Top Cat re-design?

[AnthroCoon]

Maybe WB was considering doing a new Top Cat, and I don't know if that's still in development or not; but animator Dave Kupczyk shows off some of his re-designs
for the TC characters (note: Spook a diff color and now named Skratch? Diff
Dibble; female character Roxy introduced)

http://kupczyk.blogspot.com/2008/01/top-cat-remake.html

[Leviathan]

The overhaul on Dibble was terrible. I'm glad this never got off the ground.

[AnthroCoon]

Agreed, though in some ways it would be interesting if they updated the char's clothing a bit. They could even do something like take TC, Huckleberry, Yogi, one or some of those characters, and make them teens who hang around at a mall.

Wait...they did that... :)

[Matthew Hunter]

What was wrong with the old designs? Officer Dibble and "Skratch" look particularly terrible.

[Ray Pointer]

The cat characters are essentially the same. Altering their costumes and colors is not a drastic "redesign." I do have a problem with DIBBLE and ROXY. The trouble is that they are inconsistent with the design style of TOP CAT gang, even with these revisions.

[Jon Cooke]

The cat characters are essentially the same. Altering their costumes and colors is not a drastic "redesign." I do have a problem with DIBBLE and ROXY. The trouble is that they are inconsistent with the design style of TOP CAT gang, even with these revisions.

I agree with, Ray. Those "redesigns" are actually rather faithful to the original designs overall (I also didn't care for the lunkheaded-looking Dibble, the toothy "Skratch", or "Roxy"). When I clicked the link, I was expecting to see T.C. and the Gang made over in the same ugly fashion as that Flash-animated George of the Jungle revival.

[J Lee]

Agreed on the Dibble design. Besides looking like something out of a 1990s Fox Kids Network show, the trapazoid face doesn't seem like it would be very good for translating into much emotion on the animation board, other than one-dimensional perpetual anger. Dibble was a schlub snookered by TC all the time, but also catching flak from his superiors; I doubt you could get a beaten down and harrassed look into a face like that very easily.

(Meanwhile, I'm gussing the name change from "Spook" to "Scratch" was probably someone's idea to avoid any problems with the PC police, real or imagined.)

[Surenity]

I wouldn't mind seeing a new Top Cat cartoon if it were done right, Top Cat was always one of the only Hanna-Barbara cartoons I liked. Maybe the same animators who do Tom and Jerry Tales could pull it off (in my opinion they've done a decent job with Tom and Jerry, not bad but decent especially compared to today's cartoons.) The only thing I didn't really like out of those was the new Dibble. And Roxy is a little out of place...but I kinda like her anyway.

[Tim Lones]

Most of the designs could be workable, except for the Dibble One.. Dibble, even though he was the "enemy" to Top Cat and pals most of the time was really pretty likeable as Authority figures go..At times you almost wished he'd get one over on TC just once. You sort of rooted for him in a way. I have my own problems with the name "Scratch", though..What does it mean?..does he like money (scratch=slang for money). Does he scratch himself all the time?..That could be ugly..If They had to change the name "Spook" (Not sure they had to), They could have come up with something better..

[Ray Pointer]

Most of the designs could be workable, except for the Dibble One.. Dibble, even though he was the "enemy" to Top Cat and pals most of the time was really pretty likeable as Authority figures go..At times you almost wished he'd get one over on TC just once. You sort of rooted for him in a way. I have my own problems with the name "Scratch", though..What does it mean?..does he like money (scratch=slang for money). Does he scratch himself all the time?..That could be ugly..If They had to change the name "Spook" (Not sure they had to), They could have come up with something better..

Maybe someone was trying to exercise some sense of "creative cleverness" with a reference to cat scratching. Then why not call Fancy,
"Clawed"? I would not look forward to doing TOP CAT now since the foundation of the original was the writing. We do not see the quality of writers in animation today who would be able to do justice to the property. This we have seen too many times in the past. It is best to pass on this idea which is doing it for the sake of doing it, and for no other purpose than that. They need to come up with something new and original. After all, it is said that the first rule in writing is "write about what you know."

[larriva9/11]

Maybe someone was trying to exercise some sense of "creative cleverness" with a reference to cat scratching. Then why not call Fancy,
"Clawed"?

Because it's been done. Y'know, Chuck Jones' creation Claude Cat.

[Studio Toledo]

Maybe someone was trying to exercise some sense of "creative cleverness" with a reference to cat scratching. Then why not call Fancy,
"Clawed"? I would not look forward to doing TOP CAT now since the foundation of the original was the writing. We do not see the quality of writers in animation today who would be able to do justice to the property. This we have seen too many times in the past. It is best to pass on this idea which is doing it for the sake of doing it, and for no other purpose than that. They need to come up with something new and original. After all, it is said that the first rule in writing is "write about what you know."
If only Hollywood would learn!

[Ray Pointer]

Because it's been done. Y'know, Chuck Jones' creation Claude Cat.

I don't think you get it, senior! Besides, TOP CAT has been done, too, and done well for what it was at the time.

[larriva9/11]

I got it. Just raising the potential of name confusion, there.

[kaneda]

The Dibble has a bucket head. I didn't like the idea of a female cat either because as soon as she appeares, she's going to be centre stage and crowd Top Cat out.

[Ray Pointer]

The Dibble has a bucket head. I didn't like the idea of a female cat either because as soon as she appeares, she's going to be centre stage and crowd Top Cat out.

While that is undetermined, it is her design that is too over powering compared to T.C. There were occasional female cat characters in the original series, but they were stylistically consistant. Roxie's design is clearly for an entirely different cartoon of a more modern style. The Dibble design is also a bit out of style, more UPA than Ed Bennedict type Hanna-Barbera style. It makes me wonder what the "thinking" is at Warners if they are considering these "redesigns." I don't feel that the stocking cap on T.C. is any "improvement" or update. If at all, a backwards baseball cap would have been better to replace the "Pork Pie" hat in the original design.

[dandu]

Most of the cats look pretty good, but Officer Dibble lacks personality and I feel really sorry for lockjawed Skratch...

[J. J. Hunsecker]

While that is undetermined, it is her design that is too over powering compared to T.C. There were occasional female cat characters in the original series, but they were stylistically consistant. Roxie's design is clearly for an entirely different cartoon of a more modern style. The Dibble design is also a bit out of style, more UPA than Ed Bennedict type Hanna-Barbera style. It makes me wonder what the "thinking" is at Warners if they are considering these "redesigns." I don't feel that the stocking cap on T.C. is any "improvement" or update. If at all, a backwards baseball cap would have been better to replace the "Pork Pie" hat in the original design.
Ironically, Porkpie hats are making a comeback among the trendy and hip. So Warners needn't have redesigned Top Cat's hat.

[larriva9/11]

I think the point of the stocking cap is that it's got a modern day "alley punk" flavour to it, more so than either a porkpie (too "hip") or a backwards baseball cap (too suburban). Sorta like a modern-day Top Cat as a Little Steven figure. (Come to think of it, "Skratch" envisioned in terms of Clarence Clemons?)

[StillHowardFein]

Agreed on the Dibble design. Besides looking like something out of a 1990s Fox Kids Network show, the trapazoid face doesn't seem like it would be very good for translating into much emotion on the animation board, other than one-dimensional perpetual anger.

Very true. The designs of the cats look reasonably close to their 1961 inception, except for 'Skratch', who might as well be a different character altogether. But Dibble was completely botched- worse than the 1993 Gannaway/Roberts re-imagined 1993 Secret Squirrel and Morocco Mole.

(Meanwhile, I'm gussing the name change from "Spook" to "Scratch" was probably someone's idea to avoid any problems with the PC police, real or imagined.)

Brain could be a problem as well. In the original series, it was very clear that he was, er, learning-disabled, given the usual cartoon character accoutrements of said syndrome: heavy eyelids, speech punctuated with frequent "Duh"s. That would never fly today!:rolleyes:

Having become a huge latent fan of TOP CAT via Boomerang reruns and the WHV release, I can only hope this projected update joins other misconceived ideas (:sailor: and :magoo: 'babyifications', f'rinstance) as never reaching fruition.

[Bricolo]

There was going to be a baby Magoo?



I use to be happy when I heard revivals could happen but the recent incarnations of George of the Jungle and Scooby have really turned me on the idea. Glad this didn't go through. I imagine if it went any further, the older characters would have been altered more in the style of the new Dibble.

[David Gerstein]

There was going to be a baby Magoo?Yes. Called Mr. Magoo-goo. (I'm not (http://www.rawterra.com/portfolio_docs/magoo.php?screen=baby) making this up.)

[Philo & Gunge]

I'm all for new TC, but only if it's in the vein of the show. I'm not a fan of this whole hip-hop inner city theme.

I use to be happy when I heard revivals could happen but the recent incarnations of George of the Jungle and Scooby have really turned me on the idea. Glad this didn't go through.

Yeah, I strongly agree. Some revivals have been pretty great (a few of the modern Looney Tunes shorts, How to Hook Up Your Home Theater) and others while not great in quality had good intentions (as mediocre as Looney Tunes: Back in Action was, you could tell that Joe and Eric were really trying hard with what they had) but for the most part, revivals like this new Top Cat seem to be retooling what they have then trying to keep going with the characters. What's even worse is that the talent is out there and the opportunities are there, but they are always ignored (I know I'm totally minority in this, but if someone like Spike & Tony made a new short with :bugs2: or :daffy: and it was released it with The Dark Knight, think of how much attention these characters could slowly gotten!).

[Ray Pointer]

Yes. Called Mr. Magoo-goo. (I'm not (http://www.rawterra.com/portfolio_docs/magoo.php?screen=baby) making this up.)

Sounds like the same school of "thought" that gave us slogans last year for UNDERDOG such as "One nation under dog," and "A major Ocean Picture" for SURF'S UP. And the joke of is all is that people were actually paid to come up with these sorry concepts!