The Disney Afternoon

**Dub** · 07-16-2002, 01:27 PM

The Wuzzles
Gummi Bears
Duck Tales
Chip N Dale Rescue Rangers
Tale Spin
Darkwing Duck
Bonkers
Goof Troop
Aladdin
Gargoyles

Its time for the next Fresh Question and todays topic (unless you've been under a rock and dont know what these cartoons are) - consisted of a 80's/90's Weekday block called The Disney Afternoon!

While Wuzzles was not technically part of the block - its 13 episode Saturday morning run paved the way for the hit Gummi Bears which started it all! From Gummi Bears medieval setting we turned to an adaption of Carl Barks' classic Uncle Scrooge comic stories in Duck Tales which later gave us Gizmo Duck and Bubba Duck and proved popular enough to get its own movie and is often called one of the definative 80's cartoons. Then came the Rescue Rangers, and from there Tale Spin, Darkwing Duck and beyond!

So what todays Fresh Question is - which one of your cartoons in the classic DAFT is your favorite and second favorite. Explain why. Then say which was in your opinion the least favorite of the series and why it wasnt as good as the rest of the mix.

What in your opinion led to the downfall of the Disney Afternoon, and if you can remember - what were the most memorable episodes of each of the cartoons that YOU can remember listed above and what made em so good.

Discuss and debate! ^______^

**Samhaine** · 07-16-2002, 04:20 PM

I loved the Disney Afternoon. I watched it as often as possible.

My favorite was Duck Tales. The adventure-feel to the show was what drew me in, and the characters kept me there. My interest did wain when Bubba entered, but not enough to keep me away. I'm still hoping that one day we'll get an Uncle Scrooge plush toy.

My second favorite was Chi n' Dale's Rescue Rangers. The equipment that Gadget made always intrigued me, and the crimes they had to solve were interesting enough to my impressinable young mind.

Now, Gargoyles was never on the Disney Afternoon here. Neither was Aladdin, or Bonkers as far as I remember. Darkwing Duck was shown weekday mornings at 7 on the CBS affiliate, with Gargoyles on the UPN affiliate at 7 (years after DW) and Aladdin @ 8:30 or 9. I hadn't heard of Bonkers until I began searching the net for Duck Tales sites last year.

My least favorite is Bonkers, which I've had the chance to see thanks to Toon Disney. Mind you, I've only seen a few eps, and I have a huge nostalgia for the programs that encompsed the Disney Afternoon I remember - Duck Tales, Chip n' Dale, TaleSpin, and Goof Troop.

**Mad Scientist** · 07-16-2002, 07:19 PM

The Disney Afternoon kicked ass. That's all I can say.

**Elven Moon** · 07-16-2002, 07:55 PM

I can remember watching almost everyday after school. Ah, memories

Duck Tales and Chip N' Dales were probably my fave shows. I can't really remember that, or why Disney Afternoon stopped.

But, I sure do miss it.

**Bleu Unicorn** · 07-16-2002, 08:54 PM

Gargoyles without a doubt is my favorite. It had a great story -- that seemed to change just a bit with almost every episode and yet still maintained it's overall plot. It had a very interesting and unique cast of characters and some very nice animation. Plus, it's got just enough fantasy in it to sustain my quelling need for it in my life. (I truly miss this show.)

Second, hmm, that's harder to decide. Most of the rest of the shows, I absolutely loved. Wuzzles was the first one I ever saw, and I loved it right off the bat. It seems slightly cheesy to me now, but it's still pretty high on my list. But I guess Gummi Bears wins out. Again there is that fantasy thing (Disney's so good at that), and it wasn't sickeningly cheery like some of the other Disney shows that have come out, nor sickenly comical -- which gets so annoying to me.

**HoloRimmer** · 07-16-2002, 11:34 PM

Originally posted by Jon "WB" Gray

What in your opinion led to the downfall of the Disney Afternoon

Thats simple. Fox Kids expansion onto weekdays is what killed the Disney Afternoon. Specifically Power Rangers. Thats the reason that Gargoyles lifeon TV was so short.

**Anthonynotes** · 07-17-2002, 01:01 AM

Let's see....

Favorite Disney Afternoon show: "DuckTales." Adventure, a classic Carl Barks-created character like Uncle Scrooge, and was the first cartoon I recall as a kid where I was wowed by how well-animated it was (having grown up on the usual Hanna-Barbera and Filmation stuff). Favorite episode: the "GizmoDuck" "SuperDuckTales" movie (which I taped...though that tape's worn out ages ago). Least favorite: probably a few of the Bubba Duck ones...

Recall watching the "Wuzzles" as a kid; for those who've never heard of it, it represented Disney's first entry into making a TV animated series back around 1985 or so; the show featured an island with creatures that were amalgamations of two other animals---thus, characters like "Butterbear" (a bear with butterfly antennae and wings), "Hoppopotamus" (a hippo with rabbit ears and a rabbit tail), or "Rhino-key" (a monkey with a rhino's horn/rhino feet?), or so forth...

Least Favorite Disney Afternoon show: "Bonkers". Though this show was really lame... if they wanted to make "Roger Rabbit" into an animated series, why not *use* Roger Rabbit? Not like the bunny's rolling in work or anything...

What killed the Disney Afternoon? My guesses:

- In the late 80's an all-new weekday afternoon cartoon block was decidedly unique (vs. the usual reruns of old shows and patchwork of syndicated shows that were standard fare then). However, by the 90's, it had gained competition in the form of Fox Kids (and eventually Kids' WB).

- The debut of Fox Kids might've in a few areas with few stations available its prime timespace if the show was airing on a Fox station....and I'm sure the debuts of UPN/WB wouldn't have helped it either (watched it in Chicago, where this wasn't an issue, though I figure someplace smaller with only, say, the major network affiliates represented [say only 3-5 TV stations available] might've taken a harder blow).

- The shows on the Disney Afternoon went downhill quality-wise IMO starting with "Bonkers"...

- Presumably, one could argue that the "Disney Afternoon" still exists in the evolved form of UPN's "One Too" lineup...which in itself seems to suffer from a lack of truly exciting viewing options ("Recess" reruns?) and/or too many reruns of older shows (this past season, "Tarzan" was the only new show on). "One Too" probably also suffered attention-wise in favor of Disney probably being more attentive to its more lucrative ABC, DIsney Channel and "Toon Disney" outlets. And of course, it had to compete against both Fox Kids (when it was on weekdays ), cable, and "Pokemon"...

-B.

**deededtheman** · 07-17-2002, 10:41 AM

i remember when i used to watch it i was 5 and i loved gargoyles i even snatched an action figure out of a boys hand of them i was crazy about them. i remeber getting home from preschool and going in the house and turning on the tv to my favorite shows.
I first sarted watching it in 1993 when i was three and chip n dale, duck tales, tail spin, and darkwing duck were on i continuelly watched it every day until they took it off my local wb affilate when kids wb started showing kids wb shows. I remeber Chip N Dale Rescue Rangers, Goof Troop, Duck Tales, Tail Spin, Darkwing Duck, Bonkers, Aladdin, Shnokkums & Meat, Gargoyles, Timon & Pumbaa, Mighty Duck, Quack Pack i have seen 101 dalmations before on 1 saturday morning and syndication, i remember also watching duck tales, & Tail Spin in syndication in 1995 but not on Disney Afternoon those were the good days when i did not have cable but now i do. my favorite had to be dw that was the best than quack pack & gargoyles & shnokkums & meat.

**Anthonynotes** · 07-17-2002, 11:56 AM

Originally posted by deededtheman
i remember when i used to watch it i was 5 and i loved gargoyles i even snatched an action figure out of a boys hand of them i was crazy about them. i remeber getting home from preschool and going in the house and turning on the tv to my favorite shows.
I first sarted watching it in 1993 when i was three and chip n dale, duck tales, tail spin, and darkwing duck were on

Hmph... I recall 1993 as the year I started college... another thing to throw into the "feeling old(er)" list, I guess...

-B.
Who recalls seeing "DuckTales" when it made its 1987 debut as a movie special...

**czyznyck99** · 07-17-2002, 05:29 PM

Without a doubt, my favorite TDA series was Gargoyles. It's the only show that I will still watch at the drop of a hat. It had long-term drama, the feeling that the issues would not be resolved by the end of an episode. The characters were cool, and the references to mythology and Shakespeare were intelligent and not simply for little kids. I mean, throughout high school I had to read stories like "A Midsummer Night's Dream," and it was great to say, "hey, that's Puck, I know all about him." I remember reading stories about Anansi (the spider) from a project I did in African folklore. And of course, the story of the gargoyles was just awesome.

Now, my second pick is a little more difficult. I think Bonkers was a funnier show with Piquel and Bonkers than with Miranda and Bonkers (what kind of a female cop looks that good anyway

). I never caught on to Darkwing Duck, but I did like DuckTales. I never saw Gummi Bears, But I almost always watched Tale Spin and Rescue Rangers. I'll give my nod to Rescue Rangers, because I not only saw every episode, at one point I had the entire score etched in my head!

While I don't know exactly why TDA left all the airways, I do know one reason it disappeared from my affiliate in Los Angeles. The killer was the OJ Simpson trial here from 1994. I didn't start watching Gargoyles until the summer of '95. Rather than being aired at the normal time of late afternoon, it was broadcast in the late morning, after I (and the majority of students) had gone to school. Only little children were able to watch, and the ratings crashed after being consistently good the several years before.

Long live TDA (even though it's hacked up on Toon Disney)!

Later.

**Lachesis** · 07-17-2002, 06:22 PM

Tale Spin first. It was just a nice, fun adventure series that didn't bother about any silly gimmicks, but just let the characters do what they were meant to.

Gargoyles second, for getting Disney to do something dark and atmospheric and using a (gasp) continuous storyline.

**LightAngel** · 07-17-2002, 10:17 PM

Gotta go with Gargoyles as my top favorite, with Ducktales as a close second. Gargoyles was so unique, and had an excellent story to tell. Ducktales was just as entertaining.

**xbuilder** · 07-18-2002, 08:09 PM

Man this is hard

I have to say Gargoyles

followed by Darkwing Duck and Ducktails.

and why Disney gave up on Gargoyles is beyond me.

thos Mouse eared crack heads.

**MachSabre** · 07-20-2002, 01:11 AM

Bear in mind, that I don't really consider Gargoyles a Disney Afternoon cartoon, since it was always placed in a different block than the others. For example, it was never called "Disney's Gargoyles", just "Gargoyles", as Disney was trying to appeal to a older audience than they were with the previous shows. So I'm discounting that from the catagory. BUt if I'm forced to then it would have been my favorite. But since I'm not...

Right away I consider Tale Spin to be the best of the bunch. THe animation and thought into the designs and universe just was on a level that no Disney cartoon outside of theatrical releases (And even then) has even came close to. The layout of Cape Suzette to the cliff guns, to the Air Pirates, and even to the hilarious jokes of Zimbria, who had a bullet shortage each week. There was something very VERY innocent and creative about that show that I have never seen since. That and Wildcat was cool.

The second would be Ducktales for the exact same reasons as Talespin's... Add in the fact I'm a huge Carl Barks fan and that's rather explanitory.

As for what was the downfall of the Disney Afternoon... THis may shock a few people, but I actually consider Darkwing Duck to be the downfall of it. Oh sure it was the closest we had to a Batman cartoon, befoe there was a Batman cartoon, but the animation quality dropped, and rules changed. For the previous shows it was very "realistic" in thier manner. If you fell from a rooftop, there was danger. It was a realistic Anthrmophication, however as soon as Darkwing Duck came along, those rules were tossed out the window for the sake of comedy. Now I love DW, but after a while that innocence and fun that was there with the previous shows just became obvious that it was left behind. DW feel into the same problemn that the Tick eventually did. No matter how funny it was, it was still a super hero parody, and those parodies do not have a life span of more than a year or two, due to the same joke being made already.

The concept got old, and thus fell short. But DW was entertaining for it's time, but it's because of DW that the trend toward the more obvious "cartoony" stuff became apparent.

If I were to discount DW, I would say that Bonkers was the kiss of Death.

By the time Aladdin and Gargoyles came about, we were subjected to drek like Bonkers, Goof Troop, Marsupilami, Raw Toonage, Snookums and Meat, and the rest.

R.I.P. Disney Afternoon.

**catwoman** · 07-23-2002, 03:50 PM

I loved the Disney AFternoon. It might be why I got such good grades in school. My folks wouldn't let me watch tv until my homework was finished and perfect... Sometimes i had to work darn hard to make that three o clock deadline

Ducktales and tale spin were probably the best of the original bunch. I wasn't too fond of Chip and Dale (even though i never missed an episode) and i hated the gummi bears. When they started showing Bonkers, I turned to Animaniacs.

Goof troop was allright. Though A Goofy Movie and it's sequel was a lot better.

Darkwing has to be my favorite. I cried when i saw the first four eps (when he was singing the lullaby to the little girl(name?)) and I still own a darkwing bank. I also traded in my Roger Rabbit stuffed bunny for a stuffed DW.

Gargoyles was great, but the plots are so complex, you really need to be in a certain mood to watch it. I still check out S8 every once in a while.

**catwoman** · 07-23-2002, 03:54 PM

what ever happened to the two hour started episodes for every new disney cartoon? those were great. I think the last show to use that was gargoyles. However, I guess to use that, disney would have to make original programs.

**czyznyck99** · 07-23-2002, 06:59 PM

I'm taking a guess that some of the movie premieres of the TDA shows (or One Too) were replaced in favor of those infamous sequels that we all keep hearing about. For Aladdin, it was The Return of Jafar, which was basically a three-parter. There was a movie premiere for Buzz Lightyear, and it was in the same format (three episodes).

But I know what you mean. I really liked the Rescue Rangers five-parter out of all of the movies (that probably doesn't sit too well with you though, catwoman).

Later.

**Mad Scientist** · 07-24-2002, 02:06 AM

My favorite was Darkwing Duck. Not all spinoffs are bad, you know, and Disney's Batman/James Bond/Scarlet Pimpernel spinoff was frelling brilliant!

My second favorite would be a tie between Chip 'n' Dale: Rescue Rangers and Duck Tales. I loved the two chipmunks in their Disney shorts when I was a kid, and when I heard that they were getting their own show, I was shocked. It was some amazing stuff when I watched it, though I thought Zipper was rather annoying.

As for Duck Tales, well... Would YOU like to swim in a deep pool of gold coins? Now, I'm not greedy or anything, but I've always wanted to try that out. It looks like fun!

**Jeff Harris** · 07-24-2002, 02:55 PM

Originally posted by Jon "WB" Gray

So what todays Fresh Question is - which one of your cartoons in the classic DAFT is your favorite and second favorite. Explain why. Then say which was in your opinion the least favorite of the series and why it wasnt as good as the rest of the mix.

Favorite - Darkwing Duck (Gargoyles wasn't really Disney Afternoon, more or less it aired as a Friday exclusive). It's a perfect mix of action and comedy, perhaps one of the best superhero parodies, if not THE best ever made. Plus, it has one of the best animated casts ever assembled, only outdone by Batman and Gargoyles.

Second Favorite - A Tie Between DuckTales and Chip and Dale's Rescue Heroes. Something about those two classic adventure shows still attracts the old-school fan in me. Maybe it's the love the animators showed to Carl Banks' comic book creations (though I'll admit that I'm not a big fan of the Gizmoduck/Bubba Duck episodes). Maybe it's the fun that the cast of Rescue Heroes showed. Regardless, these two shows are good examples of Disney animation at its best (Gargoyles, the only Disney Afternoon show without the Disney moniker, is one of the best animated series ever made, hands down).

Least Favorite - Bonkers. The Roger Rabbit craze was over about, oh, four or five years from the debut of this show, so the novelty of a "toon" helping a human wasn't all that original nor innovative. Thing is, in such a production, it would have been nice if the series was, say, a live-action/animated hybrid as opposed to an animated human with a "toon cop" as a partner. Dull earth tones beside bright colors didn't help much. Also, the series had to have the worst animated cameo ever. Mickey Mouse was a guest star in one episode, but he was basically in a box the ENTIRE episode and they didn't even say his name much. The "Raw Toonage" shorts were good, but the Bonkers series just wasn't good.

The downfall of the Disney Afternoon came with the Fox Kids implosion of the mid-90s. Since many Fox affiliates aired the Disney Afternoon, the Disney shows were either pushed to early morning or late afternoon slots, separated into two hour-long blocks (one in the morning, one in the afternoon), or just moved to another network where it got little exposure. I remember in my neck of the woods, I saw Gargoyles on a local independant station and Duck Tales on another. It was a sad end to a great institution, and I feel that Disney should resurrect the block on their Toon Disney network with the classic shows, none of that One Saturday Morning drivel.

**Ruffian** · 07-24-2002, 03:02 PM

My favorite is "Chip N Dale Rescue Rangers." I just love this pair and their squabblng. Gadget, Monterey Jack, and Zipper were a nice addition in this series to form a crime fighting team.