Saturday, August 9, 2008

Could a new "Bugs Bunny Show" really happen?

Thanks to John Kricfalusi for responding to my last post and easing my fears a little bit. Essentially, his idea is to pitch the idea to Warner Bros. of creating new wraparound animation to showcase the classic cartoons in a show not unlike the original "Bugs Bunny Show". His version, though, would go for more of a 1940's/Bob Clampett-esque feel and include more of the earlier shorts. (For those who don't know, Warner didn't have access to their pre-1948 library in 1960, so Jones, Freleng and McKimson were unable to include any of that stuff in the original show.)

Disney did a pretty decent job with their characters on "The House of Mouse", though they also created new cartoon shorts to go along with it, with only the occasional classic thrown in. But nobody's tried a new Bugs show, aside from some awful clip-show specials in the 1980's. If done right, it could definitely work. A Las Vegas roulette game offers better odds than those of this actually happening, but it's fun to imagine, whether it's Johnk K., or Spike Brandt and Tony Cervone, or Paul Dini and Bruce Timm, or somebody else entirely.

And I couldn't resist drawing my own ideas...



7 comments:

J. J. Hunsecker said...

It would be nice if the Looney Tunes were back on prime time TV for a new generation to enjoy.

Anonymous said...

I've never understood why Warner Bros. hasn't thought of reviving the concept of "The Bugs Bunny Show" with new wraparounds - it seems like a great idea, especially as a way to re-introduce the classic cartoons to a new generation.

Anonymous said...

Nice drawinfs. Did you draw those and then scan them, or did you make them by computer?

Anonymous said...

I can only dream of either seeing the Looney Tunes on TV for the first time in several years, or like you said, a brand new Bugs Bunny Show for the kids and adults of the 21st century and beyond. End of rant.

Anonymous said...

The classic cartoons easily stand on their own without new wraparounds.

I love John K's work, but when it comes to the Looney Tunes I prefer to enjoy the legacy of Termite Terrace without fillers or byproducts.

Ricardo Cantoral said...

Good effort. Just remember to use tighter construction by taking advantage of basic shapes and proportion lines. ;)

J Lee said...

As long as John stayed close to the Clampett/Jones/Freleng style and didn't lurch towards the Ralph Bakshi look that has hampered his other character revivals I wouldn't have a problem with the new wraparounds. But I would hope there was a producer above him who who have an equal knowledge of the shorts and would be there to keep things from going off the rails.

John does have an honest love of the Warner shorts even outside Clampett's work, but his recent efforts remind me more of Ralph's more frantic efforts of the 60s combined with today's cartoon sensibilities (which John basically created). That means characters with very broad poses doing things the Hays Office would have never allowed Leon's boys to get away with, and when over-used, just are boring to watch after the first viewing (which is why butt gags from the WB cartoons, like the ones Bob snuck through in "An Itch In Time" or "The Henpecked Duck", are far more fun to watch than the more heavy-handed and obvious stuff in modern cartoons, where once it's established that none of the suits care if you use those types of gags, it's time to find some funnier things to animate).

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