Spumco Block comments [Archive]

Calhoun07

03-11-2002, 12:23 AM

R&B? My memory is drawing a blank...

I think that there are shows that do not have sex, cusing, and that stuff that are more deserving of a rating stronger than a y7. John K's cartoons are geared for kids, pure and simple. I thought they were good (but I will agree with another poster on another thread here that Flintstones on the Rocks was better) but ultimately not AS material. I'd rather Cartoon Network establish a block of new versions of the old Hanna Barbara cartoons. That's all I'm really saying here.

[edit] DUH! R&B...it just dawned on me...ROCKY AND BULLWINKLE! Well, I knew that was just a temp selection, but Rocky and Bullwinkle actually are funnier than the John K shorts and appeal to more adults than John K shorts.

Captin "Hank" Murphy

03-11-2002, 12:36 AM

I think your getting RnB's content mixed up with the age of the series. RnB was a show aimed at kids to, but just because the kids who use to watch it are now adults doesn't make the show an Adult show. and another thing, John K's cartoons are not geared for kids only, it's for anybody who like their crude sence of Humor.(and you obviously never seen their online flash series "Weekend Pussy Hunt")

[edit] DUH! R&B...it just dawned on me...ROCKY AND BULLWINKLE! Well, I knew that was just a temp selection, but Rocky and Bullwinkle actually are funnier than the John K shorts and appeal to more adults than John K shorts.
That's your opinon.(not b**ching at you, just debating)

DR. BELCH

03-11-2002, 12:49 AM

A Day in the Life of Ranger Smith: A satire on how cheaply made the old H-B shorts were and how diffferent Smith looked in each one , but it came off lame. The pickle gag was the worst and most unfunny.

Boo-Boo Goes Wild: A lot of drool in this one. John K. himmself was the voice of Boo-Boo, but all the time I'm thinking how Ren-nish it is .esp. when he starts to flip out. And whoever voiced Yogi didn't quite have it down. Yogi coming up on Cindy Bear going feral was a highlight. DYN when Smith slapped Yogi's butt, fleas jumped out of it?

Father-Son Day: DYN the mouse with the space helmet peeking out of the bathroom wall baseboard? Pretty good voicework (although Spacely sounded a bit too Yosemite Sam), but where was Judy?

The Perfect Son: Elroy disposed of by his parents and suspended in the tank was too disturbing, as was the mauled face of the little girl that Astro attacked, and the excessive mugging got tiresome.

If John K.'s work becomes a regular fixture on A.S., at least let it be something original like The Ripping Friends, not haphazard and borderline sacriligeous remakes of classic H-B shorts.

Calhoun07

03-11-2002, 01:00 AM

Well, I really have no idea what demographic the network originally geared Rocky and Bullwinkle towards, but that was a time when Flintstones were also in prime time, so I am confident they had an adult audience in mind as well. R&B aired in prime time at first in the guise of a kids show, but the sophisticated humor appealed to far more adults than kids. Heck, I even remember not being all that fond of the cartoon as a kid. I would watch it but only certain segements caught my attention, such as Peabody and Fractured Fairy Tales, but it was my dad that was drawn to the show in its entirety more than I was.

By comparison, the John K shorts really aren't that sophisticated. They rely more on gross out humor than sophisticated humor. And in the end, I think the gross out humor of the John K shorts is geared towards more kids than adults where as Rocky and Bullwinkle's humor was geared more towards adults than kids.

Karva

03-11-2002, 01:00 AM

Originally posted by DR. BELCH
but where was Judy?

My thoughts exactly. Spumco could have REALLY made it funny and put an incredibly slutty version of Judy in... That would have been great. I mean, after all, Judy is a slut in the original cartoon... Why not exagerate it further? They should have.

Calhoun07

03-11-2002, 01:02 AM

Originally posted by Karva

My thoughts exactly. Spumco could have REALLY made it funny and put an incredibly slutty version of Judy in... That would have been great. I mean, after all, Judy is a slut in the original cartoon... Why not exagerate it further? They should have.

She was only mentioned in name...when Elroy said that his dad looked like one of those crazy rock stars Judy goes for.

Joe Tully

03-11-2002, 01:10 AM

Originally posted by Captin "Hank" Murphy
I think your getting RnB's content mixed up with the age of the series. RnB was a show aimed at kids to, but just because the kids who use to watch it are now adults doesn't make the show an Adult show. and another thing, John K's cartoons are not geared for kids only, it's for anybody who like their crude sence of Humor.(and you obviously never seen their online flash series "Weekend Pussy Hunt")

Actually, R&B aired during Primetime on one of the 3 major networks in its heyday. It pulled in a decent-sized adult audience, and many of the show's promotional stunts were focused on adults. The show was as subversive as they could make it, and the censors often prevented them from putting all of the material on it that they wanted to. (Sound familiar? :) )

I thought that we finished this argument a while back. :rolleyes:

Calhoun07

03-11-2002, 01:16 AM

I taped tonight's Spumco shorts, I will watch them again. That said, let it be know that I am not trashing the shorts, but in the context of other shows, they are not what I exactly want to see on Adult Swim. Also, I think the whole gross out trend in comedy is coming to an end (THANK GOD!). In the past year or so, there have been more thoughtful and good comedies coming out (in the theaters) which are not relying on gross out humor for their jokes.

When I first saw the Yogi shorts a couple years ago when they first premiered, they were cutting edge and really great to see on Cartoon Network. Especially at that time. But now....I dunno...I guess I have a different attitude towards those kinds of cartoons. They are good in their own way, but I need more...substance. And I think Adult Swim can give us more substance.

Captin "Hank" Murphy

03-11-2002, 02:40 AM

:rolleyes: You obviously never seen Spumco's way more Mature Works, if you have you would not be branding them as a kiddies cartoon company.(you never seen any cartoons back then or today that had a cat mind-teleport his crap to the litterbox for all to see)

As for RnB, all I have to say to all who think they should have kept RnB and Popeye on AS(if not have it all old cartoons), is if you want to see old cartoons that were also popular with grown-ups as well as kids and have seen every ep over a million times, go order BOOMERANG, and stop wanting Cartoon Network to live in the past they weren't even concived in. :rolleyes:

Joe Tully

03-11-2002, 02:48 AM

Originally posted by Captin "Hank" Murphy

As for RnB, all I have to say to all who think they should have kept RnB and Popeye on AS(if not have it all old cartoons), is if you want to see old cartoons that were also popular with grown-ups as well as kids and have seen every ep over a million times, go order BOOMERANG, and stop wanting Cartoon Network to live in the past they weren't even concived in. :rolleyes:

Good argument. Very logical. :rolleyes: CN has never aired any old cartoons in the past, apart from Looney Tunes, Tom & Jerry, Scooby, Flintstones, Popeye, Top Cat, Herculoids, Space Ghost, Huckleberry Hound, Betty Boop, Bullwinkle, Quick Draw McGraw and dozens of others. WHY WOULD THEY START NOW?

Besides, R&B and Popeye aren't even on Boomerang.

Nice sig.

Captin "Hank" Murphy

03-11-2002, 03:07 AM

Nice comeback Joe, but you know I didn't mean every single cartoon, just the ones that nobody has any interest in seeing. Now for flintstones, Jetsons, Scooby Doo, Loney Toons and other lengendary, I can go with than on CN, infact I think they got the sceadual down right. I just ment don't throw away great modern cartoons, or opertunities for modern toons by filling them with something we seen before. What I was trying to say is haven't seen all a cartoon company has to offer, don't brand until you see all they got.

SSJ_Gogeta

03-11-2002, 03:21 AM

It doesn't matter to me. It was kewl and I wouldn't mind seeing it again. It is geared towards 12 year olds who like fart jokes, but I kinda found it funny at times.

Joe Tully

03-11-2002, 03:48 AM

Originally posted by Captin "Hank" Murphy
Nice comeback Joe, but you know I didn't mean every single cartoon, just the ones that nobody has any interest in seeing. Now for flintstones, Jetsons, Scooby Doo, Loney Toons and other lengendary, I can go with than on CN, infact I think they got the sceadual down right. I just ment don't throw away great modern cartoons, or opertunities for modern toons by filling them with something we seen before. What I was trying to say is haven't seen all a cartoon company has to offer, don't brand until you see all they got.

Fair enough, you're entitled to your opinion. :)

Now I feel guilty about helping bring the thread off track. :rolleyes: So I'll head it back in the right direction.

Those Jetsons toons were good. I watched the first one online before tonight's airing, and I think that it was even better the second time I saw it. But it doesn't belong on Adult Swim. The whole time I was watching it, I was thinking about what Matt said about Spumco making toons that are for kids, but just have high gross-out factors. And it was really obvious that he was right. Seeing Astro with a shaved butt with a beard planted on it got a chuckle out of me, but that just doesn't belong on AS. That's almost the kind of joke that some elementary school kid would make on the playground.

I am kind of interested to see what else Spumco might do with HB's old characters, though. As long as they don't get a permanent home on AS.

Scythemantis

03-11-2002, 04:38 AM

Actually, the scene of elroy in a tank was one of the few parts I enjoyed in the otherwise uneventful jetsons shorts. I`m actually a huge fan of "disturbing"...

The real humor in spumco cartoons is the facial expressions. It may sound childish, but the mere way the characters move often makes me laugh more than any verbal jokes... (I got giggling fits from the way yogi and booboo walked out of their cave to that old HB music, and when the ranger sunk his head into his coat and his nose popped out with a springing sound. Somehow the drawings themselves manage to be funny...)

RogueMartian

03-11-2002, 08:50 AM

Personally, gross out humor does not appeal to me, it never did. I NEVER liked Ren and Stimpy and I don't like these cartoons at all. This is the kind of "humor" that made me stop watching nickelodeon many years ago. I will still watch CN, toonami and ASA are awesome, but the ASC block is beginning to lose my support.

Mister Intensity

03-11-2002, 09:43 AM

Instead on focusing on the Spumco novelities, they should focus on new episodes of Sealab 2021, Space Ghost Coast to Coast, Birdman: Attorney at Law (my favorite AS series even though they only made two episodes), and more Eltingville segments (which unlike the Spumco shorts, I was laughing nonstop for almost the entire half-hour). They need to get rid of the fat like Aqua Teen Force and the Brak Show (that one might work with some retooling) and focus on the adult and subversive (Sealab, Birdman, Space Ghost). Adult Swim is a great concept, they just need to have more shows that truly belong in this block (I personally ignore the first hour because I don't want to see rehashes of lame network shows that were justly cancelled).

Adult Swim is still a work in progress and will likely improve as time goes on.

Mister Intensity

Supreme

03-11-2002, 10:03 AM

There is ABSOLUTELY no reason to get rid of Brak or ATHF! They are probably the two flagship and staple shows on Adult Swim that actually MAKE it Adult Swim. IMO, ATHF is the best Adult Swim has to offer.

I think this thread keeps going back to the tired/unresolvable questions of "What is the definition of ADULT in Adult Swim?" I think that part of the answer (if there is one) is that if there is at least part of the content that takes an adult to "get". The new batch of cartoons pokes fun at the old standards in (sometimes) subtle ways. Some people have been complaining about the Spumco shorts, and pre-complain about the Scooby Doo airing next week (which is a spoof). It seems that not enough of the complainers here are looking past the titles, ratings, or obvious jokes to see the mature content. I say mature rather than adult, since many of those b!+c#ing equate "adult" with nudity and swearing.

RogueMartian

03-11-2002, 11:25 AM

I don't think that just because something doesn't have nudity and swearing it isn't adult. Baby Blues and Home Movies has neither of those things and it is still FAR more adult than the spumco crap that aired yesterday. Gross out humor is okay sometimes, but not as a basis for an entire show. There are far better ways to make fun of the old HB cartoons than to simply make the animation more crude and ugly and the jokes disgusting.

Supreme

03-11-2002, 12:09 PM

That's EXACTLY what I'm talking about. There are people that say "[new/different show] is nothing like [favorite show], and therefore, it sucks!" which is completely irrelevant. And the fact that these weren't just gross-out takes on old HB icons shows that most of the subtle comedic elements will not be "caught" by some people.

The fact is, all of the AS titles has relied on a fart joke or two, or so-called weird or stupid humor. That's what makes them great. They can make everyone laugh, from the fourth grader who likes the poop jokes, to the people who get the more subtle lines "selling pot...holders...made of hemp."

Mister Intensity

03-11-2002, 01:32 PM

True, "adult" doesn't mean swearing and nudity. "Adult" refers more to the overall sensibility of the shows. I think all of the ongoing segments have that sensibility to a degree. While I like some shows more than the others (I'm not an ATHF fan but Brak does have its moments), they all belong in the block.

I'm sure as Adult Swim goes on segments will be added and dropped. Adult Swim is not perfect at the moment but it is a much welcome change to the Cartoon Network and adds some much needed diversity to CN.

Mister Intensity

zmanjz

03-11-2002, 01:46 PM

Personally, I did not enjoy the Spumco productions. (they put me to sleep.)

This is because for the most part, I am a Shallow action-loving wacky man.

I just got creeped out by the feral boo boo. and messed up Ranger smith.

I like wacky. but for me to like the show, it needs to be tempered with action.

I like all of the ASA shows because they take action and usually add a little humor (at least once in a series)

in the ASC shows I enjoy Sealab, Aqua Teen, Birdman, and SGCTC because they're funny and include action (of some sort).

Personally, If I was on the lookout for lame sitcoms, I'd watch more Network Prime-Time.

But I'm not.

*NOTE this Rant should be tempered with the fact that I am A Wacky Man/ Weird/Shallow Guy who enjoys action shows at face value.

dolphin917

03-11-2002, 01:57 PM

Spumco: Bad shows. They're not funny. He runs gags into the ground. He relies almost entirely on weird sight gags. Drool is not that funny. Boo-Boo going psycho is a little funny, but not for 7 minutes. I hated these shows.

Clank

03-11-2002, 02:19 PM

[ (my favorite AS series even though they only made two episodes)]
Mister Intensity [/B][/QUOTE]

Actually seven episodes were produced. One from JJ Sedilmier and six were produced at RedSky/Allied Arts and Science. As I understand it, they are still dicking around in post with the five that haven't aired.
I also hear that the new episodes (To be produced in house at CN)next season will look more like Brak as CN has cut back Harvey's budget.

charmuse

03-11-2002, 03:35 PM

I was bored by the Spumco block as well. I did like JJ's Linger dude.

And how many times can the run ATHFs "Rabbot"? :p sheesh..there ARE 5 others!

Char

Originally posted by dolphin917
Spumco: Bad shows. They're not funny. He runs gags into the ground. He relies almost entirely on weird sight gags. Drool is not that funny. Boo-Boo going psycho is a little funny, but not for 7 minutes. I hated these shows.

Morgan Sloat

03-11-2002, 04:08 PM

Spumco does not belong on AS. There is nothing funny/adultish or even teen about those. I caught the gags thrown in making fun of old cartoons, but how does this belong at all? And the jetsons? It was weak, I had to change the channel in disgust 3 minutes into each of them. Pitiful.
And yes, don't say anything about Ren and Stimpy Die Hard fan. I was, and I still like it, but it was great when I was 12.

Scythemantis

03-11-2002, 04:13 PM

I`m beginning to notice people complaining about gross out humor where I can`t even see any... I found ranger smith funny and didnt once even realize there were supposed to be any jokes dependant on gross-ness...

Clank

03-11-2002, 04:21 PM

Well I missed it last night on the tube. So I accessed it at Adultswim.com
I just watched the Jetsons by Spumco and I gotta say. I enjoyed watching every second of it. When my computer froze it was on a beautiful extreme of George. Even with the limitations of flash, I felt that it worked. I too would have liked to have seen them take a pass at Judy.
I'm stunned that folks who can stay awake during HM (Which IMO is a whole lot like listening to a radio show were everyone is trying to do an impression of (God love him) Lorenzo Music.) can't stay awake during a show that is not only funny but great to look at as well.
Its OK though, I'm sure with the ever decreasing TV budgets, that soon there will be nothing but badly to barely animated shows that focus completly on monotone characters speaking mildly humorous dialogue.
Ask and ye shall receive.

Supreme

03-11-2002, 04:25 PM

Finally! A couple of people who aren't vision impaired.

J_Baruka

03-11-2002, 07:18 PM

I loved it! Other than the fact that they edited the fight sequence between Yogi and Ranger Smith for some reason. I hope CN gets Spumco to make a series for them.

Calhoun07

03-11-2002, 07:29 PM

Originally posted by J_Baruka
I loved it! Other than the fact that they edited the fight sequence between Yogi and Ranger Smith for some reason. I hope CN gets Spumco to make a series for them.

What was edited out of the fight sequence?

Spaceman Spiff

03-11-2002, 07:35 PM

Well, I didn't find it particulary funny. I could see where someone might, I guess. And, IMO, the animation was just ugly, especially when they zoomed in on something. Reminded me too much of the weaker points of Ren & Stimpy

Supreme

03-11-2002, 07:37 PM

Originally posted by Calhoun07

What was edited out of the fight sequence?

Nothing really. It was just a bit longer. It was edited for length, not content.

J.E.Smith

03-11-2002, 09:05 PM

I liked them, too. The only gross-out jokes that I noticed was Boo Boo's constant drooling and Boo Boo and Cindy's little "honey thing", which I think was the sickest thing in all of the Spumco block. The Ren and Stimpy eps that were made by Nick were far grosser than any of the stuff they showed here! The thing I liked about the Jetson's shorts was the pudgy way they made Elroy.

The main reason John K. made these shorts was because he liked the H-B cartoons a lot when he was a kid. In fact he said in a interview that Boo Boo and Ranger Smith were his favorite characters(Which is why he focused on them more). There was also a little in-joke at the beginning of the "Day in the Life of Ranger Smith" short. John K. said that when he was a kid, he used to sit in front of the TV on Saturday morning, drinking from his Yogi mug and eating from a Huckleberry Hound bowel. Take a look at what the Ranger is eating out of at the start of this cartoon(even though Huck is off-color).

You can view the slightly longer verison of the Yogi/Ranger fight at Spumco's website:
http://www.spumco.com/rangersmith/index.html

charmuse

03-12-2002, 04:42 PM

How can you advocate getting rid of Brak and ATHF? I am HUGE ATHF fan and find it one of the anchors of AS. It is definitely in the vein of the block as far as adult humor goes. I don't care for Baby Blues but I understand it's merits to some and its placement in AS.

Char

[They need to get rid of the fat like Aqua Teen Force and the Brak Show (that one might work with some retooling) and focus on the adult and subversive (Sealab, Birdman, Space Ghost).

mbaker

03-17-2002, 10:28 AM

I'd love to see John K. do some messed up boarderline parodies of crappy Disney Channel shows like "So Wierd", "Even Stevens", and "Lizzie McGuire". Simply because they deserve to be ridiculed that way. (Kinda like the "2 Stupid Dogs" episode, "Family Values".) Maybe even messed up parodies on crap like "Recess", "Doug", "Pepper Ann", "The Weekenders" or maybe even the very idea of Disney Cheapqules! . Man I would love him for bashing these abominations! LMAO!