What a year 2002 was, huh? We saw traditional animation continue to flounder as computer animation took the forefront. New series based on old franchises were announced, Disney was threatened with the loss of Pixar and Mickey Mouse, and Fox actually became viable in the animation market. What the?!
The Buzz-Wire debuted last May to give Animated Buzz readers a place to find all the latest animation and Web site news. It started small, but the B-Wire continues to grow every day—it posted its highest gains ever in December. Originally conceived as an extension of this little column, now you can probably say the reverse is true. Since opening day, there's been a barrage of news. Let's take a little walk down memory lane**
This year, it's good to be a geek. On top of all the badass flicks based on animated characters coming to theaters (Daredevil, X-Men 2 and The Incredible Hulk), we're looking at the return of franchises on the small screen as well.
Spider-Man will soon be doing his web-slinging on MTV—in CGI! Originally slated for fall 2002, the new series was pushed back to "early 2003." It will be tough for the MTV show to compete with the old one on Fox from the 1990s, but we shall see. I'm already shuddering at the thought of having to sit through MTV's four-minute commercials. How does that network stay in business, what with the short attention spans of today's youth (I'm lumping myself into that category as well)? Get further Spidey TV info here. And keep it on the Buzz-Wire for a solid date on the series debut.
The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were also announced last year as returning heroes. I nearly wet myself with this news. There was supposed to be a CGI flick, too, which I must say I would have been first in line to see. John Woo was attached to that project so it's unfortunate that it was canned. But all is not lost. On top of the new series debuting Feb. 8 on Fox, Ninja Turtles video games will are slated for all three major platforms (Xbox, PS2 and GCN) as well as on Game Boy Advance. Two words: Super-sweet.
Also revealed last summer was the return of The Ren & Stimpy Show. Happy, happy, joy, joy! I was into the earlier cartoons up until John Kricfalusi left and Nickelodeon turned it into a steaming pile of cow dung. This time around, TNN—a parent company of Nickelodeon—is going to be airing Ren & Stimpy. And we're talking about prime time and uncensored. If that weren't good enough to hear, Kricfalusi is returning to pen some new episodes.
2D vs. 3D debate heats up
The debate over which form of animation is better—traditional or computer animated—heated up in 2002. Disney's Lilo & Stitch, and to a lesser extent, DreamWorks' Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (dubbed "tra-digital" because it blended both styles), proved that a traditional 2D look could still rake in the big bucks (Spirit: $73,280,117; Stitch: $145,794,338). It seemed to silence the critics who said kids today wouldn't accept the "outdated" look at theaters.
Ah ... but along came Pokemon 4Ever ($1,727,447), The Powerpuff Girls Movie ($11,412,414) and Hey Arnold! The Movie ($13,728,902) to erase what Lilo & Stitch had done for the traditional format. And Treasure Planet, which is still in theaters, is also proving to be a big money loser, pulling in a meager $36,656,870 thus far. Fudge.
I still say it's the story that counts. Treasure Planet didn't look much like a treasure (tee-hee). And who the crap is Arnold to deserve a big-budget picture? You'd think he was part of the Rugrats gang or something. What's next, Rocket Power, The Movie?
Mickey almost leaves Disney
In a move that had to have had Disney wetting its pants, copyright laws were being challenged and the threat of losing Mickey Mouse to the public domain was a real one. Fortunately for Disney, the Supreme Court recently upheld a 1998 copyright extension act. This means that the Steamboat Willie version of Mickey stays in Disney's greedy little grasp for several more years.
TV Guide ranks top 50 cartoons
TV Guide ranked its top 50 cartoons of all time and the only thing the list was good for was wiping after a bad bout of diarrhea. Yes, it was that darn bad. Check it out again and stare in wonder at how a usually respectable publication (as respectable as a guide for television can be) created such an abomination.
