From: mwdenney@undergrad.math.waterloo.edu (Michael W. Denney)
Subject: Re: .. Looney vs. Tiny (battle of the toons)
Organization: University of Waterloo
Date: Thu, 5 Nov 1992 21:23:02 GMT

In article <1992Nov4.220452.1@vaxb.acs.unt.edu> ij59@vaxb.acs.unt.edu writes:
>
>I find this all very interesting.  I watch TTA (a little; most of it doesn't
>interest me, bu I loved the movie) becuase I _detest_ the old WB cartoons.  I
>find them boring, repetitive and pointless, which is why I like TTA, because
>the are constantly _making_ _fun_ _of_ the old ones, like:

Ack! My heart!

The old WB's repetitive?  There was two reasons for this:
  1)  Shoe string budgets, if you can reuse the same animation to save a buck
      or two you had better do it.
  2)  A sort of self-parody humour. ie Bugs (as the Masked Marauder) sticks up
      Red Hot Ryder using a magnet to suck all the money from his pockets.
      Later RHR asks Bugs (now without his mask) if he has seen the Masked
      Marauder.  Bugs goes into the "guy who looks like this" routine and  
      manages to rob RHR all over again in the same manner.

The old WB's pointless?  Comedy is the point.  Pure and simple.  Does TTA
  have some secret hidden purpose to it?

The old WB's boring?  Well I can only explain that by personal preference.

>
>- "One good cliche deserves another" - plucky drops banana peel to trip somone
>after some other WB cliche

If this does actually refer to the old WB (and I find this somewhat debatable 
nonetheless they do refer to the classics) we must remember to points:
1) Many of the cliches in the classic WB wer not cliches until the classic
   WB made them common.
2) Often the WB cartoons would use a cliche as humour itself; much like Plucky
   is doing here.

I really don't think TTA is meant to ridicule the old WB.  They borrow exact
quotes from the old cartoons without reference (Plucky being dragged by a 
bus: "Hey I'd better stop this.  I might get to like it!" - this was origianlly
said by a dog scratching fleas)

>
>- In the movie/video, the road runner is flattened by a bus before he has time
>to run anywhere. (Alwasy hated those rr/coyte cartoons, even when I was a little
>kid and watched just about anything.)

I love the coyote/road runner cartoons.  AND I found this reference hilarious.
When I was little I didn't care for the coyote and road runner because I wasn't
able to comprehend the point of the endless and completely hopeless chase.
Now I can recognize it as a exercise in frustration and the battle with one's
self not some adversary.

>
>Although that's not the only reason I like TTA, it is part of it.  I also like
>the references to contempoerary public figures (such as David Letterman) and
>also (sort of in line with the spoofing of old WB stuff) frequent actual
>comments on animation effects/cliches (Like the 'Takes' class). 

Egads! Didn't we just go through a HUGE list of 'animation comments' and
'comtemporary references' that are in the old WB?

>Just my personal feelings.  It probably has to do with my general depression
>that animation is usually perceived only to be fit for silliness and/or
>children...so I like something that makes this perception the butt of its
>jokes.

TTA does acknowledge a younger audience while doing these jokes.  The old
WB does not acknowledge such an audience nor were they ever intended for
such an audience.

Michael
 a.k.a. The Phantom Scribbler

 - You dance divinely, really you do!


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