Category Archives: Cartoons
My Top 6 Favorite Pop Culture Cars
So my car – a gray 2005 Chrysler Sebring I’ve nicknamed ‘Donkey’ – is in the shop this week for a blown thermostat thingamajig. Depending on when this List gets published, the thingamawhatsis was fixed and my car is back on the road, or I’ve totally had to junk the thing and will soon be buying a new car. Fingers crossed for the first thing.
In honor of my car, which is the first car I’ve ever owned, I’ve decided to throw together a list of my favorite motor vehicles in pop culture. Because all the best characters have badass wheels. As Robin once said in a movie that should never, ever be quoted, “Chicks dig the car.”
Did you know Robin had a car? It was named ‘Redbird’
This list is only going to include motor vehicles like cars, trucks and vans. So no spaceships, no boats and no TARDIS. Perhaps they’ll get their own list some day. And I hope you guys share with me some of your favorite cars from pop culture! I’m sure I’ve missed a few really awesome ones.
Review: Superman vs. The Elite
Superman: The Animated Series is back — in DVD form! That’s probably the best way to describe the new straight-to-DVD movie Superman vs. The Elite. Not to say that the old Superman cartoon from the 90s is really back. More along the lines of this new movie feels like a long lost, extended episode of a generic Superman cartoon show. After watching the new 70-minute film this week, I find that my thoughts are exactly the same as when Superman vs. The Elite was first announced back in February: Why bother?
Is this really the best use of the very awesome and very talented people at DC Animation?
Sadly, the whole movie was not like this
Movie rating: 4/5: Good.
That’s not to say Superman vs. The Elite is a bad movie. Far from it. It’s a perfectly fine movie. It’s well drawn, the action is cool, the characters are fun and the voice-acting is good. Honestly, there are very few problems with this film at all. It’s total quality from frame one. There’s also the matter of the rather significant philosophical question it raises about whether or not superheroes should kill, but I don’t think it gives a very definitive answer — though that’s not the movie’s fault. That’s simply the nature of the comic book beast. I think it tackles this question well, with a few stumbling steps. But maybe those same stumbling steps came from the original comic book story from 2001. I don’t know, I didn’t read the comic. So I couldn’t tell you if this is a good adaptation.
Superman vs. The Elite is just a good, solid Superman story put to animation. My problem is that I don’t see the point of these animated movies anymore. But maybe that’s just me looking a gift horse in the mouth.
Long Lost Concept Art from Wolverine and the X-Men Season 2
Wolverine and the X-Men was a cartoon cancelled before it’s time. It was a straight forward, geektastic take on the X-Men, reveling in its comic book roots while sticking Wolverine front and center. It was the kind of cartoon that featured cameos by obscure characters like Blink, Fishboy and Marrow, while still telling a great X-Men story with the likes of Wolverine, Cyclops and Magneto. It ran for only one season on Nickelodeon in 2009 before getting the ax – likely due to the fact that Disney was buying Marvel Comics.
Deadpool, the Merc with the Mouth
What makes the cancellation even worse is that season 1 ended on a great Age of Apocalypse cliffhanger! And this uncovered production art from the planned season 2 reveals that they were actually going to do a huge Age of Apocalypse storyline. That would have been sweet! Season 2 also would have involved Deadpool, Cable, Archangel, Pyro and more, based on these pictures!
More after the jump!
I Already Love Wreck-It Ralph!
Oh my God, you guys! Not only is the next Disney animation movie going to be about video games, but they have secured the rights to actual classic video game characters! So new guy Wreck-It Ralph is going to be starring alongside the likes of Bowser, Dr. Robotnik and Clyde!
That trailer looks awesome! Granted, parts of it look kind of stupid, falling in line with today’s usually unfunny humor. But other parts of it look awesome! Regular guy video game baddie decides to try out other games, sounds neat! I actually liked this trailer more than any of the trailers for Pixar’s Brave. Though that’s just silly, because no doubt a Pixar movie will be a million times better than a Disney movie.
Wreck-It Ralph
Animated Dark Knight Returns Pictures
The DC Comics animation department is going to earn their keep by finally making an animated adaptation of Frank Miller’s classic The Dark Knight Returns. And the first images from the upcoming cartoon movie – which is going to be split into 2 parts – hit the Internet today. The animation looks sleek, that’s for sure. The first part will be released this fall, and the second part sometime in early 2013.
A true Batman beat down
For those who don’t know, The Dark Knight Returns was the Batman comic book that redefined the character as a dark, violent vigilante. It was an intense psychological look at Batman, treating him with the kind of respect and realism that just wasn’t common in comic books at the time. Released in 1986, the 4-part mini-series paved the way for Tim Burton’s Batman in 1989, and the effects are still being felt today in Christopher Nolan’s trilogy. Until The Dark Knight Returns came out, Batman was most known for the hugely campy Adam West series from the 1960s.
Batman to be voiced by Peter Sellers (Robo-Cop)
The story is set in the near future, after Bruce Wayne retired from crimefighting. Without Batman to keep the streets clean, violent gangs have started rising up to threaten the people of Gotham. Urged by the dark forces within him, an aging Bruce Wayne dons the cape and cowl once again to clean up the streets – only to learn the hard way that he isn’t as young and limber as he once was. Joined by a new female Robin, Bruce must defeat the street gangs as well as face down old foes like the Joker and Two-Face.
Seriously, this is one damn good Batman story.
Robin to be voiced by Airel Winter (Modern Family)
Though personally I expect this cartoon will be very similar to Batman: Year One and All-Star Superman, both of which were adapted from classic comic book stories. This animated Dark Knight Returns is going to be well-made, well-acted and it will stick very close to the story. But even with the best in superhero animation at the helm, it’s simply not going to be as good as the book that inspired it. Which is fine. The book is usually always better.
Leader of the street gang ‘The Mutants’
Click here for more information and more pictures.
Henchman-4-Hire 