October 2, 2008 : The Revolution Will Be Televised
They say all good things must come to an end. Apparently that is also true about great things. Unfortunatley, after eleven years, Toonami has aired its final episode.
Even though this programming block on Cartoon Network has long since peaked, it was an incredibly innovative and successful franchise. It helped fuel the mainstream interest of anime in America and acted as a precursor to Adult Swim.
While it reminded people of cool shows from their past (Thundercats, Voltron, Batman: The Animated Series), Toonami extended beyond nostalgic programming by introducing a lot of incredible shows (Dragon Ball Z, ReBoot, Gundam Wing, Justice League…the list could go on).
During its peak, everything about it screamed quality:
- The 3D bumps were top notch.   TOM and SARA always looked cool. They even had Moltar in it for a while.
- The Midnight Run was awesome – Gundam Wing Uncut? It didn’t get any better than that.
- The Rising Sun was a good way to go to bed (“Here’s your wake up call”).
- Their promos were amazing. ‘Pardon Our Dust’ was editing perfection.
- The In Flight Movies every Friday were a real joy – ranging from cool Batman/Superman crossovers to the Endless Waltz, how could you not love it?
- Kudos on airing ‘The Month of Miyazaki’. His movies definitely deserved their props.
Again, its cancellation was probably long overdue. Especially since lately the Toonami block was relegated to airing derivative shows only once a week. However, in its prime, it was simply incredible.
Ultimately, its footprint can be seen in many places – and not just on Cartoon Network. Toonami showed how programming and marketing should be done. They built a solid fan base, and then they expanded it…a lot. Plus, they spawned several programming blocks, some of which were on other networks.
Therefore, even though it’s gone, Toonami will not be forgotten. It was an accomplishment that people should be proud of – and thankful for.
So long, Tom.
posted by Pi Visuals at 10:26 am
Tags: Animation , Anime , Cowboy Bebop , DBZ , Toonami5 Comments | Post a comment
May 13, 2008 : On The Fence
Undoubtedly one of the more highly anticipated films this summer is Star Wars: The Clone Wars – a new CGI animated movie from LucasFilm Animation. Now the poor reception of the new prequels notwithstanding, one of the bright spots during this time had to have been the Clone Wars Series that took place between the releases of these less than stellar prequels. The success of the earlier series was definitely attributable to the involvement of Genndy Tartakovsky - the talented animator and director behind Samurai Jack.
With the recent release of the trailer for the new Clone Wars Movie, it is apparent that the original style (and Genndy’s presence) is missing. I was personally a huge fan of Genndy’s series – both the story and the character design was impressive. The trailer for the new movie has been a little disappointing. The character design is 3D; and while this is a departure from the original series, it could have still looked great if done well. However, it seems that the design was poorly done (at least in my opinion).
This doesn’t spell doom for the movie – or the 100+ episode series on Cartoon Network expected to follow the movie’s release. However, it certainly digs a hole for itself. A solid story and a proper execution of it trumps anything else when it comes to a series or movie, and animation certainly is no exception. However, with the three recent live-action disappointments, I am beginning to worry that this is the new trend for the franchise and the original Clone Wars Series was the exception to the rule.
posted by Pi Visuals at 2:13 pm
Tags: Animation1 Comment | Post a comment