Loonatics - A retro look at what cost?

There are moments in everyone’s life and can be broadly classified into two major categories. The ‘WOW’ moment and the ‘SHIT!’ moment. And here is something that I guess would give all of you a moment of the second type.

What I am referring to is bugs bunny’s total new makeover. They have re-imagined bugs they say. If this is what you call imagination, then animation is not for you dudes! Many might even be surprised at the fact that I have attained heights of joblessness to actually write a post about Bugs and his other loony pals. But this is something that’s close to my heart. Being grown up with an image of bugs with his wit laced one-liners, daffy with his adorable eccentricities and porky with simply the cutest stutter in toon land. Seeing laser eyes and Kung-Fu is not only unbearably insipid but totally unpalatable. Leave the Kung-Fu to the likes of Neo and Morpheus dudes!

The retro look of the looney tunes charecters

Can you imagine when Bugs obliterates Elmer with his laser eyesight, and finishes with a ‘Astala Vista Baby!’. Its gonna suck big time! Bugs Bunny as I knew and loved, or the entire looney tunes gang has been mutilated and transmogrified beyond recognition. And what they don’t seem to realize is that they have simply not only molested their images on the pretext of ‘the new generation’ but they have lost a timeless treasure. Do we want our younger generations growing to images of irrational violence? Has the power and grace of the wit, given away to the glitz and glamour of laser eyesight and martial arts. Though I am not of American origin, I certainly believed that cartoons from Hollywood were a wholly different genre from loads of kung-fu fighting, tsurugi slinging anime. I believed it had a certain element of ‘americanness’ which I loved. They were certainly a welcome reprieve from anime with big breasted females, long haired sword slashers and butt kicking martial arts.

And the costumes of the ‘Lunatics’ as they seem to be called, are so crass and clichéd. Well hasn’t the media learnt anything from the ‘power rangers’? (Well, if you are asking who the F*** they are, then I’ve made my point!). There are even rumors that even Marvin the Martian, is going to get a makeover. Well, getting retro is fine but don't people know the concept of drawing the line? For a culture which seems to be protecting its ‘americanness’ at the cost of everything, isn’t it necessary to protect itself from within? From loosing its traditional heirlooms in the weak pretext of the next ‘generation’ ?.

For all those who jumped at the remote when your parents left the house to switch to cartoon network. For all those who woke up at 7 am on a Sunday just to watch elmer fudd fruitlessly try and hunt bugs. All those who took a well planned break during their boards to see Wile.E.Coyote and Road Runner try outsmart each other. For all those cartoon afficanado’s , who are young at heart, even though they might be reaching senility. For all those who miss the ‘What’s up Doc’s and the ‘Bunny Wabbit’ s. And last but in noway the least, the next generation. Do you want to be fed crap in the name of retro looks and modern imagination. Have you lost any sense of intelligence to not appreciate wit and stoop so low as to be satisfied with martial arts by bunny rabbits. Should we let this outrage continue. Should we let our favourite characters be mutilated in the pretext of the ‘next generation’? Should we let the pens, inks,and graphics tablets of modern day animators (not cartoonists..) run rampant on those characters and all their eccentricities that we cherished as kids.

With these thoughts,
I will sign off with a 'That's All Folks',
Vishnu