Submitted for your approval: evidence of characters who know they are on screen, and are prepared to use this to their zany advantage.
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Cartoons About Cartoons (Part 7)
Some behind the scenes at Disney, a new franchise for Goofy, and the debut of Walter Lantz’s most durable personality.
Cartoons About Cartoons (Part 3)
Part three in our series highlighting the medium and savvy characters with knowledge of their pen-and-paper world.
Cartoons About Cartoons (Part 1)
Not only cartoons about animators and the animation process, but cartoons about characters who knew they were in cartoons.
Cartoons About Cartoons (Part 13)
A feast of prime Grade A titles from MGM, Paramount, and Warner Brothers is on the table today.
Cartoons About Cartoons (Part 9)
1942 and ‘43 (with one stray included here from ‘44) continued to bring us self-referential cartoons, plating at breaking the fourth wall, and immersing characters into the movie-going…
Cartoons About Cartoons (Part 6)
More interactive screen madness from Tex Avery, Friz Freleng, and efforts to keep up from Terrytoons and Screen Gems.
Cartoons About Cartoons (Part 11)
Another batch of animated eccentricities, all featuring characters that are well aware they are in a cartoon.
Cartoons About Cartoons (Part 18)
A lot of familiar faces today, as Warner, Paramount, and Terrytoons all provide contributions continuing to exploit their toon existence for all they’re worth.
Cartoons About Cartoons (Part 2)
Cartoons exploring the mysteries of their own medium; characters with a knowledge of their ink and pen origins - all this and more!
Cartoons About Cartoons (Part 8)
1942 is our subject year. Many films from this period keep their self-referential elements on the brief side, so some of the discussions below are a little briefer…
Cartoons About Cartoons (Part 16)
A wild bunch of episodes today from 1947 and ‘48, including a quartet of Tex Avery adventures into the surreal (two of which are among his most controversial),…
Cartoons About Cartoons (Part 5)
All action today takes place in 1938, and all from two studios: Warner Bros and Paramount.
Cartoons About Cartoons (Part 4)
The 1930's continued to progress, as animated characters became more and more knowledgeable about their own world.
Cartoons About Cartoons (Part 10)
1943 continued to abound in self-conscious cartoons, ever aware of their theatrical venue, and eager to draw the audience into the storylines through direct reference. Characters also continue…
Cartoons About Cartoons (Part 15)
Multiple cartoon-conscious visits with Warner Brothers, another with Droopy at MGM, and one-shots from the waning days of Columbia/Screen Gems.
Cartoons About Cartoons (Part 17)
A surprising number of Terrytoons appear in this week’s survey as we resume our overview of characters interacting with audiences, narrators, and/or animators.
Cartoons About Cartoons (Part 12)
All our action this week is centered upon four characters, all installments containing self-winks to the illustrated media.
Cartoons About Cartoons (Part 20)
A significant leaning toward Looney stories from Warner Brothers today, with only two titles in our discussion coming from the ranks of other studios. We’ll be doing some…
Cartoons About Cartoons (Part 14)
This week’s installment includes brief references out of chronology to several Warner Brothers cartoons I missed. Then, we move on in 1945 and 1946
The Cartoons That Made Us
Take a fantastical trip back through animation history with this old asshole as he makes fun of internet trolls for being fucking stupid as usual.
What makes Japanese cartoons “anime”?
What is anime? All animation from Japan? All animation of a certain style? Then what about Japanese animation outside of that style? What about the international productions? An old…
Calling Anime Cartoons: An Opinion.
I’m just going to clarify that ‘An Opinion’ refers to my opinion. So, a few weeks back, I had a friend who wrote in our little group chat…
Episode One-Derland (Cartoons) ToonMarty
Plot: ToonMarty follows the adventures of Marty, the mascot of ToonMart who becomes alive when a billboard is hit by lightning. Together, he and his friends Burnie and…
Other Posts to Crow About – 2020 Week 19 Edition
Welcome to a Crow’s eye view of the posts that caught my attention this week! How do posts catch my eye? They celebrate amazing moments in anime or…
The Devil Is a Part-Timer!, Vol. 19
By Satoshi Wagahara and 029. Released in Japan by Dengeki Bunko. Released in North America by Yen Press. Translated by Kevin Gifford. (I discuss the climax of the…
Lupin the 3rd: Part 1 19 (Rivals #LupinIII)
AstroNerdBoy reviews Lupin the 3rd: Part 1 19. French Inspector Ganimard III wants to clear his family honor and arrest Lupin before Zenigata.
About “Psycho-Pass”, part 1: Sibyl Society
Three detectives stand in a vacant apartment, barely furnished. The setting is stark: no decorations and little color, no real sign of life at all, except for the…
About “Psycho-Pass”, part 2: Data Control
The Sibyl System makes the paranoid, Patriot Act-inspired world of Spielberg’s Minority Report feel like a pretty chill and forgiving place; at least the cops arresting people for…
The 5 Best Cartoons of 2021
This was a stellar year for animation—and not just on the Japanese side of things. Here are my picks for the best new animated TV series I watched…
+14: The Rebel of Soviet Cartoons
Looking at the early films of Priit Pärn, Estonian iconoclast.
WHY WE NEED PUNK ROCK CARTOONS
Punk Rock Cartoons. Anime. Bonsai Pop. It's time to talk about what really matters, why we make the videos we make, the state of YouTube and why you…
2023: A Year Full of Cartoons
Taking stock is tricky when there's so much of it.
How an American Changed Soviet Cartoons
Lucille Cramer in the USSR.
Episode One-Derland (Cartoons) Code Monkeys
Plot: Set in the 1980s, in an 8-bit video game-esque version of the real world, game designers at GameaVision develop new games while basically being as unpleasant as…
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Jujutsu Kaisen S2 – 19 [Right and Wrong, Part 2]
Welcome all, to another week of Jujutsu Kaisen! I’m not thrilled with this episode, not because of any production issues surprisingly enough, its just narratively a mess. Why…
Dr. STONE NEW WORLD Part 2 Episode 19: Favorites
Dr. STONE NEW WORLD Part 2 Episode 19: Senkuu has to face off against Ibara the warrior priest -- all alone.
Lupin the 3rd: Part III 19 (Pointless Betrayal #LupinIII)
AstroNerdBoy reviews Lupin the 3rd: Part III 19. Lupin springs a criminal named Parker from jail to find Parker's hidden treasure.
The Devil is a Part-Timer! Volume 19 Review
Maou and Acieth charge ahead towards Emi, Ashiya, and Alas Ramus to rescue them from the angels’ plot the latter group has wound up in. But what are…
The Devil is a Part-Timer! Volume 19 Review
The last chapter makes The Devil is a Part-Timer! Volume 19 a recommend read, if only tepidly since 80% of it is dominated by Chiho.
Jobless Reincarnation Season 2 Part 2 Episode 19: Favorites
Jobless Reincarnation Season 2 Part 2 Episode 19: Rudy faces an enormous challenge: telling Sylphy he's leaving to help his parents!
Ten Strange & Scandalous Pre-Hays Code Cartoons
The Hays Code was initially created in 1930 and began being enforced four years later. The code was meant to help reduce the amount of viol...
Episode One-Derland (Cartoons) Wander Over Yonder
Plot: The ever-happy Wander and his trusty steed, Sylvia, explore the outreaches of space and save its inhabitants from the treachery of Lord Hater. Breakdown: I’ll be honest,…
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MAMORU OSHII book review [fiction] Part 19, ZOMBIE DIARY 2
----- There're some Mamoru Oshii book lists on the Internet, but they don't have detailed explanations about the contents. My Mamoru Oshii book collection is far from complete,…
Translation: Toshio Suzuki Reminisces About Isao Takahata (Part 1)
Last August, the severe working conditions under Isao Takahata made headlines on many websites after Ghibli producer and long-time colleague Toshio Suzuki openly talked about Takahata’s incredibly demanding…
Translation: Toshio Suzuki Reminisces About Isao Takahata (Part 3)
I kind of forgot that I was already 65 % done with this translation when I went on my bikepacking trip from Okinawa to Nagasaki. But I’m back…
Translation: Toshio Suzuki Reminisces About Isao Takahata (Part 2)
I am sorry for the long, long wait, but here’s part 2. A lot of fascinating details about the production of Princess Kaguya. I’ve also started adding tooltips…
Exhuming the 90s Chuck Jones Looney Tunes cartoons
It's not always worth digging up old things.
Child Empowerment as Commodity and 1980s American Cartoons
The 1980s were a pivotal decade in American children’s television, when Ronald Reagan’s administration removed the rules against directly advertising to children. Things like He-Man, My Little Pony…
Credits for Columbia’s Fox and the Crow Cartoons
An attempt to compile credits for the 1940 cartoon series.
+6: Two Czech Cartoons That Changed the World
How Jiří Trnka gave a 'Gift' to Yugoslavia — and all of us.