Being an 80s kid, I was partial to the epic type series that had convoluted plots but had a definite beginning and conclusion.
The cartoons I’d most like to see re-run tomorrow at the latest:
Ulysses 31
A great sci-fi take on a classic.
Mysterious Cities of Gold
A touch of history mixed in with myth and doused in a little sci-fi = Great Stuff.
On a side note, is it just me or do cartoon series these days (now I really sound like an old fart) lack interesting plot lines that actually advance the story? Every series I seem to see (except for perhaps Gargoyles which has been the most promising in the past 5 years) keeps rehashing the same plot line over and over in each episode.
Der! Starblazers, of course. It had me standing at the front of the school bus screaming at the bus driver to get me home faster so I wouldn’t miss any of the show. I mean, they only had 230 days left to save the earth!
Looney Tunes are and always will be my favorite, bar none. I wish Cartoon Network would go back to showing them for four hours each Saturday like they used to show (they’ve cut it down to two hours, and every now and then they play this stupid Dexter’s Labratory rap video in the middle of the show that just wastes precious network time). In particular, my favorites are Bugs Bunny (especially when he’s up against Yosemite Sam), Daffy Duck, The Coyote/Road Runner, and Foghorn Leghorn.
I am convinced, from all the accounts I’ve read online, that every single elementary-school aged boy in the early 80s was doing EXACTLY THE SAME THING at 3:00 every day: suffering near-nervous breakdowns over fear that they would miss some of that day’s episode. I’ve never seen a more involving animated series – believable characters, a great adventure story, and a real sense of suspense and tension which even big budget movies fail to capture.
Speaking of anime, I also loved Battle of the Planets (Gatchaman). Although worlds apart from Star Blazers, it had a wacky charm and energy that I still enjoy. The original fan-subbed episodes are especially good, since a lot of material was edited for American audiences.
Sonic the Hedgehog (The ABC version, of course) With Real Ghostbusters as a close second.
I have other written down on my Shows to air when I pull a Ted Turner and run a media empire list*, but those two are the ones that come to mind immediately.
Another Star Blazers fan. In my area it was on at 7 AM, and was the topic of discussion on every bus ride to school. The guys who liked Venture were always such tools, I mean the dude was a major WUSS!
All the kids in my neighborhood would ride around on our bikes and pretend to be G-Force; as soon as we learned to ride with one hand, we’d do the trans…MUTE! with our free hands and transform our bikes into planes or motorcycles. And then, of course, we’d change into the Fiery Phoenix. But I think even at that age we recognized that the show was just a cheesy Star Wars rip-off – that was just for playing, but Starblazers was epic.
Now that it’s all out on DVD, it’s changed. I did a dance and made girly noises when I heard Starblazers was being released on DVD, and pre-ordered it weeks before it was available. As soon as I got it, though, it was like a bucket of cold water getting dumped on my head. The show does not age well – really sketchy animation, terrible effects, cheesy characters, and worst of all, it’s just DULL. (Actually, worst of all, the makers of the DVD edited the episodes into one long movie, leaving out the “200 days left to save the earth” countdowns at the end, which were the best part.)
On the other hand, Rhino did an awesome job with the Battle of the Planets DVD’s. They include the Sandy Frank BotP versions of two episodes, the Turner “G-Force” version of one of the episodes, and both of the original Japanese “Gatchaman” versions. “Battle of the Planets” is still every bit as goofy and nonsensical as I remembered it, but the real surprise was the original Japanese versions. They’re completely coherent and they make perfect sense! All the wacky and goofy stuff, including the annoying 7-Zark-7 and the weird edits and going from outer space to earth and back again, were done just for the American version. Except for the fact that the Japanese version has the awesome theme song and the fact that they’re called “Science Ninja Team Gatchaman,” which rocks more than anything I can think of.
My favorites were the early Japanese cartoons–I guess you could call them proto anime–Speed Racer, Astro Boy, and especially Kimba the White Lion, which was my favorite show when I was 8.
I refuse to watch Kimba as a grown-up because I’d hate to find out how stupid it really was. I’d rather keep my treasured childhood memories unsullied, thank you very much.
Looney Tunes here too. I also still have a soft spot for the original Super Friends, as silly as it was. Johnny Quest (original) was indeed cool, as was the Pink Panther.
Looney Toons and of course HERCULES
Hero of song and story HERCULES
da-da-da ancient glory
fighting da-da-da
da-da-da, da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da
He’s the mighty HERCULES
Yeah, it was kinda cheesy, but I loved it!
The Herculoids. I mean, you’ve got to love a show that features a family with a flying dragon that shoots laser beams from its eyes, a rhinoceratops, two giant amoebas, and a giant stone ape.
I remember back in the late 60s/early 70s when Saturday morning was paradise. You could get up at 7 a.m. and catch a monster movie like Godzilla and then a bunch of great cartoons like “The Impossibles,” “The Herculoids,” “Space Ghost,” “The Justice League of America,” “Road Runner,” a half-hour or more of Looney Tunes, “Birdman,” “Scooby Doo,” and the original Jonny Quest.
Kids today have more channels, but the shows back then were a lot more fun and imaginative.
