Tgace
Grandmaster
@#$%^&* with the Looney Toons is just wrong!
http://news.newstimes.com/story.php?id=69157&channel=Local
What's up with Bugs?
Cartoon legend and friends get makeover from Warner Bros.
By Marietta Homayonpour and Heather Barr
THE NEWS-TIMES Well, at least the buck tooth is still there.
Othewise, a new version of cartoon legend Bugs Bunny looks nothing like the smart-aleck, carrot-chewing, "What's up, Doc?" spewing original.
That's because Bugs' corporate parents have given him an extreme makeover.
The same goes for the Road Runner, Wile E. Coyote, Daffy Duck and the Tasmanian Devil. The new Looney Tunes look is more streamlined, angular and aggressive looking. Some compare it to anime, the Japanese cartooning style.
Some like it. Some don't.
"Whoa! These are cool. They look better than the old kind. They look more like superheroes," said Joey Piatnik, 9, of Bethel.
"Daffy looks more detailed. He has a beak that looks more like a beak and Wile E. Coyote's ears are more pointy and he has a better tail," said Joey. "The Road Runner looks like there's a lighting bolt on his head and his wings look like a lighting bolt."
Others call the new versions dark, scary and menacing.
"I am all for updating the classics, but this look is plain evil," said Marlon Ruilova, 24, a junior graphic design major at Western Connecticut State University. "Bugs Bunny looks like he could rip a hole through you. The Road Runner has arms and claws."
He thinks the updated characters should be toned down if they're going to be marketed to kids. "This is ridiculous, crazy," said Ruilova.
The folks at Warner Bros., the entertainment giant that makes the Looney Tunes cartoons, don't seem to be worried that they might have a "New Coke" situation on their hands.
They explain that the old Bugs and Daffy aren't technically being replaced. Instead, they say the new versions have been created to star in a new Saturday program that will air this fall. The show is set far in the future and the new *-characters –to be known as the Loonatics – are "descendants" of the originals.
"They are all new characters," said Janice Aguilar-Herrero, a spokesman for Warner Bros., calling them "reimagined" cartoon figures. "They are descendants of our classic, legendary icons. These are super, futuristic heroes."
They are blasphemy, said Chris Infante, a WestConn senior.
"I actually hate it," said the former graphic design major who still draws cartoons. "They shouldn't change the Looney Toons. I grew up watching the Looney Toons. I still watch them because they are fun."
He said the new Bugs Bunny looks like an "evil demon" and is too intense for kids already growing up in a too-violent world. "It is not a good role model for them to look up to."
Not all grown-ups are upset with Warner Bros.
"I think it's a good idea," said Joan Polzin, a graduate student in painting at WestConn. The Brookfield resident said the characters needed an overhaul so they would appeal to today's children. "You have to work harder to keep their attention," Polzin said.
The new characters grabbed the attention of third-graders at Berry School in Bethel.
"You see them as funny animals that talk," 8-year-old Erik Thode said of the original characters. "The new ones are totally the opposite. That's good. They're different."
Erik watches Saturday morning cartoons and said it's time for a change. "Looney Tunes has been on for 40 years. We need a new Looney Tunes."
Without being told, the children guessed the show was set in the future by looking at the design of the characters.
"The eyes look like they're glowing. They kind of look like robots," said Danielle Spinella, 8.
Danielle's favorite character is Bugs Bunny because "he's really funny and smart and he always tricks the other characters." She said the redesigned character will be even better. "He's going to be a really cool character and I think he will be the boss of everyone."
Eight-year-old Sam Reidt's favorite character is the Road Runner. How does the new version stack up to the old? "I like him about the same. The shape is a lot different. He's pointier and more serious and he looks more like a robot," said Sam.
The children also picked up on the more aggressive look. The original Bugs Bunny is 8-year-old Danielle Nuzzo's favorite character because he's funny and she said "I think the new one is going to be a little mean."
Still, Danielle liked the colors and futuristic design of the new characters. "The new ones all match. Since they'll be on the same show, they should look the same."
But for art teacher Deanna Gesuero, the originals – the ones she grew up with – are still the best. "I prefer the older ones, the softness of them, and the realism."
From an artist's perspective, Gesuero said the original characters are better crafted. "There's a lot more painting and drawing," said Gesuero. The newer ones, she said, "are more digitized."
Several well-known cartoonists live in the Danbury area, including Joseph Farris of Bethel, Dana Fradon of Newtown and Orlando Busino of Ridgefield. As of Thursday, none of them had seen the new Looney Tunes characters.
Neither Farris nor Busino were against the idea of a redesign. But they weren't happy to hear that the new characters appear more aggressive. Fradon, however, was against changing characters that have been part of American life for decades. "They're tampering with the sacred," Fradon said.
http://news.newstimes.com/story.php?id=69157&channel=Local
What's up with Bugs?
Cartoon legend and friends get makeover from Warner Bros.
By Marietta Homayonpour and Heather Barr
THE NEWS-TIMES Well, at least the buck tooth is still there.
Othewise, a new version of cartoon legend Bugs Bunny looks nothing like the smart-aleck, carrot-chewing, "What's up, Doc?" spewing original.
That's because Bugs' corporate parents have given him an extreme makeover.
The same goes for the Road Runner, Wile E. Coyote, Daffy Duck and the Tasmanian Devil. The new Looney Tunes look is more streamlined, angular and aggressive looking. Some compare it to anime, the Japanese cartooning style.
Some like it. Some don't.
"Whoa! These are cool. They look better than the old kind. They look more like superheroes," said Joey Piatnik, 9, of Bethel.
"Daffy looks more detailed. He has a beak that looks more like a beak and Wile E. Coyote's ears are more pointy and he has a better tail," said Joey. "The Road Runner looks like there's a lighting bolt on his head and his wings look like a lighting bolt."
Others call the new versions dark, scary and menacing.
"I am all for updating the classics, but this look is plain evil," said Marlon Ruilova, 24, a junior graphic design major at Western Connecticut State University. "Bugs Bunny looks like he could rip a hole through you. The Road Runner has arms and claws."
He thinks the updated characters should be toned down if they're going to be marketed to kids. "This is ridiculous, crazy," said Ruilova.
The folks at Warner Bros., the entertainment giant that makes the Looney Tunes cartoons, don't seem to be worried that they might have a "New Coke" situation on their hands.
They explain that the old Bugs and Daffy aren't technically being replaced. Instead, they say the new versions have been created to star in a new Saturday program that will air this fall. The show is set far in the future and the new *-characters –to be known as the Loonatics – are "descendants" of the originals.
"They are all new characters," said Janice Aguilar-Herrero, a spokesman for Warner Bros., calling them "reimagined" cartoon figures. "They are descendants of our classic, legendary icons. These are super, futuristic heroes."
They are blasphemy, said Chris Infante, a WestConn senior.
"I actually hate it," said the former graphic design major who still draws cartoons. "They shouldn't change the Looney Toons. I grew up watching the Looney Toons. I still watch them because they are fun."
He said the new Bugs Bunny looks like an "evil demon" and is too intense for kids already growing up in a too-violent world. "It is not a good role model for them to look up to."
Not all grown-ups are upset with Warner Bros.
"I think it's a good idea," said Joan Polzin, a graduate student in painting at WestConn. The Brookfield resident said the characters needed an overhaul so they would appeal to today's children. "You have to work harder to keep their attention," Polzin said.
The new characters grabbed the attention of third-graders at Berry School in Bethel.
"You see them as funny animals that talk," 8-year-old Erik Thode said of the original characters. "The new ones are totally the opposite. That's good. They're different."
Erik watches Saturday morning cartoons and said it's time for a change. "Looney Tunes has been on for 40 years. We need a new Looney Tunes."
Without being told, the children guessed the show was set in the future by looking at the design of the characters.
"The eyes look like they're glowing. They kind of look like robots," said Danielle Spinella, 8.
Danielle's favorite character is Bugs Bunny because "he's really funny and smart and he always tricks the other characters." She said the redesigned character will be even better. "He's going to be a really cool character and I think he will be the boss of everyone."
Eight-year-old Sam Reidt's favorite character is the Road Runner. How does the new version stack up to the old? "I like him about the same. The shape is a lot different. He's pointier and more serious and he looks more like a robot," said Sam.
The children also picked up on the more aggressive look. The original Bugs Bunny is 8-year-old Danielle Nuzzo's favorite character because he's funny and she said "I think the new one is going to be a little mean."
Still, Danielle liked the colors and futuristic design of the new characters. "The new ones all match. Since they'll be on the same show, they should look the same."
But for art teacher Deanna Gesuero, the originals – the ones she grew up with – are still the best. "I prefer the older ones, the softness of them, and the realism."
From an artist's perspective, Gesuero said the original characters are better crafted. "There's a lot more painting and drawing," said Gesuero. The newer ones, she said, "are more digitized."
Several well-known cartoonists live in the Danbury area, including Joseph Farris of Bethel, Dana Fradon of Newtown and Orlando Busino of Ridgefield. As of Thursday, none of them had seen the new Looney Tunes characters.
Neither Farris nor Busino were against the idea of a redesign. But they weren't happy to hear that the new characters appear more aggressive. Fradon, however, was against changing characters that have been part of American life for decades. "They're tampering with the sacred," Fradon said.
