What's up, Doc? WHAT'S UP TO THE EXTREME!!
February 18, 2005 1:21 PM Subscribe
Buzz Bunny? (quicktime) Warner Brothers, er... reimagines the Looney Tunes for the uh... 28th Century. Meet the Loonatics. (No word yet on a cameo by Poochie the Rockin' Dog)
This post was deleted for the following reason: double
(Just noticed now that the story is a double post... my first!) But the main video link is the real meat.
posted by Robot Johnny at 1:24 PM on February 18, 2005
posted by Robot Johnny at 1:24 PM on February 18, 2005
And still on the main page.
Sorry man. :(
posted by dougunderscorenelso at 1:26 PM on February 18, 2005
Sorry man. :(
posted by dougunderscorenelso at 1:26 PM on February 18, 2005
Ahh! Well, thanks for the video update. Sorry to jump. I got the itchy callout-finger.
posted by dougunderscorenelso at 1:27 PM on February 18, 2005
posted by dougunderscorenelso at 1:27 PM on February 18, 2005
No apologies necessary! Call 'em as you see 'em.
posted by Robot Johnny at 1:29 PM on February 18, 2005
posted by Robot Johnny at 1:29 PM on February 18, 2005
The original was here, but (earlier noted) difficult to search for. It only made me cry a little bit, though.
This video is (slowly) making me cry a lot.
posted by dougunderscorenelso at 1:32 PM on February 18, 2005
This video is (slowly) making me cry a lot.
posted by dougunderscorenelso at 1:32 PM on February 18, 2005
I miss this guy, who despite being the most popular character in Latin America, is not present in recent showings because he is offensive to latinos.
posted by furiousxgeorge at 1:48 PM on February 18, 2005
posted by furiousxgeorge at 1:48 PM on February 18, 2005
The "What's up doc" is classic. This feels too funny to be true.
posted by dougunderscorenelso at 2:17 PM on February 18, 2005
posted by dougunderscorenelso at 2:17 PM on February 18, 2005
My French friends once told me that Pepe LePew has a conspicuous Belgian accent in France.
posted by phatboy at 2:20 PM on February 18, 2005
posted by phatboy at 2:20 PM on February 18, 2005
I haven't seen the video. Where's a working link?
posted by borkingchikapa at 2:26 PM on February 18, 2005
posted by borkingchikapa at 2:26 PM on February 18, 2005
It seems stupid, but it's not that big of a deal. Remember Tiny Toons, the reimagining of the characters as cute little children animals. Or even SpaceJam, the.... I'm not sure what SpaceJam was.
What doesn't makes sense to me is how differently the new characters look compared to how the looked before. Why change them that much to make them almost unrecognizable? Why not just create new characters?
On preview: borkingchikapa, the video link is working, it's just really slow. It took me two tries to get it to save.
posted by Arch Stanton at 2:27 PM on February 18, 2005
What doesn't makes sense to me is how differently the new characters look compared to how the looked before. Why change them that much to make them almost unrecognizable? Why not just create new characters?
On preview: borkingchikapa, the video link is working, it's just really slow. It took me two tries to get it to save.
posted by Arch Stanton at 2:27 PM on February 18, 2005
Who is responsible for popularizing this "reimagine" word? Was it Tim Burton?
Can I hate it? Violently?
posted by Wolfdog at 2:37 PM on February 18, 2005
Can I hate it? Violently?
posted by Wolfdog at 2:37 PM on February 18, 2005
So does the groundhog have a fucking shadow or what already?
posted by NinjaPirate at 2:50 PM on February 18, 2005
posted by NinjaPirate at 2:50 PM on February 18, 2005
Wolfdog, I think it was Burton with the new Planet of the Apes. I guess it's a buzzword now for taking something that is loved, sucking the soul out of it, and puttting it in a new box.
posted by Arch Stanton at 2:51 PM on February 18, 2005
posted by Arch Stanton at 2:51 PM on February 18, 2005
It occurs to me that there are some rich companies that would really want me to see this kind of promo material, and now I've been exposed to it three times through this site alone. Would it be uncouth to suggest that perhaps Warner Brothers is updating its marketing as well as its characters?
posted by gurple at 3:09 PM on February 18, 2005
posted by gurple at 3:09 PM on February 18, 2005
Goddammit! Tiny Toons were NOT the Looney Tunes characters made into little kids, they were separate original characters, with the classic characters teaching at Acme Looniversity.
I mean, come on people.
posted by deafmute at 3:17 PM on February 18, 2005
I mean, come on people.
posted by deafmute at 3:17 PM on February 18, 2005
Yes, deafmute, but MOST of the male Tiny Toons characters were parallels to the grown-up Looneys: Bugs/Buster Bunny, Daffy/Plucky Duck, Tazmanian/Dizzy Devil; yes, Elmyra was the opposite of Elmer Fudd, but just because she was a girl... Buzz/Bugs, Spaz/Taz, Roadster/Road Runner: it's the same thing. That doesn't make it a good thing...
For perspective on toon issues, I go to Mark Evanier and the Cartoon Brew guys...
posted by wendell at 3:35 PM on February 18, 2005
For perspective on toon issues, I go to Mark Evanier and the Cartoon Brew guys...
posted by wendell at 3:35 PM on February 18, 2005
Fifteen years from now, stoners in college will faintly remember this experiment, and laugh.
I saw Titan AE in the theater with some friends, and I remember muttering during a montage set to a Lit song "that as bad as this is now, imagine how hilarious it's going to be in twenty years."
You can almost see the embryo of ironic nostalgia forming in this, too.
posted by Sticherbeast at 3:45 PM on February 18, 2005
I saw Titan AE in the theater with some friends, and I remember muttering during a montage set to a Lit song "that as bad as this is now, imagine how hilarious it's going to be in twenty years."
You can almost see the embryo of ironic nostalgia forming in this, too.
posted by Sticherbeast at 3:45 PM on February 18, 2005
Tiny Toons were actually fun at points, heh.
It bothers me a lot that these characters have no pupils.
I wonder if anyone could do a study about the presence of pupils in American cartoons vs. cartoon success. The Turtles had pupils added (comics had none), Batman was missing them (but had small eyes anyway). But Batman wasn't a comedic character, which these guys supposedly are. I find the idea of watching any inter-Loonatic conversing and gags very difficult without the presence of that added emotional indicator.
That said, I hope Daffy's beak is robotic and falls off a lot.
posted by dougunderscorenelso at 3:45 PM on February 18, 2005
It bothers me a lot that these characters have no pupils.
I wonder if anyone could do a study about the presence of pupils in American cartoons vs. cartoon success. The Turtles had pupils added (comics had none), Batman was missing them (but had small eyes anyway). But Batman wasn't a comedic character, which these guys supposedly are. I find the idea of watching any inter-Loonatic conversing and gags very difficult without the presence of that added emotional indicator.
That said, I hope Daffy's beak is robotic and falls off a lot.
posted by dougunderscorenelso at 3:45 PM on February 18, 2005
It bothers me a lot that these characters have no pupils.
Seems like one of the hugest single mistakes they made with this. Buzz honestly creeps me out. He looks like a rabbit nightmare villain.
posted by Sticherbeast at 4:03 PM on February 18, 2005
Seems like one of the hugest single mistakes they made with this. Buzz honestly creeps me out. He looks like a rabbit nightmare villain.
posted by Sticherbeast at 4:03 PM on February 18, 2005
I'm guessing that Buzz Bunny is more likely to kick the crap
out of an Elmer Fudd than he is to give him a big, wet kiss.
posted by the Real Dan at 5:06 PM on February 18, 2005
out of an Elmer Fudd than he is to give him a big, wet kiss.
posted by the Real Dan at 5:06 PM on February 18, 2005
On the other hand, Little Orphan Annie had no pupils, and although this always creeped me out as a kid, nevertheless the strip continued.
posted by hattifattener at 5:41 PM on February 18, 2005
posted by hattifattener at 5:41 PM on February 18, 2005
Just saw the video... bah. I'm with Sticherbeast in that this shit is creepy. Who the hell is giving Buzz that generic tough guy voice? Is Mel Blanc rolling in his grave yet (at least Buster Bunny sounded a little like Bugs!)?
Looks like Flash animation too; it's sort of obvious, actually.
posted by May Kasahara at 5:59 PM on February 18, 2005
Looks like Flash animation too; it's sort of obvious, actually.
posted by May Kasahara at 5:59 PM on February 18, 2005
This makes four rabbit-related posts on the front page right now. Just saying.
posted by abcde at 7:06 PM on February 18, 2005
posted by abcde at 7:06 PM on February 18, 2005
They multiply like... aw, nevermind
posted by Robot Johnny at 8:21 PM on February 18, 2005
posted by Robot Johnny at 8:21 PM on February 18, 2005
Why change them that much to make them almost unrecognizable? Why not just create new characters?
Well, they have new names and they look totally different and they have superpowers. They are new characters.
posted by kindall at 8:32 PM on February 18, 2005
Well, they have new names and they look totally different and they have superpowers. They are new characters.
posted by kindall at 8:32 PM on February 18, 2005
Chuck Jones' bow tie must be spinning in his grave.
posted by notmydesk at 9:24 PM on February 18, 2005
posted by notmydesk at 9:24 PM on February 18, 2005
At least they are not Mike Myers or Jim Carrey in their thrice-damned character suits taking big steaming craps on poor old Dr. Seuss. Abominations unto the Lord.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 10:10 PM on February 18, 2005
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 10:10 PM on February 18, 2005
Well, they have new names and they look totally different and they have superpowers. They are new characters.
Not terribly original, though. That's the really sad part in all this, I guess --- not so much that they "reimagined" the Looney Tunes as creepy creatures from hell, but that they *regurgitated* them in such a souless and uninteresting way.
Also, don't these characters seem to take themselves far too seriously, with their slick, no-nonsense look and superhero concept, to be proper vehicles for comedy?
posted by Goblindegook at 10:14 PM on February 18, 2005
Not terribly original, though. That's the really sad part in all this, I guess --- not so much that they "reimagined" the Looney Tunes as creepy creatures from hell, but that they *regurgitated* them in such a souless and uninteresting way.
Also, don't these characters seem to take themselves far too seriously, with their slick, no-nonsense look and superhero concept, to be proper vehicles for comedy?
posted by Goblindegook at 10:14 PM on February 18, 2005
Well, they have new names and they look totally different and they have superpowers. They are new characters.
Ah, but they're new characters with an existing brand identity. If the WB rolled out Another Goddamn Anime-Esque Cartoon no one would care, but this way people might actually tune in. They're new characters pole-vaulting on the success of the original characters.
The Tiny Toons comparisons are apt, although this 1000x worse. Tiny Toons had its moments, and also kept the characters in a similar sort of genre, viz. comedy, whereas I haven't the foggiest clue what these folks are going to be doing.
Buzz's voice is the single most hilarious part of this exercise. If this entire thing was revealed to have been a parody orchestrated by the WB in order to reveal a new, more traditional cartoon show, Andy Kauffmann would rise from the grave to shake the creators' hands.
As it is, I doubt it.
My housemate suggests that it would be great if this show was an ongoing epic like Dragon Ball Z, particularly if Wile E. Coyote was revealed in the first episode to be a traitor, with constant tension as to when he would kill them all...
Basically, any even halfway clever twist on this show actually existing as it appears it will would very much improve it. I think that's my point by now.
PS: In the video, the animator is summoned away to see the TV. It displays news from the TV show about all these tragedies and monsters, and then the Loonatics form from what the animator was drawing. Now, I'm not much of a nit-picker, but, uh...is this animator from 2772? Or is he just watching something else? Does watching other things cause this show to form? Or...uh...what?
posted by Sticherbeast at 10:43 PM on February 18, 2005
Ah, but they're new characters with an existing brand identity. If the WB rolled out Another Goddamn Anime-Esque Cartoon no one would care, but this way people might actually tune in. They're new characters pole-vaulting on the success of the original characters.
The Tiny Toons comparisons are apt, although this 1000x worse. Tiny Toons had its moments, and also kept the characters in a similar sort of genre, viz. comedy, whereas I haven't the foggiest clue what these folks are going to be doing.
Buzz's voice is the single most hilarious part of this exercise. If this entire thing was revealed to have been a parody orchestrated by the WB in order to reveal a new, more traditional cartoon show, Andy Kauffmann would rise from the grave to shake the creators' hands.
As it is, I doubt it.
My housemate suggests that it would be great if this show was an ongoing epic like Dragon Ball Z, particularly if Wile E. Coyote was revealed in the first episode to be a traitor, with constant tension as to when he would kill them all...
Basically, any even halfway clever twist on this show actually existing as it appears it will would very much improve it. I think that's my point by now.
PS: In the video, the animator is summoned away to see the TV. It displays news from the TV show about all these tragedies and monsters, and then the Loonatics form from what the animator was drawing. Now, I'm not much of a nit-picker, but, uh...is this animator from 2772? Or is he just watching something else? Does watching other things cause this show to form? Or...uh...what?
posted by Sticherbeast at 10:43 PM on February 18, 2005
I'm not sure the reimagining of Taz will be called Spaz over here in the UK. It was a term of abuse relating to cerebral palsy over here for a long while, not an innocent jibe like in the US. Still at least we still get Speedy Gonzales over here on Boomerang if we need it :).
posted by jackiemcghee at 11:33 PM on February 18, 2005
posted by jackiemcghee at 11:33 PM on February 18, 2005
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posted by dougunderscorenelso at 1:24 PM on February 18, 2005