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.