Howabout a New Looney Tune Series?

[JPox]

Since it seems that Warners is trying to slowly get out of broadcasting classic LT, would a new modern LT series work? Duck Dodgers uses a lot of the classic characters, but the show itself isn't all that wacky. Howabout if they started to produce new LT shorts as part of DD? There could be a Dodgers adventure followed by a brand new LT? True enough that the latest of new theatrical LT fell short, but there was potential. I've noticed alot of the stories in the LT comics could end up being very funny animated shorts, if they were produced just right.

:bugs2: :daffy: :tweety: :sylvester :ysam: :befuddled :speedy: etc, etc, etc ...

[speedy fast]

I think a new Looney Tunes series would be good, if it consisted of three all-new shorts, done in the style of the old cartoons. Perhaps each show could have one Bugs Bunny cartoon, one cartoon with another major character (Speedy Gonzoles, Road Runner, Sylvester, etc.), and one with either a minor character (Cool Cat, Pete Puma, The Goofy Gophers, etc.) or an all-new character. Perhaps this could air in prime time on the WB (though I have read that WB and UPN are merging into one network soon) or maybe on Adult Swim.

This show could occassionally feature team-ups between characters who rarely interracted together, but for the most part the cartoons would feature team-ups between characters who normally appeared together in the classic cartoons.

I do have mixed feelings about whetehr Lola Bunny should be a part of this. She worked well with Bugs in Space Jam and Baby Looney Tunes, but would they work well together in a short made in the style of the classic shorts? Or would it be better for her to be teamed up more with other characters, like Elmer Fudd or Yosimite Sam?

Or maybe a new show like this could feature the unreleased Looney Tunes shorts that were produced in 2003 during the time of the release of Looney Tunes: Back in Action.

Of course, I also wonder if it would be better to have the usual Looney Tunes opening theme, or a remake of This Is It, or a completely different theme.

Last summer, I mentioned an idea I had for a House of Mouse-style show, with the cast working at a night club between the shorts and two-three all-new shorts shown in the episodes. However, many peopel here didn't seem to care much for that idea, preferring older shorts shown instead.

[Geezil]

No Lola Bunny!!!!!!! Otherwise, a solid idea in the right hands (as, for instance, the Animaniacs/Pinky and the Brain crew if most of them could be rounded up anew). :D

[AndrewGilmore]

In theory, it might be a good idea. But let's think about it... we're asking for a cast and crew who can equal the work of Chuck Jones, Tex Avery, Bob Clampett, Friz Freleng, Bob McKimson, Michael Maltese, Tedd Pierce, Warren Foster, Ken Harris, Ben Washam, Virgil Ross, Izzy Ellis, Rod Scribner, Treg Brown, Maurice Noble, Carl Stalling, Mel Blanc, etc., etc., etc.
Let's face facts, folks. They're all gone, they lived to produce some of the greatest cartoons the world has ever known, and thank god they did, but I don't think anyone could produce new cartoons that could equal the originality and brilliance of the originals. The Termite Terrace crew was a once-in-a-lifetime gathering of talent which will never happen again. Any new Looney Tunes are bound to suffer in comparison to the original classics.

[Cartman]

As Geezil said, no one can match up the works of folks like Avery, McKimson, and Clampett. One just cannot help but suspect that the show would probably be full of gross-out humor since that seems to be what modern audiences crave.

[Kaleido]

Please, no. We remember the great Looney Tunes, but we forget these characters were run into the ground after 20+ years of cartoons. Everything that can be done with these characters has been done.

Almost every attempt at bringing the characters back has been a disaster. Even when it wasn't, it was never as good as the classic era.

There are over a thousand Looney Tunes shorts already. That's more than enough to run on television forever without fear of overexposure.

[Geezil]

As Geezil said, no one can match up the works of folks like Avery, McKimson, and Clampett. One just cannot help but suspect that the show would probably be full of gross-out humor since that seems to be what modern audiences crave.

I said that above? :confused: I thought that was AndrewGilmore.

Well, OK, I should have said it too. But my actual point back there was, why not try a modern comic approach by those who can, without the gross-outs? It couldn't be as bad as any of the other revival attempts.

[AardvarkDog]

Please, no. We remember the great Looney Tunes, but we forget these characters were run into the ground after 20+ years of cartoons. Everything that can be done with these characters has been done.

Almost every attempt at bringing the characters back has been a disaster. Even when it wasn't, it was never as good as the classic era.


Hmm, my theory is that they didn't have the right team of writers to contribute. I mean, look what Chris Kelly did to the Road Runner in WIZZARD OF OW. :mad: What we need is guys like Pat Ventura (Tom & Jerry Kids) and Peter Hastings (TinyToons/Animaniacs/Pinky & the Brain) who KNOW how to write a classic cartoon even in modern days like today. They're the only two top writers I know that keep the 1950's style in their own quirky ways :D

[JDWeil]

Right now, I would like to see the Looney Tunes that were made for theatrical release but never broadcast like the shorts that Chuck Jones produced dduring the early '90's.

[Cartman]

I said that above? :confused: I thought that was AndrewGilmore.

Well, OK, I should have said it too. But my actual point back there was, why not try a modern comic approach by those who can, without the gross-outs? It couldn't be as bad as any of the other revival attempts.
I'm sorry Geezil. I was mistaking. It was Andrew Gilmore.:o:p

[Miss Marnie]

In theory, it might be a good idea. But let's think about it... we're asking for a cast and crew who can equal the work of Chuck Jones, Tex Avery, Bob Clampett, Friz Freleng, Bob McKimson, Michael Maltese, Tedd Pierce, Warren Foster, Ken Harris, Ben Washam, Virgil Ross, Izzy Ellis, Rod Scribner, Treg Brown, Maurice Noble, Carl Stalling, Mel Blanc, etc., etc., etc.
Let's face facts, folks. They're all gone, they lived to produce some of the greatest cartoons the world has ever known, and thank god they did, but I don't think anyone could produce new cartoons that could equal the originality and brilliance of the originals. The Termite Terrace crew was a once-in-a-lifetime gathering of talent which will never happen again. Any new Looney Tunes are bound to suffer in comparison to the original classics.

Darn right. But, lest we forget, some of the people here do have obviously trapped themselves in a dream world where something like this can exist and be successful. What's it going to take for them that everyone involved with Looney Tunes, Merrie Melodies, and other classic cartoons is either dead or retired or involved in something else just to pay the bills.

If you do want a revival of it so bad, make it yo damn self. As for me, I'll be with my Golden Collection,keeping what little sanity and faith in humanity I have left.

[speedy fast]

If you do want a revival of it so bad, make it yo damn self.

I don't think it would be that easy. If any of us were wanting to make a revival ourselves, we'd have to get approval from Warner bros., we'd have to get hired by warner bros., and if any of us were to pitch an idea, we'd probably need an agent before we could get Warner Bros. to read our scripts or proposals for a new series.

I would be interested in writing and directing some new Looney Tunes material someday, but I wouldn't want to write my own Looney Tunes series. I'd rather write my own original series.

[frogboxer]

I think that the Looney Tunes characters themselves ought to be left alone. I really liked Tiny Toons, Animaniacs, and Pinky & the Brain because they were cartoons that sported humor in the same vein as the classic Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies. I realize that Tiny Tunes sometimes had the Looney Tunes characters in them, but the cartoons didn't focus on those characters. (Animaniacs also had the classic characters on occasion, too. Anyone remember the Dover Boys' cameo in that episode where Slappy Squirrel meets Daniel Boone?)

Anyway, the point is I would like cartoons to keep coming out that continue the tradition of humor and wit that originated with the classic cartoons. I just don't see the need for them to use the classic characters when they've done so well before with characters of their own creation.

[Brundledan]

Let's face facts, folks. They're all gone, they lived to produce some of the greatest cartoons the world has ever known, and thank god they did, but I don't think anyone could produce new cartoons that could equal the originality and brilliance of the originals. The Termite Terrace crew was a once-in-a-lifetime gathering of talent which will never happen again. Any new Looney Tunes are bound to suffer in comparison to the original classics.

Y'know, without Carl Barks around to write and draw them, I didn't think that Donald Duck and Uncle Scrooge comics would ever be worth a damn again. Nobody else could ever capture the Ducks the same way, right? Well, along came a gentleman named Don Rosa to blow my mind with his vision for Disney comics. I sure am glad he had the opportunity.

Of course, the Termite Terrace crew can never be matched. But to say that quality Looney Tunes revivals are not possible without fifty test-tube clones of Friz Freleng slaving away in some underground bunker in Burbank, is not only to ignore the record, but to allow the characters to eventually die.

Not only can Bugs, Daffy, etc. be successfully revived without the participation of the masters, they HAVE been. Remember the Greg Ford/Terry Lennon shorts produced in the late '80s and early '90s? Remember THE DUXORCIST, BLOOPER BUNNY, INVASION OF THE BUNNY SNATCHERS? Remember Darrell van Citters' BOX-OFFICE BUNNY? Remember how well TINY TOON ADVENTURES captured the spirit of the old days? Dare I suggest that most of these efforts were actually BETTER than some of the stuff Chuck Jones himself put out in the '90s, like ANOTHER FROGGY EVENING?

It's true that the characters have not been served well over the last ten years, but that doesn't mean there aren't people out there who understand them or know what to do with them. I think we'll eventually see quality LOONEY TUNES again. I hope so, because if the characters aren't perpetuated, future generations won't be familiar with them. Try asking an average eight year-old of 2006 who Woody Woodpecker is....

-Dan

[Leviathan]

I would be interested in writing and directing some new Looney Tunes material someday, but I wouldn't want to write my own Looney Tunes series. I'd rather write my own original series.

Hey, same here. However, I probably would be game for writing an entire LT series but only after i write an original series of my own (Hopefully the Animation industry is in better shape when i finish school

[Matthew Hunter]

I think it COULD be done, I just don't think anyone WOULD. "Taz Mania", "Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries" and "Duck Dodgers" were interesting, but they weren't all that great because they took a single concept and ran it into the ground. What made most of the best Looney Tunes of the classic era work is that they were not too long, they were well animated, and they didn't all stick to the same situations and setting over and over again. "Duck Dodgers" was just one of many Daffy Duck film genre parodies, and characters like Sylvester and Bugs Bunny could be set anywhere and placed with any character. Sylvester and Tweety didn't HAVE to be together for every cartoon, and Daffy didn't HAVE to be in a futuristic space setting every time. Look how many different situations they put Porky Pig in, or how many characters Foghorn Leghorn encountered. You just can't do that if you limit yourself to one concept for 30 whole minutes.

They should do it more like the new Mickey Mouse "House of Mouse" series. Some of those were pretty funny. If they're going to do Looney Tunes, they should do them in a way similar to the old cartoons.

[Kaleido]

What we need is guys like Pat Ventura (Tom & Jerry Kids) and Peter Hastings (TinyToons/Animaniacs/Pinky & the Brain) who KNOW how to write a classic cartoon even in modern days like today. They're the only two top writers I know that keep the 1950's style in their own quirky ways :DFrankly, those are the last people I would want in charge of a new Looney Tunes series. Hastings makes every character a comic relief character and Ventura... where to start? Writing, timing, character models, art direction, animation, voice direction: they were all the worst I have ever seen in cartoons. Seriously.

[J. B. Warner]

Not only can Bugs, Daffy, etc. be successfully revived without the participation of the masters, they HAVE been. Remember the Greg Ford/Terry Lennon shorts produced in the late '80s and early '90s? Remember THE DUXORCIST, BLOOPER BUNNY, INVASION OF THE BUNNY SNATCHERS? Remember Darrell van Citters' BOX-OFFICE BUNNY? Remember how well TINY TOON ADVENTURES captured the spirit of the old days? Dare I suggest that most of these efforts were actually BETTER than some of the stuff Chuck Jones himself put out in the '90s, like ANOTHER FROGGY EVENING?

Good point. I think Ford and Lennon were the best men for the job, but their era was over way too quickly. They knew exactly what to do with the characters, and more importantly, what not to do. I love everything they did for Warner Bros. - it accurately captured the personalities of the characters and maintained their classic sense of humor while still infusing them with a healthy dose of contemporary style, but not enough of that style to alienate them from the audience. They found a happy, entertaining medium between "classic cartoons that can never be equaled" and "new, hip cartoons that shouldn't have happened", and I commend them for it.

(And it's also true what you say about Chuck Jones' later work not being as good as his classic stuff - he became more of a self-satirist in his later years, and it wasn't as funny as when he really zeroed in on the characters' personalities. I guess without Mike Maltese to collaborate with, Jones just couldn't maintain his quality.)

Interesting tale about Greg Ford: he was once approached by Warner Bros. in 1980 to direct an all-new non-compilation feature called "Hareport" (which, I can only assume, was intended to be a parody of the "Airport" series of films) that would have been the precursor to stuff like "Space Jam", in that it would feature characters from all different cartoons in the same scene - and Ford declined. He said, and I'm paraphrasing here, "They wanted Bugs Bunny and Tweety and the Road Runner all in the same movie - heck, these characters shouldn't even be in the same frame."

[Brundledan]

Wow, J.B. -- I'd never heard that story about Ford and HAREPORT. It demonstrates exactly why, as you say, he was the man for the job.

The biggest problem the WB characters have these days (aside from incongruous pairings) is that they are not allowed to be anything more or less than the broadly defined personality templates embodied in endless parades of corporate clipart. Bugs is the Suave Gentlerabbit Who Always Wins. Daffy is the Greedy Self-Destructive Bastard. That's all they can ever be in current WB productions; it's been quite a while since they've been under the stewardship of people who understand that they can be and do more. A cartoon like BUGS' BONNETS, which ends with Elmer tricking Bugs into being dragged off to Alcatraz for tax evasion, probably wouldn't be made today because it doesn't fit the "template". Many of Clampett's Bugs cartoons, which are NONE too kind to the character, wouldn't either. Nor would the Daffy cartoons of the '30s and '40s, which star a truly whacked-out duck who can do anything and to whom anything can happen. That's not a Daffy WB recognizes any more, though he is no less valid and possible a character.

-Dan

[Jon Cooke]

It's true that the characters have not been served well over the last ten years, but that doesn't mean there aren't people out there who understand them or know what to do with them. I think we'll eventually see quality LOONEY TUNES again. I hope so, because if the characters aren't perpetuated, future generations won't be familiar with them. Try asking an average eight year-old of 2006 who Woody Woodpecker is....

At this point, I think it's more important for WB to find a way to get the original LTs in the public eye again. It's a shame kids are only being introduced to toned down imitation versions of the characters (Babies, Loonatics, Duck Dodgers). I think a revived Bugs Bunny Show would be a great idea --- showing classic cartoons with newly created wrap-around segments of Bugs & the gang hosting. If networks demand more new material than that, WB is already sitting on a backlog over a dozen new theaterical shorts from the past few years that they haven't figured out what to do with yet.

Maybe after awhile new shorts could be produced... but only if they get people in charge who care about the quality and are familiar with the characters (or else we'd end up with yet another disaster LT revival).

-Jon

[Dell Comics Fan]

In theory, it might be a good idea. But let's think about it... we're asking for a cast and crew who can equal the work of Chuck Jones, Tex Avery, Bob Clampett, Friz Freleng, Bob McKimson, Michael Maltese, Tedd Pierce, Warren Foster, Ken Harris, Ben Washam, Virgil Ross, Izzy Ellis, Rod Scribner, Treg Brown, Maurice Noble, Carl Stalling, Mel Blanc, etc., etc., etc.
Let's face facts, folks. They're all gone, they lived to produce some of the greatest cartoons the world has ever known, and thank god they did, but I don't think anyone could produce new cartoons that could equal the originality and brilliance of the originals. The Termite Terrace crew was a once-in-a-lifetime gathering of talent which will never happen again. Any new Looney Tunes are bound to suffer in comparison to the original classics.
I agree. Trying to create new Looney Tunes with a new cast and crew would
be like trying to recreate the Stooges comedies without Moe Howard and
Larry Fine or the Jay Ward cartoons with only June Foray. It wouldn't be
the same.

[speedy fast]

Interesting tale about Greg Ford: he was once approached by Warner Bros. in 1980 to direct an all-new non-compilation feature called "Hareport" (which, I can only assume, was intended to be a parody of the "Airport" series of films) that would have been the precursor to stuff like "Space Jam", in that it would feature characters from all different cartoons in the same scene - and Ford declined. He said, and I'm paraphrasing here, "They wanted Bugs Bunny and Tweety and the Road Runner all in the same movie - heck, these characters shouldn't even be in the same frame."

So, he was against having characters who don't normally appear togther appear together in a movie? Coudl that be why Daffy Duck's Quackbusters had a major lack of characters?

I would have liked to have seen the Hareport movie. I like it when characters make "crossover" type appearances. One thing I didn't like about Looney Tunes: Back in Action was that many characters didn't get enough screen time. I really liked Space jam, where they appeared as a group. I think the only time that I didn't really like an unusual pairing of Looney Tunes characters is on baby Looney Tunes.

[speedy fast]

Hey, same here. However, I probably would be game for writing an entire LT series but only after i write an original series of my own (Hopefully the Animation industry is in better shape when i finish school

I wouldn't mind writing for a new Looney Tunes series if I were hired on a freelance basis, where I could write scritps whenever I feel like it and send them to warner bros. If I were writing a series on a regular basis, I'd prefer for it to be for my own creation, not established characters. The only exception would be if a new Muppet series were made.

[AndrewGilmore]

At this point, I think it's more important for WB to find a way to get the original LTs in the public eye again. It's a shame kids are only being introduced to toned down imitation versions of the characters (Babies, Loonatics, Duck Dodgers).

Ya know, it's a sad day when I realize that I and my generation of children grew up on the classics only about 10-15 years ago, and only this short time later the following generation of kids has no idea what they're missing.

[Brundledan]

So, he was against having characters who don't normally appear togther appear together in a movie? Coudl that be why Daffy Duck's Quackbusters had a major lack of characters?

Interestingly enough, QUACKBUSTERS is also the most inventive and satisfying of all the compilation features. Ford and Lennon knew what they were doing.

-Dan

[speedy fast]

Interestingly enough, QUACKBUSTERS is also the most inventive and satisfying of all the compilation features. Ford and Lennon knew what they were doing.

-Dan

I agree that it has the most developed plot out of the compilation movies and is the best at editing cartoons into the plots (in the other movies, unless a cartoon was somehow introduced before being shown, the editing seemed a bit sloppy). I just wish it had more characters.

[Toonami]

I don't think it would be that easy. If any of us were wanting to make a revival ourselves, we'd have to get approval from Warner bros., we'd have to get hired by warner bros., and if any of us were to pitch an idea, we'd probably need an agent before we could get Warner Bros. to read our scripts or proposals for a new series

Mr first post, but I've been reading these forums for months now, and I'm pretty familiar with it. I just had to register and respond to this.

My name is Jorge Garrido, and I want to go into animation. I will be studying animation at Sheridan College in 2007 and my dream is to make new Looney Tunes. But how would I go about:
a) convincing WB to make new Looney Tunes,
b) making sure I have complete creative control over the characters so the Execs don't try to water them down,
c) Being allowed to have edgy Clampett style gags that they'd shy away from (minor cussing, smoking, DRINKING and violence)
d) getting the rights to use these characters at all?

My plan is to create PASTICHES of the Looney Tunes gang, which basically means a deliberate rip-off of the characters. Find out more info at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pastiche

In much current usage, the term denotes a literary technique (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Literary_technique) employing a generally light-hearted tongue-in-cheek imitation of another's style; although jocular, it is usually respectful (as opposed to parody (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parody), which is not). For example, many stories featuring Sherlock Holmes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sherlock_Holmes), originally created by Arthur Conan Doyle (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Conan_Doyle) have been written since Conan Doyle's time as pastiches. David Lodge (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Lodge_%28author%29)'s novel The British Museum Is Falling Down (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_British_Museum_Is_Falling_Down) (1965 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1965_in_literature)) is a pastiche of works by Joyce (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Joyce), Kafka (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franz_Kafka), and Virginia Woolf (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virginia_Woolf). Much fan fiction (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fan_fiction) is pastiche.

So basically I create characters that are purposely ripped off of the classic characters but are legally different. Here are my main plans:

Jack Rabbit: Modelled after Bugs Bunny, he smokes a cigar instead of chewing a carrot (Groucho reference, and reinforces his personality as that of a classic comedian), he has a TICK New Yawk accent, he's brown instead of grey, has black tips on his ears (ALA Elmer's Candid Camera), he has yellow gloves, and he is modelled after the early Tex Avery and Clampett Bugs Bunny model sheets (short and lanky withht a round cure face)

Foul. W. Fowl: Like Daffy Duck, he's a 100% insane and crazy duck modelled after the Tex Avery and Clampett screwball duck of the early to mid 40s

Happy Hog: Modelled after Porky Pig, with a very strong stutter.

So you see, I could create Looney Tunes the way I want without worrying about copyright or corporate interference. In my media arts class we had to make a short animated film and I made one of Jack RAbbit vs. Osama Bin Laden... I was the only one who drew it frame by frame! I got a 94. :D :D :D

And my title for these cartoons: WACKY WHAPSODIES

What do you guys think?

PS. I'm not sure of the spelling of the title. All the classic cartoons had the first word as an adjective describing the cartoons, and the second word a kind of music, but the words were often mispelled on purpose. I chose that title because it's a reference to the great Clampett directed Fat Elmer cartoons, he always used "WABBIT" and Elmer-speak, as in "WABBIT TWOUBLE" or "WACKY WABBIT" I chose to use Elmer speak for "Whapsodies" as a tribute to Hungarian Rhapsody, the great cartoon classicical piece that was often used by Freleng.

What I'm not too sure of is how to spell them: in Merrie Melodies, "Merry" is mispelled so it matches "Melodies" but MGM and Disney didn't bother with Silly Symphonies and Happy Harmonies. (It wasn't sillie symphonies or happie harmonies) I feel that writing it "WACKIE WHAPSODIES" would be a great tribute to Merrie Melodies, but writing it "WACKY WHAPSODYS" or "WACKY WHAPSODY'S" would be a great tribute to Clampett, as in SODY Clampett, his son. John K did the same thing by naming one of his characters Sody Pop. The only problem with the "Y" ending is that without the apostrope it looks odd, but with the apostrophe it looks distracting, and as if it was a possesive term.

What title do you guys like better? Wackie Whapsodies, Wacky Whapsodys, Wacky Whapsody's, or Wacky Whapsodies?

[speedy fast]

A cartoon like BUGS' BONNETS, which ends with Elmer tricking Bugs into being dragged off to Alcatraz for tax evasion, probably wouldn't be made today because it doesn't fit the "template".

Actually, Bugs Bonnets is the name of the cartoon where Bugs and Elmer keep changing personalities based on what hats they wear. I keep forgetting the name of the cartoon that you are thinking of. I'm thinking it might be False Hare, but I also feel like that's not right. But because of that template then cartoons like Rabbit Rampage, Falling Hare and the Cecil Turtle trilogy probably wouldn't be made today.

Nor would the Daffy cartoons of the '30s and '40s, which star a truly whacked-out duck who can do anything and to whom anything can happen. That's not a Daffy WB recognizes any more, though he is no less valid and possible a character.


I read this part earlier, and it got me thinking... wouldn't it be cool if there was a short or even a TV special featuring two daffy's, the original wacky Daffy and the more current greedy Daffy? Maybe an experiment would make Daffy into two, each having a different personality, or perhaps the modern daffy could be sent back in time and encounter his original, wackier self (who could defeat the modern Daffy). Heck, it could be cool if there was a special celebrating the many sides of Daffy.

[Daffysleftfoot]

but writing it "WACKY WHAPSODYS" or "WACKY WHAPSODY'S" would be a great tribute to Clampett, as in SODY Clampett, his son.

Actually, Sody was Bob Clampett's wife (is she still alive?). His son is Bob Clampett Jr.

As for your character ideas, that's pretty much what WB did with Tiny Toons and :eek: Loonatics. I think maybe a better approach would be to create a show with your own characters but then sprinkle in as many references to Looney Tunes as you can. This way you get to be creative AND keep interest in the Looney Tunes alive and no frachises get desecrated in the process. That's what I'd do anyway.

[The Silver Fox]

it could be fun to see a H O M simular series done with

the WB/LT/MM crew as long as it was done well as was done with Disney's House of Mouse. Another idea that could be done to as i was reading this, could be some of the One time shot charcters could do guest spots, like you seen Roxanne from AGM cameo on HOM, as well as Louie's Brother from Jungle book 2.

What could be funny is to see maybe a one timer that Bugs stared with in one of his Bob Clampet or Chuck Jones days to do a cameo example Pete Pumbaor even Red Hot Ryder.

As with the HOM, this version would have to be done as well to make it fly, MC for sure have to be Bugs and Dafy, but there could be Guest MC's to.

BTW, there is a problem with new epsodes of HOM coming cause the voice of Mic, the anouncer mic passed awway in 2005, the late Great Rod Roddy, narrator of the series SOAP and later years the famous anouncer of the long runnig "The Price Is Right" on CBS. At times you could see hints of gags on HOM that came from TPIR, such as the ad bumps at the end of the show, as well as an acational "COME ON DOWN"

They in order to do new epsodes have to have Rich Fields, who the current TPIR anouncer, to sign on to replace Rod.

[speedy fast]

it could be fun to see a H O M simular series done with

the WB/LT/MM crew as long as it was done well as was done with Disney's House of Mouse. Another idea that could be done to as i was reading this, could be some of the One time shot charcters could do guest spots, like you seen Roxanne from AGM cameo on HOM, as well as Louie's Brother from Jungle book 2.

What could be funny is to see maybe a one timer that Bugs stared with in one of his Bob Clampet or Chuck Jones days to do a cameo example Pete Pumbaor even Red Hot Ryder.

As with the HOM, this version would have to be done as well to make it fly, MC for sure have to be Bugs and Dafy, but there could be Guest MC's to.


That sounds good. I was thinking of designating the following jobs for the following characters:


*Bugs Bunny- Host
*Daffy Duck- waiter and occassional co-host (who often tries to replace Bugs as the permaneant host)
*Porky Pig- Waiter and/ or secretary
*Lola Bunny- in charge of entertainment
*Foghorn Leghorn- Announcer
*Pepe Le Pew- waiter

[Daffysleftfoot]

That sounds good. I was thinking of designating the following jobs for the following characters:


*Bugs Bunny- Host
*Daffy Duck- waiter and occassional co-host (who often tries to replace Bugs as the permaneant host)
*Porky Pig- Waiter and/ or secretary
*Lola Bunny- in charge of entertainment
*Foghorn Leghorn- Announcer
*Pepe Le Pew- waiter

I expressed my disdain for Looney Tunes doing a show similar to the House of Mouse a while ago (possibly even back on the TTTP site) but I feel so obliged to do it again here.

The biggest problem lies within the very sentence. Disney ALREADY DID the House of Mouse format. If Looney Tunes characters re-did it, people everywhere would be saying "Oh well, Warner Bros. has to copy Disney". The sad irony of this though is that Disney copied the Looney Tunes with House of Mouse by re-using the Bugs Bunny Show format that was used in the 1960's. Unfortunately, very few people would know that.
What needs to happen is for the Looney Tunes to utilize a completely different format, one that still gives an avenue for old cartoons to be shown with rap-around footage but yet does not resemble HOM in the slightest.

Here's an idea I have. (If I've mentioned it before it's probably buried under a stack of old posts by now so I'll just put it here again. :p ) The show could start off in some scenario where a group of people are about to watch a film. Example: in a classroom a teacher announces to the class that they are about to watch some educational film of some kind. Then BAM!!! some Looney Tunes characters (whichever ones have cartoons to be shown) burst into the room either kicking in the door, smashing through the windows or even busting right through walls. Then one of them says "Here's some BETTER films to see" and then 3 cartoons are shown with some other raparound filler shown inbetween. At the end, the Looney Tunes are either cheered or chased out of the room depending on where they are. Other locations could include a Bergman film festival, a secret Pentagon meeting as they are about to watch some secret surveilence films, or even maybe a comic book/anime convention (could you imagine the backlash THAT episode would generate :D ).

Anyway, that's my idea for a new Looney Tunes series.

[JPox]

It would seem that just going a more simplified way would be suffient. I figure that all a new series would need is a simple title, "Looney Tunes: The Series", for example.
The show itself could just be a gathering of new animated shorts, "Pete Puma in Bringing Down Puma" , "Bugs Bunny in Carrots Chaos" & "Speedy Gonzales in Road Ripping Rodent", or the likes.
Each cartoon could use the old familar 6-minute format and could guest-star other characters in their own stories.
Characters that never caught on during the golden age. Such as "A. Flea", "Injun Joe", "The Crusher", "Count Bloodcount" etc..etc...

[JPox]

Sorry! I just felt like throwing down some titles for possible 'toon titles from the top of my head,
"Yosemite Sam in Yeller Fever" , "Beaky Buzzard in Early Worm Woes" , "Wile E. Coyote in Never Say Acme" , "The Hep Cat in Garbage Can Dash" , "Elmer Fudd in Good Day Mr.Fudd" , "Foghorn Leghorn in The Dawg Files" , "RoadRunner in Road Rash" , "Which Hazel in The Candy Cottage" , "Sam Sheepdog in Wolf in Sheep's Pajamas" , "Pussyfoot in Doggone Bulldog" , "Rocky & Muggsy in Gangsters 'R' Us" , "Pepe LePew in Stink Bugged" , "Daffy Duck in The Secret Woid" , "Hubie & Bertie in Mouse Louse" , "Wacky Worm in The Apple Polisher" , "Bosko & Honey in The Tip Tap Twosome" , "Bugs Bunny in Ski Bunnies" , and well, I've said too much already.

[Sultan]

Mr first post, but I've been reading these forums for months now, and I'm pretty familiar with it. I just had to register and respond to this.

My name is Jorge Garrido, and I want to go into animation. I will be studying animation at Sheridan College in 2007 and my dream is to make new Looney Tunes. But how would I go about:
a) convincing WB to make new Looney Tunes,
b) making sure I have complete creative control over the characters so the Execs don't try to water them down,
c) Being allowed to have edgy Clampett style gags that they'd shy away from (minor cussing, smoking, DRINKING and violence)
d) getting the rights to use these characters at all?

My plan is to create PASTICHES of the Looney Tunes gang, which basically means a deliberate rip-off of the characters. Find out more info at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pastiche



So basically I create characters that are purposely ripped off of the classic characters but are legally different. Here are my main plans:

Jack Rabbit: Modelled after Bugs Bunny, he smokes a cigar instead of chewing a carrot (Groucho reference, and reinforces his personality as that of a classic comedian), he has a TICK New Yawk accent, he's brown instead of grey, has black tips on his ears (ALA Elmer's Candid Camera), he has yellow gloves, and he is modelled after the early Tex Avery and Clampett Bugs Bunny model sheets (short and lanky withht a round cure face)

Foul. W. Fowl: Like Daffy Duck, he's a 100% insane and crazy duck modelled after the Tex Avery and Clampett screwball duck of the early to mid 40s

Happy Hog: Modelled after Porky Pig, with a very strong stutter.

So you see, I could create Looney Tunes the way I want without worrying about copyright or corporate interference. In my media arts class we had to make a short animated film and I made one of Jack RAbbit vs. Osama Bin Laden... I was the only one who drew it frame by frame! I got a 94. :D :D :D

And my title for these cartoons: WACKY WHAPSODIES

What do you guys think?

PS. I'm not sure of the spelling of the title. All the classic cartoons had the first word as an adjective describing the cartoons, and the second word a kind of music, but the words were often mispelled on purpose. I chose that title because it's a reference to the great Clampett directed Fat Elmer cartoons, he always used "WABBIT" and Elmer-speak, as in "WABBIT TWOUBLE" or "WACKY WABBIT" I chose to use Elmer speak for "Whapsodies" as a tribute to Hungarian Rhapsody, the great cartoon classicical piece that was often used by Freleng.

What I'm not too sure of is how to spell them: in Merrie Melodies, "Merry" is mispelled so it matches "Melodies" but MGM and Disney didn't bother with Silly Symphonies and Happy Harmonies. (It wasn't sillie symphonies or happie harmonies) I feel that writing it "WACKIE WHAPSODIES" would be a great tribute to Merrie Melodies, but writing it "WACKY WHAPSODYS" or "WACKY WHAPSODY'S" would be a great tribute to Clampett, as in SODY Clampett, his son. John K did the same thing by naming one of his characters Sody Pop. The only problem with the "Y" ending is that without the apostrope it looks odd, but with the apostrophe it looks distracting, and as if it was a possesive term.

What title do you guys like better? Wackie Whapsodies, Wacky Whapsodys, Wacky Whapsody's, or Wacky Whapsodies?
what an abysmal idea.

[angilbas]

New cartoons I'd like to see include:

Bugs Bunny and The Construction Worker in "Brokehare Mountain" -- the two duel over whether the title formation should have a hole or a bunch of condos.

Wile E. Coyote and Road Runner in "Running Scarred," with St. Helens brand TNT and an Acme Giant Bear Trap which catches Ursius Smokius.

Sylvester and Tweety in "Raging Hair-bull," with Tweety waiting to be presented to the character who defeats El Toro.

Bugs Bunny and Witch Hazel in "For Better or For Curse." This time, Bugs faces a family of witches.

Daffy Duck in "16 Books," a follow-up to "Book Revue."

Daffy Duck, Porky Pig and Pepé Le Pew in "Lard & Odor: Special P-U," which sees two NYPD detectives looking for Pepé. Porky: "Just be glad we don't need b-blud-blud ... tracking dogs!"

Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and Merlin the Magician in "The Wizard of Skid," a prequel to "Knight-Mare Hare." The blows on Bugs' head gave him amnesia so that he forgot about his earlier encounter with Merlin when Daffy was traveling with him.



-Tony

[speedy fast]

Another idea: Maybe there could be a cartoon in which Yosimite Sam is Daffy Duck's landlord, and daffy tries to get out of paying the rent. Maybe Porky can be his roomate. yeah, the plot would be similar to Porky Pig's Feat, with a hotel replaced with an apartment, and with Yosimite Sam instead of some one-shot character, but who cares?

[CueBallCat79]

BTW, there is a problem with new epsodes of HOM coming cause the voice of Mic, the anouncer mic passed awway in 2005, the late Great Rod Roddy, narrator of the series SOAP and later years the famous anouncer of the long runnig "The Price Is Right" on CBS. At times you could see hints of gags on HOM that came from TPIR, such as the ad bumps at the end of the show, as well as an acational "COME ON DOWN"

They in order to do new epsodes have to have Rich Fields, who the current TPIR anouncer, to sign on to replace Rod.

Woah woah woah, hold on a second. Since WHEN are they making new House of Mouse episodes?

[The Silver Fox]

Woah woah woah, hold on a second. Since WHEN are they making new House of Mouse episodes?

There not currently but with Eisner now OUT, it could mean, that HOM can have a good chance in getting restarted again in production. Do to that STUPID 65 epsode rule that Eisner started in the late 80', is the reason why this and any toon show Disney made from 84 to 05, ended after 65 epsodes.
This rule cause alot of the better disney toons to end, and ulitmaly did for a slight while end lilo and Kim Posible, but there both back with new epsodes.

What i was talking was if they were to bring back the series to the air, with new epsodes or direct to DVD episodes.

[speedy fast]

There not currently but with Eisner now OUT, it could mean, that HOM can have a good chance in getting restarted again in production. Do to that STUPID 65 epsode rule that Eisner started in the late 80', is the reason why this and any toon show Disney made from 84 to 05, ended after 65 epsodes.
This rule cause alot of the better disney toons to end, and ulitmaly did for a slight while end lilo and Kim Posible, but there both back with new epsodes.


Although it wasn't an animated show, I wonder if that 65 episode rule has anything to do with why Dinosaurs had 65 episodes.

[Dr. Killpatient]

Another idea: Maybe there could be a cartoon in which Yosimite Sam is Daffy Duck's landlord, and daffy tries to get out of paying the rent. Maybe Porky can be his roomate. yeah, the plot would be similar to Porky Pig's Feat, with a hotel replaced with an apartment, and with Yosimite Sam instead of some one-shot character, but who cares?
Nice idea, but I don't think Sam would work well in this cartoon. I just can't see him as a landlord... perhaps Elmer Fudd would be better suited for this role.

[GarudaBoy!]

No, just no....

In 1995, I'd've said "yes"...but after the whole "Loonatics" debacle, I don't think WB is capable of turning out a good Looney Tunes show...

[Toonami]

As for your character ideas, that's pretty much what WB did with Tiny Toons and :eek: Loonatics. I think maybe a better approach would be to create a show with your own characters but then sprinkle in as many references to Looney Tunes as you can. This way you get to be creative AND keep interest in the Looney Tunes alive and no frachises get desecrated in the process. That's what I'd do anyway.

Well, those were inspired by Looney Tunes. Tiny Toons (I hate the word "Toon") made new characters that had similarities to the classic tunes but it was kidsy and it ehy were younger. Loonatics is the closest thing to hell on earth we're ever going to have, but they're superheroes in that cartoons. My idea is to make them exactly like the old cartoons, same situations. You won't see them all in the same cartoon like in BIA or Sapce Jam or being superheroes or on merchandise or on commercials. I'd go to the source, it'd be the exact same characters, but wiht different names and different colors. I doubt I'd desecrate them. They're be characters wiht personalities, not iconic legends that reference that fact. (That's what I hated about Looney Tunes BIA. They treated Bugs like he was immortal. In th old WB cartoons he was smacked around but he won for a reason, and he was active. He outwitted his enemies because of his resourcefullness, not because he was Bugs Bunny, legendary cartoon character) A

Actaully, I'd also love to have an original series, I have many characters, but this is just my plans for a revival of this series.

Actually, Bugs Bonnets is the name of the cartoon where Bugs and Elmer keep changing personalities based on what hats they wear. I keep forgetting the name of the cartoon that you are thinking of. I'm thinking it might be False Hare, but I also feel like that's not right. But because of that template then cartoons like Rabbit Rampage, Falling Hare and the Cecil Turtle trilogy probably wouldn't be made today.
Hare brush

what an abysmal idea.
Why?

BTW pastiches have been done before by companies.

Superman pastiches:



(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_%28comics%29)Apollo (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_%28comics%29) of the superhero teams (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_%28comics%29)Stormwatch (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stormwatch_%28comics%29) and (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_%28comics%29)the Authority (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Authority) is often seen as a Superman- (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_%28comics%29)pastiche (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pastiche). He also gets his powers from the sun, wears a (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_%28comics%29)spandex (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spandex) outfit with a triangular (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_%28comics%29)logo (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logo) on the front, and possesses the powers of flight, heat vision and super-strength. As a differentiating twist, Apollo is the (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_%28comics%29)gay (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gay) lover of (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_%28comics%29)Midnighter (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midnighter), the corresponding Batman-pastiche.


(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_%28comics%29)Gladiator (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gladiator_%28Shi%27ar%29) of the (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_%28comics%29)Shi'ar Imperial Guard (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shi%27ar_Imperial_Guard) is an analogue of Superboy and Superman, and possesses a number of relevant powers, such as strength, endurance, flight, enhanced senses, and the ability to travel through space unaided. Like Superman, He has a cousin (Xenith), who is a Supergirl analogue. He has one special weakness (an unknown form of radiation), which mirrors Superman's weakness to kryptonite. His costume also shares a similar theme with Superman.

The Shi'ar Imperial Guard, as a whole was created as an (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_%28comics%29)homage (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homage)/ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_%28comics%29)parody (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parody) of (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_%28comics%29)DC Comics (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DC_Comics)'s superhero team the (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_%28comics%29)Legion of Super-Heroes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legion_of_Super-Heroes).



(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_%28comics%29)Hyperion (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperion_%28comics%29), originally of (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_%28comics%29)Marvel Comics (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvel_Comics)' (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_%28comics%29)Squadron Supreme (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squadron_Supreme), was originally a tribute to Superman; like Superman, he was a solar-powered alien who fell to Earth in a spaceship and tried to live as a human.

The (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_%28comics%29)Squadron Supreme (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squadron_Supreme) as a whole was created as an (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_%28comics%29)homage (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homage)/ (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_%28comics%29)parody (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parody) of (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_%28comics%29)DC Comics (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DC_Comics)'s superhero team Justice League Of America.
In the darker (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_%28comics%29)Supreme Power (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supreme_Power) reboot, Hyperion is taken by the government from the Midwestern couple who find his crashed ship and raised as a super-soldier to be acutely aware of his biological superiority, and believes himself to be better than all humans.



(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_%28comics%29)Sentry (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sentry_%28comics%29), a Superman-like hero who derived his powers from a special serum.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_%28comics%29)Virtue (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethan_Edwards), from (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_%28comics%29)Marvel Knights Spider-Man (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marvel_Knights_Spider-Man) #14 is also a Superman-like hero except he was raised by (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_%28comics%29)Fundamentalists (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fundamentalists) parents.


(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_%28comics%29)Supreme (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supreme_%28comics%29) was created by (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_%28comics%29)Rob Liefeld (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rob_Liefeld) and was a violent, egotistical Superman knockoff. Later (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_%28comics%29)Alan Moore (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Moore) rebooted Supreme to pay tribute to the classic Silver Age Superman mythos.


(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_%28comics%29)Samaritan (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samaritan_%28comics%29) is the (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_%28comics%29)Astro City (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Astro_City) version of Superman.


Ultiman is (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_%28comics%29)Big Bang Comics (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Bang_Comics), based on Superman recreate the (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_%28comics%29)golden age (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_age) and (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_%28comics%29)silver age (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver_age) of comics.


Invincible, Omni-Man and The Immortal from the (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_%28comics%29)Invincible (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invincible_%28comic%29) comic book.


Besides Apollo, (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_%28comics%29)Mr. Majestic (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Majestic) and (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_%28comics%29)Union (http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Union_%28comics%29&action=edit) are (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_%28comics%29)Wildstorm (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wildstorm) versions of Superman.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_%28comics%29)
This company makes direct pastiches of classic heroes:


Big Bang Comicc first appeared in the 1990s. It was first published by Caliber Comics (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caliber_Comics), but most issues have been published by Image Comics (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image_Comics).

The comics recreate the golden age (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Age_of_Comic_Books) and silver age (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver_Age_of_Comic_Books) of comics.

Most stories take place:


Earth A, where it is the 1960s, the Silver Age of Comic Books (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silver_Age_of_Comic_Books).


Earth B, where it is the 1940s, the Golden Age of Comic Books (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Age_of_Comic_Books)

Ultiman (based on Superman (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superman))

Knight Watchman (based on Batman (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Batman)) & Galahad the Kid Whiz (based on Robin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robin))

Venus (based on Wonder Woman (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wonder_Woman))

Thunder Girl (based on Mary Marvel (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Marvel))

Dr. Weird (based on Dr. Fate (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dr._Fate) and The Spectre (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Spectre))

The Blitz (based on The Flash (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Flash))


The Blitz (Earth A): Jimmy Travis
The Blitz (Earth B): Mack Snelling
The Beacon (based on Green Lantern (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Lantern))


Beacon (Earth A): Dr Julia Gardner
Beacon (Earth B): Scott Martin
A Silver Age Shadowhawk (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shadowhawk)


A parody of the 1960-era Batman Comics Complete with the Shadowcar, Lady ShadowHawkette, Shadowdog and kid sidekick, Squirrel aka Hawk Shadow. Working with Knight Watchman
Mighty Man (from the Savage Dragon (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Savage_Dragon))


A pastiche of the original Captain Marvel (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Captain_Marvel_%28DC_Comics%29) comics.



In 1995, I'd've said "yes"...but after the whole "Loonatics" debacle, I don't think WB is capable of turning out a good Looney Tunes show...

Which is why we can't trust giant corporations to do it. Cartoonists should be doing them wihtout corporate interference.

"Hey, Mr. Cartoonist, the CEO says Popeye isn't allowed to smoke a pipe or hit anyone in this cartoon. Also, make sure he has actually eyeballs, and not just dots for eyes."

[The Silver Fox]

yes that is the reason why that show also did end to as
well as Tale Spin, Gummi Bears, (and before this rule was resended) Lilo and Stitch and Kim Possible.

There is a hope that some of the shows will come to DVD
Lets hope :)



Although it wasn't an animated show, I wonder if that 65 episode rule has anything to do with why Dinosaurs had 65 episodes.

[J. B. Warner]

Toonami's pastiche idea reminds me of what I've done, only my pastiche isn't as direct as his - I've not only created my own crew of "Looney Tunes"-like characters, but I've invented an entire falsified history for them.

"The BarbozaToons were launched in 1935, when Big O Studios CEO Jonathan J. Barboza felt the need to keep up with the ever-growing cartoon business and hired a fresh crew of experienced cartooning talent. Directors Patrick McCarthy and Doug Bell handled the earliest black-and-white cartoons, most often featuring Big O's first attempt at star characters, a dog-like simpleton named Bill and his pet parrot Toots. The studio finally moved into color cartoons in 1937, though the Bill and Toots cartoons remained in black-and-white until the characters were retired in 1938. Big O hit paydirt with their second star hopeful, Ken Kangaroo, who first appeared in very primitive form in 1938's "Australian Antics". Originally just a kooky troublemaker, he eventually evolved into a smoother personality with a sense of control and imperturbability by 1940, the same year in which black-and-white cartoons were discontinued altogether at the studio.

The next big thing to arrive was almost the polar opposite of Ken Kangaroo, a nebbishy little skunk named Smelson, though he almost didn't make it. Smelson first appeared in Geroge Frederickson's 1940 cartoon "Junk Yard Skunk", but only a year after he first cowered in comical fear of his enemies, America was plunged into World War II. Realizing that they'd need to recast Smelson, director Hal Williams took Frederickson's frightened little character and turned him rambunctious and effervescent, casting him as the hero in such propaganda films as 1942's "Victory Garden Vexes" and 1944's "Scrap Heap Smelson". 1943 also saw the arrival of Williams' next character, created especially for the war effort. Commander O'Hare first appeared in Williams' "Fuzzy Fugitives", attempting to lead a group of rabbits on an escape from a pet store, but later adventures put the vicious bunny straight into the heart of overseas struggles, including "Hare Raid" (1943), "Axis Anyone" (1944), and the hysterical "Commander O'Hare Takes Dictation" (1944), in which O'Hare violently and victoriously wallops Hitler, Hirohito, AND Mussolini all within seven minutes.

Perhaps inspired by the success of Tex Avery's Red Hot Riding Hood character at MGM, Al Dorsey created the BarbozaToons' first female lead, Vixen the Reindeer, for 1944's "Violent Night". However, instead of making her a bombshell character that drove men crazy, Dorsey made Vixen just as frustratable as the other Big O characters - her premiere film sees her as a reindeer on Santa Claus' sleigh team, trying in vain to round up a renegade jack-in-the-box that refuses to remain in its package. Later Vixen films would put the shapely deer into the woods as a more stable and less flustered protector of herself from those who would do her in (1945's "Season the Opportunity", 1946's "Vixen for a Fight", etc.). But perhaps an even more stable character came from Hal Williams' unit again - Bitty Kitty, the three-inch-high powerhouse feline who first showed up in 1944's "Admittin' the Kitten". Bitty had a great amount of success as a solo star, always under the exclusive direction of Williams until his departure from the studio in 1947. Dirk Halstead took the character at this point and ran with him, pairing him up with a character of his own creation, the dimwitted Dawg E. Dawg, for 1949's "House Cat Hold Up". The pair was a winning formula that extended for years and dozens of cartoons.

Other characters were making themselves known as well. Al Dorsey sent Vixen to the bottom of a lake for the 1947 underwater-themed "Bubble Vision", which led to the introduction of Satchmo Salmon, the little blue fish who played a mean horn. George Frederickson introduced the rocket-powered Turbo Tortoise in 1946's "Tortoise in the Air", a humorous mangling of the "Tortoise and the Hare" story that quickly led to a series of cartoons that placed Turbo and his jet pack in various locales across the globe. Dirk Halstead, lover of discretely dirty jokes, introduced Bra-Ma Bull in the 1949 cartoon of the same name, in which a group of Mexican pranksters strap a polka-dotted bikini on the hapless bovine moments before his big bullfight. The sick premise would prove to be a winner regardless. Before Hal Williams left, he introduced one more character, the quick-witted and brace-faced Buck Beaver, in 1945's "Beaver Fever", leading to a series of cartoons directed primarily by Williams' successor, Jack Granger.

Few of these characters, however, were able to match the success of George Frederickson's most fondly remembered characters, Regulus Raven and the Whatzit, who first appeared in 1948's "Raven Mad". Set in a dark, cloudy glen full of scraggly grass and dead trees, the fanatical raven tries over and over to remove the anvil from the Whatzit's head in the hopes of stretching out the enigmatic animal's accordioned body and then eating him, only to have his grandiose plans backfire on him over and over. A hysterically funny series that predates Chuck Jones' Road Runner and Coyote cartoons at Warner Bros. by one year, Regulus Raven would soon become one of Big O's signature characters, alongside Ken Kangaroo and Commander O'Hare, though he would never appear outside his Whatzit series.

In the 1950s, some more shaking up occurred in the cartoon studio. For years, the formula of Ken Kangaroo cartoons had always resulted in the smooth marsupial being the victor. However, several cartoons in the early-to-mid '50s see the kangaroo getting trounced (albeit comically) by some indefatigable adversary. The most memorable of these is undoubtedly 1953's "Liz' Be Friends", in which Ken is pestered by a tiny Australian frilled lizard named Lester. Directed by Jack Granger, the short was nominated for an Academy Award. Elsewhere, in Al Dorsey's unit, Vixen helped to introduce another character, Maxine Mink, in 1952's "Modeling Mink". Though the character was intended to be a one-shot adversary for the deer, Dirk Halstead liked the character, redesigned her to be more alluring, and paired her with a new character named Gunter Goat in 1954's "I Mink I'm In Love". The cartoon blossomed into a series featuring the hapless Gunter trying in vain to win apathetic Maxine's affections, in such locations and settings as a crab-ridden beach ("Beach Bums", 1955), an industrial factory ("Factory Foibles", 1954), an undersea mer-kingdom ("The Little Mer-Mink", 1956), and ancient Egypt ("Pharaoh Phooey", 1958). Halstead even got artistic with the series in 1956's "The Maltese Mink", a black-and-white film noir parody that earned the studio another Academy Award nomination.

The one-shots of this time also began to grow wilder. 1949's "O Solo Flea-O" (Frederickson) sees a tiny tuxedoed flea named Giamalvo enrapturing the audience at the Metropolitan Opera House with his beautiful tenor - except for one stray dog who tries everything he can to stop the performance from interrupting his sleep. Granger's 1950 "Dummy Ache" is a showbiz parody that tells the tale of ventriloquist's dummy Nelson McNulty, who finds himself on the D-list and soon out on the street when his ventriloquist eclipses him in popularity. "The House-Hunting Ghost" (Dorsey, 1954) is a strange tale of the spirit of an 11th century viking who possesses various household objects in a feeble attempt to overthrow the family whose house he is trapped in. And "I Was a Teenage Squid" (Frederickson, 1961) is a departure of sorts, as it is a heartfelt romance between a teenage girl and the exchange student she grows to love - except the student happens to be an eight-foot-tall giant squid. However, one particular one-shot introduced the last central star character for the studio - 1955's "Rabid Rodent" (Granger), in which a mouth-foaming rat torments a high-strung cat by making the poor feline think he's been bitten, then playing doctor and subjecting the cat to various forms of malpractice. Rabid received some flak from censors initially for making light of a potentially fatal disease in animals, so the character was redesigned slightly, merely drooling instead of foaming (though the name remained). Rabid, in fact, went on to score another Oscar nomination for 1957's "Rodent of Seville", an all-musical cartoon in which the rat plays barber to the hapless cat, slicing off his fur with a straight razor and propelling him through the ceiling with the barber's chair. Regardless of the character's fame inside the studio, Rabid only starred in a mere five cartoons.

The changing of the guard came in 1959, when longtime studio CEO Jonathan J. Barboza died. Inheriting the studio was his son, Jerry J. Barboza, who took a different approach with the cartoon studio. He reduced the budget for the cartoons and commissioned a new set of characters to replace their current stars, whom he felt were growing stale. This was met with much contempt by the studio's directors and animators, and in retaliation they created a group of thoroughly disgusting and unlikeable characters called the Uglies, six monsters cobbled together from various animals, mythical beasts, and inanimate objects. Unexpectedly, however, Barboza loved the characters' first cartoon, 1960's "Meet the Uglies", and ordered more for the series. With this new development, the directors lost much of their enthusiasm for working at Big O, and went on strike in 1962, claiming that their freedom of expression was being squelched. Rather than reach any agreements, Barboza closed the cartoon studio down. Still owning the rights to the original BarbozaToon characters, Barboza eventually began spearheading new cartoons made exclusively for television in 1965, starring Ken, O'Hare, Smelson, and Vixen. However, none of the original masterminds would return to the studio with the meddling Barboza in charge, so the new cartoons had to be outsourced to other studios. With their sickly-sweet political correctness standards and their horrendously limited animation, the new cartoons were abysmally unsuccessful, and production on them ceased in 1967. The BarbozaToons had fallen victim to the ultimate animated cartoon killer - they had been run into the ground."

As you can see, I put a lot of thought into this.

[JPox]

Those characters sound intriguing, have you any illustrations of them? I'd be interested in seeing their designs ....

[ALK]

If a new show could capture the great personalities of the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons, then they should make it. If the show turns them into toddlers(Baby Looney Tunes), freaky looking superheros(Loonatics), or basing the show on a single cartoon(Duck Dodgers). Now, the reason Duck Dodgers does not work is because they start running out of ideas for Daffy(as Dodgers) and Porky(as Cadet) which puts them into strange situations that put them out of character.

I think that the people who did LOONEY TUNES: BACK IN ACTION did a great job capturing the personality of the characters and I think that they could do a great job with a new Looney Tunes series. Though, that of course is not going to happen so WB should leave the Looney Tunes alone for now. The golden collections are a great way to revive the cartoons anyway introducing younger audiences to these very funny cartoons which at the time are not shown on any TV channel.

[J. B. Warner]

Those characters sound intriguing, have you any illustrations of them? I'd be interested in seeing their designs ....

I've got this one (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v477/JB86/Cartoons.png), but it's about a year old. This picture (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v477/JB86/Cartoons2.png) of Gunter and Maxine is more recent, since I came up with them later.

[The Silver Fox]

another idea could be

to have the LT doing a CSI style show, were
a one shot toon could make a guest apperance.
(AND this would not include MJ frog since he had 3
cameos).

But could be interesting to see this happen :)

Could see Bugs in the place of Grissom of CSI LV

[JPox]

The current comic book by DC Comics does a great job writing new adventures for the Looney Tunes. However, the series seems to be lacking now that David Alveraz is no longer illustrating full stories, just the covers of the book ....
David?! Where are 'ya?!

[J. B. Warner]

The current comic book by DC Comics does a great job writing new adventures for the Looney Tunes. However, the series seems to be lacking now that David Alveraz is no longer illustrating full stories, just the covers of the book ....
David?! Where are 'ya?!

Toiling away on "Yenny" for a Puerto Rican newspaper, last time I checked. He's also got a DeviantArt (http://davealvarez.deviantart.com/) account if you want to look him up.

[JPox]

For those of you who haven't seen the comic, I've decided to post an example of some stories with art by David Alvarez and writers, Dan Slott, M. Eury, Jesse Leon McCann, and Frank Strom.
Notice their experimenting of combining different Looney Tunes together to create a funny story.
So, there is a chance that a new show would work if they would follow these examples ....