LOONATICS...or How I Started Worrying and Skinned the Bunny (1 Viewer)

[Jerome Grate]

It reeks no imagination, in that case why don't we take all the old cartoons and make new characters with out really changing them. Buzz Bunny, come'on that's just stupid. I guess we can do the same with Mickey Mouse and characters as previously posted. Imagine Goofy jumping and flipping with an attitude. I guess that famous Goofy scream when he falls can be a sonic blaster. Wow that's a stretch of imagination, I guess I'll go and sign the 500.00 waiver with Disney for the Goofy idea, but you guys heard it hear first.

 

[Jason Seaver]

So, is this any different than the Duck Dodgers series, or stuff like Muppet Treasure Island, which all basically feature classic characters "playing parts"? This looks pretty ill-conceived, but I don't know that it's any more inherently distasteful than those ideas.

Of course, it's an unimpressive design and a generic sort of series concept, which is much more damning.

 

[TheLongshot]

Except they aren't. This is more like "Tiny Toons", where they were new characters based on the old archetypes.

I may or may not like this, but from the look of the characters, it isn't boading well for me.

Jason

 

[Jeff Jacobson]

Here's an interesting article:



Why didn't WB consult a "trademark research specialist"?




Edit: fixed typo

 

[Jerome Grate]

I'd like to see the WB wiggle out of this one.

 

[Sean.S]

I think the idea shows promise and has great comedic potential. The stylized designs and futuristic sci-fi settings are promising, and show hope for creativity and imaginative storytelling. As a huge fan of cartoons, I'm certaintly looking forward to this one!

 

[Todd Terwilliger]

I guess my ultimate question about this whole thing is: do the originals need reinvention?

Most of us posting in this discussion now were not a twinkle in our fathers' eyes when the Looney Tunes were originally shown and yet they speak to all of us. Did these last generations suddenly turn a corner into a new world in which the classics no longer work?

 

[Jed M]

That is like asking if Coca Cola needs reinventing? Should they forget the diet, caffeine free, lime, cherry, etc... I think kids still like regular looney tunes just like people still like regular coke even though they have expanded on the original many times. Expanding a product line does not mean the original is no longer working, usually it means the exact opposite.

 

[Todd Terwilliger]

Jed,

I don't think your comparisons are valid. The variations on Coca Cola that you mentioned are basically Coca Cola with small adjustments. Loonatics isn't Looney Tunes with a twist, it's an entirely new product with only the smallest connections to the original. The Coke vs. New Coke is a much better analogy, although one that doesn't help your cause.

I don't buy the expanding product line idea either. This is not a case of extending a product into a medium in which it didn't exist - such as taking a TV show and creating a movie or taking a movie and creating toy/collectible merchandising. It is certainly a spin-off but generally, in those cases, the audience is drawn from the main show to the new show (or that's the idea anyway) but, in this case, I doubt that is the idea here.

I know they still show the original cartoons on Boomerang but, for the most part, how many kids are exposed to the original Looneys anyway? Would the Loonatics target audience even get or make the connection between the shows?

 

[Chris_Morris]

An 11 year old boy has gotten the WB to change their minds, sort of. They are redoing the animation and character looks due to the overwhelming response to saveourlooneytunes.com. They also said they are not going to stop making the regular Looney Tunes.

Thrilled to have made a difference in a way his mother calls "a David and Goliath story," the young activist is considering a new protest. "I was thinking about doing one against homework," he said.

 

[David Galindo]

Thats amazing! Sounds more like the WB had thought to change the characters anyway before the kid spoke up. Still an amazing accomplishment!

 

[Stephen Orr]

I can't believe the story of the kid and WB made the front page of OUR paper today!