[Royal Fool]

Left: Loonatics, the new cartoon - Right: The old classic characters


Yep, it had to happen one day. Warner Bros are now attempting to inject life into their Looney Toons characters once again, but in a rather extreme manner; they've announced a new show called Loonatics...

The new kids show has turned and twisted the beloved characters into shady versions placed in the year 2772. Not content with just warping them through time, Warner Bros have also changed their names to fit their more 'extreme' looks and attitude and given them superpowers to fight crime in the city called Acmetropolis.

For more info, see this article at post-gazette.com.


Now for my personal thoughts:
What the hell?

This looks like a deliberate attempt to mimic the new Turtles cartoon... but the whole premise of this thing is so cliché, it's hardly even funny. Who else thinks this is going to flop?

[Intrepid Homoludens]

The worst thing about it is that kids will be stupid enough to fall for it. I'm glad I'm all 'grown up'.

[TigerShard]

Mimic the new Turtles cartoon?! Excuse me, but the new Turtles cartoon is not mimicing anything! The new toon is based off of the original comic books. The 80's TV show everyone knows and loves is the bastardization (though I still love it )

As for this new Looney Toons thing... no comment

[Maquisard]

Originally Posted by TigerShard

Mimic the new Turtles cartoon?! Excuse me, but the new Turtles cartoon is not mimicing anything! The new toon is based off of the original comic books. The 80's TV show everyone knows and loves is the bastardization (though I still love it )

As for this new Looney Toons thing... no comment

I think you got him wrong dude. Read it again.

[TigerShard]

Originally Posted by Mares

I think you got him wrong dude. Read it again.

Don't roll your eyes at me, boy

What he said can be interpretted in a number of ways. He didn't specify exactly how it is mimicing the new Turtles toon. He could be trying to say that they are trying to cash in on a series that shouldn't be brought back, or just that since one show made a come back in a new way another one is trying also. But his post had a negative connotation overall, so I interpretted mimic in a negative fashion.

I just have to keep people informed anyway. Many people don't know the real origins of the Ninja Turtles series

[pinkgothic]

I expect the show will suck, but damn, I'm a sucker for designs like that. Pretty. Kind of like a tribal tattoo, but not.

[C_Knight]

Originally Posted by Royal Fool

Left: Loonatics, the new cartoon - Right: The old classic characters

Hmm looks like the power rangers raped the looney toons
If I were a child I'd be scared...

[Quadriflax]

Originally Posted by pinkgothic

I expect the show will suck, but damn, I'm a sucker for designs like that. Pretty. Kind of like a tribal tattoo, but not.

Pretty? Hmm. I guess I don't see that. There's only a couple of colors there for starters. That seems pretty sloppy to me, actually. At least, for what they're SUPPOSED to be. These aren't even CLOSE to the same characters. The only thing that will be similar is the type of animal they are and the spin off names they get. Overall they're not bad in their own context, but to pretend they're the Looney Toons is rediculous. Just say you've got nothing left for the old characters and create something entirely new. It's pretty much what they've done. They didn't need to taint the old characters in the process.

And I'm aware that they've done spinoffs before (Baby Looney Toons, Tiny Toons) but those were different. Baby Looney Toons had characters that clearly resembled the originals but were smaller/younger (kinda like super deformed characters in reverse). Tiny Toons was a similar idea aimed at a slightly older audience where the characters mearly lived in the world of the original characters, hence being their own unique characters. Ultimately I don't really care what they do since I'm not all that interested anyway. But it just seems like such a blatent and shameless attempt to be "hip" it's almost painful to watch. I can easily see this being shelved in a couple of years and filed away in the "lets never speak of this again" drawer at WB. Then again, with a lot of the crap on TV these days I could be totally wrong.

[Royal Fool]

Originally Posted by TigerShard

Mimic the new Turtles cartoon?! Excuse me, but the new Turtles cartoon is not mimicing anything! The new toon is based off of the original comic books. The 80's TV show everyone knows and loves is the bastardization (though I still love it )

I mentioned the new Turtles because they were the first thing that popped into my head when thinking of a possible inspiration for this radical change. I'm very well aware of how the original TMNT comics and all that.

The similarities are hard to ignore - characters with color variations, shine instead of eyes, character designs with lots of attitude, crimefighters in a sprawling metropolis, distinct team specialities, their own unique vehicles... certainly there are other shows out there doing the same stuff, but I think Warner Bros are going after the Turtles because of the success they've had.

EDIT: Here's an early promotion video for the show. Notice anything similar?

[Terabin]

What I want to know is who is the big bat like one 2nd from the left supposed to be? Is that Sylvester or something? I can see that Bugs is in the middle, Daffy to his right. Are the ends supposed to be Wile E. and Roadrunner? It's all so confusing!!!!

[Jazhara7]

Originally Posted by Terabin

What I want to know is who is the big bat like one 2nd from the left supposed to be? Is that Sylvester or something? I can see that Bugs is in the middle, Daffy to his right. Are the ends supposed to be Wile E. and Roadrunner? It's all so confusing!!!!

From left to right:

Wile E. Coyote, Taz (the Tazmanian Devil), Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Lola Rabbit, Roadrunner.


-

[SamandMax]

Looney Tunes didn't need life injected into them, they still hold up well after all these years. Why didn't they just start showing more repeats of those?

[Maquisard]

Originally Posted by TigerShard

Don't roll your eyes at me, boy

OWIE!

[Intrepid Homoludens]

Originally Posted by SamandMax

Looney Tunes didn't need life injected into them, they still hold up well after all these years. Why didn't they just start showing more repeats of those?

Absolutely agree. I grew up on Loony Tunes, among the highest forms of entertainment any kid can get. One of my favourites was that opera spoof with Bugs and Elmer, played out to Wagner's Das Rheingold music. I mean, cripeys! the amount of sheer imaginativeness that went into that! That and the edgy transvestisism and homsexual undercurrents with Bugs dressed up in drag flirting with everyone, and a lot of other 'stuff' that young kids don't get, but grown ups do. I think the old school Loony Tunes and Rocky & Bullwinkle are my most treasured cartoons from my childhood.

I dunno, man. A lot of these t.v. cartoons today seem more like cheap, plasticized, disposable trash heap consumer products compared to the art forms they USED TO strive to be years ago.

[TigerShard]

Originally Posted by Royal Fool

I mentioned the new Turtles because they were the first thing that popped into my head when thinking of a possible inspiration for this radical change. I'm very well aware of how the original TMNT comics and all that.

The similarities are hard to ignore - characters with color variations, shine instead of eyes, character designs with lots of attitude, crimefighters in a sprawling metropolis, distinct team specialities, their own unique vehicles... certainly there are other shows out there doing the same stuff, but I think Warner Bros are going after the Turtles because of the success they've had.

EDIT: Here's an early promotion video for the show. Notice anything similar?

Thanks for the clarification of what you meant. I didn't mean to pick on you or anything.

Too bad Warner Bros. didn't start a new idea/characters instead of using old ones for this idea. I loved Looney Tunes, and Tiny Toons also, but this is going a little too far.

[Intrepid Homoludens]

The high level of quality of animated characterization and graphics just doesn't seem to be there anymore, looking at those Loonatics characters. I see it as a reflection of the demand for the increasingly high speed of consumerism - churn out the latest shit as fast as possible before they finish the current shit they're gorging on. Cartoon as fast food drive-thru.

[rio]

The high level of quality of animated characterization and graphics just doesn't seem to be there anymore, looking at those Loonatics characters. I see it as a reflection of the demand for the increasingly high speed of consumerism - churn out the latest shit as fast as possible before they finish the current shit they're gorging on. Cartoon as fast food drive-thru.

Completely agree, it's sad. However, there's been an increase in quality of kids movies, which have been almost all crap since Disney's string of hits in the early 90's, until now when Pixar is making a great movie every year.

[AFGNCAAP]

They should name it "Looney Tunes: Warrior(s) Within"

[ConcreteRancor]

Or "American McGee's Looney Tunes"

[jaf]

I never liked the Warner toons...