Swords, Apocalypses, and a Runaway Sponge - Tooned Up #10
Greetings, everyone! Neoplasmic here with a brand spankin' new episode of Tooned Up! Our tenth one, in fact, so it's an anniversary of sorts! Congrats to Mike and Cam, who discuss a metric ton of animation news, including another Spongebob: Sponge on the Run delay, the newly announced Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film, the upcoming Animaniacs reboot, some Comic-Con @Home schedule news, and so much more! Oh, and they review Hulu's Crossing Swords, HBO Max's Close Enough, Netflix's Japan Sinks 2020 and BNA! Behold, the tenth episode of our longest-running podcast! Huzzah!
01:00 - So yeah, in a move that surprises no one in these COVID-ian nightmare days (what day is it, even? When can I see other people?? God, I’m so alone!), Spongebob Squarepants: Sponge on the Run has been delayed yet again. Nickelodeon now promises to debut the film on premium VOD and CBS All Access in 2021. Spongebob is a series that came out after my Nickelodeon-watchin' days, but I know a ton of people who love it.
04:51 - There will be pizza! A new CGI animated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles film is coming from Nickelodeon, produced by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg's production company. I'm not entirely sold, but if they can dial in the Turtles' personalities, maybe they'll strike some gold there.
08:51 - Nickelodeon will produce a new children's book adaptation called Real Pigeons Fight Crime. Hopefully they do so by pooping on criminals' heads at inopportune moments.
10:54 - A brief shout out to the 10 episode Star Trek: Lower Decks series on CBS All Access, premiering in August. Maybe the Red Shirts finally get some love?
13:06 - HBO Max and Sony Pictures Animation are producing Young Love, based on a short film entitled Hair Love. No word yet on whether or not the sequel I just made up in my own head, Young Hair Love, is currently on the table. Crossing my fingers, folks.
14:46 - Bill Oakley and Josh Weinstein, formerly of the Simpsons, are working on a Mission Hill reboot, based on the CW original. I really have no opinion on this, beyond wishing Weinstein and Oakley well on their new venture. If you're happy about the Mission Hill reboot and you know it, do a dance.
18:18 - Beloved voice actor Rob Paulsen recently talked up the Animaniacs reboot that's coming to Hulu. The upcoming series was supposed to be released later this year, but has been delayed for COVID reasons. So we'll have to wait a little longer for our new iterations of Yakko, Wakko, and Dot. And hopefully Pinky and the Brain. I loved the original show (it influenced my sense of humor a lot), so hopefully this one honors its spirit and does it justice.
23:31 - Our very own Animation Guru (Cameron) reports that HBO Max won a bid for the pilot episode called Chinos from the creator of Fresh Off the Boat. HBO is apparently becoming the home of many fresh new animated shows, and we salute them for it.
24:45 - A new animated series named DeadEndia has been announced for 2021, based on a web short film and a horror graphic novel. Intriguing combination.
26:56 - Captain Kaye and the Guru spotlight the animation news from the upcoming Comic-Con @Home digital event, where there are sure to be some earth-shattering announcements among our favorite studios and the media through which they send their messages into our willing cranium nodes. Be there or be square. Which, well, we're all a buncha nerds, so... yeah. I didn't think that one through. Moving on!
30:27 - GKids will bring over Goro Miyazaki's latest, Earwig and the Witch, to the US in early 2021, thereby maintaining their close relationship with Studio Ghibli. Very cool news for anime fans.
31:27 - BRON Studios, the makers of Netflix's The Willoughbys, will unveil a virtual animation studio which will presumably produce more animated work in the style of the hit Netflix film.
32:31 - A new Scooby Doo Halloween special is in the works! This time, Scoob and the gang join forces with Elvira and Bill Nye the Science Guy to battle the Scarecrow. Yes, that Scarecrow. The one Batman beats up. Okie dokie.
35:43 - Our Animation Guru delivers his opinion on Hulu's new series, Crossing Swords, a sort of medieval Robot Chicken. Sounds like a rockin’ Medieval Times performance with ultraviolence and crass humor. I know the Guru hates it, but I find myself intrigued. As one of my favorite Youtubers is fond of saying, "Bring on the filthy."
Sidebar: I f#@%ing love Robot Chicken! That show is everything I could ever want. Just sayin'. Disagree if you want, but then I'll have to introduce you to Bitch Pudding. BLAM!
47:50 - HBO Max's Close Enough goes under the Mike-roscope (sorry I’m not sorry, everyone) and gets reviewed. Both the Captain and the Guru enjoyed this one far more than Crossing Swords (or my beloved cybernetic fowl), and the cast sounds great! Check out their thoughts and critiques at the timestamp!
1:02:37 - Japan Sinks 2020 is up next! The Guru gives us a rundown on the new, ten episode long Netflix anime series which deals with life in a post-apocalyptic Japan. Basically, the premise is that a bi-racial family must survive in a disaster-ridden landscape, while dealing with various individuals they meet along the way. Even though the show is dark, it isn't completely dour. It does sound bleak, disturbing, but it does celebrate the human spirit, which makes it sound a little bit inspirational. I’ll tell you one thing: It definitely ain’t for kids. Sounds like my kinda shindig, so I just may add it to my watchlist.
1:17:29 - Last but not least, our Dynamic Animation Duo take us on a tour through the world of Studio Trigger's latest, BNA (aka Brand New Animal), also from Netflix. A sort of anime Zootopia, where garden variety humans coexist with animal/human hybrids. A young woman teams up with a half-wolf/half-man hybrid in order to fight crime and discovers a deeper cover-up along the way. Sounds fun. Besides, you had me at "Studio Trigger."
