It's the conclusion of our Bugs Bunny 80th Birthday Blu-Ray review! Our favorite cartoon hero runs on autopilot with Friz Freleng, Bob McKimson, and (occasionally on this set) Chuck Jones trying to keep interest in Bugs alive. We do see some bright moments with a few masterful Yosemite Sam encounters, countered with more TV parodies and cheaters than one can humanly stomach. Also: possibly the shortest dissection of What's Opera, Doc? ever recorded on human record.

Cartoon Logic

Cartoon Logic Episode 31: The Bugs Bunny Birthday Blu-Ray Blow-Out (Part 2)

November's Blu-ray release of Bugs Bunny cartoons is so jam-packed with Technicolor animated perfection we have to do two episodes about it! In part one, we discuss what made the character take off immediately, and all the highlights of the set's first disc of 1940s cartoons, in which very different filmmakers managed to have individual takes on Bugs, yet maintain a singular vision that made him Warner Animation's eternal foundation.

Cartoon Logic Episode 30: The Bugs Bunny Birthday Blu-Ray Blow-Out (Part 1)

We discuss the newest Tex Avery collection from Warner Archive! Despite some substandard presentation, the laughs come faster and furious in this volume, thanks in no small part to animator Mike Lah and MVP Spike. Immortal works like Little Rural Riding Hood and Magical Maestro headline this volume, with Droopy in peak (and non-peak) form. Witness in real time as Tex literally snaps and falls back on softer, designy humor. You'd have to be a real screwball not to love this disc - or listen!

Cartoon Logic Episode 29: Tex Avery Screwball Classics Vol. 2

Our first (of few) forays into TV animation, examining the early days of Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera's "planned" animation empire! We talk about what went wrong at Hanna-Barbera, and what went right in the early days, thanks to folks like Ed Benedict (whom Bob met), Daws Butler, Alan Reed, and Carlo Vinci. We also dissect "The Flintstone Flyer", the first-aired episode of the first primetime adult cartoon show, which shows just how elegantly crude and inventive a prehistoric Laurel & Hardy knockoff can be!

Cartoon Logic Episode 28: Hanna-Barbera (The Flintstone Flyer)

Here to guide us through the history of NYC's Van Beuren Studio in the '20s and '30s is our most qualified special guest, historian and musician Charlie Judkins! Learn how Paul Terry, John Foster, and Jim Tyer shaped cartoons that never came close to matching the Fleischers (despite being right across the street!), and how their endearing weird crudeness occasionally turned out a pre-code gem like our highlighted Halloween-appropriate cartoon, The Magic Mummy (1933), starring the pre-MGM Tom and Jerry.

Cartoon Logic Episode 27: The Van Beuren Studio History with Charlie Judkins

Warner cartoon legend Art Davis was a long-term animator and had an exceptionally memorable three-year run directing the studio's "D-unit" in the late '40s. We discuss Davis' history that began in the silent era as an errand boy on Mutt & Jeff; how he became the business' first assistant/inbetweener; his many years working on the strange Columbia cartoons; his suspicions of a certain studio's antisemitism; and just what makes his contributions to Looney Tunes history so fun. Our breakdown this month: Davis' Two Gophers from Texas, which pits the genial Goofy Gophers against a contemptible conceited dog who hinges on utter derangement.

Cartoon Logic Episode 26: Art Davis (Two Gophers from Texas)

Because no one asked for it, we're givin' you some CRINGE. We return to the subject of Famous Studios to zero in on what exactly made their cartoons of the 1950s so infamously unfunny. What's your favorite Famous cringe? Herman mutilating Katnip? Popeye trying to seduce Poopdeck Pappy? Just Casper? Or Little Audrey's laugh? Guys like Dave Tendlar, Al Eugster, and Irv Spector weren't untalented, though, and could once-in-a-while turn out a classic despite (or because?) of its cringe. We discuss all this and more...

Cartoon Logic Episode 25: Famous Studios Cringe

In lieu of our regular episode this week, we're offering the first episode of Spinach Skrewtny, our Patreon-exclusive chronological examination of the Popeye cartoons made by the Fleischer Studio. We hope this sample entices you to join us! In our premiere, Bob gives a summation of his lifelong history (re: obsession) with Popeye the Sailor. We talk about the character's origins in Segar's strip and why incidental elements like spinach and Bluto became staples of the animated series. We were astounded at how rich this first year of six Popeye cartoons was, and we're sure you'll agree and learn more than you ever wanted to know about what made this sailor (and the animators who brought him to life) so special, even in the beginning! Cartoons discussed: Popeye the Sailor, I Yam What I Yam, Blow Me Down, I Eats My Spinach, Seasin's Greetinks!, and Wild Elephinks.

Cartoon Logic Bonus: Spinach Skrewtny, 1933

We return to Ub Iwerks, this time to take a look at his uniquely raunchy cartoons he did at his own studio, like Flip the Frog, Willie Whopper, and the ComiColor series... But other than pre-code filth, did these films have much else to offer? Our single cartoon analysis is the Cinecolor Hell's Fire, the Willie Whopper cartoon that proves Hell is fun, prohibition is evil, and it pays to be Satan's stooge!

Cartoon Logic Episode 24: Ub Iwerks (Hell's Fire)

Our second installment of Animation ID! We give an overview of Emery Hawkins, the Grand Wanderer of classic animation! This guy came up with not just the ultimate Woody Woodpecker, the immortal Marky Maypo, and the nauseating Greedy, but breathed life into characters at just about every studio: Lantz, Columbia, MGM, Disney, and WB, where he rounded out the '40s on the cartooniest cartoons directed by Art Davis. Join in as Bob and Thad discuss what made Mr. Hawkins so special. Cartoons discussed:  Columbia: Let's Ring Doorbells, Woodman Spare That TreeMGM: Honduras' HurricaneDisney: Fire Chief, A Gentleman's Gentleman, Donald's Dilemma, Donald's Dream VoiceLantz: Ration Bored, Barber of Seville, The Beach Nut, Woody Dines Out, The Dippy Diplomat, The Loose Nut, The Poet and Peasant, Who's Cookin' Who?, Bathing Buddies, The Reckless Driver, Fair Weather FiendsWB: Doggone Cats, Two Gophers from Texas, What Makes Daffy Duck, A Hick, A Slick, and a Chick, Dough Ray Me-Ow, The Stupor Salesman, Holiday for Drumsticks, Bowery Bugs, Bye Bye Bluebeard, Strife with Father, The Leghorn Blows at Midnight, Hillbilly Hare, What's Up Doc?, All Abi-r-r-r-d, Rabbit of Seville, Early to Bet, French Rarebit

Cartoon Logic Episode 23: Animation ID - Emery Hawkins

We continue the saga of Walter Lantz to focus on the cartoons Dick Lundy directed in the late '40s. An O.G. Disney alumnus, Lundy brought a spit and polish to the Lantz product and made the studio's most lavish pictures—much to Walter's wallet's chagrin. Highlights: Freddie Moore at Lantz! The scumbaggery of Buzz Buzzard! The Woody Woodpecker Song's controversy! And just in time for Father's Day, we discuss Lundy's Wacky-Bye Baby, with doting papa Wally Walrus trying to kill his newly adopted son Woody. Cartoons discussed: The Beach Nut, Ski for Two, Crow Crazy, Bathing Buddies, Smoked Hams, The Flying Jalopy, Wet Blanket Policy, Dog Tax Dodgers, and Wacky-Bye Baby.

Cartoon Logic Episode 22: Walter and Woody Pt. 2 with Dick Lundy (Wacky-Bye Baby)

"Beep, Beep!" Or is it "Hmeep, Hmeep?" The quintessential chase series by Chuck Jones and Mike Maltese is our topic for this episode. We discuss the origins of famishus vulgaris and birdibus zippibus, just what makes such a simple concept so funny, and list our favorite Coyote pratfalls. Then we cap it off with an in-depth analysis of arguably the most perfect Road Runner cartoon, Zoom and Bored. Listen—in the name of humanity! Cartoons discussed: The Fox and Grapes, Fair and Worm-Er, Fast and Furry-Ous, Operation: Rabbit, Beep, Beep!, Going! Going! Gosh!, Stop! Look! And Hasten!, Ready.. Set.. Zoom!, Guided Muscle, Gee Whiz-z-z-z-z-z-z-z, There They Go Go Go!, Whoa Be-Gone!, Hopalong Casualty, Lickety-Splat, and Zoom and Bored.

Cartoon Logic Episode 21: Road Runner vs. Wile E. Coyote (Zoom and Bored)

We get even bolder in our classic cartoon hot takes as we discuss UPA, the hip postwar studio that changed the way animation at all the studios was done. We talk about directors like John Hubley and Bobe Cannon, who sought to make cartoons with aspirations opposite the status quo in Hollywood cartoons, and the golden years of UPA that birthed Mister Magoo and several Oscar wins and nominations. Our highlighted cartoon is a gem, Christopher Crumpet, from Cannon and writer/designer T. Hee, whom Bob actually met! Cartoons discussed: The Dover Boys, The Rocky Road to Ruin, Professor Small and Mr. Tall, Hell-Bent for Election, Brotherhood of Man, Robin Hoodlum, Gerald McBoing Boing, Rooty Toot Toot, The Tell-Tale Heart, A Unicorn in the Garden, Ragtime Bear, Grizzly Golfer, Spellbound Hound, Trouble Indemnity, Hotsy Footsy, When Magoo Flew, and Christopher Crumpet.

Cartoon Logic Episode 20: UPA (Christopher Crumpet)

We dip into the Cartoon Modern era of the Golden Age as we pay tribute to the late Gene Deitch, a true animation original. His sense of appealing design and humor made him a perfect match for animation, but he was not without controversy or critics. From his battles at Terrytoons, to his simultaneously reviled and revered work on Tom & Jerry and Popeye, to his humble masterpieces of Tom Terrific and Nudnik, we dissect what made the mark Gene left on animation history so remarkable. Cartoons discussed: It's a Living, Sick Sick Sidney, Old Mother Clobber, the Tom Terrific TV series, The Tom and Jerry Cartoon Kit, Dicky Moe, "From Way Out", "Partial Post", "Potent Lotion", "Dog Gone Dog Catcher", and Welcome Nudnik!

Cartoon Logic Episode 19: Gene Deitch Remembered

This week's discussion is about Robert "I did all those Bugs cartoons you don't like" McKimson. Despite his reputation as the "lesser" of the WB directors, he was the backbone of the Warner cartoon style of drawing and animation, and did some of the most stunningly complex scenes in the medium's history. And of course, he went on to direct some of the bawdiest, rowdiest Looney Tunes ever in the '40s, including the brilliant film we dissect this week, Early to Bet. Listen now, or spin the penalty wheel! Cartoons discussed: Hot Toe-Mollie, I Haven't Got a Hat, A Wild Hare, Falling Hare, A Gruesome Twosome, Book Revue, Birth of a Notion, Walky Talky Hawky, Crowing Pains, The Foghorn Leghorn, Daffy Duck Slept Here, The Grey-Hounded Hare, The Windblown Hare, Cat-Tails for Two, and Early to Bet.

Cartoon Logic Episode 18: Robert McKimson (Early to Bet)

Welcome to Thad Komorowski and Bob Jaques' podcast examining the best classic cartoons ever made. And just why were they the best? Cartoon Logic! That’s just what we’ll be diving into each episode: historical overviews on a given topic, scene-by-scene analysis and highlights from classic shorts, intricate breakdowns from an animator’s POV, occasional animator and historian guests… all you could ever want to know about ancient cartoons in this modern age, from two gents who’ve done the research and are just bursting to share that knowledge with our listenership.

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Cartoon Logic

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