Great Toons In All Shapes And Sizes!

When you get to be my age, you stumble downstairs on a Saturday morning ad there's that little bit of child left that wants to watch cartoon. Then you see the toy ads passing themselves off as cartoons with their crappy artwork and non existent backgrounds and you just die a little inside.
Well, Warner Bros. has the cure for all that ails you with the release of two new volumes of fun.
I am, of course, referring to;



SATURDAY MORNING CARTOONS 1960s VOLUME ONE

and


SATURDAY MORNING CARTOONS 1970s VOLUME ONE.

These two, two disc sets take all that is cool and groovy and puts them in one set to show those youngsters of yours what good cartoons are all about.
And they are all here from Top Cat to The Herculoids. Odd ball classics like Goober And The Ghost Chasers and Marine Boy.
But, that's not all. Add in some great behind the scenes little featurettes and we get information about the cartoons we cherished as kids.
This is a great set and now I can not wait for volume two of each set respectively.
Here are a couple of clips to whet your whistle;







And, if that wasn't enough, Warner Bros. is making sure to put out the sets of Tiny Toon Adventures fast and furious. This time around it's the second half of season one and, if for no other reason, this is the set with all the They Might Be Giants cartoon music videos. That's right. I said that the only reason to get this is for one measly cartoon! Of course the rest of the set is great as well, but this is the one that most people remember.

Here's the obligatory clip;

CARRIE FISHER IS A TOOL!

Last week, Martha and I went to Motor City Comic Con. There is a lovely picture spread below if you want to check it out.
Anyway, the big guest for the con was Carrie Fisher of Star Wars fame.
Now, I have been going to these things for a little while and I have seen some famous people. Famous to fan geeks anyway. Adam West, Billy Dee Williams, Peter Mayhew...you get the idea.
These people are always right out there on the convention hall doing the meet and greet with the fans. They are all very cool. This year, for example, Doug Jones of Hellboy fame was there and he was having a blast. You could tell that he was having fun.
Then we come to Ms. Fisher.
Wasn't her last big role in Drop Dead Fred? I'm pretty sure that after that it has been nothing but cameos. And the woman is really only 53? Man, the years have not been kind at all.
So, Ms. high and mighty Fisher had to have a special room curtained off for her. People waited in line for hours to get an autograph which was going to be 50 bucks no matter what. And there would be no picture taking. Unless you bought a fifty dollar ticket to have your picture taken with her and she was going to do only 300 of those.
What right does this woman have to make these kind of demands in the first place? I'll tell you what she has. Nothing.
Sure, if she was Carrie Fisher from twenty years ago and she had the slave girl outfit on then I might fork over some green to get my pic taken with her. But now? No way.
And the whole charging for autograph thing has gotten way out of hand. I'm sorry but when Warrington Gillette who was in one Friday the 13th flick is charging twenty bucks for him to scrawl his name for you? That is sad and ain't gonna happen. The only autograph I ever get is The Ghoul's and guess what? He doesn't charge for his! I make sure to buy something from him every year because the man is super cool, but maybe people could take a page from his book. Because guess what? No one should have to fork over a hard earned 20 for the autograph of the mom from Seventh Heaven or the guy who was the asshole in Animal House. I especially ain't gonna fork over green for the guy who was the kid who got his tongue stuck on the pole in Christmas Story. Darren McGavin? Sure, who wouldn't, but this kid? Sheesh! Give me a break.
And Carrie Fisher is the worst offender with her prima donna attitude.
Enjoy the lovely artwork from my buddy, Stew Miller and save your cash for good things like FunYuns.

SCOOBY DOO WHERE ARE YOU Volume 2

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! first made its debut during CBS’ Saturday morning lineup and became an instant hit. The series follows the adventures of Daphne, Fred, Shaggy, Velma and Scooby-Doo as they solve cases typically involving ghosts, monsters or other supernatural forces. Hi-jinks always ensue, with their investigations resulting in entertaining chase scenes mixed with catchy musical numbers and comedic antics. This hit program spawned several spin-off series, specials, consumer products and live action films.

Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! Vol. 2 features the following episodes:

Decoy for a Dognapper – When several top show dogs are stolen, including a pedigreed female dog Scooby falls for, the kids go after a $500 reward offered by one of the dogs’ owners -- it is up to Scooby-Doo to be a decoy for the dognappers.

What the Hex Going On? – A friend invites the gang to spend the weekend at her family's estate, the Kingston Mansion, but a ghost turns up and changes her Uncle Stewart into an old man.

Never Ape an Ape Man – Daphne’s Uncle Maxwell, a movie director, hires the entire gang as extras in his new film: The Ape Man of Forbidden Mountain. Although the film is shooting on-location, the set is soon closed when a real ape man shows up and wreaks havoc on the set.

Foul Play in Funland – The gang highly anticipates the opening of a new amusement park, but while clam-digging outside of it, the gang see the rides moving not only before the park is open, but with no passengers, as well. Drawn into another mystery, the gang sets out to see if the park is haunted.

Four classic episodes of one of the best cartoons ever made. How can it go wrong? Answer is it can't. Great great television.

Here's a clip to prove it.

MOTOR CITY COMIC CON 2009

Martha and I made our yearly journey to Novi to attend the Motor City Comic Convention. It was a lot of fun and since they say that a picture is worth a thousand words, I am going to let thse pictures speak for themselves.
Okay, a caption for each picture, but that's it. Tune in next week when I lambaste Carrie Fisher.

A trio of Batman villians


A roaming Star Wars monster


I am an action figure. Check out all the accessories I come with!


We called this guy Twinkie Spawn.


Stormtrooper and a big gun


The head of the Rancor.


A cool critter.


If you keep up with what I write, this is the yearly spotting of Captain Ree Ree. Martha is pretty sure that he was Twinkie Spawn as well.


Man, Poison Ivy must get cold.


Evildoers beware! Captain Ohio is here!


Where else are you going to see Mick Foley and Darth Vader together?


Coolest costume at the show.


Me and The Ghoul rocking the show!


A very nice homemade R2-D2


And we finish with a cute anime girl.

There ya go folks. Hope you enjoyed the pics.

Looney, Looney Looney Bugs Bunny Movie (1981)

Less a movie than a series of clever new clips to help meld old classic Warner cartoons, Looney, Looney, Looney Bugs Bunny Movie, still works because, well it's classic Warner Bros. animation. That is always good in any format. The movie is broken up into three specific parts;

Part one has Yosemite Sam strike a deal with the devil! Sam winds up in hell, after he’s crushed by a safe dropped by Bugs Bunny. Satan however agrees to give Sam another chance so long as he brings someone else to take his place. Sam sets his sights on none other than his nemesis, that “wascally wabbit” and sets out for his capture.

Part two finds Bugs Bunny as a police detective who goes after a group of gangsters. The mobsters, Rocky and Mugsy, who in spite of being captured numerous times, always manage to free themselves due to some loophole in the law. Rocky and Mugsy capture Daffy Duck after they learn he’s capable of laying golden eggs and go so far as kidnapping Tweety Bird for ransom.

Part three, the finale, showcases a vicious and entertaining satire of the Oscars. Bugs Bunny turns Hollywood’s glitziest awards ceremony into a cartoon-star-studded disaster zone called The Oswald Awards. Bugs hosts the ceremony in which the nominees are the wolf from Three Little Bops, Sylvester and Tweety and himself. Daffy Duck however, gripes about not being nominated. When Bugs wins the award, Daffy is furious and challenges Bugs to a talent showdown.

Classic cartoons featured on Looney Tunes Movie Collection: Looney, Looney, Looney Bugs Bunny Movie include Hare Trimmed, Devil’s Feud Cake, Roman-Legion Hare, Sahara Hare, Wild and Wooly Hare, The Unmentionables, Golden Yeggs, Catty Cornered, Three Little Bops, High Diving Hare and Show Biz Bugs. Academy Award winners Birds Anonymous and Knighty Knight Bugs are also included in this collection.

The release also has three bonus cartoons: Box-Office Bunny, From Hare to Eternity and Pullet Surprise. Box-Office Bunny follows the story of how a massive movie theater gets built over Bugs’ rabbit hole. From Hare to Eternity tells the tale of how Pirate Yosemite Sam digs up a treasure chest which belongs to Bugs Bunny. Finally, Pullet Surprise covers the action when Pete Puma tries to raid the henhouse Foghorn Leghorn is guarding.

SCOOBY DOO AND THE SAMURAI SWORD

In Scooby-Doo! and the Samurai Sword, the Mystery Inc. crew travel the globe on a transcontinental treasure hunt, circling Asia and the Pacific to solve a series of ancient riddles. They race against the vengeful Black Samurai and his spectral Ghost Warriors to claim the ancient Sword of Fate, a blade fabled to possess extraordinary supernatural powers. Along the way, Scooby-Doo and Shaggy are indoctrinated by an unlikely Sword Master who teaches them Boshido, the way of the Samurai. Their emerging skills are quickly tested by an unstoppable army of Robot Ninjas. And in the end, our harried heroes discover that Boshido, emphasizing loyalty, honor and courage, holds the key to the mystery.



This was a fun flick that reminded me of the first Scooby Doo features that came out of Warner Bros. Definitely a return to form and fun Scooby Doo style.

DVD Bonus Features:

Scooby-Doo Dojo! – Takes a kid-friendly look at the world of Martial Arts and helps viewers learn more about the ancient Samurai tradition.