Snoop Dogg originally had a cameo in It’s a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie, but after backlash from various groups due to his recent porn work (specifically Girls Gone Wild) the scene was cut
Kermit the Frog was asked about it during an interview on The Late Late Show
"Red Hot Riding Hood" (1943)
A sequence so famous (or infamous, if you're the censors) that it's been replicated, homaged or outright ripped off in countless pieces of animation. The reaction shots of the Wolf are still as funny as they were 80 years ago.
It probably helps that A Goofy Movie is a stronger film than 95% of what made up the "Disney Renaissance" (an era that Disney coincidentally shuts this film out of in spite of this).
They tried to recapture it with the HBO Max run of new shorts, but modern mics/audio equipment do a lot to remove the overpowering sound of those yells.
In this version, The Grinch loves Max and treats him with respect, regularly goes down to Whoville and interacts with its citizens, only hates Christmas because he was an orphan and is 100% sympathetic when he sees the reindeer he captured has a family.
(So he's not the Grinch)
This rough drawing by Steven Hillenburg is what would slowly morph into this wonderful close-up painting of SpongeBob in Season 3's "SpongeGuard on Duty" (2002)
apparently this was sold as a live Willy Wonka Experience but they used all AI images on the website to sell tickets and then people showed up and saw this and it got so bad people called the cops lmao
To say they played the long game with this one would be underselling it. For a decade worth of episodes, Eddy's brother was constantly alluded to and sometimes even integral to an episode ("A Star is Ed"). Only in the finale, after 10 years, do you actually see him.
He's a dick.
Tom's singing of "Is You Is or Is You Ain't My Baby" in 1946's "Solid Serenade" was provided by African-American singer Ira Woods, who spent most of his career in minor film roles. Woods' singing combined with Ken Muse's animation make for easily the most iconic take on the song.
Jeffrey Katzenberg wanted Steve Martin as Goofy instead of Bill Farmer. When that didn't go, he then told Farmer to perform the character using his regular voice.
Jeffrey is an idiot.
Eric Goldberg's animation of Rabbit trying his hardest not to lose his shit sells it. Most of the funniest bits in modern Disney can usually be attributed to him.
Concept art for Lilo & Stitch (2002) by co-director Chris Sanders. Proving that not EVERY Disney film has to look completely different from what was drawn at the conceptual level.
Fun fact: The original version of this was going to play on the idea of WB being so empty on originality that they'd turn to an AI to get their ideas.
WB didn't like that, so they switched to a director who would play the ideas completely straight, with no satire whatsoever.
Adjusted for inflation, let's look at how previous Disneys would be budgeted in 2023:
Bambi - $16M
Fantasia - $50M
Sleeping Beauty - $63M
The Little Mermaid - $99M
But 2D is too expensive, right Jen?
Here's a prime example of why David Mirkin's run on Simpsons was so special. A regular sitcom would have Patty & Selma gossip about Marge's pregnancy and then cut to Homer finding out. Here? They instead go as over the top as possible and commit to the bit 100%.
8 characters are showcased in this two minute stretch of "Rhapsody in Blue" (1999). No dialogue required, as the animation gives these characters such distinct personalities that you immediately know what the lives of these people are like. The entire segment operates like this.
A scene like this works so much better than the bullshit 10-15 minutes of characters moping around you're expected to put in every U.S. animated film.
The Eds do in this scenario what nobody ever does in most of this films: TALK IT OUT
On the commentary, Bird talks about his distaste for how action in animation often never involves or even references death/injuries of any kind, so it feels alien cuz any palpable urgency is removed. This scene gets rid of any notion that this film will shy away from that.
They don't know you, and you don't know them.
Never idolize any creative, because you're only setting yourself up for disappointment. Just in this set of images, I can tell you not everyone here is a saint.
This is probably the highlight of this entire film where the animation is concerned. Every drawing of Yzma's crazed eyes are as hilarious as Eartha Kitt's performancd, and the timing is frame-perfect. Stevan Wahl animates the shots of her going down the hill.
"Samurai Quack" (2005)
Dodgers' guide is both modeled after AND voiced by the goat himself, Genndy Tartakovsky. He's only in this brief scene, but I just find it funny that they bothered to get him at all.
I wonder if anything like this candy bar sequence in "Rock Bottom" (2000) had been done before in cartoons. The comedic timing here is truly impeccable, and it's one of many scenes that make S1 of SpongeBob so timeless to go back to.
Comedic duos that rarely—if ever—get into conflict with each other are extremely hard to make actually funny, but I think Sam & Max have always been a perfect example of how great it can be when done properly.
"Daffy's Rhapsody" (2012)
These Reel FX shorts are the only CGI Looney Tunes I accept. Properly cartoony and faithful to the original designs.
Note: This is the theatrical cut, which featured Billy West as Elmer, additional SFX and a full orchestral score by Christopher Lennertz.
"Fear of A Krabby Patty" (2005)
C.H. Greenblatt's funniest contribution to SB, and one of several S4 entries that could fit right at home in the first 3 seasons. It's impressive how many great expressions got packed into this one, and all in service of equally hilarious dialogue!
The ending of "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" (1988) features an insane shot of about 20 characters all running toward the — moving — camera. Here, they're all animated by one man: Andreas Deja. He had to make sure everyone remained "in-character", and damn if he didn't pull it off.
Came to the realization that A Goofy Movie is about the only film adaptation of an animated property that managed to permanently redefine its characters. It took what worked about the source material and properly updated it, and how many adaptations can you say THAT about?
Update: We have the cartoon in beautifully restored form now! Now we can properly appreciate this sequence and Abe Levitow's terrific animation on Daffy.
This sequence in "Beanstalk Bunny" (1955, dir. Chuck Jones) is one of my favorite pieces of character acting in all of animation. Flawlessly highlights Daffy's neuroticism while offsetting that with Bugs' total nonchalance.
"One for The Road" (2002)
Wonderful tribute to Chuck Jones' Looney Tunes work, written by Dan Slott & gorgeously drawn by Dave Alvarez. The choice to center it on the two most iconic characters Jones created was perfect.
(1/2)
It's ironic that the studio whos biggest franchiseis revolved around supervillains were too scared to make THE GRINCH villainous at all. I guess if he was a real piece of shit like in the Chuck Jones or Ron Howard versions, the iHop deals wouldn't have sold as well lol
"Blooper Bunny" (1991)
Refreshingly cynical cartoon, and a great reminder as to why these characters so beloved: They're all huge assholes to each other. I think people can relate to that more than characters that are "nice" most of the time.
Very happy that people can now revisit Season 4 of SpongeBob and realize the idea that it turned into a totally different (and by extension, worse) show during that time was never true. Often was AS funny as 1-3, yet since different names were involved that made it "not the same"
JOHNNY REHAB!
Very gorgeous animated sequence in Robocop 3 (1993)
Directed by Simpsons veteran David Silverman, & animated by Bret Haaland and Gregg Vanzo.
Animation veteran Frans Vischer's (Cats Don't Dance, Mickey's Christmas Carol, Roger Rabbit) take on Wish. Important to see an animator pinpoint the exact problems with the animation itself, since the regular viewer might not know how to get across those specific critiques.
Bugs Bunny turns 83 today! Here's arguably one of the most famous endings in comedy (and certainly animated comedy) from 1949's "Long-Haired Hare". Everyone and their mother knows and loves this cartoon, for good reason.
the Fleischer Popeye's are a perfect example of how improvising can really elevate a short. The animation in "Goonland" (1938) is obviously fantastic, but Jack Mercer's constant asides to the audience help keep things from ever getting stale.
The sign that Disney's in the shitter is when they repackage episodes of a TV show and call it a "sequel". These guys really dusted off the DisneyToon Studios playbook for this one 💀
"Runaway Brain" (1995)
Chris Bailey directed the fuck outta this one. So many more dynamic shots during the action that make it feel way more cinematic than the avrage Mickey cartoon. This whole short was animated by a small team in France, and they knocked it outta the park.
It's a shame this goes against the whole point of the special because it's one of the first times i've seen something recapture Chuck Jones' art style convincingly that WASN'T Looney Tunes related. Hats off to the animation team, they really got a lot of the '60s Jones-isms down.
One of the reasons why Lilo & Stitch was among the few post-'90s 2D Disney's from to perform well financiallh was the marketing campaign. They really played up that Stitch himself would be a more offbeat protagonist for the studio, and he WAS. Same with the film overall, really.
One of Mel Blanc's last lines as Porky (it could very well be THE last, as far as time of release is concerned) in "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" (1988). Porky is animated by Andreas Deja, Tinker Bell is reused Les Clark animation from one of the Wonderful World of Disney intros.
Season 4 had HITS and it's insane that it took so long for a lot of fans to realize how great these were. Glad people have come around on it the last few years.
"Fear of A Krabby Patty" (2005)
C.H. Greenblatt's funniest contribution to SB, and one of several S4 entries that could fit right at home in the first 3 seasons. It's impressive how many great expressions got packed into this one, and all in service of equally hilarious dialogue!
So many "adult" cartoons out there and yet none of them have the balls to shit on modern dictators the way guys at Warner Bros. or MGM would.
Putting "ADOLF HITLER COMMITS SUICIDE" in your cartoon several years before he actually did it? Doesn't get much funnier than that.
Wonderful bit of character acting in this sequence from The Incredibles where Bob lies to Helen about his job sending him to a "conference". Animated by Kureha Yokoo, both characters feel 100% in the moment, and their emotions realistically change as the conversation continues.
It arrived... HEY GUYS! This is Buddy! He's the worst character in the Looney Tunes catalogue and and one of the lamest cartoon characters in general! He got replaced by a pig and a cat! The Warner Bros beat the shit out of him and drove him crazy!
for Tony the Tiger's 50th anniversary, several character designers got together in an attempt to sell Kelloggs on bringing back Tony's earliest design. Here's some of the drawings Craig Kellman did for that pitch!
I haven't gone back to the Beetlejuice cartoon in years to see if it holds up, but I do know this: It has one of the coolest television intros i've ever seen.
"Back in Action" (2003) doesn't truly work on the whole—the live-action inarguably brings it down, it's a nonsensical distraction—but sequences like this really do show what the film could've been if it were fully animated. Goldberg really was the perfect choice to direct.
Emperor's New Groove was pitched as "a Chuck Jones cartoon, but faster paced", and all involved understood that idea perfectly. This sequence with Kuzco & Bucky is amusing on paper, but when the timing is as sharp as it is? It gets a big laugh every time.
Most directors probably wouldn't choose to start this film with such a cinematic opening. More impressive is the fact that it works perfectly. Gorgeous stuff.
A Goofy Movie is wonderful, and it has a lot more worth returning to than many of the "official" Disney animated films.
"Bonafide Heroes" (2005)
A very cute fourth-wall break serves as the final scene of the show. It's fun to see Alaskey & Bergen appear as themselves, albeit briefly. Both of them have always done Blanc justice as both Daffy & Porky. RIP Joe Alaskey.
@MalcmanIsHere
Fun fact, there was originally a joke in the film where Bugs thanks one of the Warner executives for saving the company from the AOL merger.
Maybe this film was more ahead of its time than critics gave it credit for, lol.
8 years ago, one of the best to ever do it passed away. If it isn't Mel Blanc, it's Joe Alaskey I always hear whenever I think of Daffy Duck or Sylvester.
R.I.P.
The climax of "Stimpy's Invention" (1992) is the perfect end to easily the strongest entry in the series.
Stimpy's unknowing torment of Ren mixes perfectly with the batshit insanity of the song itself, and the work of the animators (credits below) just brings it all together.
Question: If you're gonna hire veteran layout artists to draw your cartoons (something that's been a luxury in TV animation for decades) only to alter their drawings so they look worse.......why even spend the money?
Would love to see some examples of scenes in animated films that were animated by the directors themselves. Example: Here's a gorgeous sequence from Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003), designed & animated by director Eric Goldberg starting at 0:08.
Seeing audience reactions for films as old as Space Jam is always fascinating to me.
This IS one of the few funny bits in the film so good to see it played well with an audience!
I envy anyone who's gotten a chance to see "Magical Maestro" (1952) with an audience solely because of this one joke. This entire short is Tex Avery throwing as much shit at the wall as possible to get a laugh, and it works wonders.
HOW COOL IS THIS?! Scientists have discovered a new way to destroy cancer cells. By stimulating aminocyanine molecules with near-infrared light, cancer cells vibrate in sync, enough to break apart their membranes. These “molecular jackhammers” DESTROYED 99% of cancer cells! 🧵⬇️
It's always been cool that fictitious characters have gotten stars on the Walk of Fame. Kermit the Frog and Bugs Bunny are as ubiquitous as any live-action actor, after all!
Daffy Duck still doesn't have one, and y'know what? It might be funnier that way.
So all of the stupid shit with the IP characters being shoved into what should've been a Looney Tunes film, originally WOULD'VE been made fun of for how hacky it was. But, since jokes at the studios expense were forbidden, all that was nixed.
I know people are sad that Genndy Tartakovsky's Popeye never went anywhere, but given that these were the kinds of suggestions the execs (Amy Pascal specifically in the second image) overseeing production wanted to push.....we probably dodged a bullet.
Yes! Andy Knight directed this kinetic intro for the block of Tom & Jerry shorts on CN back in 1999. A lot of action packed into just 50 seconds, but not too much to where it becomes hyperactive. Another gem from '90s Cartoon Network.
Shane was responsible for designing the facial animation in Coraline. Essentially, every single expression you see in the finished film, and how each character looks from any given angle, came from one of Shane's drawings. Here's just a couple from the thousands he drew:
Shane Prigmore has been named Senior Creative Advisor for Warner Bros Pictures Animation. He will also direct a film for the studio.
Prigmore has previously won 2 Annie Awards for his work on ‘CORALINE’ and ‘THE CROODS’.