Your Reaction To Watching Edited Toons

[Sammy Castanon]

Hello friends!,

Just out of curiosity, how did you feel when you were watching Cartoon Network one day and noticed that one of your favorite toons had been edited?

How about when you noticed that one of your favorite toons had been exiled from CN for whatever reason?

Speaking for myself, I get very upset that "the powers that be" try to pass off edited toons for the geniune article. Millions of people grew up watching Bugs, Daffy, Elmer and the gang and have fond memories of their adventures.

When I started re-watching Warner Bros. cartoons last year, it blew my mind that some of my favorite cartoons had hit the cutting room floor.

It's a darn shame that today's children will probably never get to see complete versions of many WB toons, as well as Tom and Jerry, Popeye, etc.

I realize many of these toons are un-PC, but whatever happened to the freedom of changing the channel if you didn't like or agree with something? Wait ... we still have that freedom!

Yet, a few people are taking the liberty to choose for us.

That makes me very sad.

I really hope edited cartoons get restored and made available to us sometime in our lifetime. I really do:)
All the best,
Sammy

[Matthew Hunter]

Welcome, Sammy! I agree with you 100%. The censorship of cartoons is unacceptable. On one hand, I can see why they might be afraid to show some films at certain times of the day, or off-color gags that are Un-PC when there are young children watching, but that should be up to the judgement of that kid's family, not the channel airing it. I am really interested in seeing the films uncut, and what bothers me is that there is no alternative sometimes. If I want to see, say, "I Taw A Puddy Tat" with the blackface gag, I have no way to do it. Cartoon Network is the only channel showing that cartoon, and it is not available on a currently sold video. Same with Speedy Gonzales, Bosko, and Buddy cartoons. There needs to be an outlet for Warner Bros. cartoons, for example, late at night, that shows anything and everything, uncut. Better yet, TCM ought to have a "Toonheads"-like program based on them, and the complete series should be released, uncut, on DVD and VHS.
-Matthew

[PorkyandDaffy]

I agree with both of you.

[Blacklight]

"Claws for Alarm" was flat-out disturbing when it was edited. You could tell there were at least three missing scenes, and when I was a kid I thought, "Were those scenes *that* bad?!"

[Randy Watts]

To me, it's just a reality of life that cartoons will always be subject to editing and/or censorship for television. It's been going on in some markets since the 1950s, and there's no reason to think it's going to stop anytime soon. Oh, the specific cuts may change somewhat from decade to decade, depending on our cultural sensitivities of the moment. For example, twenty-five to thirty years ago, the impact of cartoon violence on children was the big hot button issue. Tom and Jerry were put out to pasture for a few years, and network prints of the Warner cartoons were slashed to eliminate any offending material that might lead little Johnny to believe Susie would survive having an anvil dropped on her head. These days, most of that kind of material is back and attracts no attention, because now we're worried about other things that might screw up our kids. Cartoons will always be subject to these kinds of cuts simply because television regards them as being primarily for children, not adults.

Home video is another matter, though. That's something you're choosing to purchase and bring into your home. Cartoons presented on home video ought to be available uncut and uncensored.

[lislebartman]

Censorship blows!!!! :cool:

[Brandon Pierce]

I still remember the first time I saw something censored on looney Tunes. It was when The Scarlett Pumpernickel aired on Nickelodeon. When it suddenly cut to a freez-frame shot of the hallway from earlier in the cartoon, I was like, "Hey, what happened to Daffy shooting his hat?!" And, I figured maybe something was wrong with the cable. Unfortunatly, later on I learned I was sadly mistaken....

[DarthGonzo]

Originally posted by Randy Watts
To me, it's just a reality of life that cartoons will always be subject to editing and/or censorship for television. It's been going on in some markets since the 1950s, and there's no reason to think it's going to stop anytime soon. Oh, the specific cuts may change somewhat from decade to decade, depending on our cultural sensitivities of the moment. For example, twenty-five to thirty years ago, the impact of cartoon violence on children was the big hot button issue. Tom and Jerry were put out to pasture for a few years, and network prints of the Warner cartoons were slashed to eliminate any offending material that might lead little Johnny to believe Susie would survive having an anvil dropped on her head. These days, most of that kind of material is back and attracts no attention, because now we're worried about other things that might screw up our kids. Cartoons will always be subject to these kinds of cuts simply because television regards them as being primarily for children, not adults.

Home video is another matter, though. That's something you're choosing to purchase and bring into your home. Cartoons presented on home video ought to be available uncut and uncensored.

Which makes the Little Orphan edit on the Tom and Jerry DVD all the more apalling. I think Tom and Jerry is a series that really suffers the most, although it's really great to see CN is giving us back the Mammy cartoons, even if they are dubbed. Save for His Mouse Friday, there is no reason why CN now cant show every Tom and Jerry cartoon.

[DR. BELCH]

--I feel cheated.

[chuckamuck43]

Originally posted by Matthew Hunter

Better yet, TCM ought to have a "Toonheads" like program based on them, and the complete series should be released, uncut, on DVD and VHS.


Darn it, Matt WHY did you put that thought in my head! I can't stop drooling!

But seriously, folks, you are ALL right in what you say about editing - it's wrong, its frustrating, I DO feel cheated (:) Dr.B) - but if they must, at least release them uncut on video/DVD. I'm still P.O.'ed about the cuts on my Adventures of Droopy and Tom & Jerry videos.

Also, I'm an adult - I don't need anyone protecting me from seeing something that THEY deem offensive!

Finally, excuse me for being highbrow, but these are works of Art, with a capital A. It is presumptuous in the extreme for another to tamper with an artist's creative product!
As an artist myself, I've had to deal with this issue before and its always the same - the people who OWN your work always feel they have the right to MESS with it, the danged talentless bums.

...sorry for the rant, guys! :o