[Loki]

Here we go! It's all come down to this. The Warners are taking it all. But which group? The old Warners of Bugs and Daffy, or the newer Warners, whose show was created so that kids of today* could enjoy the type of slapstick humor that previous generations enjoyed?


The poll will open on Monday morning. In the meantime, use this thread for discussion.



kids of today in the 90s, that is

[Krydor]

Chuck Jones rules you all. Bob Clampett rules those who are not ruled by Chuck Jones.

[williamssl]

Looney Tunes all the way. When Animaniacs inspires "Animaniacs on Broadway" where reknown symphony orchestras and conductors present a show built all around Animaniacs cartoons, then we can talk. But until then, Bugs and co. Duh.

[Batman]

I shouldn't do this 'cause I should be working on my senior paper.

I shouldn't do this because it's not Batman, so who cares?

But I'm going to make my case anyway.

Why you should vote for the Animaniacs:

Tex makes a great argument above. Mickey Mouse is the only cartoon that you could really make the argument that it had the cultural impact Looney Tunes had. So why did Silly Symphonies get the shaft? MKid would claim that it is because we're a bunch of philistines with no taste. But no, it's because this is not a "Greatest Cartoon" showdown.

Where's Pinnochio? Dumbo? Akira? Snow White? Hell, if this were about "greatest cartoons" I would have been pushing for the Fleischer Bros. Superman shorts instead of Batman: TAS. Or maybe Pinnochio. Tough call.

This showdown is about the best shows that were on TV on Saturday mornings, or after school, for kids. Well, unlike Silly Symphonies, Looney Tunes was a TV kids show. It ran on network TV constantly between 1960 and 2000 when it became a Cartoon Network exclusive, one of the longest running Saturday-morning cartoons ever.

Well, that is, the Bugs Bunny Show did:



Or the Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Show to us younger folks. Or even The Bugs Bunny & Tweety Show to the whippersnappers.

Come on sing it with me: "Overture. Curtain, lights! This is it! The night of nights!"

Am I bringing back memories? Are they good ones? Really? 'Cause honestly, as great as Looney Tunes are, the Bugs Bunny Show really kind of stunk. They hardly ever showed the really good stuff, 'cause it looked old, and kids don't want to watch something that looks old, right? The newer stuff wasn't really new, it was from the 60s, but it was lame and corny compared to the classic Looney Tunes, and certainly compared to Animaniacs.

For greatest cartoon ever, I would vote for Looney Tunes, but for greatest kids TV show, Animaniacs beats out the Bugs Bunny Show.

[salmonjunkie]

Animaniacs does beat out the Bugs Bunny show, but that's not what I nominated and have been voting for. I've been voting for Looney Tunes/Merrie Melodies. The ones I watched on syndication everyday after school on weekdays usually with an assorted Popeye classics show, too. The ones I watch when they show a half-hour to an hour of Looney Tunes classics on Turner.

You ask me to recant memories of Looney Tunes? My fondest memories are Rabbit of Seville, What's Opera Doc, Duck Amuck, Robin Hood Daffy, Ali Baba Bunny, Duck Dodgers in the 24th and a half century, the one with the Haiawatha, stuff with Yosemite Sam and Marvin the Martian, and Gossamer, and that one where Bugs plays baseball for the Yankees. I remember "Duck Season, Rabbit Season" gags. I remember "You're dissspicable". I remember Speedy Gonzales, and Road Runner (who both debuted in the 1950s).

So yeah, you're absolutely right. The Bugs Bunny show from Saturday mornings did kind of stink but that's not what we're voting for, is it? Quite frankly, I don't even know why you brought it up. It's like saying "Silly Symphonies is a classic, because I really liked Fantasia." Granted, we've all come up with very silly reasons for voting throughout this tourney, but that's my analogy.

And I think that Flieschman's Superman cartoons were certainly eligible for this. I'm surprised it didn't make it on the tourney. D'oh! I think I forgot to nominate it, myself.

And why did Silly Symphonies get the shaft? It didn't get nearly as much television play as Looney Tunes. The cultural impact was there, but honestly, most of us 30 and under remember Mickey not from Silly Symphonies, but from Fantasia, from Disneyland, from coloring books, from Mickey's Christmas Carol and from my beloved Mickey Mouse Disco record. I watched a shit-ton of cartoons, and I can hardly remember more than 2 episodes of the show. I couldn't tell you when it was on, what channel it was on, etc. It wasn't syndicated on afternnon network TV, which was where I did most of my cartoon watching, and there was no Disney Channel then.

But if you ask someone 30 and under about their Bugs Bunny memories - they'll remember moments from Looney Tunes episodes.

Sorry, but if you're going to go The Bugs Bunny Show route, I have to trump the Silly Symphonies thing.

Anyways, that's enough for me.

A-b-di-a-b-di-a-ba-di-di-di-That's All Folks!

[williamssl]

salmonjunkie said:

My fondest memories are.... What's Opera Doc

This and this alone is case enough for Looney Tunes.

[Jack Quinn]

yeah I love animaniacs, but Bugs, Daffy, roadrunner, Wile E. Coyote, Yosemite Sam (WHOAH MULE WHOAH!) that trumps the greatness that Yakko, Wakko, Dot, Pinky, Brain and others brought

[Loki]

I'm leaning towards Animaniacs.

This contest is about which ones WE like better. Not neccessarily history, or who is inspirational for who, or any of that.

Don't get me wrong, I loved Looney Tunes. Marvin the Martian was great. Duck Dodgers and the 24th 1/2 century was awesome. I can still sing the Dodo song (what little there is). But if you were to stick a DVD of each show in front of me right now and ask me which one I want to watch I'd pick Animaniacs. I like the fact that it's basically Looney Tunes with an update to modern times.

[Batman]

salmonjunkie said:

Quite frankly, I don't even know why you brought it up. It's like saying "Silly Symphonies is a classic, because I really liked Fantasia."

My point of view is that we are voting for kids' TV shows, and that "Looney Tunes" is not really a kids' TV show--it's a series of cartoons that were shown before movies. And were (all-too-seldom) shown on the Bugs Bunny Show, which was a kids' TV show.

I understand that not everyone is going to agree with this assessment, but it's the reason I don't think Looney Tunes should take the #1 slot.

[The Jewish Cunthead]

mooseheadjack said:

Yosemite Sam (WHOAH MULE WHOAH!)

Thanks... my co-workers are wondering why I'm giggling. Ya Humpback Muley.

[docx]

I have to go with Looney Tunes, too. The Robin Hood episode ("Don't you worry, never fear, Robin Hood will soon be here"), the "Lawrence of Arabia" take off ("Whoa camel!"), The "Fearless Freep" episode where he's gotta do the death defying dive into a glass of water. The list goes on and on and on.

[The Jewish Cunthead]

docx said:

The "Fearless Freep" episode where he's gotta do the death defying dive into a glass of water.

Easily in my top 3 toons.

video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=-6845224696438746976&sourceid=zeitgeist

[Courtney]

GREAT HORNY TOADS!!! You guys just changed my vote.

[Lucky]

Thanks, Solly. I needed that. I just watched Loonatics for the first time. Saturday morning really sucks. You'd think that with Cartoon Network, Nick, Disney Channel, GAS, Nick Toon, Toon Disney, whatever NGN is, Fox Family, and CW11 there'd be a nice selection of cartoons on Saturday frickin morning.

Geez... Nick is showing 8 hours of Spongebob. I know I shouldn't be expecting my cartoons, but man. I need Boomerang.

Tom and Jerry is on now though.

WHAT THE FUCK?! They're new! Which I was willing to give a shot... but Tom and Jerry are driving a sportscar through a mall!?

[salmonjunkie]

fsolomon75 said:

docx said:

The "Fearless Freep" episode where he's gotta do the death defying dive into a glass of water.

Easily in my top 3 toons.

video.google.co.uk/videoplay?docid=-6845224696438746976&sourceid=zeitgeist

That's a freaking classic!


Here's another one. Be vewy vewy quiet. He's hunting wabbits.

[Loki]

OPEN FOR BUSINESS!!!!

[Jack Quinn]

Animaniacs may be one of the greatest cartoons of the last 25 years, but Looney Tunes is one of the greatest cartoons ever

[Loki]

No doubt. But like I posted earlier - while I like them both, if you were to give me a Looney Tunes DVD or an Animaniacs DVD to play I'd pick the Animaniacs one.

That's just me, though. You mileage may vary.

[Jack Quinn]

true, and I wouldn't argue that point with anyone. If either show is on, I am likely to watch it, but I think what does it for me with LT is it takes me back to my days as a kid. So I can understand how some of the younger folks here have more of an attachment to Animaniacs, that was the cartoon of their youth.

[Chris Eco]

I can't believe we're going to pick looney tunes. it's just so....so mainstream.

ewwwww.

[National Champion Chris Cole]

Batman won the last one and Sesame Street or Muppets will win live action. I think we have voted mainstream in every contest before. Are you surprised?

[Loki]

And this showdown is OVER.


The bestest cartoon in all of space and time is the Transformers!

But the winner of this contest is LOONEY TUNES


Thanks much for playing, everybody.

[williamssl]

And thanks for running this!

[salmonjunkie]