The Bride of Darkseid (Part I) is the first episode of Super Friends: The Legendary Super Powers Show. This version of Super Friends introduced both new heroes and new villains, notably Darkseid. With these new villains, the stakes were raised as our heroes faced greater danger than previous Super Friends series. More importantly, this series has Adam West himself as the voice of Batman.
In this episode, the Super Friends meet the new superhero Firestorm, who is really college student Ronnie Raymond and college professor Martin Stein fused into one being. The team lets Firestorm join the Super Friends. However, Darkseid shows up from his home of Apokolips to Earth with plans of making Wonder Woman his bride.
This is a pretty good start to the series. Firestorm is great addition to the team. His powers provide some fun and creative action sequences. His personality is well formed from even this first episode. Even his crush on Wonder Woman allows for some fun interactions. While we don't spend enough time with Darkseid for him to feel like anything but a typical 1980's cartoon bad guy, his voice and design make him already a great villain. He also proves to be a great threat to our heroes. The artwork in this episode is also great. The background art is as wonderful as it always is in these Hanna-Barbera cartoons. As well as this the art style change when Ronnie and Professor Stein combine into Firestorm is very effective.
This is the first segment of the fifteenth (and final) episode of The All-New Super Friends Hour, unlike most other Super Friends formats, this one had hour long episodes that were made up of various shorter cartoons. The first segment would be an adventure staring two members (or three in some cases as Batman and Robin would often team with another Super Friend) of the Super Friends. The second would be a morality play staring the Wonder Twins. The third would be a typical half hour Super Friends adventure. The fourth and last segment would feature one of the main Super Friends (or two in the case of Batman and Robin) teaming up with a special DC Comics guest.
In this cartoon, Batman, Robin and Aquaman team up to stop a villain named The Shark who steals valuables from various ships with his immobilizer ray. He does this to keep ships from going out to sea and because of this he views himself as a protector of the sea.
This is an excellent episode. The use of fog out at sea creates a great sense of atmosphere and helps it stand out. Beyond this the background art (especially aboard the ship) is typically excellent. The Shark is a fun villain with a very memorable design and a great voice. His immobilizer ray is a good gimmick and makes him a believable threat to our heroes. The action is quite fun as well. The story is simple, but it is just the kind of simplistic superhero fun that I love.
This is the third segment of the fourteenth episode of The All-New Super Friends Hour, unlike most other Super Friends formats, this one had hour long episodes that were made up of various shorter cartoons. The first segment would be an adventure staring two members (or three in some cases as Batman and Robin would often team with another Super Friend) of the Super Friends. The second would be a morality play staring the Wonder Twins. The third would be a typical half hour Super Friends adventure. The fourth and last segment would feature one of the main Super Friends (or two in the case of Batman and Robin) teaming up with a special DC Comics guest.
In this episode, our heroes must save the day when the evil Professor Korloff brings an ancient mummy to life for his own nefarious reasons.
As a fan of superheroes and the old Universal monster movies, this episode is a pure delight. The whole episode has a delight spooky Halloween-eque feel to it that I find tons of fun. The mummy's design is simple but very effective and his muffled vocal noises give him a delightful spooky feel. On top of this the mummy proves to be a very fun Super Friends villain, feeling like a real threat to our heroes. To name the professor leading the mummy Professor Korloff is a very fun nod to the classic Universal monster movies and to Boris Karloff who was the star of the horror classic, The Mummy (1932). The action scenes are a lot of fun here as well.
If I had one complaint it is that this episode takes place mostly in the daytime. A spooky themed episode like this would have been even more fun and effective with a nighttime setting.
The gang goes to visit Daphne's Uncle Alfie (AKA Batman's Butler Alfred). When Uncle Alfie disappears, Batman suspects our heroes of kidnapping him. After discovering that they aren't behind the kidnapping, Batman simply tells the gang to stay out of his way while he solves this mystery.
There is a lot to enjoy about this episode. Though the Mystery Inc. gang has teamed with Batman before, they usually teamed up with a lighter version of the charter more in tune with the Super Friends and Adam West interpretations. To have them meet with this darker more brooding version allows this to feel distinctly different from those previous encounters. This allows for a wider variety of gags and a different chemistry that works very well. The humor in this episode is often really funny as it both parodies and pays tribute to Batman's history. Daphne being constantly distracted while investigating an abandoned department store with all sorts of rare fashion accessories, only adds to the great humor. I also love that this episode incorporates the lesser-known Batman villain Man-Bat her as he proves himself to fit in perfectly to this Scooby setting.
If I have on complaint, it is that the mystery is much too easy to solve.
One of the highlights of a movie buffs year is the annual Cinecon film festival, this year taking place at the Writers Guild of America Theater in Beverly Hills. This festival is a four-day weekend (August 29-September 1) mostly made up of rare and obscure films (some of which you won't be able to watch anywhere else) as well as new restorations of classic films. Though there are some movies from the 1950's and 60's, the bread and butter of the festival are films from the 1910's, 20's, 30's and 40's with a passion for the type of B movies that greatly outnumbered the more prestigious films of that era. Some of the highlights for this year include special guests such as Ann-Margret, Juliet Mills, Mamie Von Doren, Pat Boone, Maxwell Caulfield and the family of silent film actress Myrtle Gonzalez, new restorations of two classic silent Laurel and Hardy shorts, restorations of Max Fleischer cartoon shorts, Modern Love (1929) a rare feature film featuring the great Charley Chase, the Marion Davies feature It's a Wise Child (1931), the great James Stewart western The Rare Breed (1966), a panel on the making Bride of Frankenstein (1935), some rare television appearances from Dick Van Dyke (there is always a brief portion dedicated to vintage TV in this festival) and one of Charlie Chaplin's best short films (Easy Street (1917)). If you don't have any plans this Labor Day weekend, there is no better way to spend it then going to Cinecon. To buy tickets or view the full schedule go to Cinecon's website by clicking on this link.
For any of those whose idea of a classic movie skewer more towards the 1990's, you are covered as well. Some truly delightful films from the 1990's are returning to regular movie theaters. First up is Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990). This live action film starring our favorite shell wearing and pizza eating heroes is returning to theatres as a Fathom Event on August 17 and 20. A one-night event with the two Tim Burton directed Batman movies (Batman (1989) and Batman Returns (1992)) will be playing at 160 select AMC theaters in Dolby on August 25. Very exciting for me especially is that Casper (1995) will be returning to movie theaters for its 35th anniversary starting on October 3. Just in time for Halloween, this delightful family film will hopefully delight new audiences on its return to the screen. Though this movie has more than a few detractors and doesn't have the best critical reception, it holds a special place and my heart and is a Halloween tradition for me. I can't wait to see these delight 1990's films on the big screen and become a kid once again (I was born in the 1990's).
This is the third segment of the thirteenth episode of The All-New Super Friends Hour, unlike most other Super Friends formats, this one had hour long episodes that were made up of various shorter cartoons. The first segment would be an adventure staring two members (or three in some cases as Batman and Robin would often team with another Super Friend) of the Super Friends. The second would be a morality play staring the Wonder Twins. The third would be a typical half hour Super Friends adventure. The fourth and last segment would feature one of the main Super Friends (or two in the case of Batman and Robin) teaming up with a special DC Comics guest.
In this cartoon, a group of scientists create a shrinking way. All but one of these scientists seek to use the shrinking ray to help better the world. The other scientist seeks to use it for personal gain. This evil scientist uses the ray to shrink his collogues, so that he can use it the way he pleases. The super friends stop him.
This is a very fun episode. I have always had a fondness for these episodes with a typical person as the villain rather than some great supervillain. I especially love when these villains can actually feel like a threat to our super powered heroes. This is done very well here. There is especially a bit of suspense in the climax. The cartoon really gets good when the Super Friends must shrink themselves to save the other scientists. Seeing them deal with seemingly giant versions of smaller animals and insects is simply the type of corny superhero fun that I love. The design work on these creatures is wonderful and helps make the sci-fi feel even more fun. This episode also once again benefits from some strong background art that enhances the sci-fi feel.
This book marks a perfect introduction to the caped crusader, especially if you are a fan of the movies and/or TV shows and wish to explore the comic book adventures of the superhero. For those of us who have read more than a few Batman comics, it is still a very fun and engaging read. The book consists of some of the best and most historically important Batman comics ranging from 1939 to 2014. Many of these stories are a blast to read and give one a full understanding of who Batman is as a character. This book also contains text giving an historical overview of each different era of Batman's comic history. While many comic book buffs will find this information very basic, newcomers and causal fans will find it very informative.
Here are my thoughts on each of the individual stories.
The Case of the Chemical Syndicate (1939) A very impressive start for the Dark Knight. This first Batman story is still a gem today. Action packed and very atmospheric this is a pure delight.
The Legend of the Batman - Who He Is and How He Came to Be (1940) This comic was the first time Batman's infamous origin story had been told. It is told very quickly, basically but effectively here.
Accidentally on Purpose (1944) A fun golden age romp. This story features an early version of Alfred, when the character was still a comedy relief. He is delightful here and steals the show from our heroes. Despite this, the story has rather weak villains.
The Scoop of the Century (1948) A fun little golden age story about Vicki Vale (girl photographer) believing she has found out Batman's true identity.
The Jungle Cat-Queen (1954) A very silly but fun story with Batman and Robin fighting Cat Woman in the jungle.
The Batman of Tomorrow (1955) An over-the-top story about Batman getting help from a Batman from the future. The story has little logic to it but the future Batman's gadgets are a lot of fun.
The Origin of the Superman-Batman Team (1958) Through a flash back in another story, we get told how Batman and Superman first teamed up. The surrounding story is a bit rushed, and the ending seems a bit forced. However, the actual story of how Superman and Batman teamed up is a lot of fun.
The Mystery of the Menacing Mask (1964) A well done story featuring quite a good one-shot villain with a mind control gimmick. Beware of Poison Ivy (1966) The introduction of Poison Ivy is a bit underwhelming (as the villainess is underdeveloped), but it still has its silver age charms.
The Million Dollar Debut of Batgirl (1967) A fun introduction to Batgirl with great artwork.
The Secret of the Waiting Graves (1970) A dark and atmospheric horror-adject story that still works very well.
Death Flies the Haunted Skies (1974) A airborne Batman story involving a ghostly World War One plane. There is a lot to enjoy about this very atmospheric story, even if it can feel a bit rushed.
The Deadshot Ricochet (1977) A well-made and action-packed reinvention of the villain, Deadshot.
Wanted: Santa Claus -- Dead or Alive (1980) A not wholly successful Christmas story that has its moments but is an uneasy mix of dark and corny.
...The Player on the Other Side (1984) I find the evil mirror version of Batman, kind of boring honestly, but the drama about Batman facing his past is very well done.
My Beginning ... And My Probable End (1987) A top notch Batman story in every respect. Batman facing what he has become when Robin has been shot by the Mad Hatter is an incredibly heartfelt and thought-provoking. Probably my favorite comic in this book.
Identity Crisis (1991) A very well-made page turner about Bruce Wayne waking up to find out that he is no longer Batman but someone else is. The ending is a bit of a cop-out, but everything else is so good you may not care. The Broken Bat (1993) This comic was a part of one of the greatest and most important Batman stories of all time, with Batman finally meeting his better in Bane. Unfortunately, reading this comic without reading the rest of the story can feel like reading a single chapter of a great novel. Knight Out (1997) After the darker stories that precede it, this is a welcome change of a pace. Just a humorous and fun story about a woman trying to get a date with Bruce Wayne.
Air Time (2001) A simple story of Batman saving a family in a car that has went into the ocean, proves to be a great examination of what the character is all about. The Beautiful People (2006) A very well written story about Batman fighting a new and dangerous villain, who gives him not clue what to expect. Trust Fall (2011) A overly bloody story of Batman fighting someone who has a vendetta against the Wayne family. A well told story but the gore seems excessive and unnecessary.
The Case of the Chemical Syndicate (2014) A retelling of the first Batman story with new vintage style artwork. The new artwork is great, and the story is still a delight.
This is the first segment of the thirteenth episode of The All-New Super Friends Hour, unlike most other Super Friends formats, this one had hour long episodes that were made up of various shorter cartoons. The first segment would be an adventure staring two members (or three in some cases as Batman and Robin would often team with another Super Friend) of the Super Friends. The second would be a morality play staring the Wonder Twins. The third would be a typical half hour Super Friends adventure. The fourth and last segment would feature one of the main Super Friends (or two in the case of Batman and Robin) teaming up with a special DC Comics guest.
In this cartoon, Superman, Batman and Robin must stop Dr. Xra, who has created half-animal, half-man beasts.
This is a delightful cartoon. The whole episode has a wonderful halloween-y look to it. The nighttime lighting and the wonderful background art (especially the swamp leading to Dr. Xra's mansion) create a wonderful sense of atmosphere that can hold its own with the original Scooby-Doo series in this area. The designs of the creatures are also wonderful. They are delightfully creepy and imposing without being too scary to take away from the lighthearted fun. The action scenes are also quite well done and exciting.
This is a wonderful cartoon that provides some great spooky superhero fun.
This is the fourth segment of the twelfth episode of The All-New Super Friends Hour, unlike most other Super Friends formats, this one had hour long episodes that were made up of various shorter cartoons. The first segment would be an adventure staring two members (or three in some cases as Batman and Robin would often team with another Super Friend) of the Super Friends. The second would be a morality play staring the Wonder Twins. The third would be a typical half hour Super Friends adventure. The fourth and last segment would feature one of the main Super Friends (or two in the case of Batman and Robin) teaming up with a special DC Comics guest.
In this cartoon, Batman, Robin and Black Vulcan team up team up to stop a rat infestation in Gotham City.
This is a fun little episode. We see Gotham City too little in this series and seeing it here truly helps give this episode a unique feel. The dark lighting and the urban setting give this episode an almost film-noir type of look that fits this storyline perfectly. The background art and lighting are perfect here, truly bringing the setting to life. The design of the rats here is also perfect, as they have a delightfully creepy look that helps give this almost a light horror vibe that works quite well. This cartoon also has some great action and suspense scenes. The scene with the elevator is especially exciting and well handled.
If anything works against this cartoon, it is that the short runtime work against it. The segment seems to end as soon as it begins, and this makes the conclusion feel rushed and too easy.
This is the third segment of the twelfth episode of The All-New Super Friends Hour, unlike most other Super Friends formats, this one had hour long episodes that were made up of various shorter cartoons. The first segment would be an adventure staring two members (or three in some cases as Batman and Robin would often team with another Super Friend) of the Super Friends. The second would be a morality play staring the Wonder Twins. The third would be a typical half hour Super Friends adventure. The fourth and last segment would feature one of the main Super Friends teaming up with a special DC Comics guest.
In this cartoon an alien race called the Lionmen want to carve up the planet Earth to sell its resources to the highest bidder.
This is a delightful episode. The villains are a lot of fun. Their designs are excellent as they truly feel other worldly and creative. The voice of their leader is also a great and fun super villain voice. The Lionmen also feel like a real threat to our heroes, and this leads to a good sense of suspense and excitement. The scenes aboard the alien spaceship are especially exciting. The action scenes are a lot of fun as well, providing just the type of superhero fun we have come to expect from this series. These action scenes also do a great job utilizing each and every one of the Super Friends. This episode also benefits from some great artwork. The background art is as wonderful as ever, giving the cartoon a great sci-fi feel. The effects animation is especially excellent here, often giving the episode a larger than life feel.
This is the first segment of the twelfth episode of The All-New Super Friends Hour, unlike most other Super Friends formats, this one had hour long episodes that were made up of various shorter cartoons. The first segment would be an adventure staring two members (or three in some cases as Batman and Robin would often team with another Super Friend) of the Super Friends. The second would be a morality play staring the Wonder Twins. The third would be a typical half hour Super Friends adventure. The fourth and last segment would feature one of the main Super Friends teaming up with a special DC Comics guest star.
In this cartoon Batman and Robin team up with Wonder Woman team up to save Professor Zarkov from mutants from outer space.
This is a fun little sci-fi episode. The outer space setting is delightful and allows the artists to be very creative. The background art is not only wonderful to look at but feels completely other worldly. The designs of the alien creatures are also excellent. They are very creative and add delightfully to the other worldly feel to this episode. The storyline is simple but there is something charming in its simplicity. There is something simply quite satisfying about watching superheroes deal with a sci-fi environment and sci-fi creatures and this episode takes full advantage of this.
This is the third segment of the eleventh episode of The All-New Super Friends Hour, unlike most other Super Friends formats, this one had hour long episodes that were made up of various shorter cartoons. The first segment would be an adventure staring two members (or three in some cases as Batman and Robin would often team with another Super Friend) of the Super Friends. The second would be a morality play staring the Wonder Twins. The third would be a typical half hour Super Friends adventure. The fourth and last segment would feature one of the main Super Friends teaming up with a special DC Comics guest star.
In this episode, the Super Friends must stop some alien robots, who are stealing various objects and kidnapping people to take them to their masters.
This is a delightful episode. Once again there is something just simply satisfying about watching these superheroes fight giant robots. This is such a simple premise, but it is one that is very charming and fun. This allows for some fun action scenes. The design of the robots is very effective and there is a good amount of suspense as they feel like a legitimate threat to our heroes. I also appreciate how the action scenes make good use of every single member of the Super Friends and none of them feel wasted. The episode also features some great and atmospheric background art as Superman travels to the alien planet towards the climax. This episode also features a great twist about the villains behind the robots that is very clever.
This is the first segment of the eleventh episode of The All-New Super Friends Hour, unlike most other Super Friends formats, this one had hour long episodes that were made up of various shorter cartoons. The first segment would be an adventure staring two members (or three in some cases as Batman and Robin would often team with another Super Friend) of the Super Friends. The second would be a morality play staring the Wonder Twins. The third would be a typical half hour Super Friends adventure. The fourth and last segment would feature one of the main Super Friends teaming up with a special DC Comics guest star.
In this short, Professor Amy Zahn creates a formula to make women as physically strong as men. The formula makes her turn fifty feet tall. The experiment affects her mind as well and she goes on a rampage. Batman, Robin and Wonder Woman team up to return her back to normal.
This is a fun episode. The idea of superheroes fighting a giant is something so simple yet charming. This leads to some great action scenes and a good sense of suspense when she captures Batman. The villain herself is again very simple but there is a lot of fun in her simplicity. The moral of this story is a great one about how women and men are already equals and women don't need to change themselves to prove that. The delivery may be a bit didactic but not in a way that distracts from the fun of this cartoon. I will admit though Wonder Woman's joke at the end is a bit of a groaner.
This is the final segment of the tenth episode of The All-New Super Friends Hour, unlike most other Super Friends formats, this one had hour long episodes that were made up of various shorter cartoons. The first segment would be an adventure staring two members (or three in some cases as Batman and Robin would often team with another Super Friend) of the Super Friends. The second would be a morality play staring the Wonder Twins. The third would be a typical half hour Super Friends adventure. The fourth and last segment would feature one of the main Super Friends teaming up with a special DC Comics guest star.
In this cartoon Batman, Robin and Apache Chief work together to help save some scientists in Alaska from an ice monster.
This is a fun cartoon. There is something that is always satisfying about watching superheroes fighting big monsters. The premise is so basic and simply but also really fun. The monster here has a fun design with his glowing red eyes. Yet at the same time there is something in his design that makes him look very sympathetic at the same time. This is a great idea that pays off at the end. This short ends with the monster turning out not to be a bad guy but simply feeling threatened and trying to protect himself and his home. This is a delightful twist that works very well. This episode also benefits from some fun action scenes. The snowy setting allows for some great atmospheric background art.
This is the third segment of the tenth episode of The All-New Super Friends Hour, unlike most other Super Friends formats, this one had hour long episodes that were made up of various shorter cartoons. The first segment would be an adventure staring two members (or three in some cases as Batman and Robin would often team with another Super Friend) of the Super Friends. The second would be a morality play staring the Wonder Twins. The third would be a typical half hour Super Friends adventure. The fourth and last segment would feature one of the main Super Friends teaming up with a special DC Comics guest star.
In this episode, the evil Medula hypnotizes every woman to get rid of all men. She does this so she can create a society controlled by women. The Super Friends do all they can to stop Medula.
This is a wonderful episode. While the delivery of the message may be a little didactic, the message itself is a very good and smart one. The message about the importance of feminism but that important change cannot come through immoral means at the expense of others (which here not only includes getting rid of men but trying to control women to do what she says). Medula is a wonderful villain. She has a wonderful otherworldly design. The eyeballs without pupils for both her and the women she is controlling lends a wonderfully creepy atmosphere (as do the robotic voices of those she is controlling). The voice acting for Mwdula herself is wonderful and quite memorable. She also feels like truly believable threat, and we always feel like our heroes are in danger. There is especially a great sense of suspense when Medula is controlling both Wonder Woman and Jayna. Medula is truly one of the most memorable Super Friends original villains. This episode also benefits from some great and atmospheric background art and some fun action scenes. The way the heroes save the day (I would say spoilers, but this is Super Friends, you know the good guys are going to win) is very clever and perfectly set up.
This is the third segment of the eighth episode of The All-New Super Friends Hour, unlike most other Super Friends formats, this one had hour long episodes that were made up of various shorter cartoons. The first segment would be an adventure staring two members (or three in some cases as Batman and Robin would often team with another Super Friend) of the Super Friends. The second would be a morality play staring the Wonder Twins. The third would be a typical half hour Super Friends adventure. The fourth and last segment would feature one of the main Super Friends teaming up with a special DC Comics guest star.
In this episode a group of insect aliens is banished to Earth because of their crimes. They try to invade the planet so that they can get a weapon to get revenge on their home planet.
This is a really fun episode. The villains are a lot of fun. While their designs may not be the most original (they are somewhat reminiscent of Zorak from Space Ghost), they are very effective, and appealing. Their mind control powers make them feel like a real threat to our heroes and add a good sense of suspense. There are also some good action scenes throughout. I especially love the early action scene with Batman and Robin with the missile. The scenes aboard the plane are also a lot of fun with a good sense of suspense. This episode is also full of the great corny superhero dialogue that I love. A lot of it is reminiscent of the dialogue from the 60's Batman show in the best way. Robin even says, "holy dialogue Batman," when the insects first talk.
This is a delight for those who (like me), love some corny superhero fun.
Hello my friends and happy Saturday morning. Once again it is time for some classic cartoons.
Today's cartoon selection begins with a classic Bugs Bunny film, Baseball Bugs (1946). This short film is a pure classic. Though there have been many funny baseball cartoons, this may be the best. The cartoon is simply one great gag after another. This includes a screaming liner pun that was used before in Porky's Baseball Broadcast (1940). The slow ball gag would later be used in the Bobo the Elephant short, Gone Batty (1954). The batboy gag would later be reused in the Cool Cat cartoon, Bugged by a Bee (1969). This is one of only two Looney Tunes that ends with Bugs popping out of the drum at the end instead of Porky. The other was Hare Tonic (1945). In both these films he states, "And that's the end!" instead of "That's all Folks!" This short was appropriately included in Jerry Beck's book, The 100 Greatest Looney Tunes.
Next comes another masterpiece of a cartoon, Minnie the Moocher (1932) starring the one and only Betty Boop. This cartoon is a pure example of what the Fleischer studio did better than anyone else. The film is full of incredibly creative, surreal and just plain weird gags that are executed to complete perfection. This cartoon is the first of three Bettys to feature jazz singer Cab Calloway (the other two being Snow White (1933) and the Old Man of the Mountain (1933)). In all three of these cartoons, the singer was not only used to sing his song, but his iconic dancing was captured by the dancer via rotoscope. A review in the Film Daily stated "This swell Max Fleischer musical cartoon is the best turned out so far with the cute pen and ink star, Betty Boop, who seems to get more sexy and alluring each time and her boyfriend Bimbo. The musical selection is supplied by Cab Calloway and his orchestra and what these boys can't do to the Minnie the Moocher number is not worth mentioning."
Next comes Mighty Mouse in The Helpless Hippo (1954). This cartoon was directed by Connie Rasinski.
Now for a Walter Lantz Oswald short, A Jungle Jumble (1932). The animators on this film include future legendary cartoon director, Tex Avery (credited as Fred Avery) and Les Kline, who would animate on Walter Lantz cartoons all the way into the 1970's.
Now it is time for a commercial break.
Now for a silent short directed by Walter Lantz before he would become well known as the creator of Woody Woodpecker. His co-director on this film is Clyde Geronimi, who would later direct many films for Disney including being a co-director on the feature films, Cinderella (1950), Alice in Wonderland (1951), Peter Pan (1953), Lady and the Tramp (1955), Sleeping Beauty (1959) and One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1960). So, enjoy The Leopard's Spots (1925).
Now for Donald Duck in How to Have an Accident at Home (1956). This was the first of four planned safety films by the Disney studio. These films would teach about how to prevent accidents in various environments by showing you the wrong way to do things. Donald Duck himself was given the "privilege" of showing us the wrong way in these films. Each cartoon would feature Donald going through various slapstick mishaps and the audience would learn from his mistakes. Story man Roy Williams (who old TV fans might know for being the Big Mouseketeer on The Mickey Mouse Club) began working on ideas for these films in 1953. This cartoon would begin production in 1954 but wouldn't see movie screens until 1956. Much of the animation in this short was done by former effects artist Jerry Hathcock. He animated the opening scene, Donald in traffic (with Earl Combs), Donald reading, Donald trying to nail the picture to the wall, Donald lighting his pipe, Donald falling with the fishbowl, Donald in the bathroom, Donald's accident with cleaning fluid and the closing scene. Earl Combs animates Donald in traffic (with Jerry Hathcock), Donald's landing after falling with the fishbowl and Donald having trouble with the chair's springs. George Nicholas animates Donald avoiding the piano and the kid on the bike, Donald falling down the stairs in slow motion and Donald with the TV set. Volus Jones animates fate lecturing while Donald has trouble with the toaster. Bob Bemiller and Ed Solomon animate Donald fixing the stairs, plugs, and throw rug. Ed Solomon also animates Donald entering the dynamite plant. There would only be one more of these safety films to follow, How to Have an Accident at Work (1959), the other two would never be completed.
Now we join Donkey Kong in Mississippi Madness (1983). This cartoon comes from a TV Show called Saturday Supercade. Each episode of this show was made up of multiple cartoons based on popular video game characters. Other video game characters featured in this show included Frogger, Donkey Kong Jr., Q*bert, Space Ace, Kangaroo and Pitfall Harry. In this cartoon, Donkey Kong is voiced by Soupy Sales, a comedian best known for his TV work in the 1950's and 60's. Mario is voiced by Peter Cullen, best known as the voice of Optimus Prime in Transformers.
Now to end today's cartoon selection with a very educational film.
Thanks for joining me. Come back next week for more animated treasures. Until then may all your tunes be looney and your melodies merry.
Resources Used
The 100 Greatest Looney Tunes edited by Jerry Beck.
Though Batman Begins (2005) and The Dark Knight (2008) were such massive hits with both audiences and critics, director Christopher Nolan was hesitant to make another movie in this series. However, after he, his brother (Jonathan Nolan) and David S. Goyer had come up with a storyline that they felt was a good conclusion to the series, he decided to come back one more time, knowing this would be his last Batman film and the ending of a trilogy.
This film's storyline is inspired by such classic Batman stories as Knightfall, The Dark Knight Returns and No Man's Land. Yet it avoids being direct adaption of any of these stories. In this movie, after the events of The Dark Knight, Bruce Wayne has retired from being Batman and has become a reclose that hardly anyone has ever seen. However, he may have to not only come out of hiding but also dawn his cape and cowl again, when a terrorist named Bane (who may have a connection to Ra's al Ghul and the League of Shadows) descends upon Gotham. Batman may or may not find an unlikely ally in a skilled cat burglar named Selina Kyle, who has run afoul of the wrong people.
Though this may not quite reach the heights of the previous two films, it is a darn good movie in its own right. Even after facing The Joker in the last movie, this film truly makes Bane feel like Batman's greatest adversary. He feels like something much greater than anything The Dark Knight has faced before. He is not only Batman's physical superior, but he is also his intellectual equal. In this way, the film makes up for the awful representation of the character in Batman and Robin (1997). Meanwhile, Anne Hathaway makes from a wonderful Cat Woman, capturing all the sexy charm of this character. The filmmakers also perfectly understand how this character can be a villain at times and a hero at others. This movie allows her to be both and handles this perfectly. At the same time Christian Bale continues to be a great Batman and Bruce Wayne, giving a truly great performance. Christian Bale and Anne Hathaway have wonderful chemistry together and every scene they share is fantastic. This movie also boasts the finest action scenes of the trilogy, and this still remains a very atmospheric take on Gotham City.
However this movie does have some major problems. The main one is Tom Hardy's voice as he plays Bane. While people have made fun of Christian Bale's Batman voice, it is nowhere near as distracting as Bane's voice. Speaking of Bane, not all the attempt to tie his origin story to Ra's al Ghul doesn't always work, especially the twist towards the end. This twist towards the end kind of takes away from how great a villain he is for most of the movie. The ending of this movie also doesn't work for me as it feels too convenient way to end this story and to me doesn't fully fit the character of Batman. There is also a moment towards the end that feels almost too cute and therefore out of place in this dark and more realistically grounded trilogy. Yet in my mind everything that is great about this movie easily overcomes its flaws.
This movie was once again a major box office success. Worldwide it became the seventh highest-grossing film of all time (at the time it was released) and the third highest grossing film of 2012. Critics praised the film (though not to the same extent as the last two movies), giving it overwhelmingly positive reviews.
2008 may be the most important year for superhero films in this year both The Dark Knight and Iron Man came out. Iron Man gave birth to the MCU and began the concept of a connected cinematic universe. Meanwhile The Dark Knight showed that superhero movies do not have to be made with kids in mind. While this film receives a PG-13 rating, there is little to nothing in this dark and disturbing film for younger Batman fans. This is obviously a pre-cursor to many adult-aimed superhero movies including those with an R rating. Roger Ebert stated, "This film, and to a lesser degree 'Iron Man,' redefine the possibilities of the 'comic-book movie.'" It is hard to argue with Ebert's comment.
In this film after proving himself to many in Batman Begins(2005), Batman must now face a threat like he has never known before. Gotham is being terrorized by a new villain in clown make-up known as The Joker. The only method to Joker's madness is madness itself. Meanwhile the new distract attorney Harvey Dent is providing the city with new hope and giving Bruce Wayne the hope that one day he may not have to be Batman anymore. Hoping to make Gotham descend into pure madness, The Joker sets his sights on Harvey.
With his second Batman film, director and co-writer Christopher Nolan (along with his co-writer and brother Jonathan Nolan) delves into everything that made his first movie stand out and expands on it. Doing this he creates one of the best Batman films. This movie is darker and gritter than the first film. It also sets the action in a much more realistically grounded world. This movie takes Batman into a post-9-11 America world, brilliantly reflecting the fears and anxieties of a modern world. Nolan also expands upon the first film's exploration of what Batman should stand for. While Batman Begins shows that Batman must be a symbol to inspire Gotham. Yet here, Bruce begins to question whether or not he has inspired Gotham in a good way. There are scenes with various Gotham citizens dressing up as Batman and trying to take the law into their own hands. The scene where the Joker interrogates one of these citizens is chilling and really makes us question whether Batman is truly the best solution to Gotham's corruption. Though Batman is clearly the hero of this movie, he is not always morally correct. Towards the climax he has one action that is extremely morally questionable. This creates something more complex than your average superhero film; while never having you turn against the hero.
Much has been made of Heath Ledger's performance as The Joker. Beforehand many doubted that Ledger could pull off this character. Yet when the film came out his performance was almost universally praised. The fact that Ledger had died at the age of 28 before the film's release helped give this performance an almost mythical quality for many. Watching this film today, his performance is just as wonderful. While his interpretation of The Joker differs quite a bit from the comic book character, he is incredibly dynamic, and he commands the screen whenever he is on. Yet I feel it is unfortunate that Ledger's performance tends to overshadow Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent and Two-Face. To me he is the dark beating heart that drives this movie and Eckhart's performance is simply incredible. This character and the great performance by Eckhart help drive this movie to something greater, more powerful and more tragic than your average superhero film.
This movie was a greater hit than anyone could have imagined. It became the highest grossing movie of 2008. At the time it was the fourth highest grossing movie ever and the highest grossing superhero film. It stand the test of time and is still a masterpiece making not only one of the best Batman movies but one of Nolan's best films.
