I caught an advance screening of SKY CAPTAIN AND THE WORLD OF TOMORROW last night and enjoyed it immensely.
As a fan of cliffhanger serials & classic movies, It was fun to see someone try to recapture the magic of movies like King Kong, Lost Horizon, The Wizard Of Oz, pulps like Doc Savage and G-8, as well as chapterplays like Captain Midnight, Spy Smasher, The Lost Jungle, etc. And I think writer/director Kerry Conran succeeds. I was worried that his approach - to emulate that style of filmmaking, not be inspired by it (as Lucas & Spielberg were) - might not work with a general audience. For example, I’m a fan of Guy Maddin’s films - they are shot in the the style of late 20s/early 30s early talkies - which seem limited to cult audiences and midnight shows. I think there is enough action and visual wonder in SKY CAPTAIN for a modern audience to enjoy.Despite a lot of explosions and destruction, one element of classic serials was sorely missing - the fist fight. Yes, there are one or two punches here and there, and an abbreviated battle against a mysterious woman in the climax, but not enough Dave Sharpe, if you ask me. In fact, I noticed a reliance on close ups and spectacular establishing master-shots. The story itself was on the level of a B-film (but that’s the point, right?). The bottom line: I loved it - but I don’t expect many converts from the Spider-Man/Indiana Jones crowd.A major dose of the plot is suggested by the Max Fleischer Superman cartoon Mechanical Monsters - and, except for the live actors, the film was entirely computer generated. It is quite an achievement - and a lock for some art direction and special effects Oscars. It opens September 17th - I plan to see it again that day.

Sue Larkin has been updating an ongoing blog about her dad, lengendary Looney Tunes writer Dave Monahan, since his passing away in May 2003. Check it out for some great insight and facts about one of the less celebrated members of Termite Terrace.

Our friends at TV Shows on DVD.com scooped us yesterday with some new details on the LOONEY TUNES GOLDEN COLLECTION Volume 2. However, I must give our loyal Cartoon Brew readers an advantage - so here are some further details on the bonus materials to be included on V.2 (keep in mind that the following is NOT a complete list of bonus goodies - more to come!):31 Audio Commentaries1. The Big Snooze - Bill Melendez
2. Tortoise Beats Hare - Mike Barrier (with Dave Monahan)
3. Slick Hare - Mike Barrier (with Paul Julian)
4. Bugs Bunny Rides Again - Greg Ford
5. Gorilla My Dreams - Jerry Beck
6. The Heckling Hare - Greg Ford
7. Broomstick Bunny - June Foray
8. Beep Beep - Mike Barrier
9. Whoa Be Gone - Greg Ford
10. Stop, Look & Hasten - Greg Ford
11. The Dover Boys - Mike Barrier (with John McGrew)
12. Mouse Wreckers - Greg Ford (and Chuck Jones)
13. A Bear For Punishment - Mike Barrier (with Chuck Jones)
14. Tweetie Pie - Greg Ford (and Friz Freleng)
15. Ain’t She Tweet - Greg Ford (and Chuck Jones)
16. Kitty Kornered - Mike Barrier (and Bob Clampett)
17. Baby Bottleneck - Michael Barrier (and Robert Clampett)
18. Old Glory - Jerry Beck & Martha Sigall
19. The Great Piggy Bank Robbery - John Kricfalusi
20. Porky In Wackyland - Mike Barrier (and Bob Clampett)
21. Book Revue - Mike Barrier (and Bob Clampett)
22. Corny Concerto - Mike Barrier (and Bob Clampett)
23. Hollywood Steps Out - Greg Ford
24. One Froggy Evening - Mike Barrier (with Chuck Jones & Mike Maltese)
25. What’s Opera Doc? - Chuck Jones, Mike Maltese & Maurice Noble
26. What’s Opera Doc? - Daniel Goldmark
27. Show Biz Bugs - Greg Ford (with Friz Freleng)
28. Rhapsody Rabbit - Daniel Goldmark
29. Back Alley Oproar - Greg Ford (and Friz Freleng)
30. The Three Little Bops - Jerry Beck & Stan Freberg
31. You Oughta Be In Pictures - Jerry BeckFeaturettes1. A Conversation With Tex Avery (6 mins.)
2. Looney Tunes Go Hollywood (8 mins.)
3. Crash! Bang! Boom! The Wild Sounds of Treg Brown (10 mins.)
4. The Man From Wackyland: The Art Of Bob Clampett (20 mins.)
5. It Hopped One Night: A look at ONE FROGGY EVENING (6 minutes)
6. Wagnarian Wabbit: The Making Of “What’s Opera Doc?” (8 mins.)Music Scores1. Hyde & Hare - Music
2. Baby Buggy Bunny - Music & Effects
3. Bunny Hugged - Music & Effects
4. Broomstick Bunny - Music & Effects
5. Guided Muscle - Music
6. Gee Whizzz - Music
7. There They Go-Go-Go - Music
8. Scrambled Aches - Music
9. Zoom & Bored - Music
10. A Bear For Punishment - Music & Effects
13. One Froggy Evening - Music
14. The Three Little Bops - a. Music Only b. Freberg vocals only
15. What’s Opera Doc? - a. Music only & b. Blanc & Bryan vocals onlyBONUS SHORTS will include, complete & uncut:The restored ADVENTURES OF THE ROAD RUNNER featurette (pilot)
ORANGE BLOSSOMS FOR VIOLET
SO MUCH FOR SO LITTLE
BUGS BUNNY ROAD RUNNER SHOW opening titles
Another set of BUGS BUNNY SHOW bridgeing sequences!And much more - including 60 uncut, remastered from the original negs Looney Tunes - including restored original titles on several cartoons including I LOVE TO SINGA, BABY BOTTLENECK, BOOK REVUE and BACK ALLEY OPROAR!So remember to go out and vote for the LOONEY TUNES GOLDEN COLLECTION Volume 2 on November 2nd (it’s also Election Day)!

David Raksin, who scored several classic UPA cartoons in the 1950s, including The Unicorn in the Garden, Madeline, Sloppy Jalopy and Giddyap, passed away Monday at age 92. Of course, Raksin is much more famous for Laura, The Bad and the Beautiful and dozens of other classic feature film scores… but we at Cartoon Brew tip our hats to Raksin for his innovative animation music.

Ever wonder what happened to the sets for the town they erected for Robert Altman’s 1980 live action POPEYE feature film? Wonder no more: Click here!

I’ve just heard from Christina Lutz of 1 Animation Network, a new cable venture hoping to start broadcasting on digital TV services early next year. They hope to fill the animation void left by Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon and Disney and program independent, international, adult-skewing and classic animation. They are based in Chicago and are looking to acquire independent shorts. If you have something to offer, give Christine a call (312.527.4444) or drop her an e-mail at lutz@1antv.comI’ve already suggested they look into Columbia’s Totally Tooned In package (and other Classic Media properties). We’ll get further updates on their progress in the next few months.

If you live in these areas, check out your local ANIMATION FESTIVAL:Los Angeles: Sunday August 15, 2004, Los Angeles Comic Book & Science Fiction Convention at the Shrine Auditorium Expo Center, in collaboration with Cartoonmogul.com, will present a new brand of independent animation festival: a 2-hour program with online animators from across the US and from as far away as the Netherlands.London: August 24-29 The London Animation Festival will be running a Spumco/John K retrospective; and tributes to Prtitt Parn, Phil Mulloy, Estonian animation and other rarely shown eye candy.Chicago: September 24-26 Cineme International Animated Film Festival, a competition, conference and film showcase which will include sneak previews from Nickelodeon and anime premieres.Ottawa: September 22-26 Ottawa 04 International Animation Festival North America’s biggest and best! Miyazaki, Popeye, Fred Crippen, Harvey Birdman, Soviet Propaganda and much much more!