tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28525168.post3061778193682153025..comments2024-01-01T21:31:27.654-08:00Comments on UNCLE EDDIE'S THEORY CORNER: SHOULD CARTOONS END WITH A MESSAGE?Eddie Fitzgeraldhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07729949238666234774noreply@blogger.comBlogger39125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28525168.post-19888726875902151002011-03-22T06:33:45.929-07:002011-03-22T06:33:45.929-07:00I think you may want to put a facebook button to y...I think you may want to put a facebook button to your blog. I just marked down the blog, although I must do this manually. Just my $.02 :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28525168.post-11874277877274523222010-09-28T20:49:11.573-07:002010-09-28T20:49:11.573-07:00I always motivated by you, your opinion and way of...I always motivated by you, your opinion and way of thinking, again, thanks for this nice post.<br /><br />- MurkAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28525168.post-39183068170868855152009-12-22T09:14:22.100-08:002009-12-22T09:14:22.100-08:00Let me join the chorus:
Awesome post!Let me join the chorus:<br />Awesome post!Dan Moynihanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13829909401304112585noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28525168.post-58373887052061859332009-12-20T09:02:16.514-08:002009-12-20T09:02:16.514-08:00I think all massage cartoons should have happy end...I think all massage cartoons should have happy endings!<br /><br />Great post, Eddie! The message I got from watching cartoons, as a kid, was, "Cartoonists must have the coolest job ever (next to rock stars), and that's what I wanna do some day." If I'd been raised on the message-driven stuff it woulda been, "Hmmm... cartooning kinda looks like a drag, maybe I should become an accountant!"FrankenBarryhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09227175050509010372noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28525168.post-61158411431733538612009-07-01T01:12:31.244-07:002009-07-01T01:12:31.244-07:00Nicely said. Although I do enjoy the way South Par...Nicely said. Although I do enjoy the way South Park will knowingly have Stan or Kyle stand up and say: "you know I've learned something" at the end of some episodes to great comedic and meaningful effect. I think that's the exception that proves the rule.Kylehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00706102016938126432noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28525168.post-22778543758040574282009-05-30T15:00:58.606-07:002009-05-30T15:00:58.606-07:00Eddie, you're right!
"The medium is the message....Eddie, you're right!<br /><br />"The medium is the message." -- Marchall McLuhanMitchel Kennedyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11645009912553755049noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28525168.post-41792868859220194422009-05-30T10:48:53.959-07:002009-05-30T10:48:53.959-07:00Pappy: Oh I wasn't attack you. Your over protectiv...Pappy: Oh I wasn't attack you. Your over protective in a good way while others are just ignorant.Ricardo Cantoralhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00518171797365794688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28525168.post-1026375020771224652009-05-28T14:50:14.278-07:002009-05-28T14:50:14.278-07:00Of course, there's nothing wrong with presenting m...Of course, there's nothing wrong with presenting message and commentary on cartoons as long as it's clever. I'll admit that "Schoolhouse Rock" falls into that (well, on some shorts, at least). And then there's the spring cleaning episode of "Rocko" (I still hum to that "Recycle" song to this day).<br /><br />And Carol (aka Betty's thought bubbles) you work on "Goode Family"? Thought the first episode was pretty good. But then, I'm a sucker for Mike Judge.Brubakerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10741995395720022279noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28525168.post-54902366874101921562009-05-28T11:59:15.641-07:002009-05-28T11:59:15.641-07:00The palpable physical aftermath of viewing a well ...The palpable physical aftermath of viewing a well animated, entertaining and funny cartoon is one of positive afterglow. The opposite effect is equally felt after watching an abysmal piece of garbage. The former is a life-affirming upper; the latter depressing at best, bogus moral or not.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28525168.post-71748279667210993752009-05-28T09:38:27.836-07:002009-05-28T09:38:27.836-07:00Great post, Eddie! This really gets to the heart o...Great post, Eddie! This really gets to the heart of culture.<br /><br />I certainly never meant to suggest that anyone ever got a moral education from TV. In exchange for exclusive use of the public airwaves, broadcasters are required to act as a public service. In exchange for coaxing kids to nag their parents to buy advertised products, they do the legal minimum of pro-social propaganda. All for-profit businesses have a primary responsibility to bring the best possible return on investment. <br /><br />As consumers, we need to acknowledge the wisdom of the Market & that we get the cartoons we deserve. Otherwise, we're nothing but mere citizens.<br /><br />I agree with Rick, but parents are ruled by rank instinct. You have an uspeakably tender extension of yourself out in the world. I remember standing at the sink washing dishes when I was gripped by a sudden panic: What if this sharp knife slipped out of my soapy hand, flew 10 feet across the room & stabbed my infant son in his high chair? <br /><br />If sex wasn't so unreasonably fun & interesting or if rational self-interest was on the job, who'd have kids? That said, no one is more fit for the right & the duty to bring up moral children, whether you tell them that meat is murder or not to play with the mud-people.<br /><br />Individuals are stupid. Societies are stupid, but the species is wise.<br /><br />Einstein(?)pappy dhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07634780939188002027noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28525168.post-2274887513911133182009-05-28T09:07:31.691-07:002009-05-28T09:07:31.691-07:00Craig: Yeah I know, any business has to make money...Craig: Yeah I know, any business has to make money but I argue how they do it.Ricardo Cantoralhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00518171797365794688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28525168.post-64854016474295510652009-05-28T07:18:49.476-07:002009-05-28T07:18:49.476-07:00Cartoons ending with a message is just laziness. ...Cartoons ending with a message is just laziness. There's a difference between telling somebody and showing somebody. Showing somebody requires that the person doing the showing has the know how themselves and can back up there talk. There's real content they want to share.<br /><br />I'm always weary of anything with a clear message. The best cartoons and the best art I've encountered are the ones that still have mystery to them like real life. And if there is a message it was one that gets <I>mostly</I> discovered by the artists along the way. That way the message feels real and fresh and not just a brainless recitation.<br /><br />I remember you had a post about Fellini a couple of months ago and he's a good example of making art that has mystery and a message. His messages are more complex and ambiguous. It's a message that reveals itself slowly because his movies are more experience than story. I wish there were more cartoons like that. Where the experience of just watching the cartoon is memorable.Adam Tavareshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15862869332388893138noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28525168.post-12990604592336950102009-05-28T06:12:46.717-07:002009-05-28T06:12:46.717-07:00Rick Roberts said...
"The media only has a duty t...Rick Roberts said... <br />"The media only has a duty to entertain. . ."<br />In truth, their only 'duty' in the business of show is to make money.Craighttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02659054672758845893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28525168.post-24119077134142503972009-05-28T01:20:09.010-07:002009-05-28T01:20:09.010-07:00I love this post Eddie!
I also appreciate the atte...I love this post Eddie!<br />I also appreciate the attention you place on color and mood in an cartoon. People have no idea how important that is and if I hear one more..."You mean you paint by number?" I'll scream.<br /><br />It's sad that cartoons are especially controlled by advertising. They expect to get exactly what they pay for regardless of quality.<br />It's such a people pleasing business that art is used as a giant commercial for toys & morals. It bothers me that advertisers and networks are so afraid to let people decide things on their own.<br /><br />And on that note....I hate to open a can of worms...I was proud of our first episode of The Goode Family tonight. It's not as beautiful to work on as other shows I have been on, but the writing is clever and smart. You will probably say it's not animation. That it is a sitcom. But, I love working on a show that makes me laugh out loud. And it doesn't fly the moral flag at the end.<br /><br />In this horrible economy where there are so many of us out of work, I'll take Care Bears or He Man. Gotta feed my kids.cwyatthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06865803830327945475noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28525168.post-48427069800050817202009-05-28T00:15:26.432-07:002009-05-28T00:15:26.432-07:00Always good to read your longer texts! This one is...Always good to read your longer texts! This one is very good indeed. Nice.Jenny Lerewhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06668171465801333811noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28525168.post-46516789548148532372009-05-27T22:31:21.217-07:002009-05-27T22:31:21.217-07:00Amen!Amen!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28525168.post-21427696388354607392009-05-27T22:13:59.278-07:002009-05-27T22:13:59.278-07:00"You can't blame parents for being overly concerne..."You can't blame parents for being overly concerned. Nature wants parents to be anxious."<br /><br />It's not the media's responsibilty to teach kids morals, it's the parents. The media only has a duty to entertain and not subsitute as a babysitter.Ricardo Cantoralhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00518171797365794688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28525168.post-12073112457011428312009-05-27T18:23:59.611-07:002009-05-27T18:23:59.611-07:00Hey who did that beautifully lit gator watercolor?...Hey who did that beautifully lit gator watercolor?<br /><br />(y'know, Eddie, you've denied publication of comments of mine for their political nature, and yet some schmoe can invoke the morally reprehensible name of Ayn Rand and get away with it!!... I jest, and I hope yer doin' swell, old man. You're a good soul.)Kirk Nachmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03166276704512053376noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28525168.post-75432030859362368592009-05-27T17:19:12.094-07:002009-05-27T17:19:12.094-07:00TESTIFY!!!
Although I disagree with you about lea...TESTIFY!!!<br /><br />Although I disagree with you about leaving TV producers blameless in this equation. They may only be following orders and giving what they've been manipulated into thinking that the public wants and needs, but they're still spineless and brainless enough to let themselves be manipulated like that. Of course, the ones DOING the manipulating are all those special interest parent groups that have had a stranglehold on the industry for far to long. If we want things to improve, those people will need to be taken down.David Germainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15242095374521702596noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28525168.post-77936994586309001592009-05-27T16:05:56.913-07:002009-05-27T16:05:56.913-07:00Eddie, this is an articulate, inspiring post! I've...Eddie, this is an articulate, inspiring post! I've been wracking my brains for years thinking of a way to say what you did in just your first paragraph.<br />Thanks!Dan Chambershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18133320689848797620noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28525168.post-83566768334071235682009-05-27T15:29:38.687-07:002009-05-27T15:29:38.687-07:00You can't blame parents for being overly conce...You can't blame parents for being overly concerned. Nature wants parents to be anxious. Evolution has weeded out the bloodlines of blase parents who let their progeny scratch their chicken-pox. Broadcasters are licenced to operate for the public good & for them, it makes sense to respond to the consumer's political needs before government does.<br /><br />It seems unfair to blame artists for the state of culture, too. I can't even describe what I mean by quality & I've been chasing it every day at work for years. How do you justify it in the rational reductionist language of an economist. <br /><br />Fox & aniboom.com are running a contest. Produce a 4-6 minute holiday-themed short for free & you might win $10,000. Nick is giving everyone the opportunity to "raise the bar". If your treatment is accepted (there WILL be notes), you can win 10,000 euros ($14,000 US) to produce a half-hour pilot. They might even air it. You can animate for free for Intel Corp. & Dell Computers at massanimation.com, run by the ingenious former Sony exec who perceived the fatal flaw in Sony's business plan i.e., payroll. <br /><br />The 90's were a good example of the benefits of competition in kids' TV. Cable held a new promise of commercial-free TV where the viewer was the customer. It busted open the monopoly held by the federal licence-holders of the public airwaves. <br /><br />Michael Eisner, flush with cash from VCR sales of the classics, declared that "Disney owned animation" & threw open his war chest. Nickelodeon saw a chance to be the cartoon network of choice for kids themselves.<br /><br />Eventually the industry found its equilibrium again & quality fell.pappy dhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07634780939188002027noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28525168.post-80198906781593311862009-05-27T13:35:09.075-07:002009-05-27T13:35:09.075-07:00Everything you've said here is true and I couldn't...Everything you've said here is true and I couldn't agree more. But also, sometimes you can have a character who is capable of being thoughtful (If they aren't, don't force it) who finds a bit of time to discuss their dilemmas with someone else, and if the conversation is natural and shows enough of the character's personalities to be engaging, it can make the series just a bit richer and more varied. <br />In case anyone wonders if I'm talking about Calvin and Hobbes, I am. And let me just say for myself that I am incredibly thankful that I grew up reading that comic, because the intellectual grist of it ALWAYS appealed to me, even as a child. I WANTED to learn so that I could understand some of the jokes that went over my head. I didn't tune them out just because I didn't understand them. Everything around them was so appealing that I felt I HAD to learn, HAD to be educated and thoughtful, WANTED to be all of these things and more.<br /><br />The reason I still credit Watterson as my biggest influence is because he did all this while still having every bit as much respect for the fundamental needs of a cartoon. He didn't resist being silly and he avoided excessive dryness. He pulled the medium together AND broke it open. He didn't just outwit his contemporaries - he out-gagged them as well.Zoran Taylorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01257217002413486395noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28525168.post-54274244469650786912009-05-27T13:13:28.552-07:002009-05-27T13:13:28.552-07:00Lovely sentiments, Eddie. Like Kurdt I'm grate...Lovely sentiments, Eddie. Like Kurdt I'm grateful to have grown up in the afterglow of R&S, and apparently also in the last few years classic animation was still on TV. You've reminded me that cartoons are where I got my sense of humor from, and even my sense of cynicism, because as a kid I started noticing when I was being sold toys or morals as opposed to honest entertainment.<br /><br />Is that alligator from "No Pants Today?" I can appreciate the Games R&S on kind of an intellectual level now, but honestly, they were kind of a bad influence at the time. I kept expecting them to make me happy when their entire point seemed to be making kids feel like life was nothing but gratuitous cruelty. On the other hand, that's still a better message than Care Bears.The Barkerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12511505932392754809noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28525168.post-79490072464615525282009-05-27T12:06:26.435-07:002009-05-27T12:06:26.435-07:00I like when the message in a cartoon comes from it...I like when the message in a cartoon comes from its soul and it's loins, like in your cartoon, "Tales Of Worm Paranoia," which had an anti-nihilist message. The actions of the characters, and the dialogue, which was used as action, makes the message.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28525168.post-8867029501057381492009-05-27T11:50:57.045-07:002009-05-27T11:50:57.045-07:00I say that if you can present the message in a fun...I say that if you can present the message in a funny way then you can still add it on. I remember a venture brothers episode where they tacked on a message about testicular torsion, it makes you laugh because of how uncomfortable and awkward the presentation was.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02975751161143205872noreply@blogger.com