Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue

Drugs are bad, m'kay! Well we all know that certain drugs are bad for us but in the late 80's and early 90's the animation studios teamed up to tackle the issue head on with Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue. The cartoon features:

  • ALF
  • Alvin and the Chipmunks: Alvin, Simon, Theodore
  • Ducktales: Huey, Dewey, and Louie
  • Garfield and Friends: Garfield
  • Looney Tunes: Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck
  • Muppet Babies: Baby Kermit, Baby Miss Piggy and Baby Gonzo
  • The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh: Pooh and Tigger
  • The Real Ghostbusters: Slimer
  • The Smurfs: Papa Smurf, Hefty Smurf and Brainy Smurf
  • Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Michaelangelo

Quite the smorgasbord of animated characters I'm sure you'll agree. Well here is the animated song sequence created by the team behind The Little Mermaid. If you like what you see watch the whole episode on YouTube.

Jeff Smith Signing at Orbital Comics, London

Jeff Smith is an American cartoonist, best known as the creator of the comic book series Bone. This series won many awards including ten Eisner Awards and eleven Harvey Awards.  Now you can meet him at Orbital Comics in London, on Monday 20th October 2014 from 5pm onwards. He will be signing comics and graphic novels and meeting his many many fans.

Several years ago I was lucky enough to meet Mr Smith and get him to draw and sign my one edition Bone Collection Graphic Novel in Forbidden Planet. Whilst he was drawing Bone and writing a personal message in my graphic novel, I told him how as a teacher I had many comics in my class to encourage disengaged pupils to be drawn into the fantastical worlds that the comic books offered. Mr Smith was very friendly and encouraging and said he agreed. After meeting him I checked further online and found that he had created many informative educational packs explaining how graphic novels could be used to promote reading. He has created a pack of resources similar to the ones book clubs have where deeper level understanding and discussion of a text was encouraged. With many reluctant readers this pack was invaluable and helped me develop my reciprocal reading approach in my class. This is all by the by but if you are free meet a genuinely friendly and wonderful man who does much to promote literacy across the world. I am in meeting until late unfortunately but I'll be there in spirit!

TMNT Movie is Surprisingly Okay

It's been 25 years since the first Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie and whilst not the biggest fan of the TV show or comics as a kid, I remember the years of Turtlemania well. So how does the new movie fare? Well I have to say I went in very skeptical and emerged pleasantly surprised.

The first half of the movie looks at the mythology of the Turtles and Splinter. We are told, in quite a bit of exposition, that the project that created the four  heroes was codenamed “Renaissance” so they were named after Italian painters. We are then given insight into April O'Neil's youth and how her father worked to create a Mutagen for the betterment of humanity but was killed in a fire started by the Footclan.

The movie really gets going once April meets the Turtles and visits their lair, the Footclan follow close behind and start attacking. The action then goes typically boombastic with lots of Bay explosions and action, the high point being the downhill snow chase. There is reveal about the truth of the fire that killed Aprils father but it's not that important.

I won't go into too much detail but the movie was fun but instantly forgettable stuff. Megan Fox is fine as April and Will Arnett is okay but no-one is going to get an Oscar here. The movie marks a welcome return of many peoples' childhood favourites but for one who was never the biggest fan, it's an okay movie.

GTA: This Is Why We Video Gaming

Jonathan Mann is a talented spoken word poet and based on Leigh Alexanders review of GTA 5 has created a funny song about the game.

Super Mario Bros: The 8-bit Opera

There have been many skits, spoofs and memes done about Mario but never have I ever seen an Opera done in it's name.... until now. Somewhere in Opera Heaven Pavarotti is smiling I'm sure!

Ulysses 31 Soundtrack Medley

The 80's were an amazing time for cartoons and one of the finest is Ulysses 31. It tells a story similar to Homer's The Odyssey. The series is quite dark and the story is amazing but the real standout for me was the dramatic music by Denny Crockett and Ike Egan.

Check out this phenomenal medley of Ulysses 31 tracks... it rocks!

Metlife Cartoon Superbowl Advert

Don't know who Metlife are but man they make a mean commercial... a lot of the old classics are here. Can you identify them all?

Twin Peaks Coming Back in 2016!

I am pleased to announce that Twin Peaks will return in 2016. The announcement was made by Showtime over the weekend, following hints in tweets sent by David Lynch and Mark Frost, the creators of the show. I for one am excited as this series is my favourite television series of all time (after 'Mysterious Cities of Gold' that is)

To quote Showtime:

The groundbreaking television phenomenon, Golden Globe® and Peabody Award-winner TWIN PEAKS will return as a new limited series on SHOWTIME in 2016. Series creators and executive producers David Lynch and Mark Frost will write and produce all nine episodes of the limited series, and Lynch will direct every episode. Set in the present day, TWIN PEAKS will continue the lore of the original series, providing long-awaited answers and a satisfying conclusion for the series’ passionate fan base.

For viewers hoping to reminisce or for those discovering the series for the first time, SHOWTIME will re-air the first two seasons of TWIN PEAKS, in advance of the new episodes going on air in 2016.

Widely considered one of the most groundbreaking and influential broadcast series of all time, TWIN PEAKS followed the inhabitants of a quaint northwestern town who were stunned after their homecoming queen Laura Palmer is shockingly murdered. The town's sheriff welcomed the help of FBI agent Dale Cooper, who came to town to investigate the case. As Cooper conducted his search for Laura's killer, the town's secrets were gradually exposed. The mystery that ensued set off an eerie chain of events that plunged the inhabitants of Twin Peaks into a darker examination of their very existence. Twenty-five years later, the story continues...

Star Trek vs Marvel

I'm a big Lasertime fan and this is one of my favourite clips from their show. They look at the most unnecessarily verbose titles in the history of mankind from Star Trek and Marvel. Some of the titles sound like something Troy McClure would star in!

Naked Gun GTA IV Style

We all love Naked Gun right? Well someone has created a GTA IV vid in the style of Naked Gun... worth a look!

The Tintin Shop, London

The Adventures of Tintin is a series of comic albums created by Belgian cartoonist Georges Remi (1907–1983), who wrote under the pen name Hergé. The series was one of the most popular comics all time, in fact by the time of the centenary of Hergé's birth in 2007, Tintin had been published in more than 70 languages with sales of more than 200 million copies.

The Tintin Book Rocket stood in the middle of the children's section in my library and I loved it.

I have loved Tintin ever since I went to my local library and saw the books all stored in the rocket from Destination Moon and Explorers on the Moon. I read and reread the books many times over, watched the cartoons series and seen the movie. As a young boy Tintin was someone who took me on adventures, there were mysteries to be solved and fun to be had. My favourite stories were the two parters, my favourite character was Captain Haddock and I loved appearances from Jolyon Wagg and Prince Abdullah.

The entire Tintin collection!

I was hoping to visit the Hergé Museum in Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium but didn't get a chance over the Summer. So whilst searching on the internet for places in London to get my fix of Tintin I came across a website for the Tintin Shop in Covent Garden. That's what I like about London, I've lived near there for most of my life yet there are still amazing places I don't know about and discover. The shop was started in 1984 and contains books, models, t-shirts, ceramics and posters. I went there yesterday and was so excited to see the items on sale there. I bought myself a t-shirt and promised myself that once I got paid next week that I would go back to get more.

Mysterious Cities of Gold Season 2 Review

The original Mysterious Cities of Gold series was a French- Japanese co-produced animation by Dic Entertainment and Studio Pierrot. The series premiered in Japan on NHK on 29 June 1982 and ran weekly for 39 episodes.

I first caught the series on BBC 1 in the early 80s and was beguiled by the mythical adventure story of a young Spanish boy named Esteban who joins a voyage to the New World in search of the lost Cities of Gold and his father. The impressive looking background art, sharply drawn characters, and the beautiful soundtrack kept me entranced throughout the whole series, becoming my favourite programme of all time. It informed my formative years and introduced me to the wonders of the ancient world including the Incas, Aztecs, Atlantis and El Dorado. Even at the age of 33 I still regularly revisit the programme every year and I can attest to the fact that it still holds up as an impressive piece of work.

There has been talk of a second series for years and preliminary plans were laid however it never materialised. However with the re-release of the series on DVD in 2008 and increased interest in the new series were finally put into production. Debuting on the Kix Channel in December the second series finally landed. So how does it fare compared to the original?

At the end of the original series the children had only found one of the seven lost cities of gold, yet the conclusion was oddly satisfying in an open-ended way. Well the second series is a continuation rather than a reboot, so with the same character designs and story the series picks from the end of series one; The three children and Mendoza, Pedro and Sancho heading to China in search of the next lost city of gold and the truth about Esteban’s father.

On the whole I really did enjoy the new series but felt that it lacked the atmosphere and awe that was present in the original series. The voice actors were passable, however I did feel that Mendoza sounded angry or annoyed a lot of the time, a shift from his can-do attitude from the first series. Also the synth music from the discovery parts and key events made each new discovery super special. The music that dropped when the adventurers find the Solaris and Golden Condor still sends shivers down my spine. I felt that in this new series moments of emotive music and silence from the characters would have carried greater gravitas than the exposition from the characters.

China is well represented in the series with beautiful background artwork.

The team still go on awe inspiring adventures which draw you in.

The series does take a little while to get going, the first 10 or so episodes are very slow paced but the series does pick up and from episode 16 onwards I had those moment of awe and wonder, much like I felt nearly 25 years ago when I first saw the first series.

I'll leave you with one of my favourite youtube videos, this is St. Elmos Fire, the piece of music by Haim Saban and Shuki Levi. This music swells in the series when there are moments of discovery... the new series was missing these moments but does stand well as a continuation. Roll on series 3!

Child of the 90's: Internet Explorer Advert

'You grew up. So did we. Reconnect with the new Internet Explorer'.... That's the tagline for this advert by Explorer. I like the advert but prefer Chrome and Mozilla though thanks!

Futurecop! N.A.S.A. Set to Classic 80's movies.

There is a warm and fuzzy feeling that emanates from my heart that feels like unconditional love when I watch films from my childhood, it reminds me of the long summers hanging with my friends, playing amazing computer games and watching the phenomenal films. Hugothejuego has created a mashup of classic 80s films with the sounds of Futurecops! N.A.S.A, a wonderful slice of synth nostalgia. You have to see this video, it will leave a smile on your face and that warm feeling in your heart.

Edgecraft

Minecraft has inspired many people to recreate games that they like in the Minecraft style, and here we have one of the best. Michael Trikosko has recreated the world of Mirrors Edge, with its clean cut lines and flashes of red. I've linked to his video but the game is playable and there are many 'Lets Plays' of the game on YouTube.

Nicolas Cage Losing His Shizzle

Ah Nicolas Cage.... the man is a walking enigma. Sometimes amazing but often not, I mean have you seen his version of 'The Wicker Man?'

Well some enterprising fellow has made a compilation video of the man losing his shizzle! Set to Clint Mansell's Requiem for a Dream Theme this really is an astonishing montage.

Duck Tales with Real Ducks

Duck Tales was one of my cartoon highlights from the 80's. I have fond memories of waking up on Saturday morning and watching the show with my older brother. Well now someone has taken their love of Duck Tales to new extremes, recreating the entire opening of the show with REAL ducks... yup, REAL ducks. Enjoy!

Sonic the Hedgehog Fan Movie is Amazing!

Sonic the Hedgehog is a revered character, even though in my opinion there hasn't been a good game since his 2D heyday. However there is a HUGE fanbase and several fans have got together to make a live action Sonic film. Check the video out for yourself.

Leigh Alexander and Gaming Journalism

Leigh Alexander is a games journalist who writes articles on gaming culture, her work has appeared in a variety of websites and publications including Edge, Gamasutra and Kotaku. She is a wonderful writer who shares her views, opinions, thoughts and feeling freely however her writing can be somewhat divisive. I follow her on Twitter and like her insights and interesting articles, but there is a large contingent in the gaming community who don't like the things she says or the way she expresses things. This has most recently come to light with GamerGate, where many gamers have tried to reclaim the label 'gamer' and tried to hold gaming journalism to account, however many have attacked Leigh and specific women with a disproportionate amount of abuse, which is disgraceful and unfair (for an excellent article on GamerGate I would recommend you read Tadhg Kelly's article linked below.)

It is a shame as I have read many of her articles and more recently her e-published books 'Breathing Machine: A Memoir of Computers' and 'Clipping Through.'

In 'Breathing Machine: A Memoir of Computers' she talks about her experiences of growing up alongside the emergence of the internet. For someone of my age or similar (33 just so you know) her experiences are similar enough to mine to stir up some nostalgia for a time when technology seemed so so powerful, so exciting and so complex. It's a wonderful journey through a childhood where meeting people on chat-rooms, receiving e-mails and searching online in long forgotten search engines will seem  familiar to anyone who grew up around the inception of the internet.

The authors other book, 'Clipping Through' is a a very personal read, giving first hand insights about the journalistic side of the gaming industry. Leigh provides a remarkably open and personal perspective of attending the week long GDC 2014 Conference. She discusses her thoughts and fears with us and describes the stress that comes with the job. The e-book is a simple read clocking in at under 90 pages. Of particular interest to me were the chapters that included the awkwardness of seeing Ken Levine, the developer and writer of Bioshock Infinite, a game she lambasted but in my opinion fairly so. She also talks about meeting her hero Koji Igarashi, creator of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night and how she found it hard to create a bond. Leigh also shares her theory about Metal Gear Solid 4 and why the GDC Award ceremony is not that great for gaming.

Leigh Alexander is a refreshingly honest writer who offers interesting viewpoints and thoughts for discussion. I like her writing and I think in the often fanboy world of gaming, having someone like her who questions the status quo and offers a unique perspective is important. If you get a chance read her books and articles and support her in her work please do, you will not be disappointed.

LINK- Leigh Alexander Website

LINK- Leigh Alexanders article on Bioshock Infinite

LINK- Leigh Alexanders Lo-Fi Let's Plays

LINK- Gamergate Article by Tadhg Kelly