Cartoon History Tom And Jerry

Tom And Jerry are one of the world's best known double acts there cartoons have entertained millions of people across several decades and they are still going strong so it only makes sense that for this Cartoon History we take a look at the worlds best known cat and mouse.

Now we all know that the creators of The Flintstones also created Tom And Jerry but what you might not know is the duo were actually forced to work together since the company that owned the duo MGM had a failing animation division since alot of there cartoons were failing at the box office so for their first cartoon they chose a cat and mouse because as Barbera once said in an interview "We knew we needed two characters. We thought we needed conflict, and chase and action. And a cat after a mouse seemed like a good, basic thought," and in 1940 the duo premiered the first ever Tom And Jerry cartoon called "Puss Gets The Boot".

The look of the characters is very well known but what isn't that well known is that for the first batch of cartoons the duo actually looked more like a cat and mouse i don't know why they chose to redesign the characters but i am glad that they did it since only someone who loves to hurt animals would find it funny that a cat is being abused.

Puss Gets The Boot was such a success that Fred Quimby who ran the animation division pulled the two from other stand alone cartoons to get them to work on more Tom And Jerry cartoons. Now since Tom was originally called Jasper in the debut cartoon Hanna and Barbera held a contest within the studio to name the pair with the prize being $50 and the winner was animator John Carr with the next Tom And Jerry cartoon coming out in 1941 being called "The Midnight Snack" but it still featured the more animal based designs for the characters.

The duo would continue working on until the studio closed down there animation division in 1957 which was a shame because not only was Tom And Jerry a popular series for the studio but they also won alot of awards with seven of their cartoons winning in the short subject category at the Academy Awards.

All was not lost tho as in 1961 MGM brought the characters back this time being animated by a European company called Rembrandt Films and all thirteen of these new shorts were directed by Gene Deitch who also wrote a lot of the shorts as well. These new shorts didn't have a big budget the studio only had $10,000 which meant a lot of the cartoon became more surreal and there was also a downgrade in the quality of animation. Despite all of these setbacks the shorts were from a financial stand point successful but over time they have come to be known as the worst Tom And Jerry cartoons ever made but they do still have there fans Gene and his team only lasted one year with the characters but next in line was some one more Looney.

Chuck Jones had just been fired from his thirty year post at Warner Bros.s when he and partner Les Goldman formed there own studio called Sib Tower 12 Productions which was later renamed MGM Animation/Visual Arts. Starting and in 1963 Jones and crew would go on to produce over thirty more cartoons featuring the duo but tho the duo would go through another change this time looking more in line with Jones's work on the Looney Tunes and more in keeping with his own style of animation Chuck would go on to produce the new cartoons until 1967 but it wouldn't be long before Tom And Jerry made a comeback.

Now here things get a interesting and it's all because of the character Mammy Two Shoes becaise in 1965 the cartoons started airing on CBS but they were heavily edited and because Chuck was required to featuring the character and replace her completely some times she was an overweight white Irish woman and other times she was a skinny white teenager but either way she was voiced by the late June Foray the series lasted until 1972 when Tom And Jerry would return home.

   

In 1975 Hanna-Barbera would produce a new Tom And Jerry series called The Tom & Jerry Show the half hour series was set years after the shorts and mainly featured the duo as friends you only have to see a certain movie featuring the pair to know why that doesn't work but this series didn't last long tho and the duo soon found a new home and a new series.

The Tom and Jerry Comedy Show debuted in 1980 and was animated Filmation and from what information i can gather the show was more of a verity show and it was the first time that the characters were paired with Droopy and for about ten years this would be the last new Tom And Jerry product.

For there third run with the characters Hanna-Barbera made Tom & Jerry Kids which as the title would suggest featured younger versions of the characters and like the previous series it would also feature the character of Droopy and it ran for seasons but during it's run something terrible happend.

In 1992 Film Roman made Tom and Jerry: The Movie i couldn't find anything about the making of this film but i have a feeling that the makers of the film didn't understand the fact the characters don't talk and they don't become friends it's a simple thing and this movie didn't do it thank god they only made one of these.

As of 2006's Tom and Jerry Tales the duo have been with Warner Bros Animation that series only lasted until 2008 before the Kids WB block was shut down but once again the duo would return with there current series The Tom and Jerry Show which as of this writing is still on the air.

Since 2002 there has been a steady stream of Direct To DVD Movies featuring the duo with the latest one being Tom and Jerry: Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory there's a new film out almost every year but sometimes there's a three year gap between the films but at least there's still new Tom and Jerry content.

Tom And Jerry are legends in the cartoon world and with all this new content there legend will live on forever more.

    

Stretch Armstrong and the Flex Fighters Review

Animation fans Netflix is back with another reboot / adaptation this time dealing with Stretch Armstrong and how did they do? well i'm here to tell you and to let you all know i'm basing my review of the first four episodes only so there won't be a rating.

The plot of the series is An over-scheduled teenager named Jake Armstrong and his two best friends are accidentally exposed to an experimental chemical and become a team of stretchable superheroes who must work together to expand beyond the confines of their lives and embark on a series of adventures. I had to get this plot of IMDB because the show it self at least in the first four episodes have no plot to speak of what so ever besides some random villain attacking the city and Stretch and the team have to stop them and roll credits. Maybe it gets better later on i don't know but in terms of story the show pretty much sucks and it could use some huge improvements.

The series stars Scott Menville , Steven Yeun , Ogie Banks , Keith David and Wil Wheaton with the likes of Felicia Day and Kate Mulgrew possibly being recurring actors. The main trio Scott , Steven and Ogie range from good to ok with both Scott and Steven being pretty good and Ogie being the weak link in there group and for some reason whenever Scott speaks i either hear Steve from American Dad or Robin from the Teen Titans franchise now i under stand why i hear Robin but why Steve? The recurring cast also do a good job it's always great to hear Felicia Day in anything and Kate is just pure awesome.

Animation wise the show does fair a little better since the animation is honestly pretty good there's alot of great movements from the characters especially from Stretch himself who's actually named Jake but the show fails in the character designs just due to the fact that characters having bug eyes and small heads always looks creepy to me it makes the characters look like they have no soul and yes i know that the team behind The Spectacular Spider-Man worked on this show.

The humor in this show for me at least was all over the place some of the jokes did work but some of them didn't and when they don't work you know it because you find yourself saying "was that meant to be funny?" but tho the jokes that do work are forgettable you'll laugh and then a few seconds later you'd have forgotten whatever the joke was.

For me at least the action scenes were just plain bland they mostly boil down to who can hit who the hardest and i really freaking hate that even more so in animation because here they have the power to be really freaking creative and yet they don't really do anything that's different or new.

Overall this is a tough call because it's so much like The Spectacular Spider-Man but if you hate that show then you might not like this one and if you liked that show then you might also hate this due to the fact it's being more aimed at kids so i'll say do what i did and watch the first four episodes to form your own opinion.

  

My Favorite Direct To DVD DC Animated Films

While DC might be lacking in the live action movie front there animation division has been knocking it out of the park for years and now i'm going to tell you all what my favorite films are and i can tell you now there will not be Mask Of The Phantasm since that film was released in theaters so here we go and if i don't mention a certain film then chances are i havn't seen it.

Batman: Return of the Caped Crusaders

This film really took me be surprise by how good it is it was a wonderful return to the colorful and campy filled world of the 60's TV show this film felt like an episode of the show and it's a shame that there are only two of these films.

Superman: Doomsday

This film was the first film in there Animated Original Movie line which is still going strong and this is a truly great film in fact the film is so good that in a few years they will be remaking the film with Death of Superman & Reign of the Supermen which will be released in 2018 and 2019 respectively.

Batman: The Killing Joke

Now i know alot of people don't really like this film and while i do see their points of view i personally enjoyed the added content since Batgirl isn't in the original story much so for me it makes sense to have more content with her so we can get to know this version of her granted they might have gone overboard a bit with a certain scene.

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns

This film is just pure awesome from the get go and think that splitting the book up into two films was easily the right move there's really nothing more i can say about this film over then it's really worth checking out.

Justice League: The Flashpoint Paradox

This film is just pure fun i havn't read the original story so i can't say if it's true to the book or not but based on this film i would happily consider reading the book if the live action Flashpoint movie gets made i hope it's as good as this movie.

Batman: Assault on Arkham

This is another film that is just pure fun you can watch this movie having only played the first arkham game and i think you'd want to know more about the characters it's everything the Suicide Squad movie should and could have been.

Wonder Woman

OMG this movie it's everything you want in a superhero movie and then some it's true to the characters , it has a great story , the animation is mindblowingly awesome again there's nothing more i can really add about this movie except just go and watch it.

My Top 5 British TV Comedy's

Hello there any British people since i currently love talking about British things i'd thought i'd mention some comedy's that we've produced and that love and to all fellow Brits out there i'm not including anything by Ronnie Barker just to make this list more interesting so here we go.

Red Dwarf

This space age comedy started in the eighties and has just finished it's twelfth series it's full of great gags and one liners and the plot of the show isn't that bad either the show follows the remaining crew of the ship Red Dwarf as they try and get back to earth which isn't easy since they are in deep deep space.

The Inbetweeners

This comedy about four lads just living life has sadly come to an end but it ran for three glorious years and spawned two feature films and a terrible American remake but what made this show so special was the characters they are just four normal every day lads and that's is truly great.

Fawlty Towers

Even tho this show is a true classic in every sense of the word what so little people know about the series is that only twelve episodes spanning two series were ever made and unlike the rest of this list this has the least chance of coming back since writers and stars John Cleese and Connie Booth who were married when the show was on have since gone there separate ways.

Blackadder Goes Fourth

Set during the first world war 1 when this series first aired it had everyone wanting more and as well as giving us great laughs it wasn't afraid to show us what war was really like especially in it's final episode were spoiler alert the main cast dies after going over the top but not before one of the most heart wrenching scenes ever.

Only Fools And Horses

How could it not be this series like the previous entries this series has alot of laughs and like Blackadder Goes Fourth is has alot of heart as well but when you add in the fact that all of the main characters are memorable and all of the episodes are really well written well you can see why this is my number 1  

   

   

Bugs Bunny's Thanksgiving Diet Review

Hello there Looney Tunes fans i figured since you yanks will be celebrating thanksgiving soon that i would review a cartoon special that has a thanksgiving theme and well here's my review of the first of two Looney Tunes thanksgiving specials Bugs Bunny's Thanksgiving Diet.

This special doesn't really have a plot since it's a basically a clip show with new footage of Bugs as a Doctor who gives advice to various other characters and that bit of advice would then lead into a cartoon. I have to admit that was a pretty funny set up having Bugs acting as a Doctor and giving out all the advice but sometimes you could tell when it was old footage and that took me out of it a little bit.

This special only stars the late Mel Blanc and the late June Foray so i can't really knock the acting since both of them are legends but i will say that at times Bugs does sound a bit different and since this special was made in the late 70's and near Mel's death it's understandable.

Now for this review i won't comment on the animation from the original cartoons since they always had great animation instead i'll just focus on the newly animated scenes. Honestly the animation in those scenes i thought were really well done it's not as good as the original shorts but given this was made for TV and on a TV budget the animation looks really good and honestly most scenes blend with the old footage really well.

This special gives alot of love to a character that i never even knew existed Millicent who as you can see from the above picture is a little bit over weight and she's obsessed with Bugs while she doesn't really get any jokes in the special she seems like a funny character and foil for Bugs and it makes me wonder if other Looney Tunes media use her.

Now i'm proud to say that alot of the jokes in this special are really freaking funny it's not just characters hitting each other over the head there's a lot of great word play and you get to see Bugs out smarting alot of people including Taz which is always fun to see.

Overall it's hard for me to say if you should watch this if your a Looney Tunes fans or not just because alot of the cartoons that they show have been in the movies and the newer stuff doesn't really add anything so for me the special gets a 7 maybe a 7.5 out of 10 you see even deciding on a rating is hard.

Murder On the Blackpool Express Review

Well then fellow british peoples i thought i'd review a classic work of art one that has been around for years on end and then i thought i'd review this made for TV movie instead so here is my review of Murder On The Blackpool Express.

The plot of this spoof is a Blackpool coach driver and a tour guide get caught up in a deadly conspiracy when there passengers begin mysteriously dying one by one. If that sounds familiar then that's because this is a spoof of the book Murder On The Orient Express and the story of this film i think follows the same plot of that book but instead puts a comedic spin on it which i loved.

The film stars Car Share's Sian Gibson , Johnny Vegas , Kimberley Nixon , Nigel Havers , Una Stubbs , Sheila Reid , Griff Rhys Jones and Nina Wadia. If your a Brit then you'll know just from the names alone that these are a who's who of British comedy and i can tell you right now without a shadow of a doubt everyone in this film is funny every actor in this film at one point had me laughing.

Now i've mentioned how funny the actors are in the film and that's because the film has a lot of really funny character driven jokes and one of them is actually really dark and is also a spoiler from the word go the jokes come thick and fast and for me all of them landed but with that being said i would understand if people didn't find the jokes funny.

As the plot and the title would suggest this is also a murder mystery and for me that's where the film fails just because they ignore the mystery aspect of the film and focus more on the jokes and because of that the film makers don't drop little bits of knowledge as to who the murderer could possibly be and so when they do make that reveal it comes out of know where.

I will admit that even tho i knew this film was set in and was filmed in Blackpool i honestly thought for a few seconds in the third act that they filmed in Southport and i've been to both places plenty of times and i know what the sea front for both places looks like and yet i still thought they went to Southport this is nothing against the movie but it's something i had to say because it lets you know that people who review films and TV shows are still just people.

Overall if you are in Britain and you have a telly box then i suggest going onto to catch up right now and watch this film it's that good if your not in Britain then sorry for me tho this film gets a solid 8 out 10. 

Some Spin-Offs From The Flintstones

Now i wasn't going to make this post that was until i saw that The Jetsons technically had a spin off called Astro and the space mutts so since The Flintstones was a huge show i thought i'd give you a quick rundown of some of there spin off shows.

The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show

Set in the prehistoric time period, the series follows Pebbles Flintstone and Bamm-Bamm Rubble as they face problems with growing up in the fictional town of Bedrock. As you can guess by the picture this show aged the characters up so they were in high school when this show came out.

The Flintstone Comedy Hour

This show was basically an hour long anthology series combining both The Flintstones and The Pebbles and Bam-Bam Show with the first half hour focusing on The Flintstones and four new episodes of Pebbles and Bam-Bam.

Fred Flintstone and Friends

From what i could gather about this show it's an anthology show that aired other Hanna-Barbera shows and it was hosted by Fred Flintstone.

The New Fred and Barney Show

I can't really find out much about this show bu what i did find out was it featured the traditional cast of characters and returned Pebbles and bam-Bam to there toddler form but there's nothing in terms of what the show was about.

The Flintstone Funnies

Again not much is known about this show but from what i can gather it mainly consisted of reruns from The Flintstone Comedy Show and that's really it.

Guys for this list i tried to avoid shows that most people were a where of hence why the Flintstone kids wasn't mentioned because alot of people have at least heard of that show but i hope that this list has informed you of more stone age fun that could possibly be had