• TOP AD 1
brewmasters
JERRY BECK
bio & contact
view posts by jerry
AMID AMIDI
bio & contact
view posts by amid
Kung Fu Magoo
by jerry
October 12, 2008 11:15 pm


Was there ever any hope that a new TV movie based on Mr. Magoo, entitled Kung Fu Magoo, had a chance of being any good? If you thought there might be a chance, the video below will remove that thought from your mind.

(Thanks, Matthew Gaastra)

10/12/08  11:35pm
ridgecity says:

I don’t get it. Is this about Mr. Magoo or about those creepy twins Disney owns? The were still waiting for the animation to come back from Uzbekistan, but had to get that promo out…

10/12/08  11:38pm
Richard says:

NO!

Now, I’m upset of the casting of stupid acting kids, and guest sport commentators - but Chris Parnell is an exciting choice:
He’s hilarious (gosh, why’d the fire HIM from SNL?!) and a great voice for animation (he didn’t do to many “Saturday TV Funhouses” - ah, great, I have that song stuck in my brain now).

Plus, who knows? Maybe promotion of this “Kung Fu Magoo” can bring back the classic Magoo episodes into attention.

10/13/08  12:02am

That’s hilariously shit. Though it’s nice to see them make up for Magoo’s past racial stereotyping by jumping on the Asian=Kung Fu bandwagon. Can we please let the kung fu thing go now? Please?

Isn’t the animation production on this being done where Fosters and El Tigre was done? That was the plan at some point, anyway, as they were hiring for it.

10/13/08  12:09am
Nico says:

I’m sitting here trying to figure out what this video has to do with Mr. Magoo.

10/13/08  2:13am
Chris Sobieniak says:

Since Zack & Cody are in this, I won’t be hearing the end of it in my house if my dad’s friend’s daughters catches wind about it! The Super Bad sample alone doesn’t clue me into what the point this trailer’s supposed to be about. I hope to never lay eyes on this forever!

10/13/08  2:15am
ed says:

I’m sitting here trying to figure out if Jerry’s actually seen the final product or if he’s already passing judgement from just a teaser spot on YouTube…?

10/13/08  3:11am
Matthew K Sharp says:

That’s either a very clever spoof, or… or… actually, I don’t want there to be an or.

It’s not real, is it? It is April 1st? Maybe Chinese April 1st?

10/13/08  4:11am
Daryl T says:

Why is this cast with a bunch of Disney Channel Tween stars? And Where’s Mr. Magoo?

10/13/08  4:39am

They don’t even show us who’s voicing Mr. Magoo, the supposed star of this show. It must be wide off the mark.

I’ll just wait for the Nostalgia Critic to make fun of this one. There’s no need to actually see it.

10/13/08  4:41am
Roberto says:

What…is…this? Where is Mr. Magoo anyway? It does seem really bad, almost as if they were all actors making a spoof about bad adaptations with purposely bad drawings especially done for it. But I guess we need to see a little more to judge it.

10/13/08  4:42am
Mat says:

Could those child actors be any more annoying?

10/13/08  4:51am

It’s an impressive example of just how little you need for a cartoon pitch nowadays. All the footage of Magoo was lifted from old episodes. The talking head interviews are the only thing that looks like it cost more than a dollar. Throw in some motion graphics and some model sheet grabs and start seeing dollar signs!

Oh yeah, and dig up Jim Backus’ grave while you’re at it. Apparently they didnt even bother to cast a new Magoo. That would be tough and cost some money. Better off doing without until you’re sure the thing is sold.

10/13/08  5:00am
FP says:

No preview of Magoo with his new voice? He must not sound very good.

Those damn kids are really horrible.

10/13/08  5:42am
Marc Baker says:

You know things are bad when more ‘test subjects’ from Girly Channel’s Genetics Lab get more work. in a just society, these little pip squeaks would be bussing tables at McDonalds, or Burger King instead of polluting our movies, and shows!

10/13/08  5:58am

Perhaps Kenny Mayne should stick to his five-minute segments on Sunday NFL Countdown on ESPN… if that…

10/13/08  6:23am
Baron Lego says:

It’s like they purposely set out to make something horrible.

10/13/08  7:13am

Ditto to Nico!!

10/13/08  7:26am
Allan says:

Children shouldn’t be allowed in front of a camera. Unless they’re from Europe and haven’t been brought up to think ‘Full House’ style antics are cute. Smart mouthed kids shouldn’t get laughs they should get grounded.

10/13/08  7:47am
Chris J says:

I’m sorry - was I supposed to be disgusted or dissapointed somehow? I remember Mr Magoo fondly, but just because it happened in the “good ‘ol days” doesn’t mean it’s automatically has to be cannonized. I didn’t see anything here that’s a strong indicator of how good or bad the show will be.

10/13/08  8:16am

Good night! McBarker’s back…

10/13/08  8:21am

I just don’t see it.

10/13/08  8:28am

Wow, I was really surprised to see Anima Estudios’ logo there.

http://www.animaestudios.com/

Orrrrr maybe not.

10/13/08  8:42am

Why are executives so obsessed with children being the main focus in cartoons? Okay. . . they’re cartoons aimed at children, but still. There’s a wide spectrum of problems that anyone at any age could relate to. It would certainly make things less annoying and more people would tune in. . . .

My only other question is. . . . do most children even know who Mr.Magoo is? I saw small clips of old Mr.Magoo cartoons, but they never quite described who he is or where he came from or even why he’s suddenly “kung fu.” Those Disney children did nothing to describe this to me.

R.I.P. Mr. Magoo. :(
You will be missed. Oy vey. . .

10/13/08  8:49am

Reducing things to their lowest common denominator here, most suits today either want to make a standard-issue modern “kids-in-school cartoon,” because they have utmost confidence that that’s what sells; or they bring back a vintage character for its perceived market value, because they have utmost confidence THAT’S what sells.

But here we have a case where the suits in charge didn’t have confidence in either approach. PINK PANTHER & PALS looks like another such case. Make up your minds, already…

10/13/08  8:57am
Long Time says:

Lisa Marie Presley’s newborn twins were just cast as Magoo. Hold it! They’ve been canned. Too old for the part.

10/13/08  9:01am
WuTang Financial says:

C.R.E.A.M.
Get the money
Dolla dolla bill yall

10/13/08  9:19am

Hollywood should switch their obsession with Kung Fu for something else. Capoeira maybe? ;-)

10/13/08  10:07am
Eugene says:

Next up: Cyborg Farmer Alfalfa in Imax 3D.

10/13/08  10:19am
amid says:

As John McCain might say, that kid in the yellow shirt really needs to have his “you know what” whipped by his parents.

10/13/08  10:37am
Shmorky says:

WHERE’S MAGOO

10/13/08  10:52am

Eugene—at least he’d have a better chance against the mice with all those built-in weapons. Unfortunately, they run on moonshine.

10/13/08  10:54am
Hank Gross says:

I don’t know who is being shoved down my throat more Zack & Cody or Obama. (sorry to turn this political)

10/13/08  11:17am
Saturnome says:

I thought it was a spoof before I read the comments here, I’m serious, no joke.

10/13/08  11:27am
Eugene says:

Amadee Van Beuren would have a field day in this creatively barren, toxic capitalist marketplace. He was about 3% better than the minds who begat “Kung Fu Magoo” but it’s enough to kick retarded ass.

10/13/08  11:27am
Don says:

Who’s designs are those? They look kinda Stephen Silver-ish.

10/13/08  11:34am
Marc Baker says:

‘I don’t know who is being shoved down my throat more Zack & Cody or Obama.’

All three of them are being shoved down our throats., and the people doing so probably hate cartoons.

10/13/08  11:35am
Mel says:

The Pink Panther and Pals disaster involved an American company in a tailspin and a foreign country flush with misguided cash. Don’t worry, it’ll suck as much as the new Magoo. Archway and Mother’s Cookies went bankrupt Friday, so look for some crispy, crunchy retro characters voiced by meth addled teens in about a week.

10/13/08  12:09pm
Chris Sobieniak says:

That’s for the comment David about the state of things today. I personally would rather have a show about a kid of of school than in one. Rather tell a story of a hard-working child who goes on an adventure in a fantasy world more than the usual present-day stuff, but I guess it would be deemed too daring or out of the question for most of those execs.

10/13/08  12:10pm
Kyle Maloney says:

I don’t understand why they like to hire actors like these for cartoons. I mean, there are hundreds of talented voice actors that would do the job better, as its there thing. when they just grab Disney channel stars (and former) and and SNL cast members I cant help but think of them when watching. why not use no name actors that could really use the gig? its not like people really care about the people behind the mic. star power shouldn’t exist here.

10/13/08  12:25pm
:: smo :: says:

is this real?

i just cried a little. seriously.

10/13/08  12:25pm
Jose Garcia says:

Well, why does not everyone including Jerry pass judgement once they have seen the movie, not solely based on a promotional trailer solely intended for industry purposes. Once you have seen the final cut, by all means let the world know what you think about it.

There are many extremely talented voice actors in the project, as well as animators who adore Mr. Magoo, and strive to make a product worth of such heritage.

Also, what better way for new generations to get acquainted with Mr. Magoo if not through new projects that include talent the kids are familiar with.

10/13/08  1:01pm
Fuzzy Dunlop says:

Wait, the animation studio is named Anima? Seriously?! Anima? Who’s idea was that?

10/13/08  1:05pm
David Cuny says:

I can’t really get worked up about this, given that Magoo was pretty much a cheap cartoon that repeated the same plot over and over. It was the excellent voice acting that sold the show in the first place.

If you check out the lineup at 1:39, you’ll see they’ve kept Magoo with his original design.

I’m betting they also keep Jim Backus’ voice, cutting and pasting out of the old Magoo cartoons.

The character design looks like rejects from Disney’s old “Recess” show, and the voice acting sounds pretty awful. Then again, it’s probably a good fit for the plot, with “Dylan Magoo” standing in for “Scrappy Doo.”

10/13/08  1:20pm
Guy says:

Isn’t it amazing how even with something so obviously wretched as this we still get guys chiding us with “How dare you judge it without seeing it! You don’t KNOW it’s garbage!”

Yes, we do.

10/13/08  1:27pm
Jose Garcia says:

Anima = Soul in Latin, not all names in the world are based around English.

10/13/08  1:39pm
Daniel Fouste says:

Is nothing sacred?

And why the health would they spend more time showcasing the “talents” of Disney Channel stars than on the one character whose name appears in the title?

I hate Generation Z.

10/13/08  1:40pm
Grant Beaudette says:

The main thing I see from promos like these is that the executives seem to put all their interest in the voice recording part of the process and everything else might as well be voodoo.

10/13/08  2:24pm
Larry says:

Everything but the voice recording IS voodoo to them. They never bothered to learn a thing about it. It’s not sexy.

10/13/08  2:30pm
Brannigan's Law says:

Whenever I see a majestic, timeless, and poetic piece of art and storytelling such as this I think about all the money it cost to make and then I think of the people in the world suffering and dying because they are too poor to get the help they need to survive or ease their pain. The money from Beverly Hills Chihuahua alone could have saved the lives of over 50,000 children… instead it made more people dead inside. Go Hollywood execs, go!

10/13/08  2:59pm
Jones says:

Thank you for helping reinforce my simmering hatred for child actors.

10/13/08  3:02pm

Kinda going off what Jose Garcia mentioned…it might be a nice cartoon after all, even with a tacky promo like this. But that’s the thing…isn’t a promo supposed to get people turned ON to a project? And…er…I seriously do not remember being this OBNOXIOUS as a 13 year old. That may have been 10 years ago for me, but I still remember quite clearly despising my peers who sounded like pretentious pricks. Will someone in a production office please jot THAT note down about pointers for children???

10/13/08  3:38pm
tom says:

why are all of these kids so f*cking unappealing? What’s going wrong at the Disney gene lab these days?

10/13/08  3:41pm
rhinotonight says:

“Well, why does not everyone including Jerry pass judgement once they have seen the movie, not solely based on a promotional trailer solely intended for industry purposes. Once you have seen the final cut, by all means let the world know what you think about it. There are many extremely talented voice actors in the project, as well as animators who adore Mr. Magoo, and strive to make a product worth of such heritage. Also, what better way for new generations to get acquainted with Mr. Magoo if not through new projects that include talent the kids are familiar with.”

i can think of 3 better ways off the top of head.

10/13/08  3:42pm
rhinotonight says:

on more thing, is Mr. Magoo even in this? or is it about his children or grand children or something.

10/13/08  6:02pm
Fred says:

Magoo’s original nephew, Waldo, was the most outdated character in animation until Joe Ruby began making his own cartoons. Waldo wore a 1920’s raccoon coat in the late 1940’s and all through the 1950’s, and even played a ukulele on occasion. In the backstory for this version, they probably explain how Waldo was bred with a box of vanilla wafers to artificially produce the perky but benign teenage cast we have here.

10/13/08  11:07pm

In the immortal words of Duck Twacy: “Oh agony! Agony!”

Seriously, all involved should be totally ashamed. However, suits have no shame. The current economic crisis should prove it.

And that studio which is responsible for this abortion? How dare they name themselves after the Latin word for Soul. They have none.

10/14/08  12:30am
Masten says:

Oh, Chris Parnell.

You’re better than this.

10/14/08  8:30pm

What next, the live-action version of “Mr. Magoo’s Christmas Carol?”

10/14/08  10:32pm
Bryan says:

From BATMAN (1989)

Joker: Bob, gun.
Goon Bob: Yes sir.
BANG!!!
Shoots me instead.
Me: Thank you.

10/15/08  11:48pm
ridgecity says:

Hopefully they can find a part for the Spears’ Babies in later seasons, they will be big Disney stars someday…

Write a comment.





Comment: