Okay, so when I said I’ll be back in the New Year, I sorta
kinda lied… SURPRISE!
Instead I made this my second episode this December –
another Christmas special in a sense, despite having absolutely nothing to do
with Christmas. Anyway, who’s up for a seafaring adventure (in space)? Well,
you came to the right place. Based on Disney’s underrated 2002 film Treasure
Planet, the game sees our protagonist Jim Hawkins embark on an exciting voyage,
filled to the brim with awkward double jumps, inappropriately upbeat music, and
an unsettling amount of elevators. No, really.
Also, I can’t believe I missed this, but of all the film
clips I could have omitted from the end credits, I happened to forget Treasure
Planet itself (2002, Walt Disney Home Entertainment). Whoops.
Thanks to Laura Liptrot for your request. I hope you
enjoyed, and that I’ve offered a few new thoughts on the game.
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and don’t forget to follow me on Twitter and like us on Facebook!
Yes, this time around, I’m taking a look at an old personal
favourite. Released in 2004, Capcom’s Oogie’s Revenge for the PS2 served as a
near-perfect tribute to the original Tim Burton classic ‘The Nightmare Before
Christmas’. Does it still hold up?
It does indeed, and tremendously at that. After Jack
Skellington leaves Halloween Town in search of new scares for next year’s
Halloween celebrations, the three brats Lock, Shock and Barrel emerge and, in
what is arguably a retrograde move in terms of character development, somehow
resurrect Oogie – the boogiest (and buggiest) of baddies. Jack returns to find
the town overthrown and in peril as Oogie’s takeover is so very near
completion. It’s up to Jack to employ some killer dance moves to pay him out –
bugs and all.
Thanks to Katie Soley for your request. I hope you enjoyed,
and that I’ve offered a few new thoughts on the game.
Remember to subscribe for more like this, at http://idonthaveanose.blogspot.com
and don’t forget to follow me on Twitter and like us on Facebook!
PS: Oh, and for those keeping up with my Giant Spider
Alerts, you’ll notice I’ve begun to number them. In case there’s anybody sad
enough to point this out, I just wanna make it clear I’m including the arachnid
from Aladdin in Nasira’s Revenge. Just so we’re clear…
Fantasia is Disney’s third animated feature, yes. But it is
more appropriately observed as a sole, one-of-a-kind offering. Not only does it
(for the majority of the film at least) diverge from the formulaic Disney norm,
it is without question one of the greatest pieces of animation in film history.
Naturally upon its release, Fantasia was met mostly with confusion and
indifference, most likely because it represented something with which its
audience was totally unfamiliar. Sadly these feelings of alienation have
carried over to some extent into the 21st century. I have spoken to
a number of people, whose opinions on the programme remain surprisingly
conflicted. Some people even outright despise the film. Somehow. I will admit
that the layout of it could possibly be conveyed as a tad pretentious. I
personally think the formal presentation suits it well, but Deems Taylor’s
introductory pieces are a little drawn-out at times, and unnecessarily so. I
don’t mind some background detail on the pieces – some behind-the-scenes facts
– but Taylor often just seems to dictate to us everything we’re about to see,
which is not only pointless; it spoils the surprise. Presentational issues
aside, the film is masterfully crafted. Have patience and Disney’s most
impressive contribution to animation will prove exceedingly rewarding. There is
indeed nothing quite as fantastic as Fantasia.
What I think alienates a lot of viewers watching Fantasia is
its surrealist approach to animation. The opening sequence, for example, takes
Toccata and Fugue in D Minor by Bach and basically presents us with what is
essentially a visual representation of music. As our host Deems Taylor informs
us, not all of these sequences maintain a definitive story, and this is one of
those, which he refers to as ‘absolute’ music. It instead serves to capture the
images conjured in the collective minds of the animators, which, if you think
about it, is a pretty innovative concept. Images of conductor Leopold Stokowski
and the orchestra become engulfed by colour and before too long, the visuals
succumb to some very abstract artistry. Back in 1940, when this was first
released, this would undoubtedly have perplexed audiences and it is, quite
frankly, ahead of its time. Visual representations of music and imagination –
basically ‘visualising the imperceptible’ – was a very new thing. Today we have
music played out in visuals all the time, and conveyed through all types of
media, without even realising it. And I do have to admit, it does sometimes
look a bit like a Windows XP screensaver. While I certainly wouldn’t say that
the sequence is dated, I can understand why a lot of people are left feeling
cold by the opening, as rich in detail as it is. I honestly think it was pretty
daring – or maybe even stupid – to open the feature with this sequence. Sure,
it works – it serves as an appropriate welcome to Fantasia as we watch the
blending of the music and animation, as they gradually converge into one
another. But then again, this is arguably the most surreal piece in the
programme, and because of that I reckon a lot of viewers give up on Fantasia
within the first five or ten minutes, which is a real shame. Ultimately it is
remarkably done and immaculately presented – there is not one piece of
animation here that feels incongruous. For its time, it is surprisingly
abstract, and for many unsettlingly so, but this really only serves to
substantiate Fantasia’s relevance in media today.
The next sequence sees us move onto the familiar – utilising
music to dictate a story. Sort of. While not nearly as abstract as the previous
sequence, this one is nonetheless equally captivating. In this instance, it
takes Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite and turns it into a narrative conveying
the changing of the seasons, although admittedly while there is a story, it
does take a bit of a back seat again in favour of the visuals. Saying that, it
must be noted that the visuals this time around are far less obscure and adopt more
recognisable attributes. It begins with a group of fairies, delicately painting
the flowers and cobwebs with dewdrops. This is one of my favourite parts – the
colours and the delicate animation capture the piece’s ambient opening
flawlessly. The Chinese Dance is then depicted somewhat stereotypically with
some dancing mushrooms. Yeah, the less said about that the better… while Dance
of the Flutes sees some blossoms spring to life. The Arabian Dance is
beautifully animated – the movements of the fish are smooth, even sultry, and
the illusion that we’re underwater is reinforced by some mesmerising backdrops.
The Russian Dance follows, and sees an explosion of colour and vivacious energy
that serves as an almost complete contrast to the previous scene. The final
segment, Waltz of the Flowers, sees the return of the fairies, who guide us
through the transition from autumn to winter. Seamlessly blending stop-motion
snowflakes with painstaking cel animation, the segment is one of the most
meticulously crafted as the browns and golds of autumn are washed away and
usurped by the blue frosts of winter. This sequence is, without a doubt, one of
the feature’s many highlights. The animation and the music combine perfectly.
Now, I hate to maintain a dissenting opinion, as I really
don’t like to cause any kind of controversy, but the next sequence, the
infamous The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, is actually my least favourite. That is not
to say that it isn’t good. For what it is, it’s fantastic – the direction is
nothing short of sublime. But I don’t perceive it to be quite on the same level
as the other sequences, and it is further undermined by the presence of one of
the most prominent of corporate mascots. Saying that, without this piece, we wouldn’t
have that iconic dream sequence in which Mickey Mouse conducts the heavens, and
Fantasia itself might have struggled even more so to find an audience had this
familiar face not been present in the movie at all. Do I think Mickey’s
inclusion in this feature was necessary? Honestly, not really. It is a nice
touch, and it does feel appropriate to include him, Mickey and Disney being
pretty much synonymous with each other. But I can’t help but feel as though
some of the illusion is lost in this sequence because of his inclusion. That’s
just my opinion. Anyway, the sequence adapts The Sorcerer’s Apprentice by
French composer Dukas, and blends it with Goethe’s poem Der Zauberlehrling,
upon which this composition was initially based. The story maintains a moral
undertone, as the apprentice – in this case, Mickey – surreptitiously uses his
master’s magic in order to lessen his workload, but things get out of hand
fast, and the sorcerer has to step in at the last minute. There’s not a lot to
complain about here – the music and the animation, once again, combine near-perfectly,
and the colours, angles and general direction serve to make the piece
incredibly dramatic, tense, and even ironically humorous at times, in a
sinister kind of way, if that’s entirely possible. Or maybe I’m just a bit
sadistic, I don’t know. Ultimately though, I find it strange that this is
perceived to be the most memorable of the sequences as, in my opinion, it
doesn’t come close to plumbing the depths of some of the more complex and imaginative
pieces we’ve already seen. The conveyance of a story here is welcome, but it
doesn’t surprise or captivate like the others, in the sense that it’s fairly
predictable.
Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring follows, and again, we’re
presented with a definite story - this time one of life and death. In the
beginning, it depicts, well, the beginning – the emergence of the planet Earth
and its inhabitants. The creatures evolve and grow until they sprout legs and
crawl on land. Then the main narrative concerns the rise, reign and fall of the
dinosaurs. This sequence is not only wildly imaginative but with the
accompaniment of Stravinsky’s piece you really get a sense of scale, and the
combination of the visuals and the music bizarrely works really well, save for
one or two moments that, in my opinion, don’t work quite so well. Admittedly
I’m being nitpicky here – they are minor grievances at best. One scene that
immediately springs to mind (see what I did there?) is the scene in which all
the dinosaurs witness the death of the stegosaurus, ruthlessly killed by the
imposing Tyrannosaurus Rex. The music immediately following the Stegosaurus’s
death simply sounds too upbeat to me – even comical. But this is just my own
personal opinion. Despite this, this sequence undoubtedly ranks as one of my
personal favourites. And I’m not certain if this has been acknowledged by
anyone else, but the plot of this sequence is incredibly similar to Disney’s
Dinosaur, released in 2000. Compare and contrast the sequence with the T-Rex
with the Carnotaur from the film’s opening, and the journey of the herd across
the desert to the nesting grounds with the drought scenes depicted here. Of
course, this sequence expectedly has a far more morbid ending, the dinosaurs
having succumbed to their inevitable extinction. Culminating in one of the most
dramatic climaxes this feature has to offer, there is not one scene from this
sequence that is less than memorable.
INTERMISSION
Upon our return, the orchestra warms up and Taylor
introduces us to ‘the soundtrack’, paving the way for more surreal visuals
derived from the many sounds and idiosyncrasies of various instruments. I take
it the idea of this was to once again ease us into the programme after the
intermission.
Next up is Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony, and I have to
admit I’m not so enthused about this one. I do adore it, don’t get me wrong,
it’s just not a favourite. It’s masterfully crafted and the colours are
vibrant, and I do like the focus on figures from classical mythology, but the
story concerning the centaurs and centaurettes finding love just isn’t all that
compelling to me – which is a problem when this sequence is one of the longest.
It’s beautiful to look at, and the animation quality, as usual, is nothing less
than sublime, and the visuals more than make up for it. That, and similar to
the Rite of Spring sequence, I can’t help but feel that it inspired later
Disney films – tell me Zeus in this doesn’t remind you of Zeus from Hercules. A
scene worthy of note is the wine festival, in which the centaurs and
centaurettes dance alongside Bacchus, the god of wine. It is the most lively
scene in the entire sequence, and Bacchus’ inebriated fooling about features
some of the funniest character animation in the feature. Ultimately, however,
the sequence feels a little tame compared to the uninhibited surrealism
conveyed in the opening sequence, and the dramatic nature of the one that
preceded it. It is immaculately constructed, well-animated and supremely
imaginative, but it fails to appeal to me as much, possibly due to its focus on
what I perceive to be some surprisingly mundane characters. As I said, the
setting is a brilliant concept, but there’s not a lot that they accomplish with
it. Zeus doesn’t make an appearance until nearer the end, and the
beautification of the centaurettes by the cherubs seems to dominate the
segment. Interestingly, too, this sequence is infamous for having erased a
racist character – the African American centaur Sunflower, who in the film’s
original release was shamefully seen polishing the hooves of the other
centaurettes. She’s not been seen since the late 60s, and many would think this
is all for the better, although the advertising of recent releases as ‘complete
and uncut’ might invite complaints from animation enthusiasts. Such depictions
are indeed wrong, but as a product of its time, one might argue that such items
should be preserved in some form. In any case, her presence doesn’t impact on
the sequence greatly. It’s still the dullest sequence, despite its visuals.
Ponchielli’s Dance of the Hours sequence is a little more
straightforward. It’s no less creative, of course, but abides by the structure
of the ballet itself, depicting times of the day – only the dancers are a wee
bit more unconventional than you might expect from traditional ballet dancers.
None of the animals we see are known for being particularly dainty or even
mobile, and that’s the irony here. There’s little more to the humour besides
that, but in its attempts to be amusing it does succeed. The piece begins with
ostriches representing ‘Morning’, a hippo for the ‘Afternoon’, elephants in the
‘Evening’, and alligators representing ‘Night’. The animals eventually all come
together in a final dance which eventually sees the palace crumble under the
pressure. The use of colour is particularly significant, especially during the
Night segment. It’s essentially a parody of serious ballet, and it works. I do,
however, feel as though it falls a little short in terms of visualising music.
Comedic elements aside, it is a dance, which as an accompaniment to a ballet is
hardly innovative. It accomplishes what it sets out to accomplish, but is the
only piece in the programme that maintains little appeal besides its comedy.
Night on Bald Mountain opens the final sequence, which sees
the devil Chernabog awaken and summon evil spirits who frolic in a disturbingly
obscure fashion. Backed by Mussorgsky’s imposing composition, this is arguably
one of the darkest scenes in Disney history. There’s little more menacing that
the imagery of uninhibited evil, engulfed in flames of orange and purple. The
sequence builds to a spellbinding crescendo as Chernabog’s celebratory taunting
is interrupted by the angelic sound of distant church bells, which ironically
see the evil beings retire as dawn breaks. By complete contrast, the final
scene of the programme sees a procession of monks journeying to a cathedral
accompanied by Schubert’s Ave Maria. This sequence is arguably the most
powerful (though it admittedly has a great deal of competition for that title),
and it’s evident as to why these were selected as the film’s concluding pieces.
Ultimately Fantasia’s grandeur in its every sequence precipitates what is
undoubtedly a satisfyingly drama-infused and explosive finale, followed by a
subdued restoration of equilibrium at the programme’s absolute climactic
moments. It is so very nearly perfect, and I’m thankful this feature was
produced at a time when animation art was not so strictly inhibited by
censorship. There’s imagery in this sequence that is genuinely unsettling, and
in that respect, I think that it is, again, ahead of its time. As of 1940, and
heck, even arguably to date, this is the darkest moment in Disney animation
history – so significant that it has inspired a movie.
Ultimately I can’t comprehend why anybody would think this
is a bad feature. If it’s not to your taste, that’s one thing, but to denounce
it entirely? That’s sacrilege. This is one of the finest pieces put to film –
and I’m not just talking animated film here either. Maybe those who do denounce
it have a hard time appreciating the painstaking effort that has been invested
in its every frame – which individually must have taken hours to complete. And
for it to turn out as immaculate as it did, this programme is beyond criticism
of any form. Keep in mind, too, that this was produced four whole decades
before computer animation, and that it is only the third animated feature in
Disney’s extensive canon. That is a remarkable feat in itself. Whether it’s to
your liking or not, I fail to comprehend anybody who can proffer the notion
that this is poor quality. Heck, Fantasia 2000 isn’t a patch on this, and
ironically due to its reliance on computer animation, it’s actually aged
horribly by comparison. Fantasia is Disney at its finest, its most daring, its
most beautiful, and beyond anything, its most imaginative. How anyone can
perceive this to be a bad filmic experience beggars belief. It is, in a
nutshell, a showcase of what traditional animation is truly capable. This is
not just a cartoon. This isn’t even just a movie. This is art.
As it turns out, that’s *not quite* all, folks. It seems our
time-travelling eponymous grey hare is back for one more round of ‘time
busting’ (whatever the hell that entails), only this time he’s accompanied by
the inexplicably popular Tasmanian Devil because… Er, because… Well, who knows,
really? Anyway, as it turns out, the game is expectedly decent. Those who’ve
played Bugs Bunny Lost in Time beforehand will no doubt feel at home with the
gameplay, and while much of this game conveys more of the same Looney-ness, the
added bonus of a co-op mode might further enhance what is already a solidly
entertaining experience. So, are two heads better than one?
Well, in a sense. Taz does indeed *need* to be used in order
to progress, but Bugs tends to have the upper hand a lot of the time in terms
of general ability – if only marginally. Since the co-op demands the characters
stay together for the duration, it doesn’t really perform as impressively as it
could. Regardless, it stays true to its source material, and any Looney Tunes
fans are sure to enjoy it, even if it falls short of attaining the cartoonish
frenetic energy that the original game captured so well. Indeed, Bugs and Taz
is nonetheless worth your time.
Thanks to David Geary for your request. I hope you enjoyed,
and that I’ve offered a few new thoughts on the game.
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and don’t forget to follow me on Twitter and like us on Facebook!
Disney/Pixar’s Toy Story 2: Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue! is
one of those rare games that somehow manages to truly capture the spirit of its
source, while ironically simultaneously delivering an experience that bears
little resemblance to the movie. Sounds contradictory, doesn’t it? Few people
seem to be aware of this but the game follows a similar format to Traveller’s
Tales’ previous Pixar game A Bug’s Life, but while that game’s format worked
for the conveyance of a pretty faithful videogame adaptation, the same can’t be
said for Toy Story 2, whose plot gets lost amid a sea of frankly rather bland
and repetitive tasks.
Yes, despite the cult following the game has amassed over
the years, the majority of the game sees you having to locate your so-called
friends’ missing items. Honestly, I don’t understand why they bothered tagging
along when they seem to be more of a hindrance to you than anything. Still,
it’s certainly not all bad. The gameplay is pretty solid, and in that respect
one could argue that it is superior to A Bug’s Life (I beg to differ, frankly).
You can spin, stomp and fire a real laser. But then that does rather beg the
question… are you really a toy?
Thanks to Sarah Allen for your request, I hope I’ve done the
game justice and maybe even offered a few new thoughts on the game.
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The Emperor’s New Groove has always stood out as one of
Disney’s more diverse attempts to buck the trend and deliver a flat-out
animated comedy as opposed to the classy, sentimentally driven flicks with
which they’re most often associated. Whether it’s to your tastes or not, one
must concede that it is one of Disney’s most diverse and underappreciated
animated movies to ever grace the silver screen. But does the tie-in videogame
for the PS1 maintain the movie’s quirkiness and fast-paced humour?
Well… the short answer is ‘sort of’. It certainly makes a
number of admirable attempts to remain in-keeping with the spirit of the movie,
even if the voice acting is a little hit-and-miss, and some of the attempts at
humour are a wee bit too surreal. Regardless, the gameplay is pretty solid,
despite some minor issues involving platforming and combat. And there’s just
about enough to maintain your interest, with an array of, erm… ‘interesting’
characters who help you on your journey, including a man dressed as a bird who
believes he can fly but can’t, and a naked man who has his underwear snatched
by peacocks – who incidentally *can* fly. Oh but I’m fairly certain the writers
of this undiscovered masterpiece were higher than the two of these guys will
ever be!
Thanks to IñšañêTîkīGúÿ 7 for the request – I
just hope I’ve done the game justice!
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Yes, I'm afraid it's come to this - a clip show. Worry not, my friends, I'm not really out of ideas (yet), I'm just having a small break. Some other interesting projects are around the corner that I am more than eager to share with you. In the meantime, I've compiled a selection of clips from my review series for your amusement.
I'd call it a 'best-of' compilation, if my favourites didn't change every week, day, hour, etc, etc. Either way, it's just a small way of celebrating the first (and hopefully not the last) batch of movie tie-in game reviews I made. It's been a blast.
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Oh boy, does this bring back memories! Yes, the bizarrely
titled ‘Mickey’s Wild Adventure’ is the much-improved 1995 PlayStation port of
‘Mickey Mania’, a classic for the Sega Genesis. The game sees Mickey return to
his roots, journeying through time from one classic cartoon to another,
battling birds, butterflies and weasels with that most fear-inducing weapon –
the dreaded marble – which, of course, our epony-mouse hero is never without.
Click below to watch the episode:
Flee from moose, unexplained fires and growth-stunted
giants, as you fight your way through seven mildly satisfactory levels to
defeat the evil Pete – the game’s toughest enemy, who can’t even walk. Wild.
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Hold onto your giant vegetables! The were-rabbit is on the
loose! Luckily Anti-Pesto is on the case. Join Wallace and Gromit for lots of
action, awkward dialogue, and plenty of cheese.
In 2005, Konami unveiled 'The Curse of the Were-Rabbit' for
the PS2 and Xbox to coincide with the release of Aardman's Wallace and Gromit
blockbuster. Does it still hold up today, like a proud, erect carrot? Or does
it wither into a lifeless rotted mush like... I don't know, some kind of old
cabbage? Find out with the penultimate review in the current series. Although
I'm starting to wish I would have made this the last one. Then I could've used
'that's shallot!' as the closing pun. Instead...
*insert vegetable pun of your preference*
Click below to watch the new episode!
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Yes, Bugs Bunny Lost in Time! Quite possibly the best Looney Tunes game ever made! Does it still hold up today, or is the game itself a lost gem? Click below to find out!
After mistaking a time machine for a giant carrot juice dispenser, Bugs finds himself in the mysterious land of Nowhere, where the ultra-creepy sorcerer Merlin resides in a lone silo. After telling Bugs that the only way back to the present is to journey from era to era collecting clock symbols, Bugs finds himself on a very familiar journey, facing the adversaries of his past, referencing the classic Warner Bros cartoons of the Golden Age. This is indeed a timeless classic!
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Think of all the joy you'll find, when you leave the world behind. Yes, joy such as killer pirates, exploding pelicans, and unexplained bomber ghosts. Welcome to Never Land, kids!
Yes, this game was released to coincide with the Television Animation theatrical release 'Return to Never Land' back in 2002. Unlike that abomination of a movie, the game actually DARES to showcase the Indian village in all its former glory. Well, sort of. It's an interesting, if flawed, experience, and its attempts to tackle the original movie's racist imagery fall flat by its conveyance of... well, more racist imagery. And sexism. Yeah. Joyous. Click below to see the latest episode!
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Hey everyone! This is my list of my favourite Disney boss levels from the PlayStation/PS2 era... this week. Since my favourites change on a regular basis, I can't promise this list will stay the same, but I've provided good-ish reasons for my choices, from awesome gameplay to pure nostalgic reasons.
And remember, kids: Never smile at a crocodile; stab it in the neck.
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The latest news of Disney’s live action remake of Beauty and the Beast is that Gaston’s
right hand man LeFou will represent Disney’s first explicitly gay character,
who apparently bears a lustful attraction to the film’s antagonist. Some might
see this as progress. I, however, do not. And here’s why.
To begin with, this reeks of tokenism. The most insulting
thing about this is that it bears no meaning to the overall narrative. There’s
no justifiable reason why LeFou should adopt the role of ‘the homosexual’ other
than to depict him as ‘the homosexual’. In terms of the plot, we know he and
Gaston aren’t going to get it on anyway (well, they might, but if they did, it
would frankly be an insult to the original story). Assuming that LeFou’s
infatuation will end in misery, this is merely another gay filmic portrayal
with a tragic conclusion, which is not progressive.
Disney, 2017
Regardless of how LeFou’s story ends, what filmmakers and
television writers don’t seem to quite understand is that merely transforming a
previously straight or sexually ambiguous character into a gay character is
actually more regressive than it is revolutionary, in exactly the same sense as
whenever a character’s ethnicity is altered for the sake of encouraging ‘equal
representation’ (I’m looking at you, Thunderbirds
Are Go…).
In addition, something nobody seems to mention is the fact
that, whenever a gay character is represented, they are almost always depicted in
a romantic or sexual role, which is, again, insulting. Portraying gay people in
subtle ways that merely acknowledge their sexuality as a minor detail is far
more appealing and effective than flaunting our apparently uncontrollable
lustful behaviour in roles such as this.
The problem with the media today is that there is too
substantial a focus on equal representation and conforming to 21st
Century PC policies and expectations, all at the expense of the conveyance of a
good story. Now, obviously I can’t yet comment on this film’s narrative as I’ve
not yet seen it, but already I am fuming at the headlines. This is not
progression, people. This is an affront to minorities in general; tokenism at
its worst. For those who don't already know, I am gay and I am insulted.
Beauty and the Beast
is released in UK cinemas on the 17th March.
Oh. Here we are. Who’d have thought the city of gold could
be so boring? Yes, Gold and Glory: The Road to El Dorado for the PS1 has a
knack for making the most exciting events boring beyond belief. But its
slowness could be attributed to the fact that it’s not really an action game,
but a puzzle game.
Click below to watch episode 6 of my review series!
This game is highly recommended for people who like pointless chitchat,
slow-to-respond controls, and watching paint dry.
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Yes, today I’m reviewing an Aladdin movie tie-in… released
nearly a decade after the film. Yeah. Ah Disney. Staying current as always.
Anyway, even though it’s not based on a specific film, it stays pretty true to
the franchise, even if Nasira is a lazily constructed cookie-cutter villain…
That laugh, though…
Click below to watch the latest episode!
In 2000, Disney Interactive and Argonaut Games revealed
‘Aladdin and the Enchanted Portable Refrigerator’. I mean, ‘Aladdin in Nasira’s
Revenge’ – a peculiar game inspired by the original theatrical classic from
1992. Despite all its flaws, could it prove to be a diamond in the rough? Find
out as Aladdin battles giant spiders, confronts an Egyptian god, and… buys an
ice-cream from my neighbour Gary.
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What’s this? Another Incredibles game? Hmm, this could actually be quite good. It always seemed a good idea to turn The Incredibles (2004) into a franchise. So is this as ‘super’ as the game it follows?
Click to watch!
Well, not quite. Yes, in this game, you take control of Mr Incredible and – for the first time ever – Frozone! But the main problems lie in the multiplayer function, which sadly seems to underplay the ‘multi’ aspect of this format, with Mr Incredible greedily stealing the show. It’s not exactly ‘incredible’. Nor is it, as Frozone puts it with a smug smirk, ‘ICE-tacular’…
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Ah, yes, The Lion King! One of the greatest animated movies of all time – and one of many to spawn a horrifically bland and boring game. It might not be the worst game ever made but its slow, lagging controls and underwhelming soundtrack make this game more of a timid kitty cat than a lion. Amongst the many enemies you encounter on this ‘mighty’ adventure are hyenas, skunks and – my personal favourite – ladybirds. Yes. There’s nothing more belittling than when a ladybird manages to kill you. Needless to say, this game is not the mightiest lion, but you could still do far worse.
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Born in 1920 in California, Alex Anderson is credited with
having created the very first animated production produced solely for
transmission on television – Crusader Rabbit.
From 1938 onwards, Anderson served as an apprentice every summer at Paul Terry’s
studio, responsible for the Terrytoons
theatrical shorts, including Mighty Mouse. Anderson’s interest in the field of
animation is unsurprising as he was in fact Terry’s nephew.
The pursuance of his interest was stunted, however, by his
being drafted in the navy. Shortly after his discharge, he wanted to present
the concept of a moving comic strip to TV companies, but understood he needed
to collaborate with somebody, and wound up teaming up with his childhood friend
Jay Ward. Together they established TAP (Television Arts Productions), and they
began working on an idea titled “The Comic Strips of Television”.
Television Arts Productions
The idea was presented to Russ Johnston, programming
executive of NBC. The programme contained the cartoons “Dudley Doright”, “Hamhock
Jones” and “Crusader Rabbit”, utilising very basic, limited animation – similar
to a moving storyboard or animatic. In this respect, Anderson could be
perceived as a pioneer of limited animation, later popularised by the likes of
Hanna Barbera. Johnston expressed interest in the “Crusader Rabbit” segment,
and once this cartoon was given the greenlight, TAP staff set to work on the
animation in a makeshift studio above Anderson’s aunt’s garage – which itself
became the editing room.
Television Arts Productions
The series itself was visually appealing, with the line
segments drawn in bold in order to make them stand out on small TV sets of
the era. The series focussed on Crusader Rabbit (voiced by Lucille Bliss), who
bore an ironically courageous and aggressive persona despite being a bunny
rabbit, and his friends, who included Seymour the dinosaur and Rags, a tiger.
Eventually, Anderson was assisted in the writing of the cartoons by Lloyd
Turner, who had previously worked on Warner Bros cartoons. Once completed, the
cartoons were sent to Los Angeles, where sounds effects were added prior to
their distribution.
The show began airing in the summer of 1950, and appealed
mostly to a juvenile audience. Crusader
Rabbit eventually wound up on over 200 TV stations, although neither Anderson
nor Ward make much of a profit. A five year legal case later saw the rights to
the characters change hands, during which time Anderson turned his attention to
advertising. There was an attempt to revive the rabbit in 1956, in conjunction
with William Hanna, but this was abandoned due to the court case. While
Anderson regarded Crusader Rabbit as ‘primitive’,
he is nonetheless influential in the establishment of limited television
animation whose popularity was realised by the early 1960s. He was also,
perhaps most famously, responsible for establishing the characters of Rocky and
Bullwinkle, although he is often erroneously reported to have worked directly
on the show. Anderson passed away in 2010, aged 90.
Television Arts Productions
Sources:
Beck, J. (ed) (2004) Animation
Art – From Pencil to Pixel, the Illustrated History of Cartoon, Anime and Cel.
London: Flame Tree Publishing.
Hevesi, D. (2010) Alex
Anderson, Creator of Rocky and Bullwinkle, Dies at 90. (http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/26/arts/television/26anderson.html)Date accessed: 25/01/2017 New York: The
New York Times Company.
Images:
“Crusader Rabbit Crusade 1 Episode 08” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCyNmM8oGXY)
Date Accessed: 25/01/2017.
“crusader rabbit” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=brIA3Va-x-o)
Date Accessed: 25/01/2017.
Okay, so today’s post is a little different. While I
normally focus on a specific animated programme, game or movie, today I’m talking
about UK VHS releases – specifically the Looney Tunes Bumper Collection set
which ran from 1994 to 1999. There are apparently nine volumes in total,
although it has become apparent to me that volume 2 has mysteriously vanished
from the face of the Earth. The package design of each video was
near-identical, with the exception of volumes 3 and volume 9 (the Mil-Looney-Um
2000 special collection). Listed below are the episodes compiled on each video
and the colours of each one.
Volume One (1994): ‘Looney Tunes Special Bumper Collection’
(Salmon/Red colour)
Episodes featured:
A Lad-in-his-Lamp,
Beep Beep, Honey’s Money, Weasel Stop, Don’t Axe Me, Muzzle Tough, The
Egg-Cited Rooster, Captain Hareblower, Bird in a Guilty Cage, Cat-Tails for
Two, Doggone South, Fiesta Fiasco, Goo Goo Goliath, Wild Over You, Knights Must
Fall, Mouse and Garden, Rabbit of Seville. The Grey-Hounded Hare, Home Tweet
Home, Ali Baba Bunny, Birds Anonymous, Catty Cornered, Mississippi Hare, The
Foghorn Leghorn, Knighty Knight Bugs, A Mouse Divided, Really Scent.
Notes: This video features a mirror image of the package
design on the reverse of the box.
The first seven episodes were original released on the ‘Looney
Tunes Video Show (volume 7) VHS.
Volume Two (1995?): ‘Looney Tunes Special Bumper Collection’
(Unknown colour)
Episodes featured: The episodes for this volume are unknown,
but since the UK volumes were re-released as other volumes in Australia, it can
be assumed that the contents (and package design) of volume 2 are almost identical to
Australia’s volume 7, in which case it contains the following:
A Scent of the
Matterhorn, Odor of the Day, Thumb Fun, Rabbit of Seville, Quackodile Tears, The
Astroduck, The Egg-Cited Rooster, A Fractured Leghorn, An Egg Scramble, Fiesta
Fiasco, Daffy Rents, What’s Up, Doc?, The Fair-Haired Hare, A Lad-in-his-Lamp,
Knight-Mare Hare, Awful Orphan, China Jones.
Volume Three (1996): ‘Looney Tunes Special Bumper Collection’
(Blue colour)
Episodes featured:
One Froggy Evening,
The French Rarebit, Tabasco Road, Hyde and Go Tweet, Little Beau Pepe, Much Ado
About Nutting, What’s Opera, Doc?, Bear Feat, Daffy Duck Hunt, Each Dawn I
Crow, Frigid Hare, Hen-House Henery, Hyde and Hare, Little Boy Boo, Mutiny on
the Bunny, Zoom and Bored, Beep Prepared, Bugsy and Mugsy, Daffy’s Inn Trouble,
Baton Bunny, The Long-Haired Hare, My Little Duckaroo, Bewitched Bunny, Bunny
Hugged, Devil’s Feud Cake, Fast and Furry-ous, Gift Wrapped, Hip-Hip-Hurry, A
Kiddie’s Kitty, Lovelorn Leghorn.
Notes: This volume bizarrely featured a mirror image of the
package design on the front cover – the only known volume to do so.
At over 3 hours, this is known to be the longest bumper
collection VHS.
Volume Four (1996): ‘Looney Tunes Special Bumper Collection’
(Purple colour)
Episodes featured:
The Grey-Hounded Hare,
Room and Bird, All Fowled Up, Two Scents Worth, Don’t Axe Me, Cats and Bruises,
The Scarlet Pumpernickel, Heir Conditioned, Lickety Splat, Mutiny on the Bunny,
Feather Bluster, Louvre Come Back to Me, Drip Along Daffy, Mexicali Schmoes,
Scaredy Cat, Kit for Kat, Zipping Along, Devil May Hare, Catty Cornered, Weasel
Stop, Heaven Scent, The Ducksters, Assault and Peppered, Ant Pasted.
Notes: The final volume to be titled ‘Bumper Collection’, as
opposed to the later title ‘Bumper Edition’.
The first volume to feature a Tasmanian Devil cartoon,
despite the fact that he appears on the cover of every video.
Volume Five (1996): ‘Looney Tunes Bumper Edition’ (Green
colour)
Episodes featured:
Gee Whiz-z-z-z, Zoom
and Bored, Fast and Furry-ous, Duck Dodgers in the 24½th
Century, Jumpin’ Jupiter, Rocket-Bye Baby, Fool Coverage, The High and the
Flighty, Person to Bunny, Devil May Hare, Bedevilled Rabbit, Ducking the Devil,
Hot Cross Bunny, Barbary Coast Bunny, Homeless Hare, Canary Row, Putty Tat
Trouble, Snow Business.
Notes: The first set to be titled ‘Bumper Edition’ instead of ‘Bumper
Collection’.
The first set to contain the standard 18 episodes that was kept for
all subsequent releases except volume 9, the Mil-Looney-Um set, which contains
19 episodes.
This is the only set to contain 18 episodes, in which the episodes
are not evenly spread across the two videos – instead there are 10 cartoons on
tape one, and 8 on tape two.
The package design image has changed slightly – the background is
no longer blue but yellow.
Volume Six (1996): ‘Looney Tunes Bumper Edition’ (Pink colour)
Episodes featured:
Zip ‘N’
Snort, Hook, Line and Stinker, Hot-Rod and Reel, Hare-Way to the Stars, Rocket
Squad, The Hasty Hare, Holiday for Drumsticks, Stupor Duck, Boston Quackie,
Bill of Hare, Dr Devil and Mr Hare, The Fright Before Christmas, Apes of Wrath,
Forward March Hare, Hare Splitter, Sandy Claws, Tree Cornered Tweety, Tweet
Zoo.
Rabbit
Rampage, The Million Hare, Mad as a Mars Hare, Big Top Bunny, Shishka-Bugs,
Foxy by Proxy, Suppressed Duck, Bonanza Bunny, Run Run Sweet Roadrunner, False
Hare, The Jet Cage, Bugs and Thugs, Napoleon Bunny-Part, Lighter Than Hare,
Rabbit’s Kin, The Unmentionables, Dog Pounded, Highway Runnery.
Notes: The first volume to have the number of the volume on the
package – although some early releases lack this feature.
The only volume to contain any cartoons from the oft-derided
Larriva Eleven.
People Are
Bunny, The Iceman Ducketh, Beep Prepared, Carrotblanca, Catty Cornered, Hyde
and Hare, Duck Dodgers and the Return of the 24½th Century, Hare Do, Chili
Weather, The Abominable Snow-Rabbit, The Scarlet Pumpernickel, The Wild Chase,
Box Office Bunny, Daffy's Inn Trouble, From Hare to Heir, Drip-Along Daffy. You
Ought to be in Pictures, Assault and Peppered.
Notes: This is the first volume to contain episodes released
post-1980 (although volume 6 does contain one episode that originally aired as
part of a 1979 TV special).
This is the only volume to contain an episode released prior to
1948 – 1940’s ‘You Ought to be in Pictures’ – although it should be noted that
this is the colourised (dubbed) version from 1995.
This volume contains the remastered version of ‘Assault and
peppered’ (1965), initially seen unrestored in volume 4.
Volume Nine (1999): ‘Mil-Looney-Um 2000 Bumper Collection’ (White
colour/package redesign)
Episodes featured:
Rabbit
Seasoning, Hare Trimmed, Bad Ol’ Putty Tat, Wideo Wabbit, A Street Cat Named
Sylvester, Water, Water Every Hare, Dime to Retire, Bunker Hill Bunny, From
Hare to Eternity, Greedy for Tweety, Bully for Bugs, Big House Bunny, Of Rice
and Hen, A Star is Bored, The Prize Pest, Canned Feud, Rabbit Fire, Tweety’s
Circus, Robot Rabbit.
Notes: This final video had its own package design.
UK Collection
So there we have it – a complete, comprehensive list of all the
cartoons released as part of the UK Bumper Collection/Edition VHS set. If you
look on Amazon or eBay, volume 2 inexplicably remains unavailable, and its
content remains a bit of a mystery, which is strange considering the other
volumes are still available in large quantities.
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