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Loonatics Come to the WB
by Scott Alan
March 4, 2005
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Animation has seen a trend of taking popular characters and making spin
offs to cash in on their popularity, or to try and save a failing idea
by making it "new" & "now". Most often the idea of miniature versions
of the same characters seems to be a constant. Examples of this can be
found in animation history with such shows as Muppet Babies, Flintstone
Kids, A Pup Named Scooby Doo, etc., etc. Perhaps the largest source of
this activity is Warner Brothers with such releases as Tiny Toon
Adventures and Baby Looney Tunes. Well, now Warner is at it again.
They are not making the characters younger and cuter, after all "Fetal
Looney Tunes" may just be a step in the wrong direction. No, this time
the good folks at Warner are taking these classic characters that we
grew up with and make them appealing to the new generation. While we
watched "classic" Looney Tunes & Hanna-Barbera the kids today are hooked
on such tv choices as Pokemon & Yu-Gi-Oh. Knowing this, is it any
wonder then that the newest incarnation of Bugs and pals will be set in
the future to capture this new market?
Yes, the new turn for Looney Tunes will be Loonatics. Warner Bros. has
created angular, slightly menacing-looking versions of the classic
Looney Tunes characters for its new series and set in the year 2772.
Names for the new characters haven't been finalized, but they are
likely to be derived from the originals: Buzz Bunny, for example. Each
new character retains personality quirks of the original. The new Bugs,
for example, will be the natural leader of the Loonatics' spaceship;
the new Daffy will remain confident that he is the one who should be in
charge. "The new series will have the same classic wit and wisdom, but
we have to do it more in line with what kids are talking about today,"
says Sander Schwartz, president of Warner Bros. Animation. The plots
are action-oriented, filled with chases and fights. Each character
possesses a special crime-fighting power.
Amazing? I think so too. While such classics as the Muppets Pigs In
Space may soar through the cosmos, Loonatics may well be "watership
down" when fans of the classic series see this for the first time.
Other people have used descriptive words like "terrifying" &
"desecration." The mainstream press wonders what is wrong in Burbank.
"Have our Looney Tunes taken a wrong turn at Albuquerque?" asks the
Boston Herald. "Has Warner Bros. gone daffy?" speculates the New York
Post. Even the staid Wall Street Journal (in its print edition)
smothers Warners' PR hype with skeptical allusions to the studio's
lousy track record with Looney Tunes "updates."
There is a picture here of what they all will look like just so you get
the idea. What gets my interest more than the WB doing this is the
controversy this has caused. I can't go into any social circle of
artists or fans or even go online without hearing about this from
someone eventually. Because I'm an artist and a fan I'm asked to
comment on this a lot lately, and on first sight I'm against it all. I
mean, just look at them!!!
Still, one could act as devil's advocate and say "Get a grip. You
haven't even seen it yet." Many new ideas have looked rotten on the
surface, but change my opinion 100% once I give them a chance. Once
Loonatics debuts Saturday mornings this fall there will be plenty of
opportunity for the the village hordes to storm the castle in a rage—or for the eating of crow. In the meantime, Warner Bros. has only
released the concept and two pieces of artwork. That's a pretty slender
basis on which to condemn the entire enterprise. Is it too much to ask
that we (all of us who are Looney Tunes fans) keep our minds even
slightly open?
Mind you, I'm not endorsing Loonatics or condemning fan skepticism-how
can I, since I feel the same skepticism? However, as I'd mentioned
before, the argument here intrigues me and I'm keen to hear the
opinions of my fellow fans and professional artists. Do you think this
is a good idea? Do you think the WB is on the right track? Do you think
the anime craze has taken too hard of a strangle hold on the younger
generation and is now choking out our classics? Or, contrariwise, do
you see this as a boon to a dying market? Have the Looney Tunes run past
their golden age of the 1940's & reached retirement age instead? I
think there is much room for debate here, and I think it'd be
fascinating to hear the points of view from the pros.
SO, I wanna hear it from all of you, my friends in the artistic
community. What's your opinion of this "new look" to our beloved and
familiar characters? I hope that you find the time to participate in my
little survey, I really think your responses would be quite
interesting. Send your thoughts & opinions to my e-mail address, or take the poll on the site below, then I'll tally your votes and opinions and I'll print the results
in Penstuff next month!
Contact: Scott Alan
Not just toons, ScotttoonS! Visit ScotttoonS.com to see the work of Scott Alan, performer and freelance cartoonist.
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