The best and worst of 2019

I think everyone just wants to leave the year behind us all, and I may have to agree with them.  However, we have some good to talk about alongside the not so good.

Best animated feature

This was mostly a year of IP, IP, and more IP, so it was hard to find the movie of the year.  Here was the conclusion I came up with

Despite being IP, people loved it.  Pixar claims to have worked their heart and soul to make it just like the first 3 films.  It was also the most built up over the years as opposed to Frozen 2.  Frozen 2 had luke warm reviews, while Toy Story 4 opened with rave reviews.  Klaus spent most of its time on Netflix despite being well received.

Worst Animated Feature

There were so many bad ones too that came out such as Ugly Dolls and Playmobile Movie.  But the worst one has to be.....

Let me tell you something, if all you have to offer in the trailer and advertisements are all the celebrity voices that are in this film like Alec Baldwin, you're in trouble.  Entertainment Studio may be an independent, but they seem to not have their ground yet on feature films, and this will go up there as one of the worst.

Best Animated TV series

The attention on TV shows are becoming less and less relevant each year.  Despite this, there are some fan favorites.  This year's best series is........

 Developed for television by legendary cartoonist Lauren Faust, this adaptation of DC Super Hero Girls made for Cartoon Network is surprising.  The fact that it is a role model show for girls and at the same time they got away with a lot of stuff this time, making this "little girls show" not so little is astonishing.  Punching in the face and mentions of a Mash Pit, Faust has done it again



Worst Animated TV Series

For the third year in a row, this crap again????  I've said it before and I'll say it again: NOBODY THAT I KNOW EVEN KIDS WATCH THIS SHOW!  It's loud, annoying, and unfunny.  They're now also bashing the classic stuff like Scooby-Doo and even their original Teen Titans series, so they are the lowest of the low in my bar.  Worse, Cartoon Network just plays this all the time.  WAAAAYYYY too much time for a network that's supposed to show all kinds of cartoons 24hrs a day.  Thank God for Boomerang, and when HBO Max comes, brace for impact!

Best Streaming Series

The streaming wars are getting tighter, and the cartoons on these services are getting much much better.  We've got new and creative shows this year even if it's from IP, and even better content is coming next year.

Green Eggs and Ham

From Ellen Degeneres and Warner Bros. Animation answers the question if you can make something out of a short children's story.  Based on the classic story by Dr. Seuss, this series has proven very well done on Netflix.  The quality is fantastic and the character development of Sam I Am and Green Eggs Guy is amazing.  I've not heard a lot of bad things about it.  That's not to say the Depatie-Freleng isn't great, it still is, but this is how you reboot a classic.

Worst streaming series

Speaking of reboots.....

Here's a reboot no one asked for.  Streaming on Boomerang, a terrible cartoon getting a terrible reboot (how fitting).  It's even worse than the original.  The characters are creepy, and it's just a kiddie show.  Everyone talks about how bad the new She-Ra is, everyone talks about how bad the new Care Bears are, but these were already well established and well beloved by many (not by me, but someone).  Monchhichis......NOBODY WATCHED.  Perhaps it should have stayed in the Warner Bros. vault.


Best anime series

And now for the best anime of the year.  This year it is..........

Making it for the second year in a row, this was out of all the anime shows this year the most hyped.  Countdowns leading up to the fourth season in October makes you realize the popularity of the franchise.  And why not?  It is about a hero's journey after all.  Heck there are even more interesting merchandise out there for My Hero Academia.  That being said however, a huge shout out to Sarazamai, which is from the twisted yet interesting mind of Ikuhara (Sailor Moon, Revolutionary Girl Utena).  I also hear that Pretty Cure had a good season this year.

Best anime feature

There weren't a whole lot of features this year, but there were some interesting ones no doubt

It was a tough one out of many, but I hear Weathering with You is the best one.  So much so that it's even gonna play locally, so it must be interesting.  Of course, GKids always tries to find the best one.  Feel free to debate me as to whether or not I'm wrong.  I may go see it soon.

Best anime dub

Now onto the dubs.  We finally got a dub of Sailor Stars which is great, but there was one dub that got a lot of attention this year.

Dragonball Super: Broly

Broly one best anime feature last year, but this year was the dub of it by Funnimation.  This was the moment everyone talked about how great Vic Mignona was as Broly in terms of how the character feels and getting along with Goku and others at the end (oops, I shouldn't have said that but oh well).  Unfortunately it brought about a new kind of battle that wasn't in the film, but rather the media.  Allegations began coming out against Vic from both some fans and some of Funnimation's voice actors.  Vic was fired and discredited from the bonus features of the Blu-ray.  The out-roar for support for both the alleged victims and Vic began, splitting the anime community, and the #IStandWithVic / #KickVic movements began, bringing out damming truths, lies, and sins from both sides of the spectrum.  We hope things will be settled soon, but for now, this dub will become infamous in more ways than one.  [NOTE: This article is strictly for the best and worst of the year, any arguments from both movements will NOT be tolerated on this blog]

Worst anime dub

There really wasn't a bad dub this year.  Really there wasn't, but there was one that was controversial.

Neon Genesis Evangelion

This legendary anime got a brand new English dub for Netflix this year, and while I did enjoy it very much, it had some issues fans noticed.  Specifically, any gay references tend to be erased, which was very weird considering it's 2019.  My major beef was that they couldn't clear Fly Me to the Moon.  However, it's great the Evangelion is back as I consider it the greatest anime you should watch. 

Best DVD/Blu-ray

Wow, there were so many great releases this year.  A lot of stuff that has never before put out on home video came out like Sailor Stars, New Scooby Movies, and more.  Plus HD versions of Batman Beyond, Johnny Quest, Scooby-Doo, The Jetsons, and Teen Titans originals got fans excited. 

It's a TIE!!!!!  And for the second year in a row being Popeye.  Not only are these never before put out on home video, but not at all unlike last year's release, these films were remastered using the original nitrate negatives and their Paramount logos restored.  No more faded red prints that continue to air to this day.  These cartoons, in some cases, were rescued from being lost forever, so we thank Warner Archive for bringing us these great classic cartoons.  Here's hoping for more in 2020.








Worst DVD/Blu-ray release

Best of Warner Bros. 50 Cartoon Collection: Scooby-Doo

There were a lot of great Scooby-Doo releases this year for his 50th, and I was hoping this 5 disc gift set for those who aren't major fans but still like Scooby-Doo would be a nice compilation showcasing Scooby-Doo over the years......it wasn't.  The episodes are out of order; you'd get a Scooby-Doo Where Are You, then a What's New Scooby-Doo, then a Scooby-Doo Show, and then Be Cool Scooby-Doo, and there's no episode guide to find them on what disc.  This was just cheaply slapped on 5 discs without any love and care.  Sure it has different Scooby-Doo shows from the past 50 years, but it is a disorganized mess similar to Classic Media's Harveytoons Complete Collection a decade ago (yeah...it's that bad).  It's also not the "Best of Scooby-Doo" because Shaggy and Scooby Get a Clue is on here as is Be Cool Scooby-Doo.  I was very underwhelmed by it. Go for nicer compilations starring Scooby and the Gang.

Another Top forgotten Christmas Cartoons

There are more Christmas shows out there than meets the eye.  Heck, Hallmark themselves have put out too many to count.  As such, even the cartoons could be swept under the rug.  This is another list of some of rarest yet in some cases the best Christmas Cartoons ever made.  Missed the previous list, come on over here

1. Spinach Greetings (early 1960s)

It's not the rarest of the bunch since Popeye is everywhere again, but I can't say it's the easiest to find.  The TV Popeyes of the 1960s result to over 200 cartoons making this a needle in the haystack.  Good news, the story of how Popeye saved Christmas from the wicked Sea Hag could easily be tracked down with this, and the Youtube channel is currently promoting it,

2. From All of Us to All of You (1959)

As part of his anthology series on TV, Walt Disney himself brought us this special treat.  Hosted by Jiminy Cricket and special appearances by Mickey and Pluto, it's a showcase of Christmas cartoons with great moments from classic Disney favorites.  Despite this, the show had some re-edits over the years.  Surprisingly, it's currently more popular overseas causing most of the segments to be restored, but sadly, even they have re-edits to promote recent films like Frozen and Moana.  Many different color segments were found over the years, but the last remaining segments left only exist in kinescope form in black and white.  I believe Disney has everything well preserved, but until we know for sure, frankensteined versions of the show has been (illegally) uploaded to Youtube being the only versions available at this time.

3. Santa and the Three Bears (1970)

This is a crazy story so hang on.  Legendary Hanna-Barbera writer Tony Benedict self produced this in hopes of a network picking it up.  Originally gonna be called a Yellowstone Christmas, all three networks turned it down for not having a villain in the story.  He tried approaching WB/7arts for a theatrical distribution, but was then asked to pad it to make it longer and was renamed Santa and the Three Bears.  The story was about a couple of bear cubs who hear about Christmas from the ranger, so they try to stay up and celebrate despite it being hibernation time.  The film was finished, but WB/7arts said no.  Finally, a distributor in Florida who somehow owns the defunct park Pirates World and also makes kiddie films and porn bought it to sell in theaters.  It was a success, but Benedict received no money for his baby.  The company is long gone, and the film only now circulates in grey market form varying in quality.  Mr. Benedict, however, still has the master negs for the original Yellowstone Christmas half hour special and has uploaded it on his vimeo page.

4. Casper's First Christmas (1979)

Ok so what happens when Worldvision owns the rights to both Hanna-Barbera and Harvey Comics?  the answer, combine them.  A typical plot for Casper as he wants to celebrate Christmas instead of scaring people, but atypical when who should pay his house a visit for Christmas but the likes of Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Hound, Snagglepuss, and more.  It's also been confused with Yogi's First Christmas which came out THAT SAME YEAR. Same songs, same characters (minus Casper), nearly same plot.  Typical Hanna-Barbera at the time.  This confusion led to it swept under the rug by the general public, though Boomerang still runs it annually.

5.  The Berenstain Bears Christmas Tree (1979)

Speaking of bears, Stan and Jan's Berenstain Bears lands in their first TV outing in which Papa decides to cut down a Christmas Tree.  Along the way, the Bears learn about the true meaning of Christmas, thinking of "nature's creatures great and small, fellow creatures one and all."  The show was a success, and led to more specials and a TV show, but time passed on the Bears and the specials are no longer running on air despite being on home video a lot over the years.  This combined with the 2003 PBS edition of The Berenstain Bears being the more popular adaptation pushed all other shows and specials aside, thus making it on this list.

6.  The Shanty Where Santy Claus Lives (1932/33)

Even the great WB cartoons have their lost moments.  As part of their Merrie Melodies series, this one is about a poor boy who seems to not have any Christmas presents, but Santa Claus arrives to take him to his workshop up at the North Pole.  Despite being a Looney Tunes cartoon, here's why it's rare: 1. it's in black and white, 2. none of the popular characters were in it or created at that time, 3. there are scenes that depict typical racial stereotypes being a product of its time, and 4. it contains outdated celebrity/radio references throughout.  It has since fell into the public domain, making it possible you've at least seen snippets.

7. Toyland Premiere (1934)

This early Walter Lantz short is heavily inspired by the Macy's Santa Claus Parade (now called the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade).  In it, Santa flies down from the North Pole to visit with famous celebrities such as Universal's own Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, bringing with him giant balloons and funny floats to kick off the holiday season.  Like the previous entry, it is a product of it's time.  Many faces may be unfamiliar by most and it also includes politically incorrect humor.  Surprisingly, it has appeared on Woody Woodpecker DVDs.

8. The Snowman (1932/33)

Now for the darker side of Christmas.  An Eskimo and his friends build a giant snowman that ends up coming to life.  But he doesn't sing and dance nor says "Happy Birthday!"  No no...he becomes an evil monster that wrecks havoc and terrorizes the creatures of the north.  When it aired on TV, only black and white prints circulated making this not run-able by the time color came in.  Thanks to Thunderbean Animation and the hard work Steve Stanchfield and his team did, they were able to restore the original theatrical color version.

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!