It’s Not All That Bad

Note: Originally posted on toonzone animation blog. Despite what others think, the sky is not falling, the world is not turning upside down, cats are not chasing dogs, and the fabric of reality is not in tatters. Someone somewhere got paid by some company to produce a cartoon about some product. That company would be [...]

Follow Us On Twitter!

On a lighter note, we now have an official Twitter account at www.twitter.com/realscratchpad! Follow us, perhaps!

Looking Back: Chowder

Note: Originally posted on toonzone animation blog. This month, two cartoons will have ended their runs permanently on the Cartoon Network. Chowder and The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack represent the beginning of an era to some and the end of one to others. Their relatively short lifespans have been marked by high drama, extreme office [...]

What is Animation?

Note: Originally posted on toonzone animation blog. Recently, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (the group responsible for the eponymous Academy Awards) decided that the technique of motion capture will no longer be considered to be “animation”. So, what does this mean for any animated Oscar hopefuls? According to AMPAS, the new definition [...]

The Incredible Disappearing Animation Channel

Note: Originally posted on toonzone animation blog. In 1992, millionaire media mogul Ted Turner decided to put his massive animation library to use and he created a revolutionary new cartoon network. He imaginatively titled it Cartoon Network, and later ran off to one of his four ranches in Montana to retire. The cable channel would [...]

Sea Change

The party is over. It started at the turn of the millennium, and people thought it would last forever. There were ups and downs, but generally everybody had a good time. Drinks were shared, pills were downed. And then came the hangover. Some partygoers overdosed. Others found themselves in a new standing with their friends [...]

The Network That Wasn’t There

Ted Turner was a millionaire who sure loved his cartoons. His multimillion-dollar entertainment corporation bought the rights to Hanna-Barbera’s vast library of animation, MGM’s theatrical shorts, and even some of the older Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies shorts. Ted had the content, but where was the venue? For a time, it was on other Turner [...]

If They Build It, Will They Come?

In 1996, Discovery Communications, the owners of basic cable networks The Discovery Channel and TLC, launched four channels. The first, Animal Planet, was a rousing success. The second, The Science Channel, continues to this day with a decent fanbase. The third channel was called CBS Eye on People, but later shifted guises to Discovery People, [...]

My Own Private Film Festival

Two years ago, a mysterious project was announced at Cartoon Network’s upfront presentation. “The Cartoonstitute” was an umbrella title given to a series of pilots overseen by animation legends Craig McCracken and Rob Renzetti, designed to provide the network with a new slate of animators and concepts. The mysterious project went for years without ever [...]

The Case for Fifteen

This week, I’ll be covering the recent trend of fifteen-minute premieres and what this may mean for the future of television animation. Read more below the break.