The Best Madness is Toon Madness
Forget basketball—it's cartoons you should be watching this March! And we've got plenty of suggestions for which to shove into your soon-to-be-quarantined eyeballs.
We've got hoops! We've got weights! We've got balls! We’ve got cartoons—and what cartoons they are! From a couple of deep dives into Cartoon Network’s What a Cartoon! era to an inky look at some of China’s animation to an argument over Space Jam, we’ve got everything you toon-lovers need in this month’s newsletter. Dribble, don’t walk, to the good stuff below.
What’s news, pussycat?
The latest pieces published on our site.
The Very True Story of How What a Cartoon! Began
Fred Seibert, the brain behind the anthology series that launched Cartoon Network’s biggest 1990s cartoons, dishes the details on how the magic was made. See behind the scenes in this exclusive Q&A with editor John Maher.
Communist China’s Animators Made Traditional Ink Painting Into Cartoons
Even in Mao Zedong’s China, traditional arts informed budding ones—and ink painting informed some of the greatest Chinese animations of all time. Writer Isabel Galwey explains.
How the Music in Samurai Jack Big Banged into Spaceyness
It may not be as celebrated as the visuals, but the music in Samurai Jack, Genndy Tartakovsky’s legendary animated series that came to a close a couple years ago, is one of its greatest assets. But how exactly was the score written to underscore tension, terror, and triumphs? Editor Eric Vilas-Boas sings its praises to explain.
By the BoJack Horseman Finale, Judah Mannowdog Is the Man Now, Dog
Princess Carolyn’s steady-to-a-fault former assistant had had his ups and downs, but by the end of the series, it all looks like up to him. Why? Spoiler alert! But editor Eric Vilas-Boas has plenty of puns and insights on the character for you if you’re ready and willing.
How Charlie Adler Conquered It All
Charlie Adler is a lynchpin in some our most beloved cartoons, including the voice that brought nearly every character in Cow and Chicken and I Am Weasel to life. Here, he breaks down his history with two of Cartoon Network’s best and strangest shows for editor John Maher and viewers like you.
But it ain’t me, babe
Great writing and news on toons from sites that aren’t the Dot and Line!
The Hidden Pro-Union Politics of Space Jam [Mel] Reporter Steven Perlberg went deep on this ’90s dive and came back with the goods: “Us placing the whole thing at the union was us. That was the artists.”
Top 10 What a Cartoon! Shorts that Never Got a Full Series [ScreenRant] Cartoon Network's first anthology show launched many a series. But not all shorts became full shows. Here are a few that maybe should have.
BoJack Horseman’s Final, Unspoken F-Bomb Was the Kindest “Fuck” of All [AV Club] Unlike past seasons, there’s no “fuck” in BoJack’s final run of episodes.
Beyond the Creepy Teeth: How Sonic the Hedgehog Saved Itself [Vulture] The full timeline of how the Sonic movie salvaged an internet backlash against an original dental design! It’s fascinating.
For These Families, ‘Big Mouth’ Is Better Sex-Ed Than Any Health Class [Mel] “It’s raunchy, explicit, and perverted but guess what, that’s how your 14-year-old thinks and probably acts around their friends. But it also helps you feel less alone.”
Avatar: The Last Airbender's Dante Basco Reflects on 15 Years of Zuko [Comic Book Resources] The voice behind the crown prince of the Fire Nation has plenty of thoughts about the iconic series and its favorite antihero.
Happy birthday to toons
Every day brings another oppor-toon-ity for another classic’s anniversary.
It’s Cinderella's 70th Anniversary…and Disney Still Has Some Princess Problems
In one of our favorite pieces we’ve ever published, writer Ruth Morrison unpacks the princess problems that Disney has yet to heal.
More anniversaries: the How to Train Your Dragon series is 10 • the Samurai Champloo finale is 15 • Megazone 23, Pt. I is 35 • The Scarlet Pumpernickel is 70.
Throwing it back
Revisit some favorites from our archives.
Just Watch Space Jam If You Need Your Hoops Fix
The Dot and Line team is split on the quality of Warner Bros.’ magnificent 1996 Bugs-Bunny-romp-turned-Nike-sneaker-commercial, but editor John Maher’s takedown of editor Eric Vilas-Boas’s potshots at the Michael Jordan vehicle makes a good case.
The Brown Girl Pokémon Trainer We Needed
In a much-needed piece, writer Amanda Ramsaran talks about the women of color who want to be the very best there ever was finally getting the representation they deserve—and what that means for a beloved franchise.
We Repeat: Anastasia is NOT a Disney Movie!
Alright, fine, we’ll bite the bullet and admit that since Disney acquired Fox, technically Anastasia is now considered a Disney princess…but she wasn’t always, and there’s a wider, complex story to how Anastasia found its place in ’90s animated film history. Writer Charlotte Dow pens a loving ode to the once-upon-a-time classic.
The Tiny but Striking Visual Detail You May Have Missed in Gravity Falls
The more you watch Gravity Falls, the more you realize the show uses that dissonance artfully to express the fact that the twins and their young teenage friends are in a state of metamorphosis, explains writer Isabel Galwey.
What are we watching? What are YOU watching!?
The editors (and readers!) dish on their latest obsessions.
John is watching…Akira
Firstly, I watched Blade Runner for the first time last week (shut up, I know) so I’m on something of a cyberpunk kick. Secondly, it feels, uh, pretty relevant right now. Thirdly…come on, when shouldn’t one be watching Akira?
Eric is watching… Harley Quinn
The recent animated takes on this character have been hit-or-miss for me. I hated the movie Batman and Harley Quinn for what I described in 2017 as “diss[ing] its own leading lady for cheap laughs.” DC Universe’s new show Harley Quinn doesn’t fall in the same trap; its humor is spectacularly R-rated and often genuinely funny. Crucially, at no point is it unclear that Harley deserves better than the hand life dealt her, and that makes all the difference.
Sammy is watching…Hayao Miyazaki’s oeuvre
Guten tag, dear readers! Dr. Scratchansniff here. Ms. Nickalls was very ill at the time of the drafting of this email and while I, the Dot and Line’s very responsible house psychiatrist, am not technically a physician, I have nevertheless prescribed for her illness the works of Hayao Miyazaki. And if she knows what’s good for her, those works are exactly what she is watching right now. Auf wiedersehen!
Elly is watching…My Life as a Teenage Robot
I was recently thinking about the shows I enjoyed when I was younger when I remembered this show specifically, and how this robot girl who doesn’t fit in and is different from everyone else could have easily been a metaphor for being a young queer person or trans person. Once I rewatched an episode or two, I felt absolutely vindicated. Now I’m obsessed with analyzing it through the lens of queer theory because I am who I am, and now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a robot to crush on.
Marley is watching…Sanjay and Craig
For a series that literally had Snoop Dogg on it, I feel like this goofy little ’toon gets almost no attention! The full series is on Hulu, and it’s well worth your time. Grab some pizza, wings, and your best friend/talking pet and enjoy some of the best butt jokes Jay Howell (of Bob’s Burgers fame) has to offer.
Aaaaand…that’s all, folks!
Thanks so much for reading our newsletter, which is produced by Elly Belle! If you have any notes, feedback, or tips on what to watch next, email us at thedotandline@gmail.com. And if you like what we do, forward this to your friends and yell in their faces until they forward it to all of their friends. Until next time!
Love,
The Dot and Line