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February 17, 2005

Negative First Impression Theater: Loonatics.

Yeah, I know, this is hardly breaking news. But I can't let this one slide.

As previously reported by Cartoon Brew and a handful of newspapers: The new, hip, fresh, with-it Looney Tunes.

You recognize 'em, don'tcha? See, the big one there's Bugs. And clockwise from the top is the Tasmanian Devil, the Roadrunner, Lola Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Wile E. Coyote.

They're a superhero team. They live on a spaceship in the 28th century, they have special powers, and they fight crime.

Y'need a minute to absorb that? I sure did.

To be fair, these guys aren't actually the real Looney Tunes characters, any more than Buster and Babs Bunny were Bugs. They're references; the Bugs character's name may be finalized as Buzz, for example. So cling to that if you need to.

I really just don't even know where to start with this one.

Normally, I like to watch an episode of something before I start talking shit, but I can't even imagine bothering, now. Even keeping in mind that Loonatics was conceived as a kid's show to run alongside Yu-Gi-Oh and Teen Titans, This is just thoroughly unspeakable. It's utterly charmless.

I mean... Bugs is the color of invalid urine. I can't be the only one who's noticed that, can I? Bugs is piss. He's sick man's piss. Sick man's piss in a pointy black suit.

I would suspect that one too many animators must have dropped "Razor Sharp Black Points Make for Thoroughly Unappealling Character Design 101" at CalArts, but I can guarantee this wasn't thought up by anyone who could actually draw. Some guy in a suit must have had ANNE EE MAY described to him by his eight-year-old son, and set out to earn himself a promotion. Buzzword buzzword buzzword.

It's not that I'm so emotionally attached to Looney Tunes characters that I hate to see them change at all. This isn't a case of New Coke rebellion. What's so ultimately depressing about Loonatics is how well it demonstrates a total inability to change on the behalf of executives. Animation, even with the benefit of Korean slave labor in-betweening, has become too costly to take chances. It relies on retreads, because no one's willing to risk shelling out for a new set. Never mind that "Looney Tunes: Back in Action" tanked so goddamn ferociously, or "Baby Looney Tunes" never got watched. Known properties are still wrongly considered safer bets, and condescending, superficial make-overs like this still get the green light.

Meanwhile, half the internet is trying to figure out how to give Weebl and The Brothers Chaps more money. But hey, what do they know, right?

EDIT: A trailer of sorts, cobbled together from live-action clips, scenes from Batman Beyond, and world's most obvious Mirage rip-off (the turncoat bombshell The Incredibles), can be found here. Jesus Chirst I just about clawed my face off when "Buzz" opened his mouth. Yeah, this one gets a pass.

Posted by Spike at February 17, 2005 01:37 PM

Comments

Ugh. You know what? They should have just stuck with Animanics and Freakazoid. Those shows were pretty decent and the characters were new and amusing. Plus both theme songs still get stuck in my head from time to time. I mean, come on. You don't get lyrics like "Super teen extrodinare! Freakazoid! Freakazoid! Runs around in underwear! Freakazoid! Freakazoid!" anymore! Stupid excutives.

~S~

Posted by S at February 17, 2005 02:16 PM
70.20.156.75

Yeah, I heard about this this morning. The two things that popped into my head were, "Hey look, Warner's taken a lesson from Marvel Execs in how to f#@* itself in th @$$," and "I bet these are the same execs who tried to push rap and hip-hop into everything to make it 'fresh.'"

Posted by Tricia at February 17, 2005 02:40 PM
67.106.143.30

I... I am actually very interested in seeing this >.> *proceeds to feel shallow* XD
Also, I quite like this poster. Very striking and the designs are pretty cool. The yellow is a bit much and the buck teeth kinda ruin Bugs's ferocious grin, but Lola is wearing hers rather well, I thought.

I know this wasn't the point of your post, but thanks for showing this! I'll have to find out more about the show.

Posted by Svetlana at February 17, 2005 03:49 PM
70.24.12.215

I... I am actually very interested in seeing this >.> *proceeds to feel shallow* XD
Also, I quite like this poster. Very striking and the designs are pretty cool. The yellow is a bit much and the buck teeth kinda ruin Bugs's ferocious grin, but Lola is wearing hers rather well, I thought.

I know this wasn't the point of your post, but thanks for showing this! I'll have to find out more about the show.

Posted by Svetlana at February 17, 2005 03:52 PM
70.24.12.215

Sad. Sad sad sad sad sad. The guys working on this should quit and look for less tanking projects. I'm not going to watch this. The Bugs Bunny reign ended at Tiny Toons, and that's all I'm gonna tell my kids.

Posted by Clio at February 17, 2005 06:34 PM
24.81.129.66

I just noticed something about that poster. "Buzz Bunny" looks a hell of a lot like Pikachu from that angle, and the logo looks quite a bit like Pokemon's, right down to the font type and color. Yeah, no surprises there.

Also, I hate Lola Bunny. She had nothing to do with the Looney Tunes, just part of the stupid PC sludge slapped onto the franchise.

The days of the TV animation Renaissance seem farther and farther away. It's like the 80s all over again. I'll just go back to my old Ren & Stimpy tapes for comfort...

Posted by Nate at February 17, 2005 08:01 PM
24.35.33.31

(stares at Road Runner design, sobs)

Posted by spookable at February 17, 2005 08:52 PM
68.210.251.143

PPPSSH! it's just a lame spin off of DUCK DODGERS IN 24 1/2 CENTURY!!!1

i kid. serious though. lame.

Posted by Jenn at February 17, 2005 08:55 PM
69.4.137.247

My favorite bit is all of their badass grimacing.

GRAAAAGH! TOTALLY TAKING A MONSTER DUMP WHILE I ROCKET TOWARDS YOU!!!!! HUNGH! !!!!!!

Posted by spike at February 17, 2005 09:33 PM
68.252.206.197

*weeps openly*

Posted by Rich at February 17, 2005 11:05 PM
141.151.58.221

I'm a bit confused as to why the animators excluded pupils or irises from their characters' eyes. I suppose you're expected to be frightened by blindness, or extensive cataract formation. Oooh, scary.

Posted by Mikhail Lvovsky at February 19, 2005 11:53 PM
68.239.140.76

*stares at pic in horror*

WTF, are they trying to SCARE children? These characters look like they want to lunge out of the screen and kick your ass!

Posted by London at February 20, 2005 02:43 PM
68.253.254.69

I just watched the trailer.

I feel ill.

Posted by Rich at February 21, 2005 03:11 AM
141.151.58.221

The focus group response has been phenomenal, apparently. Maybe they didn't recognise derisive laughter when they heard it. I mean... Spaz? Spaz?

I'll say it again.

Spaz?

Posted by pygmyshrew at February 21, 2005 07:15 AM
195.157.141.205

> or extensive cataract formation

I loled.

This is very sad though. I never was a fan of Bugs & co but this is really ridiculous. There is nothing even remotely appealing about these characters. They're just plain ugly.

Posted by Nina at February 21, 2005 12:08 PM
200.155.198.205

I can appreciate WB wanting to update their old franchises. It's the coward's way out, but I can appreciate it. They want to cheat around making something bold and new by simply slapping an addendum onto an old license. Looney Toons... in the FUTURE. This show is the televised equivalent to huffing aerosols - sure it's cheap, and it may even entertain you for a short time...but trust me when I say you'll respect yourself a lot more if you stay the hell away.

Our grandparents were right...TV *will* rot your brains.

-bano, the random blog commentator

Posted by bano at February 26, 2005 01:54 AM
67.175.206.201

um hi, im from Australia, i just looking at the new Looney Tunes characters on Google, but i just looking for bugs and his friends and i didn't know!!!! But i haven't seen it before..!!! so...., anyway, im not sure about thses characters are very different then the old ones!!!! it's wired!!!!!! but now, it's was amazing, n i loved it!!!!
take care ^-^

Posted by yoli at February 27, 2005 02:19 AM
211.26.186.145

http://www.csh.rit.edu/~rage/TLGmedia/anim_pages/anewbunnyunc.htm

Just in case you haven't seen it.

Posted by Psychomelody at March 12, 2005 03:02 PM
151.201.151.213

,I know :-/
but im not sure, and i might find out what time the show is start in Australia :-/
i love bugs bunny n others anyway, but now what happen 2 him....??? i can't belived it , it looks scary faces an't it? gegh, i don't like black color yuck, it's looks awful!
but im not sure how the Warner Brothers, are make a new characters of bugs bunny, lola bunny daffy duck, Taz , Wile. Ecoyote n Road Runner as well! it looks awful, it's was his bad idea! if u failed to Loonatics n, if the kids don't like the show in the future, maybe not sure if these characters must charge the same model!!! :-(
whoa i say that a lot huh?
bye USA!

Posted by yoli at March 13, 2005 12:24 AM
211.27.43.248

OMG! This is so F*cking messed up! I'm sick of this generation and it's changes. Everything has to be new and improved and sleeker and slimmer and better! Ha! Get an imagination people! I'm going to play runescape.

Posted by Kojax at April 19, 2005 11:44 AM
216.56.4.101

OMG this is sooo stupid, i h8 this generation's cartoons!

Posted by S*kix at November 12, 2005 12:40 PM
71.134.149.96

Hello. Fall is my favorite season in Los Angeles, watching the birds change color and fall from the trees.
I am from Niger and also am speaking English, please tell me right I wrote the following sentence: "In the due bubbles, the sauce was used as stairsteps."

With love :-(, Venus.

Posted by Venus at September 5, 2009 06:31 AM
200.96.39.36

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