Looney Tunes In the Theater

[Jack]

This poll is made due to some of the interesting conversation about made about new cartoons and movies lately. So, what did you vote for and why???


Jack:confused:

[Sveven Dvorking]

I would like to see the cartoons re-released, but not messed up.

[Joe Tully]

I voted for the second, because I think that that's the only way it could be done. To have them be released before new features just wouldn't work, because if theaters are given the option of running either a cartoon before the feature or running ads instead, they will run ads because that will give them more money. Compilation movies, I think, are difficult to do because it is difficult to write linking material, and as a result the linking material is boring. Also, material from the originals is often removed, which I dislike. To re-release the old shorts would cost virtually nothing since the product already exists, and so they would certainly create profits. I think that this sort of thing would work well at some of the programs that theaters run for kids over the summer, in which they bring back some old kids' movies (often animated) and show them to kids signed up to the program. Usually they're called a Summer Movie Camp or something. And if they included some Looney Tunes, I wouldn't care how dorky I'd look, I'd sign up for the program too!:p

The newer stuff hasn't worked so well, so I didn't vote for that. I disliked Space Jam and the more recent shorts.

[lislebartman]

I remember in the early 1990s when the AMC movie theater chain presented LT & MM cartoons before the features because it was the 50th birthday of Bugs Bunny. I really liked seeing the cartoons on the big screen, sometimes they were better than the movie!

An ersatz feature would be cool, but maybe they wouldn't include titles we as avid toonphiles would like to see on the big screen.

[Mibbitmaker]

I'm with the majority-so-far. The best is the mini-festival(or, better, not-so-mini). I voted, however, for Some of the Above, since I also want to see new cartoon shorts, provided they were any good. I liked Box Office Bunny, so it could be done.

[Larry T]

I'll never forget the time I went to the movies sometime in the early 80s, and I can't remember the picture I went to see (it was probably that bad), but I was treated to a showing of a 35mm WB cartoon. This theatre had the habit of pulling out old stock cartoons and stuff unannounced and just featuring one along with a regular showing of a similar studio's movie.

Well, anyway, the token trailers to advertise coming attractions were playing, and everyone in the audience started talking by about the third or fourth one, as they always do. But right after the sixth one, amidst all the murmuring, on the big screen we saw the familiar WB target and zooming shield suddenly appear- the whole place went quiet as if they were suddenly stunned- and in a matter of seconds the shield dissolved into Bugs' face and the entire congregation cheered so loudly that I could hardly hear the music anymore. It turned out that we were treated to "The Old Grey Hare", and boy, was it well received!!! People laughed and cheered, and when the cartoon ended, the applause drowned out the opening of the feature attraction.

So, obviously, I'm all for bringing classic cartoons back to the big screen. The only thing I fear is that every single WB movie would be released with "One Froggy Evening" or "Baton Bunny" ;)

[Patrick McCart]

I think new compilation movies would work good. A send-off of Fantasia 2000 featuring musical LT/MM cartoons would be keen in between cartoons.

I think 10 cartoons would fill the movie nicely....

A Corny Concerto, Pigs in a Polka, Miss Glory, Rabbit Of Seville, What's Opera Doc?, Smile, Darn Ya, Smile! (One classic B&W to round out the movie), Back Alley Op-Roar, Book Revue...etc

It would be nice to get at least 1 cartoon from each director.

Also, preceeding the compilation movie would be Sindbad meets Popeye The Sailor.

To solve the problem with the cartoons being a 1.33:1 (TV shape) screen size to fit a normal theater screen, the cartoons would have curtains on the sides of the image instead of plain mattes. If these cartoons were not "curtain bordered" on the sides and the image would just fill up the film strip. it would get cropped on a screen.

If any sort of classic cartoon show came to theaters, I'd buy a ticket ASAP!

[laugh4me]

I think I may have started this whole issue so I guess I oughta chime in... ;)

Well, I voted for releasing both old cartoons and producing new ones. I know that isn't the prevailing purist opinion, but then I've always been willing to go against the tide... and consider unpopular ideas. ;) Besides, we need a dose of optimism around here! :)

I enthusiastically agree with everyone here who says they would buy a ticket to see a good compilation of the classics in a theater.You'll see me in line there too. This can be done easily and cheaply. Where my opinion differs from the majority is that I think it's OK to also pursue new films/shorts.

Why? Well, if you make new cartoons or films what's the worst thing that could happen? They create some forgettable cartoons we watch and then ignore. Kinda like some of the mid-60s Looney Tunes. But IMO many of the mid-60s ones were keepers so overall I'm glad they made them even though they typically fell short of the "originals". If on the other hand they don't create more cartoons, it is a certainty that we gain nothing. As Foghorn said, "that's mathematics son - two half nuthin's is a whole nuthin'"...
Anyway, if they did it right, we could end up with more good Looney Tunes cartoons which are something of great value. I know opinions vary greatly here, but I consider "Blooper Bunny" and "Box Office Bunny" to be two examples of good recent Looney Tunes cartoons and proof that it can be done. Sure, some of the other recent ones weren't so great, but so what? I now have these good ones and I don't watch the stinkers much whether they were made in the 30s, 40s, 50s or 90s.

In past discussions on this topic there's usually been comments made along the lines of "they'd never be able to make ones as good as the originals". Well, you don't know that for certain, but I wonder if the new attempts have to be AS GOOD as the original to be enjoyable? If you say yes, you are either setting an impossibly high success criteria for any cartoon (and you must be disappointed by just about everything made) or you consider the classic Looney Tunes to be just barely good enough to watch since anything that falls short isn't worth watching.

Of course the biggest assumption I am making in all this is that someone can get the right team of creative people together. But once again, I say don't be afraid to take a chance! In the words of that animated school teacher Miss Frizel - be willing to "take chances, get dirty and make mistakes".
Or like momma always said: remember - nothin' ventured, nuthin' gained. ;)

OK, that's enough for now. I return you to your regularly scheduled TTTP. :D

[Sveven Dvorking]

The more you insult them, the more I make this comment:

They ARE originals! They are from the classic era! So don't act like they are '90s nonsense! Because they aren't!

:mad: Sveven Dvorking hates when people make bad comments towards a whole era of classic WB cartoons.

[laugh4me]

Originally posted by Sveven Dvorking
The more you insult them, the more I make this comment:

They ARE originals! They are from the classic era! So don't act like they are '90s nonsense! Because they aren't!

:mad: Sveven Dvorking hates when people make bad comments towards a whole era of classic WB cartoons.
Whoa there! Take 'er easy now.
If you go back and look, the word originals is in quotes. It was just a casual way to refer to the WB studio created cartoons - which after all came first and were a quite different phase of Looney Tunes than the D-F ones. And if you check, I never said they were "bad", just that they weren't as good as the WB-era ones and in this (rare?) case I believe my opinion is in line with an overwhelming majority. (If you disagree, maybe that is fodder for another thread).
And for the record, I reserve the right to divide the classic era into distinct phases and to differentiate between them. Heck, if you show me a Looney Tunes cartoon (even without the opening credits) I don't have to scratch my head wondering if it was made by WB or D-F. It's obvious within seconds. They are very easy to tell apart and so they can justifiably be talked about separately. At least IMHO... ;)

[bushnader666]

I think the problem with new shorts is with management. They don't really care to replicate the magic of classic WB cartoons. They won't spring for orchistras, dicipals of Carl Stalling, decent backround painters, or any plots that are non-PC. The look and feel of classic cartoons wouldn't be there, especially in the day of teen pop schlock, celebrity biased media (Ex: look at how much attention was put on Kidman/Cruise split. Now see how much attention was placed on how FAUX News and the Bush staff fabricated "Officegate" or how Robert Hanssen spied for the ultra-right, or...you get the picture), P.C. cops, Michael Eisner and Jack Welch.

Also, management is convinced that new cartoons need some garbage CGI as eye candy. (Just like insisting on colorizing b&w's) I hate to say this, but the creative enviroment that helped Jones, Freleng, Clampett, et al create the cartoons we know and love can't be duplicated now.

Analogy: In the 40's and 50's, cities could build huge highways and other public works project with little opposition (not really a good thing). Then came regulations, NIMBY's and lawsuits. Now it takes years just to clear the red tape.

Sure, this is pessimistic, but when a network continues to put "Scooby-Doo," "Johnny Bravo," and "Ed, Edd and Eddy" on higher priority than classic cartoons, I'm staying this way.