cartoons
Latest
Can you make a Star Wars story without Jedi?
'The Bad Batch' is a new Star Wars show on Disney+ that moves the spotlight away from Force-users.
Ubisoft is planning animated shows based on ‘Watch Dogs’ and ‘Far Cry’
Ubisoft is no stranger to TV and movies. Its media division, Ubisoft Motion Pictures, has created four seasons of Rabbids Invasion thus far, and produced the mediocre adaptation of Assassin's Creed. That's not to mention films like Uwe Boll's Far Cry and the controversial Prince of Persia, which were licensed from the publisher. The company is focusing on the small screen for now though, and hopes to reach kids and young adults. The animated series will be comprised of adaptations from titles like Watch Dogs and Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon.
The best streaming services for kids (that aren't YouTube)
Among the various choices, Cartoon Network is solid option for kid-friendly streaming. While you may need a cable subscription for complete access, there are some full episodes of nostalgia-inducing classics like Powerpuff Girls available as well as new hits like Teen Titans Go!, The Amazing World of Gumball and Steven Universe without a subscription-TV account. Plus, in addition to the Cartoon Network app, there's a truckload of other show- and character-specific apps too, which range from educational games to puzzlers, sticker packs, arcade and more. There are literally dozens of options on top of the main streaming app, so hopefully your older children won't get bored for a while. READ ON: The best alternatives to YouTube kids
Stream all of your favorite Nickelodeon classics for $6 per month
Streaming service VRV is now home to a slew of Nickelodeon throwbacks. With a new streaming channel called NickSplat, VRV is offering users access to shows like All That, Doug, Rocko's Modern Life, CatDog, Clarissa Explains It All, Kenan & Kel, Legends of the Hidden Temple, Salute Your Shorts, Are You Afraid of the Dark? and The Wild Thornberrys. In all, there are 21 titles available at launch with more on the way.
Dreamworks' exclusive Netflix shows for 2018 include 'She-Ra'
If you'll be after some light-hearted TV viewing to banish the January blues (and let's face it, who won't be?) you're in luck, as Netflix and DreamWorks are bringing six new original cartoon series to screens in the new year. Family-friendly Trolls: The Beat Goes On! -- which picks up where the previous series left off and premieres on January 19 -- has been positioned at the top of the companies' announcement, but retro fans will likely be more excited by the news that girl power icon She-Ra is also getting her own rebooted air time (premiere date TBC). The rest of the line-up includes The Boss Baby: Back in Business, Harvey Street Kids, The Epic Tales of Captain Underpants, Trollhunters (part 3) and 3 Below (the second instalment of Tales of Arcadia Trilogy). Premiere dates for these are yet to be confirmed, but they'll be available for Netflix members worldwide when they do land.
Now Apple TV has access to all the cartoons on Boomerang
Parents tired of watching Moana on repeat, listen up: there's a new streaming service on Apple TV that just might catch your kids' attention. Boomerang, which offers a variety of classic Saturday morning cartoons from your youth, has finally arrived on Apple TV. It was originally a Time Warner cable channel until it re-emerged as a streaming service for the web, iOS and Android devices in March. Now that it's also out for Apple TV, you can stream all the Bugs Bunny, Scooby-Doo, Tom & Jerry, The Jetsons and The Flintstones you want if you fancy going on a nostalgia trip. Boomerang has around 5,000 episodes from Hanna-Barbera's, Looney Tunes' and MGM's libraries on offer, so you won't quickly run out of things to watch either.
Cartoon Network beams 'Powerpuff Girls' to your TV with Chromecast
Cartoon Network is about to make some people very happy. The TV channel has updated its Android and iOS apps with support for Chromecast streaming, which it says was a highly requested feature by fans. In case you're not familiar with how Google's $35 dongle works, Cartoon Network's apps will now let users push episode streams from their mobile device to a nearby Chromecast-connected TV, all with a simple tap of the "Cast" button.
Looney Tunes and other classic cartoons get a streaming service
Your favorite Saturday morning cartoons are going digital. Turner and Warner Bros. are teaming up for a new standalone video subscription service called Boomerang. It'll offer over 5,000 titles from the Hanna-Barbera, Looney Tunes and MGM animation libraries when it launches this spring.
Cartoon Network's new app offers bite-sized content for kids
In an effort to beam content to viewers who are more likely to stare at a mobile device than a television, Cartoon Network has a new app that dishes out short clips of content. The Cartoon Network Anything app for iOS and Android packs 10 to 15-second snippets from Adventure Time, Regular Show, Gumball and Teen Titans Go with games, quizzes, puzzles and more sprinkled in. Variety reports that one goal is to lure the channel's core audience back to its TV programming by promoting shows with the mobile software. There's no way to control the flow of clips and other items, so kids won't know what's coming next. The idea is that every time little Joey taps on the app, there will be something he hasn't seen before. Of course, there's the opportunity for ad revenue in the future as well, which could take the form of branded video segments with the network's characters. And in what should come as a shock to no one, McDonald's signed on as the launch sponsor. If your kids (or you, no judgement here) are big fans of the CN, both versions of the app are available now via their respective repositories.
Cable, the FCC and streaming killed Saturday morning cartoons
We hate to be the bearer of bad news, but one of your fondest childhood traditions has kicked the bucket: Saturday morning cartoons are no more. The CW has aired its last batch of Vortexx programming, leaving American kids without any animated broadcast TV to start their weekends for the first time in decades. From here on out, young ones glued to the tube will mostly be watching educational shows.
Powerpuff Girls: Defenders of Townsville hits Steam with adorable fury March 14
It's been nearly a decade since the final Powerpuff Girls episode aired on Cartoon Network, but the trio of plucky, color-coded heroes will return in Powerpuff Girls: Defenders of Townsville. Details are relatively scant, but developer Radian Games describes Defenders of Townsville as "a metroidvania with flying superheroes and a heavy dose of action." Bubbles, Buttercup and Blossom all feature as playable characters in the game, oiced by the actresses who lent their vocal talents to the cartoon. As you can see from the above trailer, the game features colorful, minimalist graphics designed to ape the original cartoon, but those who prefer the nostalgic joy of naked pixels will be happy to learn that the game also offers "classic-style visuals." Powerpuff Girls: Defenders of Townsville makes its Steam debut on March 14 and will be available on Linux, Mac and PC platforms. No price point has been established for the platforming action game, but the developer claims that this information and a proper Steam page are coming soon. [Image: Radian Games]
Would Warcraft make a good animated movie?
If you've ever wondered what Jasmine from Aladdin would look like as a blood elf, wonder no more. Thanks to this story on Kotaku, we get to see how DeviantART poster LiberLibelula would design various Disney characters in terms of the races of World of Warcraft, and while some are no real surprises (Snow White as a dwarf lass) some caught me off guard (Rapunzel as a gnome I did not see coming, and I was pleasantly surprised by draenei Cinderella and troll Kida from Atlantis: The Lost Empire). The art style here is interesting and captures both inspirations well, in my opinion, and it gets me wondering why we've never seen a Warcraft cartoon of any kind. Frankly, while we're waiting for a Warcraft movie, I've always wondered why we never saw anything like the Diablo III Wrath trailer for the Warcraft setting. Seeing these images only makes me wonder more - we've seen enough comics and graphic novels in the Warcraft setting to convince me a wide variety of animation styles and artwork could work, so where's our Animatrix for WoW? I've always been a big fan of the DC Animated films (frankly, I think they're better than the live action movies in most cases) and I'd definitely like to see Blizzard do something similar for Warcraft. While we wait, you can always head over to LiberLivelula's gallery and dream.
GoComics brings the funny pages to your iPhone
Universal Uclick is the company that holds the licenses for most of the comics in your daily newspaper -- the company was formed when the Universal Press Syndicate joined up with the Uclick media group. They've run a web archive of the company's comics for quite a while now, and today that content has arrived on the App Store in the form of the free GoComics app. Just like the website, the app offers up daily archives of many, many different comics from the funny pages, and while you can sign in to an account and even sign up for a "GoComics Pro" membership (which kills the advertising and gives you some extras like an email digest), just browsing through the drawings is completely free. The app is quick and smooth, and because Universal's reach goes so far, there's never any shortage of new comics to read. The one issue I have with the app is strictly mechanical -- when browsing through the comics on portrait mode, the UI will slide into the background as you're reading. On a timer, that seems to be exactly when I finish reading whatever strip is visible at that time. This would simply be an annoyance, except that when the UI does slide away, the ad in the app just happens to slide itself right into the spot where I normally would press to see the next comic. That may all sound complicated, but the end result is that the UI feels clunky, and it's extraordinarily easy to "accidentally" click an ad when I don't mean to. The same issue doesn't pop up in landscape mode, however, so I presume Uclick isn't just trying to sneakily sell more ads. At any rate, that's a small concern with an otherwise excellent little app. If you like reading the comics, but don't always have access to a newspaper, the GoComics app is a great way to browse through the cartoons. It's available for free right now.
Angry Birds Toons premiering this weekend in Angry Birds apps
Rovio has long been threatening to bring Angry Birds into other media, and this weekend they're finally doing it -- kind of. Angry Birds Toons is a brand new cartoon series featuring none other than the frustrated fowl that iOS gamers have known and loved for so long. But you won't find it on a TV station or in a movie theater: Instead, the cartoon is premiering inside the Angry Birds apps, so if you have any of them installed, you can jump in and you'll be able to watch the series starting this weekend. Why are the birds so angry? Why do the pigs love the eggs so much? Rovio promises this series will answer all of those pressing questions fans of this game may or may not have. We have one of our own, however: Will iOS players ever get tired of tossing birds into badly-built structures? We may need more than a cartoon series to get an answer to that one.
Family Guy Online to shut down next month
Get your Quahog gaming fix soon because Family Guy Online is not long for this world. The game announced that it will be shutting down next month on January 18th. Family Guy Online is currently in open beta, which means that it will have never officially launched before spinning down. The game will refund any cash purchases made during the last two months (from October 22nd through December 21st). If you're curious how this interactive version of the TV animated series performed, you can check out Beau's Rise and Shiny expedition. [Thanks to Matthew for the tip!]
Daily iPhone App: The Act combines great cartoon art with iOS gameplay
The Act is, I will say, probably one of the most interesting experiments I've ever seen show up on the App Store. I don't know if it's entirely successful, but even at the current price of $2.99, I can wholeheartedly recommend it. It does some very interesting things with interactive storytelling and animation that have to be seen to be believed. The Act is a game by React Entertainment, a company that has at least one famous 2D animation vet in its background. As you can probably tell by the screenshot above, it's a game that's been entirely hand animated, and the art is just plain beautiful -- the characters pop off of the screen like a Disney movie. There's no dialogue at all, so the story is told strictly through animation and music, and yet it all comes across very well. The interactive part of the game arrives in certain sections, where you need to swipe to the right or left on the screen to keep "the act" going. This is perhaps the biggest fault of the "game" -- all of your cues come from the on-screen animation, so it's often hard to tell exactly what you're supposed to be doing and when. But the game does get clearer as it goes on -- by the third interactive scene or so, I had a pretty good idea of when I was doing it right and when I was doing something wrong. Even with those issues around feedback (the game definitely could have been a little more designed for accessibility), The Act still respectably takes some bold moves with its gameplay, and again, that animation is just gorgeous. If you're a fan of games or good old fashioned hand-drawn animation at all, definitely check this one out.
Distro Issue 46 arrives with the Retina-wielding MacBook Pro, Microsoft events and Minority Report
Now that it's officially summertime, you're going to need some options for that annual reading list. As you plot your escape from the season's rising temps, allow us to offer a cool copy of our weekly for your browsing pursuits. Since it first broke cover at WWDC, we've had time to put the MacBook Pro with Retina display through its paces and our detailed findings snagged top billing this week. Also on the review front, we take a long look at both the latest MacBook Air and the ultra-convertible ASUS Padfone. In this week's feature, our own Donald Melanson takes a look back at the futuristic tech of Minority Report for the film's 10th anniversary. As you might've heard, Microsoft hosted two events of its own this week. Being the tech-minded folk that we are, we offer thoughts from our editors on the Surface tablets and the 'sneak peek' at Windows Phone 8 from a few days back. Don't worry, we'll give you a closer look and a few impressions of the aforementioned slates as well in "Hands-on." Grab those flip-flops and snag yourself a spot in the shade, because this week's e-magazine is a short download away. Distro Issue 46 PDF Distro in the iTunes App Store Distro in the Google Play Store Distro APK (For sideloading) Like Distro on Facebook Follow Distro on Twitter
Distro Issue 45: a brief history of Motorola and WWDC 2012's top stories
Still recovering from last week's barrage of fitness gadgetry? Yeah, we are too. This week, we take a less active approach to the latest issue of our tablet mag. Motorola's influence on the tech that we all know and love extends far beyond flip phones and pagers. Our own Brian Heater takes a look at the history of the company in the issue's editorial feature, offering a glimpse into the timeline that led up to Google's $12.5 billion purchase. The folks in Cupertino had an event a few days back that offered a handful of juicy tidbits -- to say the least. If you fear you might've missed something or just need a quick refresher, we run down WWDC's 10 most important talking points. Speaking of which, the "Hands-on" section this week is devoted entirely to the next-gen MacBook Pro with Retina display -- in case you've been napping and haven't had a look for yourself. In terms of device reviews, we offer our thoughts on both the Sony Xperia P and Xperia U for your weekend read. If you're still reminiscing about E3, "Reaction Time" looks at Ubisoft's new title in a week that chock-full of sequels while "Eyes-on" takes a gander at the Nest thermostat and "Time Machines" visits the roots of the TI-30X IIS. The download links are just a click away, so hit yours to get started. Distro Issue 45 PDF Distro in the iTunes App Store Distro in the Google Play Store Distro APK (For sideloading) Like Distro on Facebook Follow Distro on Twitter
Distro Issue 44 is here and it's time to get fit!
Here in the states, it's just about time to start hitting the beach, and despite what you might have heard, not all of us here at Engadget are perpetually bikini-ready. In this week's issue of Distro, we'll follow our own Daniel Cooper on an eight-week quest to slim down before his summertime nuptials. In "Fitter, Happier" Daniel puts a series of fitness gadgets to the test to find out if machines really can make you a healthier, skinnier and, ultimately, happier human being. We'll also bring you the best of Computex 2012, a look at gaming's big three at E3 and give you our impressions of Microsoft's latest Windows 8 preview, Lenovo's ThinkPad X230 and Sony's NEX-F3. Rounding things out, we'll take a closer look at some of the biggest names in fit tech with "Eyes-On" and jog your memory with an early ancestor to the MP3 player in "Time Machines." So hit the appropriate link below and get to downloading. Distro Issue 44 PDF Distro in the iTunes App Store Distro in the Google Play Store Distro APK (For sideloading) Like Distro on Facebook Follow Distro on Twitter
Distro Issue 43 has arrived with Thomas Dolby: TED talks, cellphone deals and the Floating City
What's that? You've already worked your requisite 40 hours this week and you're ready to throw in the towel? Well, we've got something far more enjoyable for your Friday afternoon relaxation. Hot off of the e-presses, this week's issue of Distro is packed with a week's worth of leisurely readings. The focus this time around is on Thomas Dolby and our own Brian Heater details the '80s pop star's journey back to the stage with TED, cellphones and his own virtual world. As far as reviews go, we spend some quality time getting to know the latest Chrome OS arsenal from Google, ASUS Zenbook Prime UX21A and the highly anticipated Samsung Galaxy S III. Our hands-on section is still a young Padawan, but this week we breakdown Nokia 808 PureView sample shots and the recently outted Facebook Camera app. Do you have gaming on the brain with E3 less than a week away? If so, Reaction Time should hold you over with new releases and a discussion of the aforementioned gaming expo. Stat takes a look at copyright and piracy claims, we go eyes-on with the Lumia lineage, BAROBO's Graham Ryland stops by for the Q&A, Switched On tackles Cisco, IRL let's you get cozy with our gear and Rehashed looks back at the week that was in 140 characters or less. The days are winding down until it'll be too hot to enjoy that hammock, so don't waste any more time. Hit your weekly download link and snag a copy of our tablet mag. Distro Issue 43 PDF Distro in the iTunes App Store Distro in the Google Play Store Distro APK (For sideloading) Like Distro on Facebook Follow Distro on Twitter
