Cartoon Culture

How Garfield Got His Groove Back: The ‘Garfield’ Remix Phenomenon

Poor Garfield. In his heyday, he was amongst the most beloved characters on the funny pages, his plush likenesses fastened to car windows and his sarcastic barbs adorning office walls around the globe. Then, somewhere along the line, he underwent a pop-cultural re-evaluation. Jim Davis’ strip is now something of a pariah: just look at how "The Simpsons" paired it with "Love Is" as the kind of strip that Milhouse reads. What a comedown for a character once hip enough to be quoted in “Two Tribes” by Frankie Goes to Hollywood. But yet, the orange cat has been saved from cultural oblivion by a peculiar trend: the remixed "Garfield" strip.

Feature Film

Sony Taps Lauren Faust to Direct ‘Medusa’ Feature

Sony Pictures Animation today announced that they've acquired an original comedy pitch entitled "Medusa" from screenwriter Todd Alcott ("Antz") and reality TV producer Holly Golden ("Conspiracy Theory with Jesse Ventura"). More interesting: Lauren Faust ("My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic," "Super Best Friends Forever") is attached to direct.

Untold Tales

‘Mouse in Transition’: The Disney Animation Story Crew (Chapter 3)

Larry had me writing sequence scripts for "The Fox and the Hound," which turned out to be my assignment for the next six months. Part of the package was attending Woolie Reitherman's marathon story sessions, which often left me drained and dazed. There were also Woolie's marathon take-selection meetings, which left me drained and bewildered.

Untold Tales

‘Mouse in Transition’: Larry Clemmons (Chapter 2)

Disney's head animation writer in 1977 was cartoon veteran Larry Clemmons, who had first been hired at the studio in 1930. At the time of his hiring, he was a Yale graduate with a degree in architecture, but an Ivy League education was of little value in 1930 when the economy was collapsing...and few buildings were being erected.

Recaps

‘Ping Pong’ Recap: ‘Yes, My Coach’ (Ep. 7)

Kaio finally tries to poach Smile, Peco gets into the National Training Center with a little help from the old lady, and we learn about coach Koizumi's storied past. This episode was largely devoted to character development, and finally brought into focus just what a complicated web of character interrelations Yuasa has woven out of the original source material, much as he did in Mind Game. There was no single major driving plot element, but rather various themes and plotlines gradually converging. By this point it feels like what we are seeing is more Yuasa than Matsumoto.

Business

‘Legends of Oz’ Investors, Who Each Paid $100,000, Believe Hollywood Conspiracy Destroyed Film [UPDATED]

Although Greg Centineo, the producer of "Legends of Oz: Dorothy's Return," had hoped for a big second weekend, the film plummeted 48% this weekend and ended up with a sophomore frame of $1.9 million. The movie has struggled to find a fan following, except for the film's Facebook page which is filled with a curiously large number of middle-aged and elderly people who absolutely adore the film.

Recaps

‘Steven Universe’ Recap: ‘Rose’s Room’

Reading beforehand what this episode was supposed to be about, my mind completely went somewhere else. Steven’s at that age when boys want alone time for a very specific reason and while I was 99.9% sure Cartoon Network wasn’t going to go that far, I thought they’d at least allude to that idea of adolescence and growing up. Instead we dived into the real reason (sort of) that Steven wanted to be left alone, and dug a little deeper into the idea of his parental units via a room and a weird, very strange world created by said room.

Events

DreamWorks Animation 20th Anniversary Exhibit Debuts in Melbourne

“DreamWorks Animation: The Exhibition” opened last month at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI). Clearly inspired by “Pixar: 20 Years of Animation,” which was shown at the Museum of Modern Art in New York back in 2005, the DreamWorks show includes over 400 items, and covers the studio's twenty-year history right up to the present—there are displays about "Mr. Peabody & Sherman" and "How to Train Your Dragon 2," which will be released next month. It is the largest exhibition in the twelve-year history of the ACMI.

Recaps

‘Ping Pong’ Recap: ‘Smile is a Robot’

Determined to unleash Smile's potential, Coach Koizumi devises a relentless schedule of training that culminates in a death match pitting old veteran versus young hopeful. Smile's resistance finally cracks under the pressure, and he begins to get serious. Meanwhile, the appearance of a new rival - the tough-looking Ryuichi Kazama - sets the stage for a later showdown.

Cartoon Brew Pick

‘Monster in the Closet’ by Yves Geleyn

Every day at least 6 children age 0 to 18 are injured in an unintentional shooting, and 75% of gun shot injuries to children under ten that are serious enough to require hospitalization are due to unintentional shootings.

Shorts

Bruce Timm’s New Short ‘Batman: Strange Days’ Will Premiere Next Week [Gallery]

Bruce Timm has completed a new short entitled "Batman: Strange Days" which will premiere on Cartoon Network next Wednesday, April 9th, following an episode of "Teen Titans Go!" (6:30pm ET/5:30pm CT). The monochromatic piece, which was created as part of this year's 75th anniversary Batman celebration, pits Batman against Dr. Hugo Strange, a classic "Detective Comics" villain who predates the Joker and Catwoman.

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