Friday, August 06, 2010

The HB I Like

I don't like Tom and Jerry at all. I do like Hanna Barbera's TV cartoons from 1957 to about 1962. Really to about 1960. They are fun cartoons to eat breakfast with.They were on to a great thing for kids and then dumped everything good about it really fast.
The color and design in the early HB cartoons is pure candy.


I also like the simplicity. Simple, that is but with a method. Not simple without skill like today's simple. Modern TV is crawling with cartoons that look (and sound) like they are made by retarded 10 year olds. It seems like networks go out of their way to make cartoons amateurish and no fun. It's a complete mystery to me.This is proof that even on an extremely low budget you can at least make something fun to look at. And great voices don't cost that much either. HB certainly had those.

I loved the Jetsons as a kid because of its promise. It never quite lived up to its core elements though. HB was just too conservative to take advantage of what it had. I'll never understand it.
HB merchandise did take advantage of the style though. It was often more liberal with the designs than the studio itself.

I really liked when Dino was an African American.
I wish I could find more Dan Gordon storyboards for HB.
Someday someone will let me revive these characters. They are in my blood. I bet they would make a fortune.

Here's one of my favorite sites:

http://yowpyowp.blogspot.com/


I like it not just because its about early HB cartoons that I think it's good. It tells you lots of interesting history and behind the scenes stuff, plus he tells you about the music and shows lots of funny frame grabs:It's just what you want from a cartoon blog. Very pure.




I wish there were sites like this for WB and Fleischer. Tex Avery too. If there are, let me know. Maybe I missed them.