March 26, 2004

CLASSIC CARTOON CHANNEL?

he man
Not to dwell on the FILMATION library, but this follow-up story of its sale to ENTERTAINMENT RIGHTS notes that the company plans to use the library to start another "kids channel". Seeing as Ted Turner began CARTOON NETWORK on the bulk of the Hanna-Barbera library, this is an intriguing idea.

But do we need another "kids channel"? The obvious answer is: No. We've already got CARTOON NETWORK, NICKTOONS, TOON DISNEY, BOOMERANG... not to mention NICKELODEON, DISNEY CHANNEL, ABC FAMILY, HBO FAMILY, WAM!, DISCOVERY KIDS to name but a few.

What we need is a "Classic Cartoon channel" aimed at grown-ups. A TV LAND or TCM for vintage animated films. A home for the UPA cartoons, the Terrytoons, the Harveytoons, Walter Lantz, Screen Gems, Ub Iwerks, Fleischer and Famous Studios libraries; classic independent and international animated shorts and feature films; as well as episodes of Crusader Rabbit, Rocky & Bullwinkle, Roger Ramjet, Beany & Cecil and Q.T. Hush.

ENTERTAINMENT RIGHTS and VOOM'S ANIMANIA HD are poised to enter a crowded marketplace - hoping to build a business using classic (and not-so-classic) animation as cornerstone programming. I wish them luck. To paraphrase HE-MAN: "They have the Power!". The power to create a new kind of animation station - one that doesn't exist, but can and should.

Posted by at March 26, 2004 08:38 AM