Watching the new Tex Avery DROOPY COLLECTION DVD's that just came out; I LAUGHED. LAUGHED at a cartoon. It's been awhile--and the previous time was while watching another old collection of animation. They were just simple, brilliant, sight gags. No talking...and when there was, man, did those one or two syllables carried weight. It reminded me WHY I wanted to draw cartoons; of why I moved out to LA from Detroit (via the world). It was shortly after pitching my first few ideas; no, actually BEFORE that when I was designing the 1st season of FAIRLY ODDPARENTS--when I'd receive S+P notes. "What?! Why not?!?" Then onwards while producing CIRCUS PEANUT, then PLASTIC MAN, etc...when I realized you COULDN’T make those kinds of "cartoons". Heaven for bid there is no dialogue, no "emotional weight" or "high-risk stakes". "You can't just have a cat chase a mouse for 11 minutes!"
..."Huh?!"
And though I can concede that a duck putting a gun to his head and blowing his bill to the other side of his face might send the wrong message regarding firearms to kids; I still think there remains a universal standard of humor in the context of a lion unzipping his skin, or boulder accidentally missing the painted red "x" on the pavement and instead, flattens the protagonist...and no, I don't think I'm being nostalgic, I think I'm seeing entertainment thru the eyes of a kid...and I've got the focus-test results to prove it.*
*(Man, I wish I could figure out how to link the pdf HERE!)
hahahaha
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