Sony to do Popeye now...

[Drtooth]

And... same guys that did the Smurfs too

Now, while I admit, the Smurfs wasn't as terrible as I thought it would be, it was pretty screwed up with a pointless bring them into the real world/fall into toilets plot line no matter how it went. Still, I find it Sony animation's crowning achievement. They deserve a lifetime achievement Razzie.

As for Popeye... WHY? Even when they made an artistically beautiful, truer to the original concept than the eat spinach and punch Bluto cartoons ever were, complete immersion, perfectly cast film, everyone treated it like crap. Can you imagine a forced Guitar Hero reference?

Of course, while Popeye is one of my very favorite classic cartoons, I think the franchise has LONG been hounded by a simplistic, Flanderized ideal that completely buried and tainted the legacy of the FAR superior Thimble Theater strips of which the character was born. Sure, we remeber Popeye, his not at all stolen from Disney triplet nephews, Olive Oyl, Bluto, Wimpy, and the Sea Hag... but what about the Geezel and the Rough House and all those marvelous things that made it one of the best of the classic comic strips (Katzenjammer Kids SUCKS! Yellow Kid SUCKS! Little Nemo's actually quite good... and HIS movie didn't do justice to the comics nearly as much as Popeye did... but that was screwed up SOOOO bad). Few of us remember the Fleischer cartoons (which were closer to the comics), but we all remember the Famous Cartoons and King Features television ones... some of them actually not so good (saw one where Olive got fat waiting for both of them to come back... and it was as terrible as you could imagine). OOH! And let's not forget those TERRIBLE ones where they're married and have kids.

 

[D'Snowth]

Somebody shoot me.

Somebody stab me.

Somebody tattoo me.

Somebody hang me.

Somebody kill me.

 

[Speed Tracer]

The Robert Altman film is PERFECT. They should just re-release that so it can get the love it deserves.

 

[Drtooth]

Somebody shoot me.

Somebody stab me.

Somebody tattoo me.

Somebody hang me.

Somebody kill me.

Hah. No matter what they do to the movie, there's NO WAY it could be worse than this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIyx2W-Bl3M

I will say, the Smurfs movie was less painful to watch than the Smurfs episode Karate Clumsy. Ah, the 1980's cartoon writers who have zero knowledge of Asian culture and constantly mix Japan and China up all the time.

Of course, once I saw this, I felt 100% better about the Smurf movie.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GjXFZO_ew8

Suddenly, the random and pointless Run DMC Walk This Way Guitar Hero scene seems like cinematic brilliance and perfect in character actions compared that that botched eye surgery. And Run DMC's Walk this way is a GOOD song.

The Robert Altman film is PERFECT. They should just re-release that so it can get the love it deserves.

I DEFY anyone to tell me that movie wasn't brilliant. Probably people that grew up watching the lame television versions where Popeye punched Bluto because he wanted Olive... over... and over.. and over... and over... and over... I like those cartoons, don't get me wrong, but SOMEONE pick up ANYTHING that has Thimble Theater in it. You'll do yourself a HUGE service if you do.

 

[CensoredAlso]

Hah. No matter what they do to the movie, there's NO WAY it could be worse than this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IIyx2W-Bl3M

Oh my gosh, I completely forgot about this show! I remember the Dads looking at their babies through the window, lol.

 

[Drtooth]

Oh my gosh, I completely forgot about this show! I remember the Dads looking at their babies through the window, lol.

Remember when everyone caused that stink about the non-canonical barely official Popeye comic book where Olive Oyl and Popeye married? What about this show?

Seriously, I'd feel more bad about Sony handling the Popeye movie if the character didn't go through so much absolute insanity over the years anyway. Giving him a son for no reason? Not letting him so much as flex his muscles? It's bad enough that people only remember a Flanderized, generalized Popeye that eats spinach and punches out Bluto time and time again... but just playing on that to make even dumber cartoons?

I want someone to say "ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!" and make an animated Popeye that's completely and utterly like the original comics. Something that has actual action and adventure in it and doesn't treat the franchise like the one trick pony it became in the 50's. Consider the fact that Thimble Theater was closer to TinTin comics than the gag strip Popeye is now. Who wouldn't want to see Popeye actually do something beside punch Bluto out for stealin' Olive? While that was a key to the Robert Altman movie, it wasn't the only thing the movie was about. At least HE got it right.

 

[Muppet fan 123]

And... same guys that did the Smurfs too

Now, while I admit, the Smurfs wasn't as terrible as I thought it would be, it was pretty screwed up with a pointless bring them into the real world/fall into toilets plot line no matter how it went. Still, I find it Sony animation's crowning achievement. They deserve a lifetime achievement Razzie.

As for Popeye... WHY? Even when they made an artistically beautiful, truer to the original concept than the eat spinach and punch Bluto cartoons ever were, complete immersion, perfectly cast film, everyone treated it like crap. Can you imagine a forced Guitar Hero reference?

Of course, while Popeye is one of my very favorite classic cartoons, I think the franchise has LONG been hounded by a simplistic, Flanderized ideal that completely buried and tainted the legacy of the FAR superior Thimble Theater strips of which the character was born. Sure, we remeber Popeye, his not at all stolen from Disney triplet nephews, Olive Oyl, Bluto, Wimpy, and the Sea Hag... but what about the Geezel and the Rough House and all those marvelous things that made it one of the best of the classic comic strips (Katzenjammer Kids SUCKS! Yellow Kid SUCKS! Little Nemo's actually quite good... and HIS movie didn't do justice to the comics nearly as much as Popeye did... but that was screwed up SOOOO bad). Few of us remember the Fleischer cartoons (which were closer to the comics), but we all remember the Famous Cartoons and King Features television ones... some of them actually not so good (saw one where Olive got fat waiting for both of them to come back... and it was as terrible as you could imagine). OOH! And let's not forget those TERRIBLE ones where they're married and have kids.

The Smurfs I would not watch if you paid me to! (well maybe if you paid, but I would not be happy to). What was the point of bringing them to NY?
Sounds like they ran out of ideas

 

[Drtooth]

No, sounds like they wanted to rip off the Chipmunks movies. And I SWEAR they were spying on the writing process of the unused Fraggle Rock script (Corey was forced to put in a Guitar Hero reference at one point, but he put his foot down). But considering they made the Smurfs sing klunky pop music since the 90's (they also did the Macarana! That's more dated than everything in the movie combined), and Hanna Barbera (this is true) almost made the Smurfs a rainbow of colors and celebrity caricatures (Jokey was to be Harpo Marx)... that put me more at ease about it.

Plus, one of the original plots was WORSE. They were to be toys that were cried to life by an unpopular girl who wants to make friends. A hypocritical "Be yourself" message would clearly be present.

For the record, I complained about it non-stop, constantly, and was hopping up and down mad about the thing. But I managed to find some of it enjoyable. Not enough to recommend... but certainly better than the pallid, pale, poorly done Yogi Bear movie. I curse my Hanna Barbera fandom on breaking down to see that one. At the very least, the Yogi movie was sooooo generic and poorly acted by the human cast that even the Smurf movie was better done. At least NPH and Hank Azaria can act. Plus, the Mary sue and Marty Stu characters were already married... that's why I hated Yogi. There was NO CALL for Ranger Smith to turn into Jon Arbuckle from the atrocious Garfield movies.