Own it on DVD now (released December 6)! Credit: WB

Synopsis (from WB): This half-hour animated comedy series starring Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck is no longer confined to 7-minute shorts. Bugs and Daffy are out of the woods and living in the suburbs among such colorful neighbors as Yosemite Sam, Granny, Tweety and Sylvester. In addition to each episode?s main story, The Looney Tunes Show also features ?cartoons within a cartoon.? The Tasmanian Devil, Speedy Gonzales, Marvin the Martian and other classic characters sing original songs in two-minute music videos called Merrie Melodies . The legendary Looney Tunes cartoons are getting a 21st century relaunch and a CGI overhaul for a new generation.

My opinion: One of the breakout shows on Cartoon Network is The Looney Tunes Show. I actually didn’t know if I would even like the show when I first saw it during its premiere, but ever since, I have been a fan. There’s a crazy genius to the show and its expert writing, which imbibes it with an “everyday situation” comedy like Seinfeld. The craziest thing is that it works expertly well. To me, it’s one of the best sitcoms on television. It’s also the most underrated, because even though it’s got writing that rivals sitcoms like The Office, it’s on Cartoon Network, meaning that a lot of people will think it’s for kids.

To be fair, a lot of people have realized that Cartoon Network’s primetime lineup is just as adult-friendly as Adult Swim. However, what some people still don’t realize is that quite a few of the shows, such as Adventure Time and Looney Tunes, are getting more adult-exclusive as the episodes progress.

I will say that if you’re a Looney Tunes purist, you might think you won’t like this show. I thought I wouldn’t like it either. But, take into consideration that the original Looney Tunes weren’t really all that kid-friendly, either. People just hold them as “children’s cartoons” because they’re classics. People have forgotten just how bawdy the cartoons actually are.

I say that anyone who loves Looney Tunes should give this show an honest shot. It has stars like Kristen Wiig, Fred Armisen, Roz Ryan, Garry Marshall and voice-over veteran June Foray giving their talents, tightly-written scripts and actual laugh-out-loud humor. I give it a thumbs-up.

The Looney Tunes Show: Season One, Volume Two

Out now!

Episodes: “Monster Talent-A Zipline in the Sand,” “Reunion-Cock of the Walk-Fee Fi Fo Dumb,” “Casa De Calma-Queso Bandito-Sail Fail,” “Devil Dog-Unsafe At Any Speed”

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The Lion King roars back into theaters. Credit: Disney

I have to start off this review saying that it’s going to be heavily biased. I have a really huge relationship with this movie; it was the first Disney movie I saw as a kid, and even though most Disney movies have affected me, this is one that has a very deep resonance with me. There were a lot of firsts for me when I saw this film–aside from it being the first Disney movie I’d seen, it was the first time I’d seen a story about the death of a parent, the first time I’d felt betrayed (even though I knew Scar was the villain, I didn’t really know just how villainous he would be), and the first time I learned that life is much more complicated than just me sitting at home with my parents, my Barbies, Play-Doh, and my Easy Bake oven. I learned that life can be both tremendously overpowering as well as serene and subdued. Basically, the movie means a lot to me.

Because of my feelings about the movie, it was practically an obligation that I had to go see the film when it came back to theaters. I was nervous about the 3D because my past experience with 3D hasn’t been that great. But the 3D was not only amazing in its own right, but it complemented the film well. It made the already expansive panoramas even more detailed, providing sensory layers between the foreground, middle, and background. These additions made it seem like you were seeing a film that was part-animation, part-nature documentary. It’s like you can practically walk in the savanna. Additionally, the film was remastered in HD, so even if you saw it without the 3D, you still got a clear, crisp, beautiful picture.

The film itself is an epic piece of storytelling, and it’s good to know that it’s not only stood up against the test of time technically, but is also still engrossing and emotionally moving. This might be harping on small minutae to some, but the fact that there are a number of moments in the film that give breathing room is amazing. These moments–the beginning shots showing the elephants walking in front of Mt. Kilimanjaro,  scenes with the rain falling around Rafiki’s tree, the water pushing the skull away towards the end, the 20-30 second upward shot of the stars at night–give a grand scope of the majesty of Africa. In short, the fact that the film is back at the top of the b.o. charts after 17 years is a testament to how much the film is loved.

As far as I’m concerned, The Lion King is as near perfect as a film can be. If you happen to decide to see it in 3D, it’s worth your money. Make sure to look for the film when it is re-released on DVD and released for the first time on Blu-ray October 4.

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Credit: Cartoon Network

I don’t recap a lot of shows (well, only one show) on Moniqueblog, simply because I don’t want to start something and then miss several episodes and get behind. Recapping a show takes a lot of commitment, and sometimes, I get tired and procrastinate. (As an aside, it’s a crime that I haven’t been recapping Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated because some MAJOR things have happened, especially with Fred’s parentage. Who would’ve guessed Scooby-Doo could get this deep!) But I might just start recapping Thundercats because it fills my Avatar: The Last Airbender void.

Thundercats takes one of the most iconic cartoons of the ’80s and makes it even more epic than it already was. The revamp has reimagined Thundera as an affluent, gorgeous city-state that has conquered the weaker lands around it, those weaker lands containing lizards. The King of Thundera claims that the conquering is in order to keep the peace and protect his cat people from the lizards’ villainy. But, according to the lizards, they have been unjustly enslaved.

Enter young Lion-O and his older adopted brother Tygra. Tygra is more in line with his adoptive father–very manly, full of machismo, intolerant of other races–while Lion-O is the creative, free-thinking visionary. He believes in technology, what was only then known as a myth in Thundera. Also believed in Thundera is that the area’s biggest threat, Mumm-Ra, had been defeated.

Things fall apart when an elaborate plan puts Mumm-Ra right in the middle of Thundera and allows him to conquer the area, which puts the prophesy of a great leader rising to defeat Mumm-Ra in motion.

The premiere was told in two episodes, and both episodes provide a great relief from those of us who are still suffering from Avatar withdrawal symptoms. The detail in the characters, backgrounds, and storyline are as welcome to cartoon fans as water is to a dehydrated person in the desert. The characters are also very well developed. It’s also great that we meet our core group early, which also includes Cheetara (a cleric in the palace), WilyKit and WilyKat (who are now kids), and Panthero, more or less. We’re even introduced to Snarf, who no longer talks, thank goodness.

Very good choices were made in the show, especially Snarf not speaking and particularly in making Kit and Kat kids; I always found them slightly annoying in the ’80s cartoon–they were basically the cat version of The Wonder Twins (whom I think, have fared better in their numerous revisions both in Smallville and The Justice League: Unlimited), but in this cartoon, they not only make much more sense, but their new background as pickpockets who wish for the finer things in life makes them a gazillion times more interesting.

Also, the racism element to the story is very intriguing. I think that adds a whole dimension the original show never had.

Overall, I’ll stick around to watch this show, which airs on Cartoon Network every Friday at 8:30/7:30 c. And who knows? I might even recap it.

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Credit: Google

I think these “if you’re a girl” posts may turn out to be a regular thing. Soon, I’ll have to catalogue them, I guess. As I’ve explained on my Sherlock and Thor “If you’re a girl” posts, I’m putting fashion suggestions you can use to put together your character-inspired wardrobe. Generally for these types of posts, my rule is to stick with male characters since this is a challenge; it’s easier to think about how a female character’s wardrobe can translate to a female body. But, for this one, I’ll include a girl, Chel, simply because she’s an extremely awesome character and deserves some praise. And her outfit will be one that’s challenging enough to translate into a 21st century wardrobe.

Miguel

Credit: Google

Miguel is the bleeding heart of the group. I like all of the characters, but Miguel edges Tulio out as my favorite because Miguel has a much gentler, caring nature than Tulio. He seems way less jaded, despite the fact that both he and Tulio grew up on the streets. He’s such a good guy–I wish he’d found a Spanish or El Doradoean girl in the film. Perhaps Chel would know someone.

In any case, the main through-line for Miguel is to have a breezy set of clothes, despite the color scheme being in heavy colors like red and gold/tan. I guess for girls, a current trend that might help translate Miguel’s style in the 21st century would be the ’70s trend, since there are plenty of peasant-ish, loose shirts on the runways. Knickers were in for a while (and are really hard to find), but if you’re not a person who either likes knickers or you feel your body isn’t cut out for knickers and capri/cropped pants, you can always opt for pants or shorts. And let’s not forget you’re a girl–you can always wear skirts and dresses. Also, because Miguel plays a mandolin, I included some guitar-themed accessories, gold, of course.

As I started working on translating his god outfit, I found that I could translate it three ways–work wear, day wear, and party/formal wear. All three would be working the metallic trend. I figured the god clothes could translate into work and party wear exceptionally well because the purple, red, and teal colors are richer and the gold is way more extravagant (what with his gold earrings, bracelets, and headpiece). Again, like I said in the Thor post, you can’t go overboard with metallic in the work place, or else you look like you’re at Studio 54. Also, for the day collage, I added hats to mimic the headpiece.

Credit: Google

Tulio

Credit: Google

I like Tulio a lot too, but mostly for aesthetic reasons. He’s a bit too pessimistic and scheming for me at times, but he’s also very grounded, which is necessary for a whimsical character like Miguel. And he is a con man, after all. If there was a character that was both Miguel and Tulio, that’d be perfect. But as it stands, the two separate characters are great, and the fact that I really want both of their personalities melded together means the team behind the film accomplished their goal of making the characters two people who need each other to get through life.

Costume-wise, Tulio wears a lot of blues, tans, and deep browns. Also, the accessory of the vest. To reiterate the cropped pant thing I said above, it’s not necessary to wear cropped pants if you feel your body isn’t a “cropped pant” body. Also, I included some dice jewelry since Tulio plays with loaded dice in the film.

Again, the god outfit translates best into work, day, and party/formal, working the metallic trend. Also, hats were added to the day look to mimic the headpiece. I also included a flower accessory to mimic the flower he gives Chel in the film.

Both men’s styles are easy to reinterpret into classic women’s clothes, but surprisingly, Chel’s outfit is the bigger challenge, seeing she wears just strips of cloth.

Chel

Credit: Google

Chel is a great female character, and just a great character in general. She’s funny, quick-witted, smart, and, as much as I hate writing this cliché statement, she can keep up with the guys. Sometimes, cliché statements can be true statements. And she represents for us curvy females that have some meat on our thighs. To be honest, Chel’s body type mirrors mine almost to the letter.

Her outfit would best be defined by day wear. Also, since she wears such skimpy stuff, we can even go into beach wear.

So that’s it. More of these posts are sure to come, since they’re a nice break from seriousness. What do you think about these collages?

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