Thursday, September 17, 2020

30 Years of Invading TV: Tiny Toon Adventures

Cartoons needed a good jolt from the 70s. The 80s were hit and miss depending on the company in question. Warner Brothers being one of those examples. To get the ball rolling in September 1990, you get Steven Spielberg involved and others who worked on cartoons. That's why a show like Tiny Toon Adventures deserves its chance in the spotlight. A syndicated program (later a Fox Kids program in 1992) that exceeded expectations. A period that you could say brought the best of WB.

What is so special? It follows the slapstick nature of Looney Tunes. The difference being the Looney Tune crew being mentors to these teenagers, who are the focal point. More than a dozen characters that follow the footsteps of the legends. Learning how to make a cartoon, getting in sticky situations, the whole production. Nothing low budget. Of course, some favoritism here and there, but what show wasn't like that back in the 80s and 90s? 

Your mileage will vary on the episodes. Some of it follows like a Looney Tune bit. It has its fair share of original content. A lot of parodies that flew over kids heads. They did an episode that was a straight up parody of Citizen Kane, black and white. These writers loved film and television. It's a Wonderful Life for the final episode. One bit that made fun of Carrie, an R rated film based on Stephen King's novel. Those are just small examples.

Overall, Tiny Toon Adventures was a nice franchise that made WB stand toe to toe with Disney for a period of time. Maybe there's legal issues or something (I'm guessing), but a modern version I think could work based on the content that was made. Thirty years of laughs and creating a new generation from the Silver Age when anyone could make a show and most could hook an audience immediately. 

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Geeks and Jocks: Bonus Episode 7

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