May 2011 – Page 2 – skylerbartels

Facebook – Top 50 FAVORITE Animated Programs: 20

20: Æon Flux (1991-1995/MTV)

So, Æon Flux (yes, I’m leaving the letter like that on purpose because that’s how the show was titled, ok!?!) is this cartoon that was MTV. Its about this super slender chick that is all bendy, the titular chick. She wears this strange-ass garb and is all into aerobics and acrobatics and stuff. Also? She’s probably a spy of some kind. Don’t know, really. Originally airing on MTV’s “Liquid Generation” in short segments, the show featured Aeon in multiple missions to stop this bizarre head of government guy, Trevor Goodchild. Only, in these early segments, she always died. Eventually, the shorts got picked up and a series of half-hour segments were filmed and, while not necessarily interconnected in any fashion, they had greater linearity than before.

The animation of Peter Chung is… an acquired taste. Fans unfamiliar with this show may have seen his segment of Animatrix, for example. Characters are perverted into strange caricatures of human beings, each with long limbs and tall faces. It works, though, and even Aeon’s sex appeal manages to remain constant throughout, despite her grotesqueries. The action was fast, the pushing-R-rating stuff was sleek, and the writing was witty and fun, the whole time. Even if the plots didn’t connect, really, the episodic nature of the series worked in its favor, giving people a character they understood well enough (rebel woman) vs a character they knew well enough (totalitarian ruler) in different situations. What else was even necessary?

A movie staring Charlize Theron was filmed and, while not great by any real stretch of the imagination, it did the series justice by having nothing to do with the show, itself, and by half-explaining how Aeon died so many times, only to return to strike fear into the heart of the Breen soldiers time and time again. While nowhere near as good, it did push forward a rerelease of the cartoons on DVD which I have watched time and again. If for nothing else, the strangeness of this show is permanent and, above all else, appreciated.

Favorite Episode:
“Gravity” – the “season 1” opener – deals with Aeon falling to her death. Again, in the early episodes, she dies all the time, failing her mission. But this one is awesome. It features quirky ass sexual situations, some high-speed action, and a punchline that delivers. Worth the price of the DVDs in my opinion.

Favorite Character: Trevor: “What doesn’t kill us, makes us stranger” – long before The Joker in “The Dark Knight”

Added February 15, 2017
Kyle’s comment about Trevor isn’t accurate, but I couldn’t find the original picture of Trevor licking a woman’s teeth or eye or whatever. So, there you go.
This is one of the worst entries I produced, from a writing standpoint and though I love this show, to this day, I can’t get behind this write-up. It is hot trash.

Top 50 FAVORITE Animated Programs: 21

21: Darkwing Duck (1991-1995/ABC)

Does Darkwing Duck count as a spinoff show, being birthed from the far superior Duck Tales? Probably, I mean, it features Launchpad and Gizmo Duck for Christ’s sakes, so probably. But this show took a different approach to Disney’s “duck universe” by creating a Batman-like character (although, to be fair, he was more like The Shadow, really). He fought crime, he had gadgets, and he had no super powers. Unlike his enemies who had them in spades. Yes, its true: Darkwing Duck was kinda lame and silly, but one of the best reasons to come home from school on time and sit down to watch cartoons.

When all is said and done, of course, the real hero of this show is the greatest sidekick in cartoon history: Launchpad McQuack, a guy who is more Han Solo than Robin. A carry-over from Duck Tales, he adds humor and slapstick comedy, while the other characters (all of whom are relatively new, for the most part) are simply stock villains and such. I don’t know, maybe I’m giving Launchpad too much talk? Who cares?

With all the fun of an action cartoon, with all the laughs of a comedy, and all of the slick animation that Disney could afford, Darkwing Duck was one of the best after-school/Saturday morning cartoons around. The theme song (and the titular character’s catchphrase, no less) are so memorable, anyone from this time period could immediately mention them. While not as good as Batman or Duck Tales, the show did its best to find some strange-yet-happy medium. And I can’t fault it for that.

Favorite Episode:
“Just Us, Justice Ducks” is the best episode, for the title alone. I don’t know why, but I still say it for no reason, at random, all the time. The episodes featured the good characters forming a team to take out the bad guys (led, no less, by Darkwing Duck’s evil clone, Nega-Duck).

Favorite Character:
Do I really have to say?

Added February 16, 2017
This is a weak entry. This list, I think, suffered overall by being too bloated. Should have been Top 20 or maybe 25 at most. This show had no business being this high up the list. Thankfully, this makes up for it:

Facebook – Top 50 FAVORITE Animated Programs: 22

22: X-Men (1992-1997/FOX)

If for no other reason aside from the show’s badass opening theme song, X-Men’s first foray into the cartoon world earns a high spot on my list. The show, which followed the comic stories insanely well overall, was a first for me, growing up: it mixed awesome animation with some adult themes/violence and didn’t shy away from the issues the comics brought up like acceptance, discrimination, and general hate for human beings, based on a few differences they aren’t in control of (i.e., color of skin, sexuality, ability to shoot lasers from eyes, etc.). Pair this with some of the best super hero antics on the small screen and you’ve got a mixture for success.

The show was on at the same time as Batman: The Animated Series and Spider-Man and, while better than the latter (not the former, obviously), it struck its own chord within the Marvel animated universe by having the better characters; who cares about Peter Parker when you can watch Wolverine try to steal Marvel Girl from Cyclops over and over, week after week? Magneto’s war against mankind was beautifully realized in vibrant detail as the plots went from straightforward to messed up (seriously, who uses the M’kraan Crystal in a cartoon, unless you’re an ass). And, while it could get confusing if you weren’t paying attention, you at least got the thrill of action to make it all enjoyable.

At the end of the day, X-Men’s run on FOX (which lasted five seasons, by the way), solidified them as overly popular for years to come, making stupid characters like Gambit way too well-known for their own good (seriously, Gambit?!). With enough references to other Marvel characters (sometimes they even managed to show up!) and being kinda grounded in comic lore, the show was a powerhouse of awesome. And much, much better than any of the other shitty cartoons they’ve produced about the characters in the years that followed.

Favorite Episode:
The entire run of the “Beyond Good and Evil” episodes (four total) chronicle Apocalypse perfectly, showing his horsemen, his evil intentions, and covers all the future crap of Cable and Gambit without hesitation. It is one of the few times a comic story is brought to small screen this well, and worth the investment in the show and its characters.

Favorite Character:
As though it wasn’t going to be Gambit.

Added February 17, 2017
I watched a bunch of this show a few years back and have to admit that it doesn’t really hold up all that well, really. Which is a shame because I remember it so fondly. The writing is just bad, mostly the dialogue. Alas.

Facebook – Top 50 FAVORITE Animated Programs: 23

23: Space Ghost: Coast to Coast (1994-2004/Cartoon Network)

My love for Space Ghost has only grown this past month, since I picked up every episode of the show on DVD. What a stupid month of laughing at increasingly inane plots, stupid characters, and shitty animation. The show, which debuted and spawned the monster called Adult Swim back in the mid-90’s, reused old animation from Space Ghost’s first cartoon (from back in the 60’s). Although, it did it very poorly, often times using very little actual animation. Mouths moved, eyes blinked, and heads turned. Otherwise, each character had about six stock movements they did on repeat for a decade.

Originally airing as a pseudo-legit talk show, SPC2C eventually devolved into a kind of mash-up of late night ad fever dream, in the best way possible. While the interviews in the early seasons seemed to be the focus, with jokes strewn throughout, by the show’s end, the interviews seemed less and less important, often times ending abruptly when the George Lowe-voiced Space Ghost would blast them to bits (if he wasn’t blasting Zorak and/or Moltar, first) and in the end the show’s out-there narratives to center stage, effectively killing the show a little to late, really.

Classic interviews, straight up comedy, hilarious situations made perfect by static characters, and a snazzy guitar line on the theme song all help to make this show a part of my life, forever. The show spawned two of the other shows on this list, the very famous Aqua Teen Hunger Force and – of course – The Brak Show. It also gave Birdman his first name. But this show holds a special place in my heart for its trio of characters who never change, under any circumstances, and are always-always-always at each other’s throats. Much love, Space Ghost. Much love.

Favorite Episode:
Near the end of the show’s run it aired its greatest episode: “Knifin’ Around” – in this episode, Space Ghost interviews Radiohead’s Thom Yorke which by itself is comical, but the inclusion of Björk as Space Ghost’s bizarre-ass wife provides for 20-minutes of laugh out loud moments. Space Ghost’s insistence that she pees on the couch, for instance, is top notch potty humor at its best.

Favorite Character:
Zorak. Again.

Added February 20, 2017
This show! My god, this show.
I rewatched “Knifin’ Around” not that long ago and think it still holds up as one of the best episodes of any show, period. The concept for SSGC2C, fully realized.
And, per the comments, I’m right – this spawned Adult Swim. There is no debate.

Facebook – Top 50 FAVORITE Animated Programs of All Time: 24

24: Pinky and the Brain (1995-2001/WB)

Technically this show started in 1993 as a segment on Animaniacs, a show that – while funny – will not appear on this list because I really don’t care for it, overall. No, Pinky and the Brain makes this list because it was a successful spin-off of that show, far more intelligent than its parent program, and features the best caricature of Orson Welles in the history of caricatures (in fact, voice actor for the Brain, Maurice LaMarche, has made kind of a career off doing his impression of Welles). The show was about two mice that, well, do the same thing they do every night: Try to take over the world.

Each episode was a spoof of something, whether it be a film or a novel, usually with obscure references that make the parody work on multiple levels. For example, an early Godzilla ripoff episode has some subtle, funny-but-damn-funny-if-you-get-it jokes that rip at giant monster movie cinema. While the episodes are funny on the surface level, the real treat is knowing enough about the material they’re poking fun at and discovering all the other little jokes underneath. For example, what kid of seven-nine is going to know the entire story about the radio-play Welles did of “War of the Worlds” and how many of those kids will get all the jokes therein?

One of the things I really like about this show, though, is that it debuted in primetime for some reason. During the slew of Steven Spielberg-produced programming, this show was allowed to air on a weekday night, so that parents and kids could watch a cartoon together, I guess. This does explain why there were so many more adult-level jokes strewn about within the 30-minute runtime each week. This didn’t last long, as eventually the show devolved into Saturday morning fluff and, while still funny, did diminish over time. NARF!

Favorite Episode:
“Yes, Always” is a perfect example of the kind of humor I appreciate from this show. While technically a segment from an episode of Animaniacs, I feel it deserves special mention. Syncing up PERFECTLY to the pea commercial Orson Welles is famous for flubbing his way through, Pinky records The Brain doing the exact same material. This wasn’t funny to me as a kid, I never understood it. But as I’ve gotten older, I’ve really grown to love it for the simple fact that no one in their right mind should have written something like this:

Favorite Character:
The Brain. I love the Welles-like nature of the character, for the reason I just listed above, no less.

Added February 21, 2017
Tell me the theme song isn’t stuck in your head, now, and I’ll call you a liar.

Facebook – Top 50 FAVORITE Animated Programs: 25

25: The Brak Show (2000-2003/Cartoon Network)

Why do I love The Brak Show? Probably because of Andy Merrill. A guy that did a ton of voice work over on (the far better) Space Ghost: Coast to Coast, Andy ended up voicing Brak, one of the Ghost’s primary villains on his original show. However, his portrayal of the now infantile-like Brak landed him his own sitcom voicing the character. Yes, I say sitcom because that’s what it (originally) was; featuring Brak now living as a teenager in suburban… well, who knows where, this comedy eventually – like Sealab 2021 with it – devolved into the bizarre.

Lasting only 15-minutes an episode, and only 3 seasons on Adult Swim, the show tackled just about everything a kid in school would go through: parental issues; sibling rivalry; peer pressure; and love. Of course, the fact that Andy Merrill’s voice work created a character that was so gosh darn lovable and genuine… and a character that was a cat-like alien man for no reason helped a ton. The supporting cast of characters were also welcome, from Brak’s alien mother, Cuban father, and his neighbor, Thundercles, a giant war-machine-like super robot.

The plots were concise, the comedy was fast-paced, and the writing was top notch. The Brak Show is one of those guilty pleasure shows that I will love forever. The theme song was even great and brought back nostalgic memories of Leave it to Beaver and the like. While it clearly attempted to showcase good-old-fashioned family values in a sarcastic fashion, Brak did it with a song in his heart and a smile on his face.

Favorite Episode:
“War Next Door” has it all, most notably Zorak’s new singing voice. “What a buuuunch of stupid jerks.”

Favorite Character:
Well, duh. Zorak. Bet you can’t wait until I do SG:C2C, huh?

Added February 22, 2017
Literally watched an episode of this for the first time in years, the other day. Gotta say? It doesn’t hold up.

Facebook – Top 50 FAVORITE Animated Programs of All Time: 26

26: Sealab 2021 (2000-2005/Cartoon Network)

If you like your shows to be build primarily on sheer irreverence alone, look no further than Adult Swim’s Sealab 2021. The show, episodic and rarely based in any kind of discernible continuity, features a cast of characters from an older show, reutilized in a fashion that goes against the original purpose, entirely. Without a doubt, this show comedy concepts and follow-through are ground – in their entirety – on the idea that random shit happened is hilarious. And, in this show, that premise is right on the money.

Taking place almost 100% of the time in the underwater base the show is named after, 2021 follows the (mis)adventures of its crew and staff as they supposedly try to help the environment or something. The original show was a green-initiative-based program, but it ran for only so many episodes. THIS show, which reuses all the art, is voiced expertly to bring situations to “life” that drive jokes home, and hard. A wide range of topics, sight gags, and pop-culture references run rampant throughout the show, leaving viewers scratching their heads, sometimes, but most of the time busting a gut laughing.

The cast of characters is great, the episodes often times feature one or two classic quotable lines (if not more), and wile the show’s quality did drop at the passing of Harry Goz (who was replaced by his son in a less-than-stellar role), it still maintained its quirk and its charm. Also, the theme song is infectiously catchy. While the crude style and presentation may leave a bit to be desired, the show (all of which you can watch on Adult Swim’s website, mind you. For free!) is worth it all just for the hope that you too can “ride the Stimutacs.”

Favorite Episode:
“Radio Free Sealab” – just for “Howling Mad Dog Murphy” and his crank calls. Also, every time the FCC is on screen is a goldmine of comedy.

Favorite Character:
Murphy. Don’t be an idiot.

Added February 23, 2017
So, I literally just sat through an episode of this before posting it back up. And you know what?
It is strange as hell. I watched “Red Dawn” and it made me laugh in the parking lot at work so much I debated calling in sick to go home and play Final Fantasy XV.
What… you thought I’d say “go home and watch Sealab”?? Are you stupid?

Facebook – Top 50 FAVORITE Animated Programs: 27

27: The World of David the Gnome (1985-87/TVE-Nickelodeon)

Ah, David the Gnome. Aaron Jaco will no doubt be furious that this gets placed in the back half, but – ah well, such is life! Between this show and Maya the Bee, my childhood was based on these bizarre-ass animated programs that taught lessons about nature, primarily, followed by lessons about friendship and being generous and shit. But, when it comes to David the Gnome, who cares about that crap? The show had trolls, magic, and a title character that spent a ton of time as a “doctor” treating his patients (who were mostly animals, mind you) with hypnosis and acupuncture.

The show featured a ton of cool sequences with animals, such as David’s bird friend that would carry him anywhere. I recently watched a few episodes of this show again just to bring myself up to speed (and verify that it belongs on this list – which it really, really does) and let me tell you this; he uses that bird a whole hell of a lot. Usually to escape trolls and/or gnome poachers (Gnome poachers!), but not as much as his friend, Swift the Fox. These two companions save his life so often, the show really should be about them.

Interestingly, the show’s greatest lesson on life turned out to be the fact that no one escapes death, not even favorite cartoon characters; David’s people only live to 400 years of age, exactly. Then they die. Since he’d been 399 the entire run of the show’s two seasons, the finale had him going to his final resting place with his wife and friend. Swift can’t come though, because David doesn’t want him to see him frigging die. Its very tragic, sad, and – at the same time – harrowingly eerie to put in a kids show!

Favorite Episode:
“David to the Rescue” – because David tricks a troll into a dancing contest until the sun comes up. I always loved that scene for some reason. Maybe because I hate trolls.

Favorite Character:
Swift. Fuck you if you disagree.

Added February 24, 2017