Classic Cartoons on Adult Swim

[The Landstander]

With the recent cancellation of Toonheads and a general "dwindling down" of classic animation on Cartoon Network, shows that once populated the network now barely get any airtime.

Meanwhile, Adult Swim continues to grow, and has recently been announced to be expanding until 5 AM.

So, a connection is not hard to see. With the new time added with Adult Swim's expansion, combined with the fact that both Adult Swim and classic animation appeal to adults, the question comes up:

Are classic cartoons right for Adult Swim?

I'll leave it at that. DISCUSS.

[Corrado]

Sure, why not.

[pabcool]

As filler, I can easily see Rocky & Bullwinkle, ToonHeads, Late Nite Black & White and maybe even Popeye Show on Adult Swim early mornings. However, the WB characters will NEVER EVER EVER be on Adult Swim. Because of all the crap with the merchandizing, it'll be a cold day in hell before we see Bugs on AS. (Excluding, of course, ToonHeads)

[Artemis]

I hate when people end their posts with "discuss". Like they're commanding us or something. "DISCUSS!" What if I don't want to? You can't make me!


OK, now for something relevant. :P I think AS could provide the perfect oppurtunity to air them uncut and restored. Heck, a special presentation featuring some of the more "politically incorrect" akin to their Wartime cartoon special would be cool.

[Animation Otaku]

I would like that, but I don't really care for Popeye. But I understand that Lazzo is a fan, and it has a lot of other fans as well.

[Space Cadet]

Sure, why not? I mean, it would bring up the morale over at the Termite Terrace Board.

[Tienshin]

With the recent cancellation of Toonheads and a general "dwindling down" of classic animation on Cartoon Network, shows that once populated the network now barely get any airtime.

Meanwhile, Adult Swim continues to grow, and has recently been announced to be expanding until 5 AM.

So, a connection is not hard to see. With the new time added with Adult Swim's expansion, combined with the fact that both Adult Swim and classic animation appeal to adults, the question comes up:

Are classic cartoons right for Adult Swim?

I think the question as stated is formed in way that it channels an certain answer...that said.

No, I dont think classic cartoons fit with Adult Swim. There is a distinct reason why it is called Adult Swim, and it is not to air Saturday morning 'toons. Sure, adults watch the classic stuff...since that's what many grew up on, but how does WS spin dropping Popeye, Bugs, etc after filling viewers optical receptors with shows like Bebop, Trigun, Family Guy, etc? And isnt that why Boomerang was concieved...to give the classics a home?

Why not put them on Toonami? Or SVES for that matter? Adults watch those too.

Because it wouldn't make sense in either of those two instances, so why would it make sense for AS?

[Daniel P]

Classic cartoons are ideal for Adult Swim, since Cartoon Network doesn't want them anywhere else anymore. It's pretty sad when seeing a Droopy or Popeye cartoon is rare.

ROCKY AND BULLWINKLE would fit perfectly somewhere in there. Since there are *some* people who can't seem to have G-rated shows targeted at adults, I don't know why they couldn't show a couple classics at 5am or something. After all, that awful time slot isn't really much worse than any of the current classic's time slots.

The last time we saw rare cartoons on Cartoon Network was when they aired the Norm McCabe ToonHeads special in prime time a few months ago, with two black-and-white wartime cartoons (with VERY obvious references) airing uncut. Ever since then (and before that, actually) the cartoons seem to be avoided. The Tex Avery Show, which got good ratings (especially considering it had no advertising) and also a tribute to a cartoon director that almost every cartoon fan has respect for, was taken off the air. The Bob Clampett Show, which showed cartoons uncut, is no longer on at all. The Popeye Show, with 45 episodes, only airs once a week (in that wonderful 2am slot), yet Time Squad airs 5 times a week (although bad time slots) and I'm sure it has less than 45 episodes. ToonHeads has a whopping 65 episodes, yet it airs only twice a week. What's wrong here?

Boomerang is available to hardly anyone, and it isn't that great of a channel in the first place (after all, this is the channel that has month-long SCOOBY DOO marathons). I seem to notice a real lack of respect for the classic cartoons from people at some of the boards here. People don't realize that without Tex Avery, Chuck Jones, Friz Freleng, and all the other great directors, we wouldn't have the Cartoon Cartoons at all. Every show creator is a fan of some classic cartoon, often inspired by it, doing tributes to it. Classic animation is important and yet it is treated badly by Cartoon Network.

[William C. Maune]

However, Bugs, Popeye, etc. were not originally Saturday morning toons. In fact, I don't know if Popeye ever aired on Saturday mornings. They originally aired in movie theatres along with movies intended for adults. These aren't simply toons Adults enjoy for nostalgia such as the HB toons. Instead, these are toons that were made with adults in mind.

[Ferquin]

If anything, I'd want to see unedited and controversial classic cartoons on during Adult Swim. Like any WB ones where they lambast the Nazis or great Tex Avery cartoons with the disturbingly funny race gags. Now, mind you, I am not promoting hate or stereotyping of any kind! But I sure would like to see these old cartoons in their original glory. Hell, they used to show them locally with the rest of the cartoons on this cheap old kiddie cartoon show back when I was a grade-schooler and I turned out okay. The best chance to see these would be in the wee hours like 3 or 4 a.m. If they're not gonna show it to kids, then at least show it to adults with a sense of humor. Goodness knows that nobody but AOL/Time-Warner has the rights to these and they're just gonna rot away in the vaults. There's no other venue for these except for Adult Swim. If they can't show them here, then where else?

[William C. Maune]

I wouldn't say it failed, I would say it wasn't given a chance. You can't really tell if something fails in one week. Plus, I don't think nearly as many people would complain at 3 o'clock in the morning.

[Tienshin]

To clarify:

I understand how the classics were originally presented to the public, as lead ins for news reels, movies, etc in theaters...it was in an odd way an Adult Swim of those times. Minus the TV and the cards and beats.

I digress, I just don't see the correlation of classic toons that became Saturday morning mainstays...to AS. At all. I have seen many of the old classics that are now banned for one reason or another, and when I was young all that stuff went over my head...so seeing those unedited would be cool....but I think a different medium is in order.

[Mynd Hed]

Mynd Hed's Two Cents:

I think it would be wonderful if they put together a two-hour Toonheads special presentation for air on Adult Swim showing a whole bunch of uncut controversial classic cartoons including WWII era spoofs and old Tom and Jerrys that got cut, prefacing each short with an explanation of what was considered so controversial about them, and in the cases of the ones that were cut, why they were cut and why the things that were cut in them were considered okay by the standards of the time they were made.

But classic cartoons as a regular part of the schedule? I wouldn't complain, but I also wouldn't watch them. I'm not saying they don't belong there or that they're for kids or anything like that-- I don't consider myself knowledgable enough about classic cartoons to make that kind of judment. I'm just saying that I, personally, wouldn't watch them. Sorry.

[Kirby]

The theatrical cartoon's main audience were Adult Moviegoers (at least until the Left-wings and Parents got hold of them). While Parents hounded Walt Disney's early output (Yes, even in 1928) and demanded that Disney's cartoons would be sweet, wholesome and kid-friendly, The Warner Bros., MGM, and Paramount Cartoons got away with anything the Hayes Office (a lot stricter than today's MPAA) didn't object to. The Politically Incorrect Cartoons would be a good fit for AS (any cartoon that suffers from nitpicking during the day would). What I'm afraid of is the Damn Soccer Moms (because of the recent complaint about FLCL discussed earlier on this board). They'd probably stage an irrational Public outcry and their would be no more Classic Toons on AS.
Now if the offensive toons aired on A&E or History Channel as part of a documentary (with someone like Jerry Beck to put the toons in thieir proper context), That would be Best. But Adult Swim PIC classics are better than none at all.

[John Miles]

I still think the best place for classic animation is outside of Adult Swim. As much as I would like to see some uncut stuff, I just don't think WB is gonna go for Looney Tunes being shown in an adult-oriented block, with stuff they've been forcing CN to cut for years now. Plus, I still think kids should still be able to grow up with these great cartoons, and they should be shown during the day.

That said, if classic animation can't find itself anywhere else on the schedule, I wouldn't be against it airing on Adult Swim. I think it would create some interesting diversity. Adult Swim would be able to target the adult classic animation fan as well as the anime and comedy fans. But I think any showings of classic animation on AS should be in the same vein as Toon Heads and The Popeye Show with introductions to the cartoons, not just typical compilation stuff. Maybe they could even introduce each short in the black and white cards.

[Stripe]

I think it's a good idea. They should definetely ham up the "We're showing this great stuff because no one else wants to!" angle. Don't underestimate the power of nerds in large numbers, if this were to work everyone would have to rally behind it.

[Jimmy Kustes]

I don't see Adult Swim airing any classic cartoons with edits or soft classic cartoons (Popeye Show, Harvey Toons). It would be pointless, you got Boomerang. They are going to have to air the more risky stuff like Bob Clampett Show, but they need to have advertising. I say start up a new show like Bugs Bunny RAW carrots or something and really hype it up. It's all about marketing.

If not they might as well go back to showing Ripping Friends, Pilot Canidate, and Yu Yu Hakisho. I don't think you will see anything more tame than Inu-Yasha or Home Movies on AS.

[Parallax]

I'd love to see classic cartoons on Adult Swim. Like "Toon Heads, Tex Avery Show, Rocky and Bullwinkle, etc." That'd be great.

[Jersey Devil]

Looks like a plan to me.Great Idea.

[SNS]

Here's an idea, make a topic on this on the adultswim.com boards & see if it gets moved to babbling or incoherent babbling. If it does, then that shows that WS thinks your idea is rediculous.