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Since the boom of the Marvel Cinematic Universe and its impact on Hollywood, many major film auteurs have spoken critically of the genre that has been dominating the medium for years. Among them included the blockbuster pioneer Steven Spielberg, often considered one of the greatest filmmakers of all time, and it’s hard to argue otherwise.

But while Spielberg once predicted that superhero films are doomed to meet the same end as Westerns, the filmmaker is not new to the genre, as he did helm a superhero parody in the ’90s.

Steven Spielberg’s Lone Superhero Project Was a Result of Batman: The Animated Series

Batman: The Animated Series | Warner Bros. Animation

The early ’80s and ’90s were a great time to be a fan of the Caped Crusader until Joel Schumacher dropped the ball with Batman & Robin, which led to the property being put on ice for eight years.

The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) has announced its 2023 Gold and Silver Circle inductees, honorees who have significantly contributed to children’s television.

The inductees will be honored at the second annual Children’s & Family Emmy Awards in Los Angeles on Dec. 17.

According to NATAS, “the Gold and Silver Circle is a society of honor. Inductees have performed distinguished service within the industry, setting standards for achievement, mentoring, leadership, and professional accolades for 50 or 25 years, respectively. They represent the best and the brightest in the television community.”

Gold Circle – 2023 Children’s & Family Inductees:

Peter Engel, Producer/Executive Producer (“Saved By The Bell,” “One World”) David Newell, Actor/Producer/Public Relations Director/Props/Manager/Talent Booker (“Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood,” “My Tale of Two Cities”) Fred Seibert, Producer/Creator/Innovator/Creative Genius/Mentor/Mensch (“Adventure Time,” “The Fairly OddParents”)

Silver Circle – 2023 Children’s & Family Inductees:

Vicki Ariyasu, Senior Vice President,...

"Superman: The Animated Series" occupies a curious middle ground in the DC Animated Universe, the continuity built by artists including Bruce Timm and Paul Dini. It never earned the rapturous critical reception of "Batman: The Animated Series," which to this day generates oral histories extolling its greatness. It also lacked the epic scope of "Justice League," which told multi-part stories featuring a huge cast of characters across time and space. But "Superman" should not be underestimated. At its best, the show's staff reinvented and condensed comics canon as elegantly as "Batman" did. Crossover episodes united Superman with Batman, Lobo and even Green Lantern, paving the way for the widescreen action of "Justice League." Best of all, "Superman: The Animated Series" introduced characters from Jack Kirby's Fourth World, including the nefarious Darkseid.

The DC Animated Universe ended in the early 2000s, but continues to influence contemporary animated series based on the characters to this day.

30 years after "Batman: The Animated Series" first debuted, we're still celebrating its massive contribution to the legacy of the Dark Knight. At this point, it's well-documented how the show redefined the character for an entire generation with its brooding tone, top-notch voice talent, and serious treatment of Batman and the rogues gallery. But before any of that could be established, co-creators Bruce Timm and Eric Radomski had come up with a comprehensive vision for the show.

Having worked for Warner Bros. Animation on "Tiny Toon Adventures," the pair were ready to branch out, and eager to produce something that was as unlike their previous project as possible. As Timm says in Vulture's oral history of the show, Warner was looking to try their hand at a new animated Batman series and he jumped at the opportunity. Once Radomski was brought onboard, it was time for the pair to develop...

This Batman article contains spoilers.

Batman/Catwoman, the long-awaited follow-up to Tom King’s 85-issue run on Batman, has finally hit your Lcs with a first issue that packs quite a punch. True to the book’s marketing, Bat/Cat #1 positions the maxi-series as a true sequel to Mask of the Phantasm, arguably the best Batman movie ever made.

The book features the return of Andrea Beaumont, Bruce’s first true love who was later revealed to be the killer vigilante the Phantasm. Bruce thought she was dead after all these years but Bat/Cat quickly moves past the impact of this surprise reunion and on to the task at hand: Andrea’s son has gone missing and she needs Batman to find him.

This search leads Batman and Catwoman, who are more in love than ever before, to the lair of a surprising deep cut villain from both of their pasts.

They’re Animaniacs, and they’re rebooting to the max.

In the first big musical number of the long-awaited reboot to the beloved ‘90s animated series, the three deranged siblings who live in the Warner Bros. water tower — Yakko, Wakko and Dot — get caught up on the last 22 years since Steven Spielberg and Tom Ruegger’s original “Animaniacs” went off the air. Hanging chads, YouTube, climate change, all of it.

That comes with the in-sketch caveat that, given the long lead time on animation production, the show’s writers are penning script in 2018, and therefore don’t know the results of this year’s presidential election. But little did the show’s revivers know that the election would actually be the most predictable event scheduled for 2020.

“We were like, ‘Ok, what’s gonna happen? What are the big events coming up? Let’s write to those,’” “Animaniacs” executive producer and...

The new “Animaniacs,” premiering on Hulu 27 years after it first debuted and in a world where the iconic WB water tower recently got an HBO Max makeover, is well aware of what its preemptive critics might think of it. In one of the first new episodes, for instance, Warner brothers Yakko (Rob Paulsen), Wakko (Jess Harnell) and their Warner sister Dot (Tress MacNeille) sing a peppy song about Hollywood’s conveyer belt of reboots that ends with them all sitting on a giant pile of cash while the Hulu logo blares behind them in bright neon. In the tweaked opening credits, one of TV’s most enduring theme songs gets pointed lyric updates advising mad nerds to remember that the “Animaniacs” “did meta first,” and assuring the audience that this reboot is appropriately “gender neutral” and “ethnically diverse” for its new era. (Sure.) So while the 1993 “Animaniacs” was aggressively self-aware,...

Orson Welles is remembered for many things. His narration of War of the Worlds on the radio is legendary. He gave the world the groundbreaking film Citizen Kane. He schemed to the tunes of zither in the Third Man. He died voicing the planet-eating robot Unicron in Transformers: The Movie. One of the more obscure episodes in his life was when he was hired to record voiceover ads for Findus and their frozen food products.

Yes, it’s one of those things that’s just too weird to exist.

Once upon a time, Welles was tasked with recording lines for a peas commercial and things started to go off the rails. He and the directors didn’t see eye-to-eye, he didn’t appreciate any notes about his delivery, and eventually, he stormed out of the session, claiming that no money was worth this. Somehow, the audio was bootlegged and the...

Tom Ruegger wanted no part of a Tiny Toon Adventures spin-off. The animation vet had created the Tiny Toons — kids inspired by the original Looney Tunes characters, now learning comedy from Bugs Bunny and friends — but was already burnt out on them when he was asked if he could build a new show around Plucky Duck or one of Babs and Buster Bunny’s other classmates. “We’ve had it up to here with Tiny Toons,” Ruegger says he replied. “We’re about cooked on them. Let’s do some new stuff.

Pre-Order the set on Amazon!

Warner Bros. Home Entertainment

And DC Entertainment Present

Batman:The Complete Animated Series

Deluxe Limited Edition

Coming October 16, 2018 To

Blu-ray™ Box Set And Digital

Burbank, CA – Batman: The Animated Series, the most acclaimed animated

super hero television series in history, arrives this fall in an all-encompassing package befitting its

revered place in the annals of fan-favorite entertainment. Remastered for the first time since its

broadcast airing from 1992-1995, Batman: The Complete Animated Series Deluxe Limited

Edition will be available from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on Digital and in a stunning Blu-

ray™ box set ($112.99 Srp) on October 16, 2018.

Produced by Warner Bros. Animation, the Emmy Award-winning series captured the imaginations

of generations, setting the standard for super hero storytelling for the past quarter-century with its

innovative designs, near-perfect voice cast and landmark approach to DC’s iconic characters and

stories. Batman: The Complete Animated Series Deluxe Limited...

Burbank, CA – Batman: The Animated Series, the most acclaimed animated super hero television series in history, arrives this fall in an all-encompassing package befitting its revered place in the annals of fan-favorite entertainment. Remastered for the first time since its broadcast airing from 1992-1995, Batman: The Complete Animated Series Deluxe Limited Edition will be available from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on Digital and in a stunning Blu-ray box set ($112.99 Srp) on October 16, 2018.

Produced by Warner Bros. Animation, the Emmy Award-winning series captured the imaginations of generations, setting the standard for super hero storytelling for the past quarter-century with its innovative designs, near-perfect voice cast and landmark approach to DC’s iconic characters and stories. Batman: The Complete Animated Series Deluxe Limited Edition box set includes all 109 thrilling episodes, plus two bonus disks containing the recently-remastered, fan favorite animated films Batman: Mask of the Phantasm and Batman & Mr. Freeze: SubZero.

The...

Chicago – If the words, “We’re Animaniacs…” immediately makes you think, “There’s baloney in our slacks…” then you’ll want to experience voiceover artist Rob Paulsen, the iconic character of Yakko on that series, as well as the voice of Pinky (“Pinky and The Brain”) and Donatello/Raphael (“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles”), among many other cartoon legends. Rob, with Animaniacs composer Randy Rogel, will be appearing in “Animaniacs Live!” at the James Lumber Center for the Performing Arts in Grayslake, Ill., on Saturday, March 3rd, 2018 (click link below for details).

Rob Paulsen was born in Michigan, and like other hopeful dreamers, moved to Los Angeles in the 1980s to pursue acting work. It was a chance audition in 1983 with the “G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero” cartoon series that launched him into a lifelong pursuit, leading him to do voice characters for “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” the aforementioned “Animaniacs,...

Hulu ordered a two-season revival of the beloved cartoon Animaniacs, with Steven Spielberg attached to return as executive producer.

Animaniacs marks Hulu Originals' first family show, and new episodes of the cartoon will premiere in 2020. Starting immediately, however, Hulu will host the original 99 episodes of Animaniacs, as well as all of Pinky and the Brain, the spinoff Pinky, Elmyra and the Brain and Tiny Toon Adventures.

Animaniacs premiered in 1993, the project of creator Tom Ruegger, Spielberg's production company, Amblin Entertainment and Warner Bros. The show centered around the zany adventures of three siblings,...

“Animaniacs” is saying “hellloooo” to Hulu.

Hulu has given a two-season straight-to-series order to a brand-new version of the hit 1990s cartoon, set to premiere in 2020. “Animaniacs” is the first original series produced at Hulu for families.

Amblin Television and Warner Bros. Animation are behind the show, with Steven Spielberg back as executive producer. As part of the deal, Hulu has also signed on as the exclusive streaming home to all 99 episodes of the original “Animaniacs,” as well as spin-off series “Pinky and the Brain,” and “Pinky, Elmyra and the Brain.” Precursor series “Tiny Toon Adventures” is also part of the deal, which is effective immediately.

“I am so pleased and proud that Animaniacs will have a home at Hulu,” said Executive Producer Steven Spielberg. “Together with Warner Bros., we look to bring new audiences and longtime fans into this wild world of Yakko, Wakko, and Dot. I am also...

Hellloooo, nurse: It’s time for “Animaniacs” – again!

Amblin Television and Warner Bros. Animation are kicking around a brand new version of the hit 1990s cartoon, IndieWire has learned. The potential reboot comes as “Animaniacs” has experienced a new surge in popularity since arriving on Netflix last year. Steven Spielberg, who developed the original as a follow-up to the success of his “Tiny Toon Adventures,” is expected to be on board in crafting the updated version.

There’s no home yet for “Animaniacs,” and insiders caution that it’s still in the early stages of development. But 1990s nostalgia is big business these days – witness the success of another Warner Bros. TV title, “Fuller House,” which is one of the most-watched originals on Netflix.

“Animaniacs” ran for 99 episodes – from 1993 to 1995 on Fox Kids, before moving to Kids’ WB from 1995 to 1998. It also spawned the primetime spinoff “Pinky and the Brain,...

If you are in the right Los Angeles restaurant at just the right time, you might catch Pinky and the Brain enjoying a meal together (but not plotting to take over the world). Voiceover icon Rob Paulsen, who is known for his work on Animaniacs (Yakko), Pinky and the Brain (Pinky) and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Raphael) says he is still "dear friends" with Maurice Lamarche, The Brain to his Pinky - and the pair cause a stir when they are out together (but only if someone finds out who they are). "Nobody knows who I am walking down the...

If you are in the right Los Angeles restaurant at just the right time, you might catch Pinky and the Brain enjoying a meal together (but not plotting to take over the world).

Voiceover icon Rob Paulsen, who is known for his work on Animaniacs (Yakko), Pinky and the Brain (Pinky) and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Raphael) says he is still "dear friends" with Maurice Lamarche, The Brain to his Pinky – and the pair cause a stir when they are out together (but only if someone finds out who they are).

"Nobody knows who I am walking down the street and I'm fine with that.

If you are in the right Los Angeles restaurant at just the right time, you might catch Pinky and the Brain enjoying a meal together (but not plotting to take over the world). Voiceover icon Rob Paulsen, who is known for his work on Animaniacs (Yakko), Pinky and the Brain (Pinky) and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Raphael) says he is still "dear friends" with Maurice Lamarche, The Brain to his Pinky - and the pair cause a stir when they are out together (but only if someone finds out who they are). "Nobody knows who I am walking down the...

Hollywood’s sound pros nominated Birdman and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes for three awards apiece as the Motion Picture Sound Editors unveiled nods for its 62nd Mpse Golden Reel Awards, honoring the best feature film, television, animation and computer entertainment work of the year.

“2014 was a fantastic year for sound,” said Mpse president Frank Morrone. “The advent of new distribution channels, streaming services and gaming platforms is creating additional opportunities for sound artists to practice their craft beyond the traditional venues of film and television. This year’s nominations reflect that change, spanning an amazing diversity of mediums and genres, all executed at the highest level of creativity. We are truly inspired and impressed by the work of our colleagues.”

This year’s Golden Reels will additionally honor Noah director Darren Aronofsky with the Mpse’s annual Filmmaker Award. Oscar winner Skip Lievsay, known for his work...

Disney has renewed their animated TV series The 7D for a second season. Airing daily on Disney Xd, the show features the voices of Kelly Osbourne, Jess Harnell, Leigh-Allyn Baker, Bill Farmer, Maurice Lamarche, Kevin Michael Richardson, Dee Bradley Baker, Scott Menville, Stephen Stanton, Billy West, and Paul Rugg.

Here's the announcement:

Heigh-ho For "The 7D!"

Disney Orders Second Season Of Hit Animated Seven Dwarfs Series "The 7D"

Disney has ordered a second season of "The 7D," the hit animated TV series which takes a comedic look at the world of the Seven Dwarfs. Fourteen-time Emmy Award-winner Tom Ruegger ("Animaniacs," "Tiny Toon Adventures") is executive producer.

Returning for season two are series' stars Kelly Osbourne (E's "Fashion Police") as Hildy Gloom, Jess Harnell (Disney Junior's "Sofia the First" and "Doc McStuffins") as Grim Gloom, Leigh-Allyn...

In music there are only 12 notes, so it's no wonder so many songs sound the same. But what about someone's voice? The way someone speaks is not bound by any kind of scale or music theory, rather it's the sum a person’s upbringing, their physicality, and their personality. So why do so many cartoon characters sound so eerily familiar? In this list we highlight 10 cartoon characters whose voices (and often their likenesses) are based on other actors. We also mention 5 other cartoon voices that are impressions in the bonus sections of related entries. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, these actors have been thoroughly praised by some of the best.

Homer Simpson (The Simpsons) - Walter Matthau

Over the past 3 decades The Simpsons has been on the air, America’s favorite family has gone through many changes. Aside from the quality of the animation, the most noticeable...

Tom Ruegger is the creator of classic 1990s animated series such as Animaniacs, Tiny Toon Adventures, and Pinky and the Brain. For those of you who are fans of these shows, you'll be happy to learn that he has developed a new series for Disney Junior called The 7D that he hopes will capture the same fun spirit of the awesome shows he previously worked on.

As the title suggests, The 7D is about the adventures of the Seven Dwarfs, "30 years or so before their fateful run-in with Snow White. Living in the Enchanted Forest in the kingdom of Jollywood under the rule of Queen Delightful, the dwarfs are the area’s 'most trusted' heroes, righting the wrongs that arise and often thwarting the plans of evil-doers when the queen calls for help."

In a recent interview with the La Times Ruegger said:

“I was very intrigued about taking these...

I’ve been revisiting my childhood on YouTube and podcasts a lot lately; and for this I place the blame squarely on voice actor Rob Paulsen – voice of Yakko Warner, Dr. Otto Scratch’n’sniff, and Pinky, of Animaniacs and Pinky and the Brain. Well, if I was going to be fair, the daisy chain of blame would stretch all the way back through Twitter; Billy West; the organizers of Awesome Con; Mike Gold; Deadpool; a couple of federal judges; Glenn Hauman; Glenn’s lovely wife Brandy; Ya author Esther Friesner; and Terry Pratchett and the Discworld. But that’s way too convoluted, so Rob, it’s all your fault!

At some point in my childhood, I became a latchkey kid. Both of my parents worked until after school let out, and although there was a lot of “homework time” and “chore time” in my day, I fondly remember the...

If you were a child of the '90s odds are you grew up with a number of TV shows produced by Steven Spielberg, but none were quite as fun and unique as Animaniacs. It was a kids cartoon with a particularly irreverent, but educational, brand of humor that was often packed with jokes about Hollywood history and classic films. But did you know that Animaniacs almost became a film itself? Tom Ruegger, who produced the show along with several other Spielberg ventures (Tiny Toon Adventures, Pinky and the Brain and Freakazoid!), has a blog dedicated to his time in the animation industry and it's packed with behind-the-scenes photos, artwork and trivia that'll fascinate fans of '90s animation. Over the years he's posted a number of artist sketches for posters for...

Read More...

With the tale of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in the zeitgeist with the breakout ABC series Once Upon A Time and two Snow White movies this year, Disney Junior is revisiting the classic story with The 7D, a new animated series that has been put into production for a 2014 premiere. Described as a comedic take on the world of Seven Dwarfs in a contemporary storybook world, 7D takes place in Jollywood where Queen Delightful relies on the 7D — Happy, Bashful, Sleepy, Sneezy, Dopey, Grumpy and Doc — to keep the kingdom in order. Standing in their way are two laughably evil villains, Grim and Hildy Gloom, who plot to take over the kingdom by stealing the magical jewels in the 7D’s mine. While the names of the dwarfs are the same as in the 1937 Disney animated classic, their look is very different. The characters were designed by Fish Hooks...

Magic Lantern Entertainment concludes a $10 million deal with TF2 Ventures via its Innovation Entertainment label for up to 20 feature films for production over the next three to five years. The first movie under the pact is Bad Kitty, a mixed media/CGI animated adventure comedy based on the famous droll cat character Heathcliff. Featuring a script by noted animation writer/producer Tom Ruegger (Animaniacs, Tiny Toon Adventures among many others), Bad Kitty is currently in pre-production and targeted for a 2011 release. No word yet on the voice cast for the movie.

http://enews.cynopsis.com/html.asp?XZY2233717UTF60...

CBS is bringing familiar faces to its fall children's slate. Resurrected favorites Care Bears and Strawberry Shortcake are among the new shows next season, as well as Sushi Pack and I Was a High School Dinosaur.

The three-hour FCC-required block, which is programd by DIC Entertainment, also includes returning shows Cake and Horseland.

Care Bears will celebrate 25 years with new episodes and a new take on such original characters as Cheer Bear, Funshine and Grumpy.

Strawberry Shortcake follows the adventures of the title character and her similarly sweetly named friends in the Saturday morning broadcast television debut.

Sushi Pack by Emmy-winning writer-producers Tom Ruegger and Nicholas Hollander (Animaniacs, Tiny Toon Adventures) follows five pieces of crime-fighting sushi as they protect Bento Bay.

In I Was a High School Dinosaur, five teens with the ability to transform themselves learn, with the help of their wise science teacher, how to use their powers to protect the Earth from "mutant-saurs" and global warming.

Horseland combines CGI and traditional animation to create a magical stable where the horses can talk to each other about compassion, honesty and cooperation.