Wabbit: The new Looney Tunes series

[Drtooth]

I'm very disappointed in CN's treatment of this series, Be Cool, Scooby-Doo, season 2 of Tom and Jerry Show, and Bunnicula. They had a great Saturday Morning line up, and they discontinued it within a month.

I don't at all mind that there aren't too many other Looney Tunes in the series. While most of the other Looney Tunes based shows at least had one episode cameos of older characters (mostly in Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries and Duck Dodgers), Bugs never really got his own show. Even when he did (and that unfortunately means the two bad cartoon series which I won't mention but we all know what they are), he was part of an ensemble. Porky was indeed mentioned in an episode, and Foghorn Leghorn randomly appeared in the episode where Bugs is fighting a snail delivery person for a tip. There was mention of Taz as an office worker in the original treatment for the series, and much as I like Taz, I'm glad that never came to pass. I'm sure if this series has future episodes, we might see a couple other old faces, but I'm pretty happy with the one shot characters being his antagonists. Let Bugs shine in his own show for a change.

 

[Erine81981]

I'm very disappointed in CN's treatment of this series, Be Cool, Scooby-Doo, season 2 of Tom and Jerry Show, and Bunnicula. They had a great Saturday Morning line up, and they discontinued it within a month.

I don't at all mind that there aren't too many other Looney Tunes in the series. While most of the other Looney Tunes based shows at least had one episode cameos of older characters (mostly in Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries and Duck Dodgers), Bugs never really got his own show. Even when he did (and that unfortunately means the two bad cartoon series which I won't mention but we all know what they are), he was part of an ensemble. Porky was indeed mentioned in an episode, and Foghorn Leghorn randomly appeared in the episode where Bugs is fighting a snail delivery person for a tip. There was mention of Taz as an office worker in the original treatment for the series, and much as I like Taz, I'm glad that never came to pass. I'm sure if this series has future episodes, we might see a couple other old faces, but I'm pretty happy with the one shot characters being his antagonists. Let Bugs shine in his own show for a change.

I agree with you there Dtooth. CN better get those shows back on the air with new ones showing every Saturday. I really did enjoy getting to see something on Saturday Mornings other then (I won't mention his name) but you know what I mean. I want my Wabbit, Be Cool Scooby Doo and Bunnicula. They were my new Saturday Morning Cartoons. It was like I was a kid again getting to see older familiar Characters on Saturday Mornings. I miss that so much.

 

[Drtooth]

I don't care about the nostalgic angle, but I've had that killer bee in my bonnet for some time. Clearly Saturday mornings aren't a thing anymore since you can watch cartoons any time any where, legally or otherwise. But the main thing that killed broadcast television Saturday mornings was all this competition from cable networks, thus leaving a monopoly of terrible cobbled together, cheap as crap to produce, edutainment shows, with far more "edu" than "tainment." The thing that always got me, however, as that Saturday morning line ups on cable are the exact same shows they run all day anyway! I liked the fact CN started having divergent Saturday morning programming, even if it was less than 2 hours worth, but then they went all "Nah, let's make it another TTG marathon!" I'm glad they at least found a way to get Uncle Grandpa back on the network, but everything besides one 15 minute UG short being a "new episode" everything else is reruns from the previous Thursday. And while that's a good catch up for some of the audience, it's a real shame they had 4 shows that only were shown on that part of the network dropped. They run on Boomerang, which I'm sure no one gets anyway (I do, but that's because my cable package is Batcrap insane).

Long rant about CN's programming line up aside, Scooby-Doo is their cash cow franchise, and it won't give that show the time of day. Of course, when they need to fill programming, nothing fills like one of Scooby's many DTV movies. They barely gave Be Cool, Scooby-Doo the light of day. At least when Wabbit premiered, it was all over the channel. And DON'T get me started on how both CN and Boomerang air that piece of garbage Baby Looney Tunes when they could easily dump Wabbit in those slots. Still, Wabbit and Be Cool Scooby at least are daily fixtures on Boomerang (just in repeats since they never show any further episodes). Bunnicula just disappeared.

As for Wabbit, there's things about it I really much prefered over The Looney Tunes Show and visa versa. I find Wabbit to be a better Looney Tunes show than Looney Tunes Show (which itself was a huge step forward compared to the two that predated it). I like how they finally gave Bug his own series, and while it lacks the Easter Egg references to other Looney Tunes right down to specific shorts that have been in previous series, it updates the character without the harsh level of in your faceness that most of these classic cartoons get when they have revivals like this. Certainly much better than the 90's Woody Woodpecker show (which I actually quite like) or the "let's make him talk" Pink Panther series of the mid 90's. It feels like a modern cartoon, don't get me wrong, but for all the right reasons.

 

[Erine81981]

I don't care about the nostalgic angle, but I've had that killer bee in my bonnet for some time. Clearly Saturday mornings aren't a thing anymore since you can watch cartoons any time any where, legally or otherwise. But the main thing that killed broadcast television Saturday mornings was all this competition from cable networks, thus leaving a monopoly of terrible cobbled together, cheap as crap to produce, edutainment shows, with far more "edu" than "tainment." The thing that always got me, however, as that Saturday morning line ups on cable are the exact same shows they run all day anyway! I liked the fact CN started having divergent Saturday morning programming, even if it was less than 2 hours worth, but then they went all "Nah, let's make it another TTG marathon!" I'm glad they at least found a way to get Uncle Grandpa back on the network, but everything besides one 15 minute UG short being a "new episode" everything else is reruns from the previous Thursday. And while that's a good catch up for some of the audience, it's a real shame they had 4 shows that only were shown on that part of the network dropped. They run on Boomerang, which I'm sure no one gets anyway (I do, but that's because my cable package is Batcrap insane).

Long rant about CN's programming line up aside, Scooby-Doo is their cash cow franchise, and it won't give that show the time of day. Of course, when they need to fill programming, nothing fills like one of Scooby's many DTV movies. They barely gave Be Cool, Scooby-Doo the light of day. At least when Wabbit premiered, it was all over the channel. And DON'T get me started on how both CN and Boomerang air that piece of garbage Baby Looney Tunes when they could easily dump Wabbit in those slots. Still, Wabbit and Be Cool Scooby at least are daily fixtures on Boomerang (just in repeats since they never show any further episodes). Bunnicula just disappeared.

As for Wabbit, there's things about it I really much prefered over The Looney Tunes Show and visa versa. I find Wabbit to be a better Looney Tunes show than Looney Tunes Show (which itself was a huge step forward compared to the two that predated it). I like how they finally gave Bug his own series, and while it lacks the Easter Egg references to other Looney Tunes right down to specific shorts that have been in previous series, it updates the character without the harsh level of in your faceness that most of these classic cartoons get when they have revivals like this. Certainly much better than the 90's Woody Woodpecker show (which I actually quite like) or the "let's make him talk" Pink Panther series of the mid 90's. It feels like a modern cartoon, don't get me wrong, but for all the right reasons.

I understand what your talking about. I really enjoyed those other two shows you talked about too. I want more like that with classic cartoon characters. I want it to be a little more up to date then just trying to bring back what it was in the original. I want more of that. It doesn't bother me about it having to have a nostalgic feeling but I do want to have a little of that in the show just to give it something to reference to. To the whole Saturday Morning feeling I was just saying that I like to have something new on Saturdays cause to me it's just that every other day is like nothing. I don't get the feel that I used to either knowing I'll have something to watch on my DVR but that's just me. I really do enjoy getting to hear your opinions on this stuff Drtooth. It makes me feel more like I have others who understand what's going on with TV unlike others who could care less about TV and just want to work outside or read a book. Not that I don't like reading a book or working outside but you understand.

 

[Drtooth]

Updating classic character is tough. Super Heroes and comic book characters who usually get an update or two a decade get a pass because so many different writers and artists interpreted the characters (not that nostalgiaphiles don't hold onto a certain interpretation). But when it comes to older characters, that's tricky. You either end up with something almost as good but not quite at best, and at worst, something cynical and terrible that could be named anything and it would still be the same (cough cough George of the Jungle 2k7). Looney Tunes...there are only 3 revivals I find absolute crap. The 1960's LT cartoons (try and talk me out of that...they're horrid), Loonatics (which, and this hurts like heck for me to say this, at least tried in the second season and by that note isn't the worst of the bunch [throws up in mouth a little]), and Baby Looney Tunes which is the worst of the lot, mainly due to the fact they spend more time ripping off a certain other baby versions of classic characters show than they do making it specifically Looney Tuney-y. All the others, from Tiny Toons to Duck Dodgers and then the recent two, at least manage to have that great Looney Tunes style in different amounts. I'd even call Animaniacs a spiritual successor to Looney Tunes and not just because Slappy Squirrel is supposed to be one.

Now, I've seen a lot of the modern short form Looney Tunes cartoons, and while they are a mixed bag, they have their charm overall. I like me some Pink Panther, and I have to admit I don't actually hate the 90's series (but mention Pink Panther and Sons near me and you'll get an earfull), I think the Pink Panther and Pals cartoon is basically as good as it gets for an update (outside of LT of course). The Woody Woodpecker Show isn't as good as the original shorts, but has its charm. Peabody and Sherman takes a detour to make it closer to the movie, but for the most part, I'm on board. And the one actual thing I'd say was an improvement was Mickey Mouseworks/House of Mouse and the new shorts are the best darn Mickey Mouse cartoons I've ever seen (always been more of a Donald and Goofy man, and those new ones hold up with them as well). But with Looney Tunes, other than the modern shorts, their shows have always been...well...different.

Tiny Toons was a next geration series, and while most of the series is in spirit of the old shorts, it goes off in its own direction, making it a lot more than the kiddy-fied basterdization that older cartoon fans dismissed it as. Taz-Mania was part cartoon series part sitcom before TLS. Taz was seen more as a manchild than a monstrous carnivore and , quite honestly, it works better for the character and it gave him more depth. I have nothing but respect for Mel Blanc, but Jim Cummings is the definitive Taz for me. Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries added the obvious elements, at least for the first 2 seasons before it just went wacky ans wonderfully weird before it ended. Duck Dodgers managed to keep a Looney Tunesy style of humor while working into a competent and underrated action comedy, complete with surprisingly dark scenes. Looney Tunes Show goes for the sitcom level again, going for more verbal than physical humor, as well as rescuing some pretty lousy characters and making the actually funny. But Wabbit is the first LT TV series to be exactly modeled after the old LT shorts. And for the first one of those, it works well, making you wonder why this wasn't considered before.

 

[minor muppetz]

With Bugs Bunny being the Looney Tunes character we all associate as the star (though there are many characters with their own situations, many of whom weren't associated with Bugs), I find it hard to think of this as a spin-off. Even with it just starring Bugs Bunny, he does have a fairly large roster of recurring co-stars. I wouldn't have expected characters like Foghorn Leghorn or Speedy Gonzales to co-star (but you never know, especially since some of the spin-offs had odd cameos and crossovers, and many Looney Tunes productions since the 1990s have featured characters not normally associated with each other), but would have expected characters like Daffy and Elmer. I guess it's like how Three's a Crowd is considered a spin-off from Three's Company even though both star John Ritter (and I've read that, despite the "Three" in the title, they always considered Jack Tripper to be the star).

Taz-Mania made sense to not feature many established Looney Tunes characters and had a great supporting cast, but Taz didn't appear with many characters besides Bugs (he was with Daffy in one short) and that's clearly a spin-off. Every episode of The Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries featured appearances by characters (usually minor ones) who normally didn't appear in the classic Sylvester and Tweety cartoons, but it didn't introduce new characters. I haven't seen much of the Duck Dogers series, but there were only two Duck Dogers shorts (only one of which was in theaters) so that can have nearly anybody in the supporting cast.

As I've been thinking about this for the last few days, I wonder if Cartoon Network should make a new Looney Tunes show like this, but it'd showcase all the characters and maybe introduce some new ones (and maybe have some new one-shots). Like a three-shorts series (maybe put in a few one-minute segments as well), where anybody could be included, make them like a mix of the classic shorts with the animation style of The Looney Tunes Show and Wabbit.

 

[Drtooth]

Taz-Mania made sense to not feature many established Looney Tunes characters and had a great supporting cast, but Taz didn't appear with many characters besides Bugs (he was with Daffy in one short) and that's clearly a spin-off.

It's strange that Taz became very popular way before he had his own cartoon series in the 90's. But that's Ensamble Darkhorse for you. I remember a lot of Pre-Taz-Mania Taz stuff, that Atari game (which I actually almost bought back in the day) being one of them. Also had a Taz poster with a decidedly pre-TM design dated 1988 or so. Guess that measure of popularity was why he eventually got the first TV show. Then the rise of Tweety in the early 90's lead to that show as well. I'm sure Duck Dodgers was partially because of Marvin's rising focus late 90's.

 

[minor muppetz]

It's strange that Taz became very popular way before he had his own cartoon series in the 90's. But that's Ensamble Darkhorse for you. I remember a lot of Pre-Taz-Mania Taz stuff, that Atari game (which I actually almost bought back in the day) being one of them. Also had a Taz poster with a decidedly pre-TM design dated 1988 or so. Guess that measure of popularity was why he eventually got the first TV show. Then the rise of Tweety in the early 90's lead to that show as well. I'm sure Duck Dodgers was partially because of Marvin's rising focus late 90's.

Additionally, the very first volume of the very first Looney Tunes home video collection, The Looney Tunes Video Show #1, opened with the very first Tasmanian Devil short, Devil May Hare. And when the three volumes of The Looney Tunes Video Show were reissued (and made available for sale as opposed to just rental) in 1989, he was on all three covers (since they just used the same basic image for all three, despite the fact that some of the characters were only in volume 1, but that's a subject for the "what's the deal...?" thread). And he was also in the special opening sequence for the Golden Jubilee video series, even though only one Tasmanian Devil cartoon appeared in the whole collection, in A Salute to Mel Blanc. They could have included one in Bugs Bunny's Wacky Adventures, they could have included Ducking the Devil in Daffy Duck: The Nuttiness Continues, and if Robert McKimson was honored with a video in the collection it probably would have had a Taz cartoon.

I feel like Duck Dogers has always been the best-known of the Marvin the Martian shorts (well, the best-known after it was released). Some of the others have a bit of iconic-ness, but Duck Dogers seems to be the one that everybody knows. I've often thought it was ironic that although Marvin regularly appeared with Bugs Bunny, his best-known short seemed to be his one appearance with Daffy Duck (not counting the made-for-TV sequel). It seems like most of Bugs Bunny's enemies, especially the ones who don't have a large filmography, appeared in at least one cartoon alongside Daffy (Wile E. Coyote is the only exception, I wonder if a team-up would have worked, as both characters are generally butt-monkeys).

Man, I wonder if there's a thread here for the Looney Tunes in general (not just a series, movie, or new project, but as a whole franchise, or even just the classic shorts). I can't remember if I've seen one here before or not.

 

[Drtooth]

While the US hasn't seen a new episode in a while, some leaked footage from one of CN's international channels has popped up, and things get interesting. And in a good way. Seems some other Looney Tunes Stars are going to finally appear.

Porky getting a stylized version of his 30's appearance. But more interesting is this clip, the first series appearance of Daffy.

You will notice, he's also reverted to his original state, in a salute to his first appearance with Porky. Wacky Daffy is back, and voiced by Dee Bradley Baker for some reason.

 

[C to the J]

I'd love to see these in their entirety now. They even have Porky say something else when he gets stuck on a word/phrase. And the name "Daffy" is no misnomer in the second clip. To heck with his personality in The Looney Tunes Show, Wabbit's got it in the right direction.

There's no mistaking the horse's voice, which is provided by Jeff Bennett - he reminds me of Frankie (the pigeon in The Penguins of Madagascar) and Boog (from Fanboy and Chum Chum).