Dread
TMNT 1984-2009
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After a wait of nearly ten years, the chance to right a wrong in terms of my tenure as a fan of Western animation (and animation in general) gets to be corrected thanks to some overdue effort on the part of Disney. But to set things up properly, maybe some perspective is in order.
These days, Disney is a giant of a corporation that owns everything from Marvel Comics to ESPN and has no end of networks, shows, and a library of classic films for all ages. However, at the start of the 1980's, the company was hardly in calm waters. The deaths of the founders of the company during the mid-1960's caused the company to have more trouble releasing a train of steady hits in terms of animated productions. By the time I was born, former Disney animator Don Bluth had formed his own studio which was cranking out animated hits which usually out did many of Disney's efforts. For the record, Bluth's "AN AMERICAN TAIL" and "THE LAND BEFORE TIME" outdid Disney's "THE GREAT MOUSE DETECTIVE" or "OLIVER & COMPANY" at the box office. To this end, Disney had to try some new ideas. This not only led to the innovative and risky genius that was "WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT?" in 1988, but it led to an increased investment in TV animation for network syndication.
Cartoons were all over the place on TV in the 1980's, but most of them were animated as cheaply as possible to maximize profits from ratings and toys (or minimize losses if they flopped). The king of this era was no doubt FILMATION with their genre defining He-Man and She-Ra franchises, among others. Even "TMNT" in the late 80's was hardly the pinnacle of animation quality as episodes were cranked out at a steady clip, errors be damned. Faced with losing ground on the big screen, Disney decided to invest in the small one. This led to "DUCKTALES" and subsequent network TV animated shows such as "GUMMI BEARS", "CHIP & DALES' RESCUE RANGERS", "TALESPIN", and "DARKWING DUCK". These shows proved to be hits and earned Disney their own blocks on network TV through the late 80's into the early 90's. In addition, the success of 1989's "THE LITTLE MERMAID" kicked off what is usually considered a renaissance with Disney with a train of hits from that to "DINOSAUR" in 2000. Classics such as "BEAUTY & THE BEAST", "ALADDIN", "THE LION KING" and even "TOY STORY" debuted during this era.
However, now it's the early 90's, call it 1992-1994. The era of talking animals and cuddly characters being kings of the heap is coming to an end, or at least taking a well deserved nap (much to NBC's surprise). By now even the "TMNT" have released a dud of a third film and are fading fast from atop the pile. While many of the "duck shows" are still healthy hits in syndication, a rolling stone gains no moss. Disney began the practice of spinning off animated TV shows after successful films with "The Little Mermaid" and especially "Aladdin" branching out to the small screen. During the 80's there were always some shows which sought to push the envelope of what the format and networks would allow in terms of tone and presentation (off the top of my head, "DUNGEONS & DRAGONS" sticks out), 1992 was naturally the year "BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES" debuted on Fox by Warner Brothers. It offered a darker, more mature take on the dark knight than ever presented on TV before and while intended to reap the success of "BATMAN RETURNS", it became its own genre defining beast. Suddenly, animated TV shows could entertain kids of all ages and even sell merchandise while maintaining a high standard of quality and taking their material seriously. "ANIMANIACS" proved that this didn't mean the end of comedy shows with cuddly characters, but that they at least had to be smarter and produced better.
Into this era, former English teacher and DC Comics writer/editor Greg Weisman was tapped to create Disney's answer to this challenge. Alongside co-producers Frank Paur and Micheal Reaves with a slew of talented writers, directors, and actors, "GARGOYLES" hit the airwaves in 1994, about a week before Halloween. The ads and trailers often hyped up the mystery and suspense, offering a claw-swipe on a wall and some deep voiced words. Were these "GARGOYLES" crime fighters or something else?
For the life of me I can't remember why I didn't watch the show much at all when it was new, and it has been something I usually regretted. When it debuted I would have been 12 and I don't quite know why I probably stopped watching during the first season and saw little of the show since. Being more of a comic book fan, I was likely more interested in the Fox cartoons featuring those characters like Batman or the "X-MEN". That was also the age I started becoming interested in anime and having less patience with things I didn't go into with immediate investment like a comic adaptation. I vaguely recall "GARGOYLES" airing at the same time as something else I wanted to watch and I assumed I'd catch up on later, which never happened. At best I watched some of the first season and some episodes here or there over the years but I wasn't attached as I could have been. By the time I got older and wanted to watch it, I didn't have cable and Disney Channel was butchering the show in edits anyway. Once the DVD age came out and it became far cheaper and easier to collect TV shows, I thought it would be inevitable that Disney would tap into the show which became an institution. "GARGOYLES" earned a devoted and loyal following as well as constructed its own universe of complex characters and above all a serialized story line. It's held up in the same breath as "B:TAS" in terms of genre defining TV animation and to some it's superior. The first season hit DVD in 2004, in time for the tenth anniversary. The first set of Season 2 came the next year. But after that, nothing until just last month. Disney Club Exclusive, meet eBay, the grand equalizer (which Disney themselves capitalize on, selling dozens of copies at a time via Buena Vista). Now, just in time for the show's 20th anniversary next October, I can at least make good on one mistake of my youth. Now if could only find someone willing to buy some Pogs.
Two seasons, 65 episodes, genre defining animated television of mythic proportions. It's about damn time.
(And yes, I know technically "Gargoyles" had a third season called the "Goliath Chronicles", but by then Weisman was yanked from the show and it's not canon. So there.)
These days, Disney is a giant of a corporation that owns everything from Marvel Comics to ESPN and has no end of networks, shows, and a library of classic films for all ages. However, at the start of the 1980's, the company was hardly in calm waters. The deaths of the founders of the company during the mid-1960's caused the company to have more trouble releasing a train of steady hits in terms of animated productions. By the time I was born, former Disney animator Don Bluth had formed his own studio which was cranking out animated hits which usually out did many of Disney's efforts. For the record, Bluth's "AN AMERICAN TAIL" and "THE LAND BEFORE TIME" outdid Disney's "THE GREAT MOUSE DETECTIVE" or "OLIVER & COMPANY" at the box office. To this end, Disney had to try some new ideas. This not only led to the innovative and risky genius that was "WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT?" in 1988, but it led to an increased investment in TV animation for network syndication.
Cartoons were all over the place on TV in the 1980's, but most of them were animated as cheaply as possible to maximize profits from ratings and toys (or minimize losses if they flopped). The king of this era was no doubt FILMATION with their genre defining He-Man and She-Ra franchises, among others. Even "TMNT" in the late 80's was hardly the pinnacle of animation quality as episodes were cranked out at a steady clip, errors be damned. Faced with losing ground on the big screen, Disney decided to invest in the small one. This led to "DUCKTALES" and subsequent network TV animated shows such as "GUMMI BEARS", "CHIP & DALES' RESCUE RANGERS", "TALESPIN", and "DARKWING DUCK". These shows proved to be hits and earned Disney their own blocks on network TV through the late 80's into the early 90's. In addition, the success of 1989's "THE LITTLE MERMAID" kicked off what is usually considered a renaissance with Disney with a train of hits from that to "DINOSAUR" in 2000. Classics such as "BEAUTY & THE BEAST", "ALADDIN", "THE LION KING" and even "TOY STORY" debuted during this era.
However, now it's the early 90's, call it 1992-1994. The era of talking animals and cuddly characters being kings of the heap is coming to an end, or at least taking a well deserved nap (much to NBC's surprise). By now even the "TMNT" have released a dud of a third film and are fading fast from atop the pile. While many of the "duck shows" are still healthy hits in syndication, a rolling stone gains no moss. Disney began the practice of spinning off animated TV shows after successful films with "The Little Mermaid" and especially "Aladdin" branching out to the small screen. During the 80's there were always some shows which sought to push the envelope of what the format and networks would allow in terms of tone and presentation (off the top of my head, "DUNGEONS & DRAGONS" sticks out), 1992 was naturally the year "BATMAN: THE ANIMATED SERIES" debuted on Fox by Warner Brothers. It offered a darker, more mature take on the dark knight than ever presented on TV before and while intended to reap the success of "BATMAN RETURNS", it became its own genre defining beast. Suddenly, animated TV shows could entertain kids of all ages and even sell merchandise while maintaining a high standard of quality and taking their material seriously. "ANIMANIACS" proved that this didn't mean the end of comedy shows with cuddly characters, but that they at least had to be smarter and produced better.
Into this era, former English teacher and DC Comics writer/editor Greg Weisman was tapped to create Disney's answer to this challenge. Alongside co-producers Frank Paur and Micheal Reaves with a slew of talented writers, directors, and actors, "GARGOYLES" hit the airwaves in 1994, about a week before Halloween. The ads and trailers often hyped up the mystery and suspense, offering a claw-swipe on a wall and some deep voiced words. Were these "GARGOYLES" crime fighters or something else?
For the life of me I can't remember why I didn't watch the show much at all when it was new, and it has been something I usually regretted. When it debuted I would have been 12 and I don't quite know why I probably stopped watching during the first season and saw little of the show since. Being more of a comic book fan, I was likely more interested in the Fox cartoons featuring those characters like Batman or the "X-MEN". That was also the age I started becoming interested in anime and having less patience with things I didn't go into with immediate investment like a comic adaptation. I vaguely recall "GARGOYLES" airing at the same time as something else I wanted to watch and I assumed I'd catch up on later, which never happened. At best I watched some of the first season and some episodes here or there over the years but I wasn't attached as I could have been. By the time I got older and wanted to watch it, I didn't have cable and Disney Channel was butchering the show in edits anyway. Once the DVD age came out and it became far cheaper and easier to collect TV shows, I thought it would be inevitable that Disney would tap into the show which became an institution. "GARGOYLES" earned a devoted and loyal following as well as constructed its own universe of complex characters and above all a serialized story line. It's held up in the same breath as "B:TAS" in terms of genre defining TV animation and to some it's superior. The first season hit DVD in 2004, in time for the tenth anniversary. The first set of Season 2 came the next year. But after that, nothing until just last month. Disney Club Exclusive, meet eBay, the grand equalizer (which Disney themselves capitalize on, selling dozens of copies at a time via Buena Vista). Now, just in time for the show's 20th anniversary next October, I can at least make good on one mistake of my youth. Now if could only find someone willing to buy some Pogs.
Two seasons, 65 episodes, genre defining animated television of mythic proportions. It's about damn time.
(And yes, I know technically "Gargoyles" had a third season called the "Goliath Chronicles", but by then Weisman was yanked from the show and it's not canon. So there.)