat's Off to Ya" – Tom creates a T-shirt that reads "Rat's Off to Ya" for Christmas. It becomes a big hit, but the idea is quickly stolen from Tom by a local novelty store. Jeff Garlin guest-stars as Pat Croce, a novelty store owner.

1:00 Pee-wee's Playhouse Christmas Special - Christmas is coming and Pee-wee is getting very excited. He is putting together his Christmas list, but it's getting awfully long. When Pee-wee finds out that getting everything on his list means that the rest of the kids won't get what they want, what will he do? Special guests including Magic Johnson, Grace Jones, k.d. lang, Oprah Winfrey, Whoopi Goldberg, The Del Rubio Triplets, Frankie Avalon and Anette Funicello and Dinah Shore all stop by, joining Playhouse regulars like Cowboy Curtis, Reba the Mail Lady, Chairry, Conky and Magic Screen for this fantastic Yuletide romp.

From there, they will do a series of marathons, focusing on one show each evening. Here’s the schedule:

December 25: Venture Brothers
December 26: Boondocks
December 27: Robot Chicken
December 28: Squidbillies
December 29:
December 30: Bleach
December 31: Metalocalypse

DISNEY RENEWS LITTLE EINSTEINS

The Disney Channel announced it will start its second season of Little Einsteins on January 13 at 8:00 a.m. eastern.

The show is an incredible delight, mixing anything from Warhol to Verdi and making it all digestible for pre-schoolers.

We look forward to having Disney's 'Little Einsteins' continue to pique kids' interest in the arts, nature and world cultures through Leo, Annie, Quincy and June's adventures," said Nancy Kanter, Senior Vice
President, Original Programming, Disney Channel. "This new season will introduce our young viewers to modern artists like Warhol and Kandinsky, and they will learn more about the featured composers in each episode."

In addition to the introduction of new artists, season two episodes will ask viewers to participate in the mission in new fun interactive ways, such as encouraging kids to pat their tummies and shoulders to the music at various speeds – adagio, moderato, allegro and presto.

Since its October 2005 premiere, Disney's "Little Einsteins" has consistently ranked #1 in its time period among all basic cable among kids 2-5. The series, which currently airs in 93 countries around the
world, recently received its first Grammy Award nomination - Best Spoken Word Album for Children.

ANIME NETWORK ANNOUNCEMENTS

Anime Network has made several interesting announcements over the last week.

The first is they will be adding the show Utawarerumono: Mask of a Stranger on January 4, 2007. It tells the tale of a masked stranger named Hakuoro. The mask that he can’t remove, a past he can’t unravel and the very survival of the people who have chosen him as their leader. What Hakuoro doesn’t know is that he was gravely injured in a forest and left for dead. A kind, young girl named Elululu found him and nursed him back to health. Welcomed into a barren land where strange creatures roam, an angry god seeks vengeance and an oppressive government slaughters the innocent, while a bloody war looms on the horizon. Will the masked hero be able to liberate the people who saved him? Can he unlock the memories that elude him, or will he remain a stranger…even to himself? The answers are right before his eyes (or are they?) in the thrilling, killing and pillaging first volume.

The network also announced it will now be available in Puerto Rico through the island’s two larges MSO’s One Link and Liberty Cablevision. These deals, which represent more than two-thirds of the island, will net the 24/7 channel 178,000 new subscribers. Additionally, America’s #1 Anime Channel has secured 24/7 linear deals in Missouri, Texas, Florida and Wisconsin, with launches on Longview, Optical Entertainment Network (OEN), Home Town Cable and Community Antenna, respectively.

“We are delighted at the opportunity to bring our linear channel to television audiences in Puerto Rico, as well as to the other regions served by these new partners,” said Kevin McFeeley, the Network’s Vice
President of Affiliate Sales and New Media. “Anime Network has already had tremendous success in the on-demand realm. We look forward to seeing its continued growth as a 24/7 offering as well.”

Anime Network’s current linear launch schedule for each MSO is as follows:

• One Link – Now available on Channel 134 in Puerto Rico
• Liberty Cablevision – January 21, 2007 launch, Channel 70 in Puerto Rico
• Longview – Now available on Channel 221 in Missouri
• OEN’s FISION Service – January 2007 launch, Channel 305 in Houston, Texas
• Home Town Cable – December 15 launch, Channel 175 in Florida
• Community Antenna – December 15 launch, Channel 221 in Wisconsin

FUNIMATION ENTERS SACREMENTO

At the same time, the FUNimation Channel announced it’s entering the Sacramento, California market when it becomes part of the Sure West Digital TV channel 142. Syndicated programming is also available to Sacramento residents on KBTV-CA TV 8 and to Hawaii residents on KIKU TV.

"This is great news for fans of quality anime in the Sacramento area," said Debra Kennedy, SVP of Marketing and New Media at FUNimation Entertainment. "As part of the digital TV service being delivered over SureWest's state-of-the-art IP-based fiber network, FUNimation can bring top anime series directly to the homes of fans 24 hours a day."

"We are excited to offer viewers in the Sacramento region the great anime that can be seen on the FUNimation Channel," said Peter Drozdoff, SureWest's vice president of marketing. "We continue to deliver value to our customers by adding variety and diverse programming to our channel lineup. Channels like the FUNimation Channel help us differentiate ourselves in the marketplace and gain new customers."

NEXT COLUMN: We start looking forward when I make my predictions for 2007.

[Charlie Hustle]

not sure if this is the place but my little brother likes anime a lot and said evangelion (which he has the dvds of or whatever) is being made into a movie, is that correct?

and i thought over the hedge was great

[bebopeva88]

I really want to see Renaissance -- it didn't play anywhere around me theatrically.

I don't know if I can trust the reviews of someone who picks The Boondocks as best animated adult series over South Park and The Venture Bros., while noting that "The latest season of Drawn Together had me in stitches". Ah, well, everyone's got their own tastes

[sfritz]

Originally Posted by bebopeva88

I really want to see Renaissance -- it didn't play anywhere around me theatrically.

I don't know if I can trust the reviews of someone who picks The Boondocks as best animated adult series over South Park and The Venture Bros., while noting that "The latest season of Drawn Together had me in stitches". Ah, well, everyone's got their own tastes

Hey...I said my piece, and that's why Newsarama then leaves this area for you.

I understand Renaissance should come out on DVD in the next month or so. -s

[sfritz]

Originally Posted by Charlie Hustle

not sure if this is the place but my little brother likes anime a lot and said evangelion (which he has the dvds of or whatever) is being made into a movie, is that correct?

and i thought over the hedge was great

Don't know about Evangelion (I never cared for that series), but I agree Over The Hedge was an excellent movie. It made my top five after all. I just went with Monster House. -s

[Bearpod91]

Avatar Rules!!!

[bebopeva88]

Originally Posted by sfritz

Hey...I said my piece, and that's why Newsarama then leaves this area for you.

I understand Renaissance should come out on DVD in the next month or so. -s

I know...and I said my piece in this space left for me to rib you about your tastes now you don't like Evangelion either?!? Surely this is deliberate now.

[bebopeva88]

BTW, about Evangelion, it was being made into a live-action film, with effects by Weta (Peter Jackson's fx studio), but as far as I can remember, it is in hiatus. Maybe wiki it...I saw some fx shot prelims of the Evas, and they looked pretty cool.

[Kolimar]

Another interesting installment. Thanks, Steve.

[Kolimar]

Originally Posted by Charlie Hustle

not sure if this is the place but my little brother likes anime a lot and said evangelion (which he has the dvds of or whatever) is being made into a movie, is that correct?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Untitle...gelion_Project

http://www.wetaworkshop.co.nz/projec...m/neon_genesis

http://www.wetaworkshop.co.nz/projec...s/neon_genesis

http://eva.trivialbeing.net/

[WalterKovacs]

Anime is weak.

Nothing in animation really matters anyway until those Judas Contract and New Frontier DVDs come out.

[Driftwood]

great article!...but the Boondocks over Venture Brothers?...really?...well...to each their own...

[ramberk]

Originally Posted by Driftwood

great article!...but the Boondocks over Venture Brothers?...really?...well...to each their own...

Venture Brothers had a really weak second season IMO. I really only enjoyed a handful of episodes. There were plenty of in-jokes and parodies through the second season but those elements were often vehicles for poorly thought out plots. For example, when the "Scooby" gang appeared, it was funny for the first few minutes to watch them but the plot in the rest of the episode was boring. It was basically a chase scene around the compound. There was no real tension and the quirky comedy and characterization was limited. Thats what makes the show great. It takes standard comic book / adventure plots and turns them on their head while throwing in some really great dialogue and characterization. There was a lot of great characterization in the second season but also a lot of boring plots. Its still one of my all time favorite shows but I think the show definitely faltered in the second season.

Boondocks on the other hand is not perfect but it has style and thoughtfulness and unexpectedness. Boondock is like a shiny new Lexus that is not afraid of driving through store front windows and forces the store patrons to strip naked to prove a point. Its not perfect, but it has style, thoughtfulness and is unexpected.

[sfritz]

Originally Posted by Driftwood

great article!...but the Boondocks over Venture Brothers?...really?...well...to each their own...

Hey...the V. Bros still made my top five.

Now when you consider just HOW many TV shows there are out there for us oldsters (including everything on [AS}, Comedy Central, Spike, IFC, Fox and more) to be one of the five shows is pretty darn good (at least I think so).

Tell you this much, I just saw the first complete episode of Afro Samurai, and it's got the makings of being in there next year. Now the question for that one will be domestic (being it's Samuel L Jackson) or international (being it's also Gonzo).

OK...now here's the challenge for you guys. What's your top fives? You don't even have to use the same categories I do.

-s

[Mike Hayden]

hmmm, Avatar, Rennaissance and Fullmetal Alchemist are my favorite

[zuludelta]

Interesting picks Mr. Fritz... haven't seen any of the theatrical features you mentioned (what with the prohibitive cost of watching films in the cinema these days) but I've heard only good things about Renaissance and Paprika. I agree with most of your picks, especially with Avatar: The Last Airbender... I'd say the series as a whole is probably the best piece of animated entertainment released in North America in the past year, with the plotting dialogue and art just coming together so well.

I'd still take South Park over The Boondocks myself, but it's a real close competition (I'd probably list South Park as the best adult-oriented animated comedy series with The Venture Bros., The Boondocks, and Harvey Birdman as 1a - 1c.

[JLAJRC]

I'd pick Over the Hedge over Monster House. I think I just prefer funny animated films, but both films were pretty good.

I actually don't watch alot of tv animation outside of the Fox Sunday Block. But one toon I think is pretty good is the new LOSH one. Not alot of talk about it either way.

[sfritz]

Originally Posted by zuludelta

Interesting picks Mr. Fritz... haven't seen any of the theatrical features you mentioned (what with the prohibitive cost of watching films in the cinema these days) but I've heard only good things about Renaissance and Paprika. I agree with most of your picks, especially with Avatar: The Last Airbender... I'd say the series as a whole is probably the best piece of animated entertainment released in North America in the past year, with the plotting dialogue and art just coming together so well.

I'd still take South Park over The Boondocks myself, but it's a real close competition (I'd probably list South Park as the best adult-oriented animated comedy series with The Venture Bros., The Boondocks, and Harvey Birdman as 1a - 1c.

Harvey will always have a special place in my library, but I thought the new episodes this season were a little weaker than past efforts. I still enjoy it.

South Park also had its moments. I loved the World of Warcraft parody. Still, the Boondocks episodes were so immaculately made I had a hard time not picking them. -s

[sfritz]

Originally Posted by JLAJRC

I'd pick Over the Hedge over Monster House. I think I just prefer funny animated films, but both films were pretty good.

I actually don't watch alot of tv animation outside of the Fox Sunday Block. But one toon I think is pretty good is the new LOSH one. Not alot of talk about it either way.

I think LOSH will go the way of Teen Titans. It's causing its share of controversy at the moment, but will slowly mature into something very interesting indeed. While I enjoyed what I've seen, I also think James Tucker has much better coming.

-s

[jaredgood1]

Usually, something like Renaissance is right up my alley. However, I thought it was incredibly dull. Gorgeous to look at, but very little substance beyond that.

Great call on Monster House. Best American animated flic since Sinbad (which is also an excellent film).

[Spartan]

Originally Posted by Kolimar

That was a nice fan-made trailer. Right down to the spelling errors and blatant rips from X-men and Spider-man.

...unless that was the point. I didn't bother to read any of the articles on the links. Still, the music was nice and everything was put together interestingly enough.

[vbartilucci]

My biggest beef with reanimated was the quality of the live action segments. The acting was good, but the fil itself was terrible in some moments. The lighting was poor and the film stock get VERY grainy in the scenes where the animation was overlayed onto it. In the high-quality cheap digital effects of today, it looks like they bought the original optical printer they used on the 60's Godzilla movies off of ebay (As Is, yet) and used that.

The plot is unique - the kid gets into an accident at Gollyworld, this universe's answer to, um, an unnamed Pasadena and florida based entertainment complexes with connections to a major animation and entertainment company. He needs an emergency brain transplant, and they decide (for no really good reason other than the plot demands it) to give him the brain of genius creator Milt Appleby (played with gusto by Fred Willard in archive footage), which was removed and frozen after his death in the hopes that science would someday allow him to be revived.

When he awakes (with his own mind and memories, since they were able to save his "personality gland"... yes you heard me right) he can now see the world as Milt had seen it - populated by the animated characters that he set down on paper. So apparently the great animation creators were not creative per se, but plagued by schizophrenic, John Nash Beatiful Mind-like visions which they must suffer through and copy down to pay for the massive amounts of restitives they obviously require.

The writing was uneven - they were trying far too hard to be wacky. The main characters doesn't just have parents, his dad is a sugar junkie with the personality of an ADHDed eight-year old (and he's the school guidance counselor) his mom is an astronaut, and his sister is an alien the mom met on a past mission and adopted. American Dad, anyone? But there are moments where the gears click into place, the planets align and it breaks out with some gems. The scene in the operating room is choice, with one doctor explaining that he has had possession of Milt's brain in a cooler for over three decades, pretending it held his lunch. "I've gone without lunch for thirty years to keep this secret" he explains.

The cast does well with what they're given. Matt Knudsen is a treat as Sonny Appleby, Milt's son, who has been searching for the brain all these years. He carries a bag of money around that he speaks to, a la Wilson from Cast Away. Fred Willard plays Milt, as mentioned before, in a series of clips from his old old show (where he talks about one of the sponsors, a maker of edible candy-flavored paint) and hilarious sequences from the Gollyworld tour, where his face is projected onto a dummy that moves around the set. Brian Posehn (The Comedians of Comedy) gets to play one of Milt's animated creations, as does Paul (Pee-Wee) Reubens and Tom (Binky the Clown[*]) Kenny.

It's the animation that makes this show really shine, though. The few snippets of "original" Appleby cartoons are a delight, and the Averyesque personalities of the characters that our hero sees work well and hold the line on getting annoying.

Worth a watch should it come around again or a rental when/if it hits DVD, but I hope the writers' next try goes for quality over quantity; there's no need to front-load the story with wacky before you get a chance to get to the good stuff.

[*] If you have to ask, you'll never know...

[sfritz]

Originally Posted by vbartilucci

My biggest beef with reanimated was the quality of the live action segments. The acting was good, but the fil itself was terrible in some moments. The lighting was poor and the film stock get VERY grainy in the scenes where the animation was overlayed onto it. In the high-quality cheap digital effects of today, it looks like they bought the original optical printer they used on the 60's Godzilla movies off of ebay (As Is, yet) and used that.

The plot is unique - the kid gets into an accident at Gollyworld, this universe's answer to, um, an unnamed Pasadena and florida based entertainment complexes with connections to a major animation and entertainment company. He needs an emergency brain transplant, and they decide (for no really good reason other than the plot demands it) to give him the brain of genius creator Milt Appleby (played with gusto by Fred Willard in archive footage), which was removed and frozen after his death in the hopes that science would someday allow him to be revived.

When he awakes (with his own mind and memories, since they were able to save his "personality gland"... yes you heard me right) he can now see the world as Milt had seen it - populated by the animated characters that he set down on paper. So apparently the great animation creators were not creative per se, but plagued by schizophrenic, John Nash Beatiful Mind-like visions which they must suffer through and copy down to pay for the massive amounts of restitives they obviously require.

The writing was uneven - they were trying far too hard to be wacky. The main characters doesn't just have parents, his dad is a sugar junkie with the personality of an ADHDed eight-year old (and he's the school guidance counselor) his mom is an astronaut, and his sister is an alien the mom met on a past mission and adopted. American Dad, anyone? But there are moments where the gears click into place, the planets align and it breaks out with some gems. The scene in the operating room is choice, with one doctor explaining that he has had possession of Milt's brain in a cooler for over three decades, pretending it held his lunch. "I've gone without lunch for thirty years to keep this secret" he explains.

The cast does well with what they're given. Matt Knudsen is a treat as Sonny Appleby, Milt's son, who has been searching for the brain all these years. He carries a bag of money around that he speaks to, a la Wilson from Cast Away. Fred Willard plays Milt, as mentioned before, in a series of clips from his old old show (where he talks about one of the sponsors, a maker of edible candy-flavored paint) and hilarious sequences from the Gollyworld tour, where his face is projected onto a dummy that moves around the set. Brian Posehn (The Comedians of Comedy) gets to play one of Milt's animated creations, as does Paul (Pee-Wee) Reubens and Tom (Binky the Clown[*]) Kenny.

It's the animation that makes this show really shine, though. The few snippets of "original" Appleby cartoons are a delight, and the Averyesque personalities of the characters that our hero sees work well and hold the line on getting annoying.

Worth a watch should it come around again or a rental when/if it hits DVD, but I hope the writers' next try goes for quality over quantity; there's no need to front-load the story with wacky before you get a chance to get to the good stuff.

[*] If you have to ask, you'll never know...

Great review. Personally, I really liked the actor who played the dad (his name escapes me at the moment). The scene of him sitting in front of the TV in his PJ's pouring milk into a bowl of sugar cubes while his son looks on in disgust had me in stitches. Other parts of the presentation made me think of Sid & Marty Kroft at both their best and their worst (oddly enough, whenever Knudson was involved).

As it was, the thing was apparently a total ratings success for CN. Let's hope they use this to spend a little more time on future projects. -s