Courage the Cowardly Dog returning?

[Schfifty]

It's amazing how no one has brought this up here until now.

For those who haven't seen or heard already, a new Courage short film was produced last year and is being shown at different festivals around the world, titled The Fog of Courage. It's apparently supposed to air on Cartoon Network this coming Halloween, but I can't verify that it's actually going to. The original voice actors do return in the short (Marty Grabstein and Thea White at least), but Eustace is voiced by Wallace Shawn (who voices Rex in the Toy Story franchise) and not by Arthur Anderson. And it's pretty obvious, but the short is all CGI, and not 2D like the show was for the most part.

I think this is a possible foreshadowing that the show might return to making new episodes again. The reception for the short seems to be quite positive, per an award stamp on Stretch Films' FB page, and with the really vast number of fans, there is a fairly strong chance the show could return, with The Fog of Courage kicking it off, in my opinion.

Here's two previews:

Thoughts?

 

[mr3urious]

I don't know if I would want to see this come back as a full series. The original had a good run and ended on a high note with "Remembrance of Courage Past". Sometimes it's best to just leave things be.

And the animation being all CGI isn't a problem itself for me, but one of the charms of the original Courage was the use of 2D animation blended with other animation mediums, often to add a creepier tone. Maybe if the series does get made and is all CG, then King Ramses would be a very grotesquely detailed hand-drawn entity.

 

[Drtooth]

I agree. This is pretty good and all, but I don't think this would be that great a follow up, and I usually defend cartoon comebacks like this. As a short, however, it seems alright. If CN's so hot to get back to their core classic cartoon roots (including a new PPG series in 2 years), I don't see why they can't have a CN Classics block on weekdays instead of another Teen Titans Go or Gumball marathon. Not that I don't like the current shows, but a couple of times a day is enough. Or at LEAST get some more diversity in their Boomerang line up.

That said, Wallace Shawn doesn't really do it for me as Eustace. It's not a real good fit.

 

[Luke kun]

We need Katz again!

 

[Schfifty]

I agree. This is pretty good and all, but I don't think this would be that great a follow up, and I usually defend cartoon comebacks like this. As a short, however, it seems alright. If CN's so hot to get back to their core classic cartoon roots (including a new PPG series in 2 years), I don't see why they can't have a CN Classics block on weekdays instead of another Teen Titans Go or Gumball marathon. Not that I don't like the current shows, but a couple of times a day is enough. Or at LEAST get some more diversity in their Boomerang line up.

That said, Wallace Shawn doesn't really do it for me as Eustace. It's not a real good fit.

There's also the factor of production costs. If Courage did return, it could probably be produced as a web series rather than a television series. Plus, there's a tight schedule when you produce a show for television, with airdates and all. You don't really have a huge, pressuring deadline when you produce a first-run web series.

And yeah, Wallace Shawn doesn't exactly sound right as Eustace. The first time I saw the promo, I knew Eustace didn't sound normal (the second promo; I can't exactly tell if that's Wallace or Arthur in the first one). I'm even surprised how they managed to get Thea White to reprise her role.

 

[Drtooth]

Wallace has much more of a nerdy, nasal voice. Something that's perfect for a loveable loser, or at most a jerky guy in a business suit. Eustace is a craggy old guy, completely unsophisticated and rural, and needs a level of growl in his voice. Something both Lionel and Arthur had.

Other than that, this looks like fun, but I wouldn't want to see it as a returning series as it would just be a retread of the old one.

On another note, They're finally releasing the second season on a bare bones DVD...so... coincidence?

 

[MuppetSpot]

Wallace has much more of a nerdy, nasal voice. Something that's perfect for a loveable loser, or at most a jerky guy in a business suit. Eustace is a craggy old guy, completely unsophisticated and rural, and needs a level of growl in his voice. Something both Lionel and Arthur had.

Other than that, this looks like fun, but I wouldn't want to see it as a returning series as it would just be a retread of the old one.

On another note, They're finally releasing the second season on a bare bones DVD...so... coincidence?

Boy D'Snowth is going to be happy when he hears about that.

 

[D'Snowth]

On another note, They're finally releasing the second season on a bare bones DVD...so... coincidence?

I never thought I'd live to see this.

 

[D'Snowth]

I've been listening to a few new recent interviews with John R. Dilworth, and he's actually saying that he and Stretch Films are actually waiting to receive a definite answer from Turner as to whether or not a new Courage series will happen, which he apparently is hoping will happen... so apparently there really is a possibility that there may actually be a new Courage series if Turner is interested in a reboot.

 

[Drtooth]

I honestly don't know what to make of a comeback of this or Powerpuff Girls. Both shows finished their runs beautifully. It's a shame they're gone, sure, but I just don't see either being anything more than a slight disappointment. And when internet fandom is concerned, "slight disappointment" is somehow worse than "utter disaster."

What we really need to see, however, is some retro CN merchandising. They tried and they had a small run of Funko vynals (before the stilzied ones, and they're impossible to find now) and some t-shirts. But I'd like to see a blanket brand of retro CN stuff. Too bad Jazzwares Nicktoons and Hanna Barbera lines didn't catch on, though.