Scooby Doo and Guess Who? is Gonna Be Garbage and Here's Why

By now, you probably know that I do not like Scooby Doo. Look; whenever I share my thoughts here, you're hearing my opinion and that doesn't always line up with popular consensus. I've gone on record stating why I think it holds up as well as a hot air balloon carrying cinder blocks. But I can't stand the formulaic plots, the cheesy humour, the bland one-note characters, the cheap animation, the over-saturation, I just couldn't take it anymore. It's got to the point where the Scooby Doo formula has become a trope in and of itself. Not only am I not afraid of the monsters in that show, but I'm also not afraid to give such a controversial opinion. But I was afraid of what the fanbase would do to me. Hear me out, if you like Scooby Doo then more power to you. I'm not saying your opinion is invalid, and I appreciate anyone who would respect my opinion on the matter. Looking back; I suppose I was a bit hyperbolic when I said there's nothing redeemable about it, as it does teach younger viewers to use deduction skills and they've been instances where a joke actually worked. I can also respect later incarnations like 'Zombie Island' and 'Mystery Inc.' (from what I heard) that take the formula in a darker direction. But my point still stands. I just think whatever those meddling kids and their cowardly dog (who isn't Courage) are trying to offer to its genre and medium has been done better in other shows. I also think this American version of The Famous 5 has done more harm to animated programming than good. Again I don't have anything against anyone if it means so much to you, I'm just over the whole franchise.

So how are these hippy teens and their not-so great dane in their mystery machine going to celebrate their 50th anniversary? (Seriously that's half a century). With another series, because we already don't have enough of them already! But 'Scooby Doo and Guess Who' is a throwback to 'The New Scooby Doo Movies'; in which they would have a special guest celebrity or character from other properties to help solve the mystery. Now this Scooby Doo series was the earliest animated show to have the gimmick of celebrity appearances. There were examples that could do good things with guest stars, but there are others that come off as self-indulgent or just have guest appearances for the sake of appearing. But many of them weren't as blatant as how it was done in Scooby Doo. Perhaps having the gang meet stars like the Harlem Globetrotters drew in people back then, but even fans of the show as well as animation aficionados see them more as novelties. This type of things has only been parodied in the modern era, because of this no one really takes them seriously. Fans enjoy them for that reason, but it's not like people were demanding for more. I mean I can understand them resurrecting 'The 13 Ghosts of Scooby Doo', but do we really need more SD crossovers. You can argue that Guess Who is meant to be an homage to its early years, a ploy for older fans to indulge in their nostalgia, as its the bread and butter of this franchise.

With that said, let's talk about the look of Guess Who. This might sound like a superficial statement, but the franchise has always had poor character design. Why would you want to return to drawing SD like it was in the beginning? Yes, this is a homage to how it looked in that particular series, but that had a budget of a super Shaggy sandwich and a tight, tight deadline to put it together. So what's this show's excuse? Even I acknowledge that later incarnations tried to up the production values with much-advanced technology. They at least tried to adapt the original designs without any of the unflattening parts of 70s animation. Guess Who does this by invoking the aspects of that decade, even I've done that with some of my own projects. Even without these technical limitations, it still doesn't look appealing to me in the least. But considering the previous incarnation 'Be Cool Scooby Doo' looked like Brickleberry, I suppose drawing them like they've always been would make the fans feel better. Even if Guess Who is meant to be a "self-parody" of the original and its legacy, there's a group of fans that want the franchise to go to new places.

So here's why I think Scooby Doo and Guess Who will be an unnecessary throwback to its by gone era. It seems like these companies are trying to appeal to people's nostalgia, but they're not reviving the comebacks we truly need. And Guess Who is an example of that. People need to give other Hanna Barbera cartoons a chance, just as long as they don't mix them with any other random properties. If you want to watch this series for yourself, then go ahead I won't stop you. If you're one of those fans who like the novelty factor of the SD franchise, you might get a laugh from it. As for me, I don't need to waste my time to validate my opinion on something I Scooby Dooby Doo not want any part in. Gosh darn it!

It's the End of the World!.....of Gumball that is

The early 2010s was definitely a turning point for Cartoon Network, especially for its British division, Cartoon Network Studios Europe. Why? Because at the turn of this decade, they managed to get its first TV show off the ground. A show that managed to be the network's longest-running co-European production, as well as their most successful. (As of now). And while I don't put it on the same level as 'Adventure Time', I still think of it as a solid show that can appeal to audiences of all ages. That show is 'The Amazing World of Gumball'.


The show revolves around the life of the title character, a young cat named Gumball Watterson and his goldfish friend Darwin. Each episode would involve the duo going through childhood situations and dilemmas. And each one would escalate to become crazier and crazier as it goes on. Whether it's coping with their inter-species family or interacting with a cast of colourful and quirky characters. Both Gumball and Darwin would try to resolve their issue with any hair-brained scheme. Like most people, I severally underestimated this show at first. I thought this show would just relay more on style than actual substance, but to the surprise of many older viewers, the people behind it were able to pull off a lot with its various characters. The more episodes I've seen of Gumball, the more I noticed how it tries to push the boundaries of what is acceptable in children's entertainment. I'm not exaggerating when I say the world of Gumball is a bizarre and mixed up one. The show takes place in Elmore, a town inhabited with anthropomorphic animals and talking objects. But what makes it different from 'Chowder', is that the universe of Gumball is closer to real life. After all, there are 2D characters in a 3D environment. Every character is done in a different animation style, making them look as diverse and distinct as their personalities. It follows the tradition of using mixed media in comedic cartoons; as it adds dynamic angles and perspective to enhance the visual gags (as well as other editing techniques). The show doesn't just rely on its visuals, the dialogue uses a lot of similes and it can also be meta with its humour. The stories can also explore a number of concepts, they aren't afraid to exaggerate the scenarios Gumball and his family is put into. It makes it feel like a family-friendly version of South Park, except it doesn't rely heavily on social commentary and that it doesn't gross me out. You can tell Ben Bocquelet took inspiration from events from his own childhood, though I doubt he froze time or was possessed by a ghost hahahahaha.

Where the show is strongest at is its humour. It contains many verbal and visual jokes, that come very quickly that you may find yourself laughing at the ones you catch. You might say that they can be for an acquired taste like the visuals. There's a gag at any moment, that you can't help to giggle at how it catches you off guard. The humour doesn't come off as random, nor does it rely on being non-sequitur, as the strange phenomena fit with the world it takes place in. With such a strange world, they're many memorable characters. Chances are you might have known characters like these, or you were these characters growing up. Even though most of them are talking objects, they're people with distinct traits. One may look at these characters at first glance and think of them as archetypes from other sitcoms, but they manage to be done in a way that deviates from such characters. On one hand; the father Richard is similar to Homer Simpson or an early Peter Griffin, on the other Penny is a love interest with a mystical secret. It helps some of the interactions between these characters lead to cute scenes.

So with all these things said, how come I don't regard Gumball as one of the best shows from Cartoon Network or the 2010s for that matter? Well, like other animated shows from this decade; there are at least a few flaws with it that can be seemingly unnoticeable. Maybe it's just me but the show tries to balance the fantasies of its universe and the fantasies in the character's head, and it isn't always even. Also, the way it tackles certain topics is a lot like walking on a tightrope, and if you don't have that balance, then you'll slip up. But it mostly keeps steady and seldom crosses that line. It's these characters that can make or break a story, which can result in a mixed bag of moments. And that's the best way I can describe Gumball, a mixture of designs and jokes.

Bottom line; I wouldn't say that 'The Amazing World of Gumball' is all that......well amazing. But would I say it's bad? Not necessarily. I still think it's a decently enjoyable cartoon. In an age where children's programming is offering so much variety, Gumball finds a middle ground in order to appeal not just to kids but kids at heart. And I don't object to showing it to kids if it makes them laugh and think at the same time. I may have mentioned this before, but this show is an interesting contrast to 'Regular Show', only this exaggerates childhood scenarios. But whereas Regular Show is laid back, Gumball is spontaneous. I'd say this because it couldn't have come out at a better time. Throughout the 2010s; we've seen animated shows where normal scenarios are blown out of proportion, or have something deep and interesting to say beyond being outlandish. These bizarre shows paved the way for more variety in animated programming, which made me more optimistic about what was airing. And Gumball isn't an exception. Now that we're at the tail end of the decade, it figures that Gumball is ending along with it. It's gone on as long as any of those CN shows, though it did so without revealing too much. From what I heard, the last episode left off on a cliffhanger. Let's hope that Cartoon Network has that conclusion in the works and that they don't make the same mistake they did with 'The Cramp Twins'. But I digress. Gumball is certainly worth checking out, not just to jokingly ask if the makers were on drugs. I'm also optimistic about the future of European cartoons. No matter who you are, we've explored Gumball's crazy world at some point or another.

What is The Real Deal with Mr Parsons?

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THIS INFORMATION IS STRICTLY CLASSIFIED, IT MUST BE KEPT UNDER LOCK AND KEY AND NEVER REMOVED FROM OFFICE. THIS MUST BE ONLY FOR INTELLIGENCE MESSAGES ONLY.

You know that I talked about the underrated cartoon The Cramp Twins before, quite frequently in fact. It seems like it's my duty to go into detail with this show if no one else will. But even then; they're still some aspects I've yet to touch upon; whether it be the characters, the setting or the production history. One of those things I'll be discussing relates to one of its supporting characters, Seth Parsons.

For those unfamiliar, Mr Seth Parsons is one of the remaining swamp folk of the fictional town of Soap City. He lives on the only patch of swampland in the city, with his wife Lilly and family of six kids. He works by farming the land but he's also skilled at wood carving, handling creatures, magic tricks, acrobatics, comedy, he even has his own plumbing business to support such a big family. But what he's best known for is sharing his infinite wisdom of the swamp with his son Tony and Lucien Cramp. He's an overall handyman who cares about the swamp and his family, and the best father anyone could ask for. But what if there is more to this man than he lets on? What is he hiding from the Soap Folks? Could someone who's such a great family man be so suspicious? Join in as we unravel the clues to what is the real deal with Mr Parsons?

The swamp people have this saying; which translates to 'the deeper you go, the more you know'. To better understand the deal with Mr Parsons, we're going to have to look at the episode 'The Bad Seed'. For those who aren't familiar, this episode talks about a masked outlaw who once terrorised Soap City. I've discussed this episode before in my list of the best Cramp Twins episodes, but I didn't go into detail about it so not to spoil the crucial plot points. But now I want to use this chance to put those plot points into perspective. Though I do encourage you to watch the episode before you could read this article. Anyway, the Bad Seed was a juvenile delinquent who wore a mask to hide his identity along with his accomplice Little Hat. They were a dynamic duo who caused trouble by disturbing the peace, that is until they were caught and unmasked. By the end of the episode, it was revealed that the bad seed turned out to be non-other than Lucien's ancestor who looked exactly like him. And Little Hat was Seth when he was young. 

First of all, we see that Mr Parsons had a checkered past as one of Soap City's former criminals. It shows that even back then he had a connection with the Cramp family. We learn that Seth once had a rebellious side to his personality, back when he was young and did not know any better. Though if Seth and the Bad Seed were anything like Tony and Lucien, could it be possible Seth committed these felonies to stand up for the rights of the swamp people and revolt against the totalitarianism of the Soap people? Even though some of the crimes he committed have become tamed, could it be that the bad seed was a misunderstood anti-hero? Like a western version of Robin Hood, who knows? Seth even stole a page from the City's records which shows him being unmasked. Though he admits he took it because he likes how he looked in the picture, rather than keeping people from knowing about his past. 

Which begs the question, how has Mr Parsons been alive for so long? You cannot say that it wasn't that long ago, because there's evidence that proves otherwise. As its shown, the Bad Seed was alive sometime during the old west. It's also indicated that he did this when Soap City outlawed wearing odd socks under penalty of hanging. So how could he have possibly survived all these years and not look so incredibly old? We have ourselves a conspiracy theory here people.

The swamp has had a fascinating echo-system, but who would guess that one of its inhabitants would be the most intriguing? I'm willing to believe that Seth's vast knowledge and wisdom comes from living for hundreds of years. Despite this, he appears to still be agile and was able to have children. Now The Cramp Twins was always grounded in reality, and yet Seth was one abnormality to be walking among the neighbourhood. Could it be possible that Mr Parsons was cryogenically frozen for many years, or maybe he has a special swamp herb that keeps him alive, or here's a crazy thought he might have used supernatural forces to gain immortality? Alas, we never got an answer, and fans of the show are still wondering to this day. I can't say for certain that my speculations are true, as I've yet to contact any of the crew members regarding this. But surely the people behind this show could have given us revelations for Pete sake.

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One thing is for sure, that Seth Parsons is the character who drew us into the history behind Soap City, the swamp and the people who inhabit it. The fact that he has a dark past and the mystery around him make him a complex character. If only we had clarification on these backstories, as well as Seth's. Tell me in the comments below what you think is the reason Seth has been able to live for so long. With these entertainment companies exploiting people's nostalgia, I think The Cramp Twins needs to have a proper conclusion. If you're a fan of the show or you just want it to tie up the loose ends, please contact Cartoon Network Europe or m4e in demand for it to be revived. Go to social media sites and type the hashtag #bringbackthecramptwins. Or you could sign this petition here: https://www.ipetitions.com/petition/bring-back-the-cramp-twins
With your help and support, then this speculation will be put to rest.

"And we can have forever" 

"And we can love forever,"

"Forever is our today".

"Who waits forever anyway?"

My Thoughts on Tom and Jerry Crossovers

If you were to ask me what my favourite cartoon of all time is, I would immediately say 'Tom and Jerry'. This animated cat and mouse duo really needs no introduction; I can say for the moment that the original shorts were one of the building blocks of my sense in humour, and I can say without hesitation that its Hanna Barbera's strongest work. It was also one of the earliest cartoons that people have been making money out of, however, very few incarnations could hold a candle to the original. With that said, there has been a trend in the past decade in which Warner Bros would put Tom and Jerry with various properties. One of their attempts to rejuvenate the franchise was to combine the cat and mouse rivals with classic stories like Sherlock Holmes, The Wizard of Oz, Robin Hood and Jack and the Beanstalk to name a few. Now I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with mixing a cartoon with classic stories, as a matter of fact, this is something I used to do whenever I drew Tom and Jerry as a child. The problem is that for some, they don't think of their own versions, but they remake existing film versions to animation and just insert Tom and Jerry characters. 

Just to clarify, they were T&J crossovers that do have their own takes (like the ones with Robin Hood and Jack and the Beanstalk). But even then, they're derivative as they already did this with 'Tom and Jerry Kids' (which has a place in my heart). What Warner Bros doesn't understand is that we don't want to see T&J needlessly shoehorned into classic movies or stories; we want to see the characters assume the roles of such literary characters, or just have them work off the same settings. Much like in the original shorts. Is there really a big enough demand for these crossovers to exist? Well, there must be an audience for them, considering they keep making them regardless if these ideas make sense or not. I'm serious, there's one that has T&J meet up with Jonny Quest. Oh what, just because they were both made by the same duo, that automatically makes them similar? Now some of these movies are not poorly made in of themselves, but some were really not necessary. It doesn't help that I'm not even a fan of the Spike Brandt and Tony Cervone designs for these characters, though they're some that I find more entertaining for their novelties. However, the crossover with 'Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory' was the straw that broke the camel's back for many people. I think the backlash for that movie was so notorious, that it made Warner Bros realise that we don't need any more of these random crossovers. And as far as I know, there hasn't been any word or sight of a new movie since then.

I don't know if this means no more T&J crossovers if it is then is it too soon to assume that they are just a trend? For me, these direct to video crossovers were at best, recycled renditions of well-known stories and characters, and temporary bumps in the road at worse. What do I mean by this? Well we shouldn't act like these crossovers are ruining the franchise, Tom and Jerry have hit low points in the past, and they've managed to get themselves out of them. Hopefully, movies like the Willy Wonka one will be the last infamous T&J related things we'll have for a long time. After nearly 8 decades, they're still recognised and cherished to this day. I'll still look forward to what's to come for this hilarious cat and mouse in future variations, for better or for worse. And maybe someone will actually combine them with various types of source material, and do it the right way. So what are your thoughts on these T&J crossover movies, I would like to know?