Fresh Question #40 - Animation Channel

[James Harvey]

Hey all,

Here's the newest installment of the bi-weekly Fresh Question for your enjoyment. Remember, if you have any suggestions for a question, feel free to email myself or one of the moderators.

If you were behind an animation channel, list 10 (or 5) shows you would put on the schedule, and why.

[Crazy8s]

In no specific order:

The Real Ghostbusters (specifically first season Satam and syndicated)--why? Cos this show got the ball to give backgrounding and depth and good storytelling back rolling in western animation.

EXO-Squad--A western flavored epic tale of war, love and hope. And finish the series, while we're at it!

Godzilla: The Series--I've never even seen all the episodes! I love the characters, I love the creatures, I love the stories. A show that allows characters to grow and change is a good one.

Phantom 2040--I don't know how many of you have seen this one. It has some interesting themes on good and evil and some very complex characters. It deserves a second airing.

Freakazoid--cos we need to laugh at ourselves, our heroes and our world.

Pirates of Dark Water--some enjoyable characters and an interesting adventure. Also interesting to see how Tula was changed to be more politically correct for the times--from warrior to 'healer'.

Peter Pan and the Pirates--Yeah, it's kiddie-fied, but it has some interesting character relationships within the stories--the villains are the best part of the series.

Cadillacs and Dinosaurs--I liked this one--I'm a sucker for dinos!

Batman: TAS--really good story writing and great takes on characters. Proof that cartoons can have depth.

The Tick--another fun satire that pokes fun at everything about comics, and yet gives us very likable characters that we can believe in despite the silliness. Spoon!!!!!

I'm sure I can think of more, but I've gotta go to work!

[Calhoun07]

I would try to have as much variety as possible on my station, and to try and not worry about demographics, which I am sure is easier said than done.

The first thing I would set out to do is buy the animated programs from Comedy Central and give them better exposure on my station. Sunday nights around midnight just doesn't cut it for the likes of Duckman, the Critic, Bob and Margaret, Dr Katz, the Tick, and I am sure there may be a couple more I am forgetting about right now.

I'd also try to do something like Boomerang does but go back to the late 70's and the 80's and on up, which is showcase Saturday morning cartoons from times past on weekend blocks.

In prime time, I'd bring back shows like Mission Hill, Family Guy (YES, I liked that show!), Bob God and the Devil, Clerks, and others that the networks unfairly cast off and I would give them contracts for new episodes. I would save the syndication animation and the re runs for non prime time hours.

One night a week I would try to have a movie of the week kind of thing. Sure, I'd air some theatrical releases, but I would love to see an animated channel that had the resources to make their own, completely original and stand alone animated movies for prime time (in other words, the animated movies made by the channel would not be based on any existing character already on that channel). I mean, why have the movies at all if you aren't going to make your own and air them?

For the ten o'clock slot, I envision something fairly revolutionary, but probably not so revolutionary in the terms of what other networks would do. I would like to have live action programming in those times, either a news magazine type show about animation or a behind the scenes series about animation studios and the animators or a profile series about people in animation and the movers and shakers in the field. This kind of programing is seriously lacking on TV today.

For eleven o'clock, I'd have an anthology show on that features web based toons exclusively. The show would air for an hour, so it would welcome different length web toons every night. It's obviously taking what MTV did with their Downloads special and turning it into a series.

Midnight to six am....infomercials. Sorry, folks, but I gotta pay for all these licensings fees some how!

Haven't decided what to do for AM hours. I'd give Space Ghost his own morning show if I could wrangle him away from his late night talk show. And weekday afternoons would be ideal times for movies. And who knows? Maybe I could develope an animated soap opera that takes place on another world or some other futuristic or exotic locale to add flavor to it, seeing that soap operas are so popular during the day. And then I could develop game shows that have questions about animation.

Of course, this kind of network will never exist in this life time, but it is always nice to wish!

[Calhoun07]

I'd give ZEBRAS IN AMERICA a prime time slot!

[RockItShipper]

Should I be worried that the very basic storyline of "Freddy" mirrored parts of my life right now?

[James Harvey]

...and network like that does exist...here in Canada. It's called Teletoon. You can check out the website at http://www.teletoon.com

[Psycho Fox]

If I was suppreme ruler of the station? Have to say calhoun07 has some kick ***** ideas like a news magazine show about animation (SPLAT should do) or a behind the scenes series about animation studios and the animators or a profile series about people in animation and the movers and shakers in the field. Defently a new show should be made that extends what SPLAT does now. That would be coolier so natch if I ran a animation station I would find a good time slot for something like that. Hmmm why not animate a show about animation? I don't mean all the time but for speical event's like fall line up or the aniversary's of a cartoons. And a weekly animated feature would be cool too but I don't think it would be reasonable to expect a station to make its own animated features.

Now myself I would have a half hour set aside every weekend for shorts done by studios like Internation Rocket Ship plus projects done in art collages and some shorts by some arm chair animators. Oh and of course a full hour of un-cut Looney Tunes

As for other shows I would defently see about getting new Sam&Max eps but I don't think it is humanly possible to bribe WB to make any new eps of any of the WBA comedies so just have to live with reruning them.

I would have the older shows in some sort of rotation so more of them can be aired and I would give any animated show any studio comes up with a try (with in reason if it is beyond crap then I would have to pass)

Oh yes I would try my hardest to keep censorship to a minimum during the day and none at night.

[DR. BELCH]

RockItShipper:
Should I be worried that the very basic storyline of "Freddy" mirrored parts of my life right now?

"Daddy, would you like some sausage? Daddy, would you like some sausage?"
I'd say just be grateful it's Tom Green's Freddy and not Robert Englund's Freddy you relate to.
Should I be worried that several Stephen King novels/movies mirror parts of my life? Particularly The Dead Zone...I'm presently working up an impersonation of Christopher Walken.

As for my ideal TV station, I'd try to be a home for good shows the other networks shun and turn away like neglected children...the ABC's of the Forgotten Toons, from Aeon Fluxand Bob and Margaret to Daria and Downtown to Mission Hill and Spy Groove. (Sorry, I can't think of any beginning with X, Y, and Z.) Plus a few forgotten classic TV shows that even TV Land has forsaken--cf. The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour, Mr. Ed, and The Patty Duke Show.

[RockItShipper]

Originally posted by DR. BELCH
[B]
"Daddy, would you like some sausage? Daddy, would you like some sausage?"
I'd say just be grateful it's Tom Green's Freddy and not Robert Englund's Freddy you relate to.

Actually, the "Freddy" in the title is the younger bro of Green's character. Family conflicts get to the point where Green makes unfounded charges about dad in therapy.

But it's the whole thing about him being an aspiring animator and all. Plus I'm thinking about taking some time off and moving back home for a bit.

[Peace Keeper]

The Patty Duke Show?!?!? Dr. Belch, get some help.

[Crazy8s]

I must've missunderstood the question, cos I thot you meant list existing toons to air, not the type of toons and programs one would choose for an animation station. I like Calhoun's ideas, of course, but I do think there should be a place for the good toons of the past.

Don't get the Canadian station, and CN does not show much more than HB reruns (which I can definitely do without--I am not sentimental about such dreck as Scooby-Do) and anime. I've seen some of the new HB shows CN airs and they don't appeal to me either.

As for more toons of the past I would love to see:

Sonic (the Freedom Fighter series from Satam), Reboot!, the first (and best) Popeye toons (Popeye is in a black shirt and Bluto is called Bluto), Droids (much better than Ewoks, which got reworked for the worse by consultants). Most of the interesting stuff MTV has done (Daria and The Maxx especially). The Spawn toon.

Toon movies: Starchaser, Flight of Dragons, Heavy Metal, Bakshi's Lord of the Rings.

[RockItShipper]

Droids (much better than Ewoks, which got reworked for the worse by consultants).[/B]

And it had Boba Fett in it! And it had Boba Fett in it! And it had Boba Fett in it! And it had Boba Fett in it! And it had Boba Fett in it! And it had Boba Fett in it!

[DR. BELCH]

RockItShipper:
...I'm thinking about taking some time off and moving back home for a bit.

After certain circumstances (too long to go into here) forced me to leave college in December 1998, that's what I did. College life may have been starting to lose some of its charm once I started grad school, but I still missed it. I felt like I had been forced to leave my great sexual mecca to be exiled to Elba. By spring I was itching to get back to college by any means necessary, even if I had to step on a few people to get there. It might not have been so bad if I could've figured out how to live the way I did in college in the real world...entire relationships conducted by phone,where I get to know everything about a woman and decide if she's worth meeting in person, without having to waste money on her...no risk of pregnancy and disease...and a girl calling me up every night to engage in telephone autoeroticism without me having to spend a dollar for the first minute and 99 cents each additional for the privilage. To me that's total freedom! That's was I was forced to give up, and that's why I was so stir-crazy my first six months or so at home!
Being a frustrated writer who just got his 54th rejection letter yesterday is not helping matters either.

Peace Keeper:
The Patty Duke Show?!?!? Dr. Belch, get some help.

Aw, c'mon, P.K.--Duke was a hot little number in her day. I'd have bagged both Patty and Cathy--my vow to never get involved with two dames at the same time again be d***ed.

[James Harvey]

Ah...okay. This is a thread about ideas for an animation channel. I'm sorry to hear about your bad luck with college, but remember this is an all-ages board. I'm sure things will work out for the better, just hang in there.

[Inque]

my list of shows:

1. batman beyond
2. batman/superman
3. spiderman
4. xmen
5. fantastic four

[Calhoun07]

Originally posted by Crazy8s
[B]I must've missunderstood the question, cos I thot you meant list existing toons to air, not the type of toons and programs one would choose for an animation station. I like Calhoun's ideas, of course, but I do think there should be a place for the good toons of the past.

I agree, which is why I was proposing my weekend blocks. And that doesn't mean there can't be good re runs during the week, just I'd have a station that showed original programing during prime time hours rather than re runs.

[James Harvey]

It can be a mix of original, repeats, and shows airing on other networks at the same time. That help any, pal?

[Calhoun07]

Originally posted by DickGrayson
It can be a mix of original, repeats, and shows airing on other networks at the same time. That help any, pal?

???What is this in reply to???

[James Harvey]

Someone asked what kind of shows are supposed to be on it. This is my late reply.

[Geezil]

Originally posted by DickGrayson
Hey all,

Here's the newest installment of the bi-weekly Fresh Question for your enjoyment. Remember, if you have any suggestions for a question, feel free to email myself or one of the moderators.

If you were behind an animation channel, list 10 (or 5) shows you would put on the schedule, and why.

"Astro Boy" and "Speed Racer" to best represent the first wave of imported anime-for-TV; one full hour of assorted Terrytoons, both color and B&W, to end their all-but-total exile from the cable channels (and to create a new TV home for "Tom Terrific" at long last!); "John K.'s 'Ren & Stimpy' " (consisting only of the unedited Season 1 & 2 shorts, naturally); "Pinky and the Brain," WB Animation's finest 1/2-hour; "The Mouse Factory," among Disney's finest and least appreciated 1/2-hours; Ralph Bakshi's "Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures" (see under Terrytoons); and one full hour devoted to Fleischer/Famous B&Ws and very early (pre-Casper) color shorts.