THE TOP 11 GREATEST CARTOON TAKES

I'm back, with another tops list! You know, one of the earliest elements of animation is the cartoon "take". We've all seen them; heads shrinking or expanding in shock, tongues stretching outward, and of course eyes bugging out with plenty of pulsating veins. But what are the most creative, outrageous, and CRAZIEST takes to ever be animated? Today's post aims to find out. It's...

#11:

Donald Duck
in Der Fuehrer's Face

A crazy cartoon take from the Disney studio's animated library was actually extremely hard for me to find. In fact, compared to most of the takes that'll be in this list, this is pretty tame. The truth of the matter is, Disney just wasn't as outrageous as the other Hollywood cartoon studios. The ending of this World War II-themed short dares to be different however, in which Donald is having a nightmare that he is a factory worker in Nazi Germany. As he starts going mad, his head stretches up like E.T., then as he starts babbling he suddenly gets extremely wonky and wiggly! Even though it's not too weird, it's definitely one of the most insane scenes to ever come out of Disney.

#10:

Homer Simpson
in Treehouse of Horror V

Now I know what you might be thinking... how the hell did a clip from The Simpsons manage to get on a list like this? Well, just take a look at it. As Homer goes mentally insane a la Jack Torrence in The Shining, he suddenly starts getting really crazy-looking. Look at the animation and how exaggerated, rubbery, and well, actually CARTOONY he gets! Definitely a very rare moment for the normally-static Simpsons, and definitely deserving a spot on this list. BTW, Homer's scream at the end of the clip slays me!

#9:

Screwy Squirrel
in The Screwball Squirrel

Ah, what's a list about great cartoon takes without Tex Avery? Definitely one of the highest masters of animation, Tex practically invented the cartoon take. Here we see an early MGM short by Tex, featuring his short-lived character Screwy. When he suddenly realizes that he's played a gag on Meathead Dog that has gone too far even for HIM, Screwy grows multiple heads and- oh, just watch!

#8:

Wile E. Coyote
in Operation: Rabbit

Out of the dozens and dozens of films that Wile E. has appeared in along with the Roadrunner, my favorite appearances of him are by far only the couple of times in which he's been Bugs Bunny's adversary. There's so much more to his character in these ones, as this complete egomaniac who's obsessed with his own "super genius".

The reason his take is so great in this particular clip is that it ISN'T a big crazy reaction. He's completely still, except for his pupils shrinking. It's so simple, yet we can all tell the fear he's experiencing right here. I think one of Chuck Jones' biggest strengths was his ability to communicate a character's thoughts, feelings and motives while they barely have to even move. It's kind of the opposite of Tex Avery, in a way. Genius, or dare I say, super genius!!

#7:

Betty Boop and Bimbo
in Mysterious Mose

Would you ever believe that Betty Boop could have a cartoon take? You bet she can, especially while under the helm of the brilliant animation of Grim Natwick. Grim's Betty cartoons consist mostly of her earliest films, where she's not quite the Betty that the public is as familiar with today (she's not human in these, but a girl dog!). These cartoons are surreal, stranger than all hell, and downright works of art. This first clip is of Betty's reaction to Bimbo's crazy horn playing... look at the SIZE of her eyes as she looks on in complete terror!!!





And for good measure, and also because I couldn't possibly pass this shot up without sharing it here, another scene involves Bimbo doing a crazy dance in which his head flates and deflates into a multitude of different shapes. Ahh, pure cartoony goodness.

#6:

Roger Rabbit
in Who Framed Roger Rabbit?

This scene from the movie is not only a great bunch of takes all back-to-back, but the entire sequence of what happens when Roger takes a shot of bourbon is one big homage to all the cartoon characters who have ever flipped out from a drink that's a bit too stiff (a.k.a. The Alcohol Take). Popeye, Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd, Tex Avery characters- you name 'em, and they've most likely had a scene like this. So, Roger definitely deserves a spot on this list for an all-around fitting tribute, from an all-around great movie.

#5:

Daffy Duck
in Draftee Daffy

Here's a short (directed by my hero Bob Clampett) that definitely needs to be freeze-framed. As Daffy is trying to escape the Little Man From the Draftboard, to avoid being drafted into the US Army, he in constantly foiled time and time again as he simply cannot lose the little bugger. All of Daffy's freak-outs are brilliant in this short, but this one takes the cake.

Let's freeze-frame that sucker!

#4:

Tex Avery's Wolf
in Northwest Hounded Police

The same concept, from a different director. The Wolf tries to escape Sergeant Droopy of the Mounties, and no matter where he hides Droopy is right there waiting for him. This results in completely freaking the Wolf out more and more each time! But the biggest and best comes during this scene, where Droopy surprises him at the plastic surgeon's office. Look at those eyeball veins! Listen to that horrifying wild pig squeal! This might just be the creepiest cartoon take ever!

#3:

Tex Avery's Wolf
in The Shooting of Dan McGoo

You can't go wrong with Tex Avery's Wolf, as he grabs both numbers four AND three on this list. Here is an example of the "pretty girl take" (complete with wolf whistle), which we have all seen countless times again and again. But this is one of the very first ones, therefore the penultimate "pretty girl take"! It's the one that started it all. Beat it boys, ya bother me!

#2:

Ren Höek
in In The Army

Ren and Stimpy are known for bringing bulging eyeballs, throbbing veins and displays of complete insanity back to cartoons in the early 90's. But what can I possibly say about this take? It might be one of the most insane drawings ever put onto the animated screen. When Ren gets caught being lazy by the fearsome army sergeant, his skin literally MELTS off of his skull, which proceeds to explode outwards and is paired up with the most blood-curdling shriek you've ever heard. When I first saw this as a kid, I didn't know what to even think. It literally blew my mind. I think all I can remember saying was, "...can I watch that again??"

and the #1 greatest cartoon take is...!!

Daffy Duck
in Book Revue

Another tally for Daffy, another tally for director Bob Clampett, and one big fat shiny award for my favorite cartoon take ever. I think what is truly remarkable about this take is the sheer simplicity of it. Daffy doesn't lean back and his eyes bug out all crazy. Nor does his tongue stretch out or his body goes into twisty convulsions. Nope, none of that. Daffy simply transforms into ONE. GIANT. EYEBALL. That's IT. It's so sudden, so surreal, and yet so simplistic, that it's incredible to me. Do the honors, and enjoy for yourself!

Thanks for reading, and for watching!

THE TOP 12 CATCHIEST DISNEY SONGS

In my opinion, Disney has always been the animation studio that led the way for the music of Hollywood entertainment. There's no doubt about it; the tunes composed for the cartoon shorts, the animated features, and the theme parks are fun, clever, and some have even become staples in everyone's lives.

There are even some songs buried deep within the very fibers of Disney's history that you wouldn't even remember unless they were reminded of it, but once you do, it all starts coming back to you. But which of these songs are the most fun? The very catchiest? Or even the most "oh my god, this song WILL NOT LEAVE MY HEAD!!"? Today's post aims to find out. It's...

The Top 12 Catchiest Disney Songs!

#12:

Little April Shower
from Bambi

To start off, I've just gotta mention that this song literally comes out of nowhere! In a movie that could hardly even be considered a musical, Little April Shower is a random song about the simplest of all things: rain. It's out of nowhere, it's not exciting, and it's light as a feather. But boy is it catchy.



Even some of the animals in this musical interlude look a little confused as to why this random song about woodland precipitation is playing! But oh well, I love it. Drip, drip, drip!

#11:

The Ballad of Davey Crockett

This country favorite was part of the early Disneyland TV show, and it has definitely made its mark on the world since then. Davey Crockett and his coonskin cap were on the minds and heads of every kid of the baby boom era, and I'm sure the catchy theme song helped!

#10:

The Three Caballeros

Donald Duck, Jose Carioca, and Panchito Pistoles make up the trio of The Three Caballeros. With clever lyrics, zeppy pacing, and incredible animation lead by Ward Kimball, I can't say enough good things about this. It's simply one of the zaniest and best in Disney's musical history, hands (and pistoles) down!

#9:

Casey Jr.'s Theme
from Dumbo

Here's a interesting song, because there are two different versions... a short melody in the Dumbo film, and then a much longer song with extended lyrics in the form of a Casey Jr. train-ride attraction at the Disneyland theme park. So as both versions can be considered one song, I have to say that this is one tune that is stuck in my head forever once it chugs along through it.



This song actually gets me excited for some guy named Casey Jr. to come to my town and set up circus grounds. Once you give this tune a listen, you won't argue that it's the greatest one ever made for the track. Casey Jr.'s back!

#8:

Minnie's Yoo-Hoo

It's really funny how often this video clip keeps popping up on my blog. Regardless, it's still one of my favorite Mickey moments, as well as a pretty awesome song. It's also a very strange one. It's clearly not Mickey's usual voice, and the animation (especially in his mouth and lip sync) is way too bizarre and crazy for Disney! You'd think someone at Warner Bros. might have had a hand in it. While we may never know for sure, this is one finger-snapping yoo-hoo tune that won't ever leave our brains!

#7:

Yo-Ho, Yo-Ho
from Pirates of the Caribbean

A pirate's life for me! Before Johnny Depp, there was a boat-ride attraction with the catchiest song that you've ever heard come out of a theme park. That song belongs to, of course, Pirates of the Caribbean. This 42-year old ride is still floating along, and the song's popularity is no exception.



What's interesting is that for a song that's so popular, not many people know the full lyrics to it. In fact, "Yo, ho! Yo, ho! A pirate's life for me!" are the only words that most people know from it at all! So check out the video above and try to finally memorize those lyrics! And even if you can't, merely listening to this treasured pirate shanty will have it on your mind for days.

#6:

I Wanna Be Like You
from The Jungle Book

With big thanks to jazz artist Louis Prima, the immortal voice behind King Louie, this has got to be one of the biggest and best songs out of all the Disney features. The timing, pace, animation, is all genius.



As you listen to this, can you just imagine the real Louis Prima band playing this song and going absolutely nuts in the Disney recording room? You can really sense how much fun this was to record, because you simply cannot help but tap your foot to this beat. Believe me, I've tried.

#5:

The Merrily Song
from The Wind and the Willows

Starting off this film on the right foot, Mr. Toad and his new best pal Cyril enjoy a destructive ride through the countryside, merrily on the road to Nowhere At All. This song is ENGRAVED into my brain, it is THAT much fun to listen to. Hear for yourself!



The music is whimsical, the lyrics are fantastic, and the mere listening of it makes you wanna leap up and join the characters on their infamously wild ride. And any song that grabs you and sucks you in that much is more than eligible for this list's #5 spot.

#4:

Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah
from Song of the South

You'd think a song with a title that's just random gibberish wouldn't catch on and become tiresome after a while, but nope, Uncle Remus' happy country-side melody has become one of the most famous songs in the world.



Even though the Disney studios of today have done everything they can to sweep the actual "Song of the South" film under the rug and away from public knowledge, this song still comes out on top by being one of the most recognizable tunes from the studio's history. What other phrase can you say to describe it besides.. Zip-a-dee-doo-dah!

#3:

The Humphrey Hop
from In the Bag

This song from the extremely small series of 1950's Humphrey Bear cartoons was so catchy that it actually became its own hit record single! And why not? GOOD LORD, IT'S CATCHY AS HELL.



I cannot be more serious in saying that I can't stop thinking about this song once it enters my mind. It will never, ever, ever leave. I mean how do you even make a song about picking up garbage catchy? I have no friggen idea, but if anyone can do it, it's definitely Disney.

#2:

It's A Small World After All

Yyyyup. Love it or hate it, the feature song during the It's A Small World attraction at Disneyland is not only one of the simplest, catchiest songs you've ever heard, but its power is enough to drive even the strongest of minds insane.

I'm serious, this song can drive someone CRAZY.



This song is so irritating, so incredibly cheerful, so never-ending that we aren't sure what to feel when we hear it. Does it do it's job at portraying the children of the world, and uniting the countries and cultures of Earth as one? Who the hell knows? But one thing's for sure; it definitely deserves one of the highest spots on this list of memorable Disney tunes.

and the #1 catchiest Disney song is...!!

Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?
from The Three Little Pigs

Undeniably the most popular and important song to ever come out of the Disney studio. As soon as movie-goers looked at the Big Bad Wolf as a symbol of the Great Depression that was happening around them, this song literally took America by storm.



Toys, games, lyric books, record singles, kitchen appliances- you name it, the Big Bad Wolf song was on it. And exactly how often can a song actually help DEFINE a time period in America's history? Not. Bloody. Often. So if you ask me, Who's Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf has the history and the power all in it's own to deserve the #1 spot on Disney's Catchiest Songs list.

Thanks for reading, and especially for listening!

CARTOONS FROM CANADA

Okay, we JUST got done with our film submission for this July's Comic-Con film fest. SO, I now have time to get back to other things! Like here, I thought I'd do a nice and hopefully-interesting post about one of my favorite things provided by our friends up North.
CANADIAN CARTOONS!


What's interesting is I really haven't seen a lot of animated films from Canada. There just hasn't really been a lot of exposure of it in the United States.
Much earlier this decade, and the latter half of the 1990's, when Cartoon Network was THE network to visit for all your cartoon-watching needs (makes sense, right?), O Canada! was an original program they aired which was a half-hour block of cartoons from the National Film Board of Canada. Sometimes it was an hour long!


I remember its only time-slot was Sunday nights at like 1am. Well, so not really Sunday nights, more like Monday early mornings. I remember it airing right after Space Ghost: Coast to Coast, which I never missed. So when SG ended and I was getting into bed for the school week starting up the next morning, this strange little O Canada! show came on.

Sure, I grasped that it was animated shorts from Canada, but I was still a tad confused because every cartoon was SO WEIRD and BIZARRE. Most of them were in some form of Squigglevision, and they were all very dry humor. I know that "they felt very British" isn't really a feeling, but you automatically know what I mean when I say that. They were just so different from what I was used to seeing! Some quaint and quiet. Some insane and raucous. Some not containing humor as its primary function, rather, extremely artsy or dealing with mature situations (the Bob and Margaret "pilot" being about Bob going through a mid-life crisis on his birthday).

Is there ANYONE ELSE watching this right now besides me?, I thought. There was a huge appeal to this for me. I felt like it was a show the network put on just for night owls like me. That nobody else would understand if brought up in conversation.

Watching this late-nite block of cartoons was like being in a little secret club!


Alas, Cartoon Network eventually became the place it is today. And in order to do that, they got rid of a lot of their good programming.

And as with all television shows that make you WANT to switch on the TV, O Canada! fell into even more obscurity than it was already in and was replaced with... I am now checking the listings here for what currently airs on Sundays at 1am...... Darkplace. I have no idea what that is. But it's part of the [adult swim] block so I'm not exactly eager to find out.

Anyway. There's a little history of how I came into the know-how of these, albeit small amount, great cartoons that O Canada! introduced to me. Extra credit is given to them for being so cool because most of them seem to be produced in the 1980's, one of the past few decades that has been absolute hell on the American animation industry. Leave it to Canadians to be the best at entertainment!


So, a couple years ago I remembered a lot of these cartoons and searched around on eBay, Amazon, wherever, to see if I could obtain any myself. Luckily I found a bootleg-type DVD set of a lot of the shorts the show aired that I remembered being some of the WEIRDEST of the weird; a.k.a. my personal favorites!!!
Three of them in particular are included in it, so it's this very DVD set that I'll use to create the screencaps and clips for this blog post.


Directed by Cordell Barker

This is my favorite short from Canada. It's relatively new (1988), but it's just a classic. I actually remember seeing it BEFORE O Canada!, on TV as a kid. I remember it creeped the hell outta me! Mainly because it's pretty dark humor, and way more cartoony than mostly anything that was being made at the time.
I guess a cartoon being cartoony was so foreign to what audiences were used to that that's the way it originally made me felt.


Crazy!!!!

There are so many strange jokes in this one that just inexplicably fit. The man going up the mountain to get rid of the cat, and the amount of ladies tied to railroad tracks is just hilarious!




Below is another favorite...

Directed by Richard Condie
This one is so bizarre, but human at the same time. We witness 10 minutes where this lovely older couple is having a snit. One shakes their eyes too much. The other has an obsessive fetish for sawing.



Why are YOU always shaking your eyes all the time??!

You're always shaking your eyes HERE, and shaking your eyes THERE!!

Despite the strangeness of everything, it's a very sweet cartoon in which we somehow find we can relate to, one way or another.
It's also RICH with real human awkward silences. I must admit that this cartoon is a bit of an inspiration for my cartoon project that I'm working on right now!


A YouTube embed of it below. Definitely give it a watch if you haven't.


--------------------------

Directed by Brad Caslor

This brilliant short is the ultimate tribute to the cartoons of the Fleischers, and maybe even Clampett!
Everything is extremely fun and rubbery. Each character design is creative and exaggerated- floppy muzzles, lots of wrinkles, HUGE schnozzes.
Maybe best of all, almost the whole thing is timed to music!! A wonderful artistic element that's barely been done since animation's heyday.




Another great thing this cartoon uses: Crazy animal crowds! Crazy animal crowds are essential to stories like this.




Great alley cats! This is definitely a nudge to Clampett. Probably Bakshi too.

Bob Dog is a funny little guy. Did the director ever make more cartoons like this? This seems to be the only piece of anything by him that I know of.




OH-kay,
I think that's gonna do it for now. If I am missing something really great, or anyone has anything to add, shoot me a comment and discuss!
Again, I'm no expert on the subject, as I've barely been exposed to anything since I don't live in Canada. But thanks for reading nonetheless!

FUNNY CARTOON LADIES

This is another "theoried" essay-type post about happy cartoon goodness. NOT cartoons by me, however, but by animator heroes of mine! And what's today's topic?

FUNNY CARTOON LADIES

This should be fun!!!!!!

BETTY BOOP
My all-time favorite character, especially in the hands of genius animator supreme Grim Natwick. He drew Betty in the earliest of the early films; the roundest and the cutest, with the funniest animation (plenty of butt slappings!), and with definitely the most personality.

Simply SCRUMPTIOUS!



BETTY IN MOTION
See Betty tap ass!


WATCH THIS CLIP to satisfy your masculine urges!


One of my favorite Betty Boop cartoons is Mysterious Mose, because it contains Grim's best Betty animation ever. Look how amazingly fluid this is:


I love when we get a rare glimpse into the cartoon character's more private life. In "Minnie the Moocher", Betty is suddenly an anguished teenager living with curmudgeony 'ol Mr. and Mrs. Boop!




Unfortunately, as all cartoons had to "grow up" a little bit because of the new set of rules the Hayes Code forced upon Hollywood (which later became today's MPAA), Betty was no exception. Her last batch of cartoons from the late 30s are pretty bland, with stories of Betty doing practically nothing. She's suddenly somewhat of a housewife??


Well, despite a rather short career of truly great films, I'm still Betty's big fan.


MA BEAR

I LOVE Chuck Jones' Three Bears WB shorts. Unfortunately I don't have access to most of them (I think there were 5, or 6?), so I don't have much of a variety of pictures.
But hopefully you know who I'm talking about.
Ma Bear is just hilarious to me. She's so terrificly deadpan, and while loves her family, obviously it seems like she'd rather be somewhere else and is pretty much in her own world most of the time.
Pa and Junyer would crumble without her though. She's the Larry Fine of the group.





But the REAL reason I wanted to mention this character is for Ken Harris' wonderful scene with Ma Bear dancing, in "Bear for Punishment". CHECK IT OUT-

What amazing movements. You can feel the weight of this older saggy bear lady, tap dancing around a stage. Ha!








...and as long as we're talking about characters in rather obscure territories, I might as well mention Beaky Buzzard's mother, Mama Buzzard.
WHATSHA MATTA YOU, KEELER! YOU-A ALWAYS COME-A HOME WITH-A EMPTY FEENGERS!


RED HOT RIDING HOOD
This is pretty much a given. Sure she doesn't do much except get howled at, but the dancing sequences are amazing and smoothly animated by Preston Blair.



Cartoons for men!


Tex Avery knew what the boys wanted to see, that's for sure.


okay... OLIVE OYL!
Eddie is gonna LOVE this part! Olive Oyl is without a doubt the funniest lady of the animated screen.

Tall, lanky, self-centered, EXTREMELY fickle, hilarious clothes, arms and legs that resemble wet spaghetti. Lots of animation n00bs are annoyed by her because they don't seem to realize that Popeye and Bluto's endless quest for the affection of someone like HER is how the entire series has worked for nearly 80 years. If Olive WAS a perfect, cheerful, spicy vixen, it just wouldn't be as fun!



Olive getting pissed = Hilarity!



It's also funny how my top two favorite funny cartoon girls were both voiced by the incredible Mae Questel. And as far as animation goes, Olive's was usually nothing short of astounding in the original Fleischer shorts.





But it doesn't stop there. Olive's the only girl cartoon to get the crap beat out of her on a regular basis, ESPECIALLY being one of the series' protagonists. The Fleischers didn't care!!


Different times indeed.

soooooo freaking funny.


Even though the Popeye series lasted much longer than Betty Boop's, the characters were still quite toned down as time went on. Olive eventually became much more lady-like, plus grew boobies.

And then, well...... uh..

...................wow.


Well, I'll end this on a good note. LOOK AT THE RUN CYCLES IN THIS CLIP!!!!!


Sorry for all the video clips in this post being so choppy and pixelated. YouTube doesn't seem to like videos that have lots of movement in them! So I think that's gonna do it for this post. This all just took me a couple of hours and I'm puh- puh- pooped!

Thanks for reading!