Elemental (2023)

People gave “Wish” a lot of guff for feeling like an AI generated movie, but I think when it comes down to it, “Elemental” is so much more guilty of this claim. “Elemental” is one of the laziest and more lethargic Disney films ever produced from Pixar and Disney. It’s such a dull concept that’s overcome by social commentary that literally clubs us over the head every chance it gets. “Elemental” is about immigration and the immigrant experience. Element city is America, or The Land of opportunity. We’re told that a least thirty times over the span of ninety minutes.

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Every Bugs Bunny Ever: The Big Snooze (1946)

2023 marks the 85th Anniversary of Bug Bunny’s first animated appearance in 1938’s “Porky’s Hare Hunt.” Debuting originally as Happy Rabbit, Bugs eventually became one of the most iconic animated characters of all time. In honor of the landmark anniversary, we’re discussing every animated appearance by Bugs Bunny. We’re big fans of Bugsy and we hope that you are, too.  

Follow us on this massive journey where we discover and re-discover Every Bugs Bunny Ever.

The Big Snooze (1946)
Directed by Bob Clampett
Written by Bob Clampett
Music by Carl W. Stalling
Animation by Rod Scribner

Bob Clampett really did have a way of leaning in to the bizarre. He had a penchant for injecting surreal and out there comedy that not even Tex Avery was capable of accomplishing. That’s both a good thing and hindrance as I personally was never a big fan of Clampett’s habit for the weird. I always hated the “Yoyo DoDo” character as well as his first appearance in 1938’s “Porky in Wackyland.” And I was very annoyed when they made him something of a big part of “Tiny Toon Adventures.” I’m not against the animators venturing out of the norm and breaking the monotony, but Clampett always went too far in the other direction for my tastes.

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Rest in Peace, Cartoon Network (1992-2023)

Back in the heyday of cable television, channels were all aimed toward a certain market and fan base. If you loved science fiction there was a channel for you. If you loved medical science, there was a channel or you. If you love romance movies, there was a channel. And surely enough there was the Cartoon Network. Cartoon Network offered up cartoons twenty four hours around the clock and in 1992 they guaranteed a complete line up of cartoons you couldn’t find anywhere. Their line up consisted mainly of Hanna Barbera since they were owned by Warner, so for pretty much anything non-Disney, Cartoon Network had.

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Merry Little Batman (2023)

Now Streaming Exclusively on Amazon Prime.

Color me shocked when I found out that Warner were not only releasing a Batman animated movie this year, but a Christmas themed one at that. The way they’ve been run lately, it’s not entirely shocking that this one snuck under my radar, I guess. “Merry Little Batman” is unlike any Batman animated movie I’ve ever seen. The animation style is wild, somewhat in the vein of “Chowder,” and focuses on a completely separate non-canonical narrative.

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Every Bugs Bunny Ever: Racketeer Rabbit (1946)

2023 marks the 85th Anniversary of Bug Bunny’s first animated appearance in 1938’s “Porky’s Hare Hunt.” Debuting originally as Happy Rabbit, Bugs eventually became one of the most iconic animated characters of all time. In honor of the landmark anniversary, we’re discussing every animated appearance by Bugs Bunny. We’re big fans of Bugsy and we hope that you are, too.  

Follow us on this massive journey where we discover and re-discover Every Bugs Bunny Ever.

Racketeer Rabbit (1946)
Directed by Friz Freleng
Written by Michael Maltese
Music by Carl W. Stalling
Animation by Gerry Chiniquy

I must have spent a majority of my childhood running around going “It’s coitans for you, Rocky! Coitains!” in the patented Brooklyn accent. I gained so much of my knowledge about mobster movies and old time gangster movies from Bugs Bunny and Looney Tunes believe it or not. Whenever Bugs referenced something about gangster movies, I always kind of went to the source to understand what they were lampooning. From there I learned to really dig my heels in to the classics. With “Racketeer Rabbit,” we’re given one of the funniest one and done villains of the Bugs repertoire with Rocky.

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Every Bugs Bunny Ever: Acrobatty Bunny (1946)

2023 marks the 85th Anniversary of Bug Bunny’s first animated appearance in 1938’s “Porky’s Hare Hunt.” Debuting originally as Happy Rabbit, Bugs eventually became one of the most iconic animated characters of all time. In honor of the landmark anniversary, we’re discussing every animated appearance by Bugs Bunny. We’re big fans of Bugsy and we hope that you are, too.

Follow us on this massive journey where we discover and re-discover Every Bugs Bunny Ever.

Acrobatty Bunny (1946)
Directed by Bob McKimson
Written by Warren Foster
Music by Carl W. Stalling
Animation by Richard Bickenbach

One of the pleasures of watching the Looney Tunes shorts is how they almost always look for an opportunity to lampoon or reference their rival Disney. While Warner did it more prominently in the early days they do take some chances here and there, and it’s a hoot. One of the more subtle gags in “Acrobatty Bunny” is when Bugs looks down the gaping maw of his nemesis Nero the lion. He then exclaims “Pinocchio?!” to the sounds of echoes of his voice.

It’s a pretty funny jab at the “Pinocchio” movie, and a great reference especially when you know how often Warner took the chance to lampoon Disney.

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Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman (Saules aveugles, femme endormie’) (2023)

Director Pierre Földes is not an artist prone to just giving us something that’s easily digestible and worthy of leaving us dangling. “Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman” is probably one of the most uncommercial movies of the year, and the fact that it’s fully animated also works in its favor. The animation style that is used along with the often intentional drabness of it all allows for an almost ethereal aesthetic; it’s one that feels so dream like. It’s almost like someone just ripped random imagery from someone’s subconscious and manifested it through some pretty good rotoscoping and 3D animation.

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