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Stream your favorite animated classics for $5 a month
If you're itching to return to the days where you watched Saturday morning cartoons in your pajamas while eating cold cereal straight from the box (I can't be the only one, right?), Boomerang is now live. Turner has turned the digital TV channel into a standalone streaming service where subscribers can watch over 1,000 episodes -- and over a dozen movies -- of classics like Tom and Jerry, Scooby-Doo, Looney Tunes and more.
First Unity-built cartoon proves the engine isn't just for games
As the NBA's eSports league proves, video games are quickly becoming mainstream. Games are having a moment, and so are the tools used to make them. Case in point, the Unity game engine recently reached a big milestone. French animated show Mr. Carton just became the first cartoon TV series made with Unity.
A 'Costume Quest' animated series is coming to Amazon Video
One of Amazon's upcoming original kids series should be very familiar to fans of a certain Double Fine title. The online retailer announced today that a Costume Quest animated children's series based on the popular video games will debut in 2018. Will McRobb of The Adventures of Pete and Pete fame will serve as executive producer while Frederator Studios (Adventure Time, The Fairly Odd Parents) will produce the show.
'Futurama' gets its own quote search engine
Ever since The Simpsons got an encyclopedic search engine through Frinkiac, many TV fans have been wondering one thing: where's the Futurama version? Relax, it's here. The creators of Frinkiac have launched Morbotron, a quote search tool that lets you dig through every season of Fry's adventures (complete with 861,414 screenshots) to create meme-worthy pictures and animated GIFs. You can find every moment that Professor Farnsworth has good news, Morbo proclaims doom for the human race, or Bender invites someone to bite his backside.
Twitter's Snapchat-like stickers are now available to all
After announcing its intentions late last month, Twitter has finally jumped on the sticker bandwagon. The company announced it has completed the rollout of its "visual spin on hashtags," allowing you to furnish your photos with strategically-placed emoji and other custom-made cartoons. They're searchable too, just in case you want to see other people's crazy creations.
Homer Simpson will broadcast live, with some motion-capture help
The Simpsons, live! Well, at least partially. In a new episode set to broadcast on Sunday May 15, Homer Simpson will speak live to viewers, commenting on the day's news as well as answering fans' questions. (You can can tweet your queries to him starting in early May, using the #homerlive hashtag.) How is that even possible? According to The Wrap, it apparently involves a "first for animation", tying together motion capture, real-time animation and some all-important improvisation.
Netflix kids series 'Beat Bugs' features music of The Beatles
Amazon and Netflix are cranking out original series at a rapid pace. The content isn't just for adults, though, as both streaming libraries feature a smattering of original kids stuff, too. Netflix is expanding its lineup with Beat Bugs: an animated series that follows the adventures of five friends. What's more, the show is inspired by songs from The Beatles, because, you know... bugs. As you might expect, the tunes are a big part of the show and there's some well-known artists who cover the tracks for the series.
Toyota turned the Prius' parts into anime characters
If you were running a big Japanese car manufacturer, how would you make your technology accessible to the public? Toyota has a rather strange answer: turn it into anime characters. The company has launched an "Impossible Girls" promo campaign for the new Prius where components and features are anthropomorphized as sometimes cute, sometimes mysterious cartoons. Yes, you too can relate to a cyborg representation of your hybrid car's wishbone suspension or water pump.
'Simpsons' creator Matt Groening is in talks with Netflix
Netflix will spend a ton of money on original series to double its output this year, and some of that could be heading Matt Groening's way. Variety and Deadline are reporting that the creator of Simpsons and Futurama is in talks with the streaming network to create a new animated series. There's no word on what it might actually be, but the rumors say Netflix is considering signing up for two ten episode seasons -- and considering Groening's track record, we can see why. [Image credit: Gary Doak / Alamy]
Sonic Boom cartoon goes zoom zoom on November 8
"Sonic Boom" isn't just the name of two games due on November 11 for 3DS and Wii U; it's also the name of a cartoon tie-in that will air on Cartoon Network starting on November 8. Sega announced the series' debut date earlier this weekend at a fan event which just so happens to also be called "Sonic Boom." Each episode of Sonic Boom (the TV show) is 11 minutes long and co-produced by Sega of America and OuiDO! Productions. Sega also premiered a new trailer for the show, which has Sonic and pals apparently rooming with Dr. Robotnik (aka: Eggman), Big Brother-style. You can check it out after the break:
Netflix to launch a King Kong cartoon for kids in 2016
Kids have now two mythical creatures to look forward to on Netflix: after dragons are done invading the streaming service in 2015, a colossal gorilla's slated to follow suit. The company has just announced that it's pairing up with Executive Producer Avi Arad (who also produced the Spider-Man, X-Men and Iron Man movies) to create a King Kong animated series, making the absence of Saturday morning cartoons sting just a bit less. This version's quite different from the Kong movies, as it's set in 2050 and depicts the famous gorilla as humankind's only hope against an army of robot dinosaurs. We'll find out whether Kong will also scale the Empire State Building in this one when Netflix begins airing it in 2016, beginning with a full-length film that's followed by 12 half-hour episodes.
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.
The return of Homestar Runner is imminent
Do you fondly recall anxiously awaiting a new installment of Strong Bad Email? Yeah, me too. Well, the creators of the Homestar Runner series of web cartoons are resurrecting the project following a popular April Fool's Day episode earlier this year. In an interview on The Jeff Rubin Show, co-creator Matt Chapman broke the news that he and his brother Mike are going to dust off the characters for some new content. After determining that the faithful were still eager for more -- even after the long hiatus -- the duo plans to start back up at a yet to be announced date, with a site redesign and a YouTube archive on tap as well. "Maybe it was a fluke just because it was the first one we've done... but just based on that alone, it was enough to make us want to give it a try again," said Chapman. With the rise of social media since the pair was last at it, here's to hoping Strong Bad makes the leap to Twitter. If you're not familiar, do yourself a favor and catch up before the new stuff drops.
Cartoonish Cuphead fills up on new trailer, has hopes for Master System port
Cuphead, the first game from StudioMDHR, received a stylish new trailer and screens last week that puts its 1930's-inspired design on display. The "run and gun action game" was pushed back to 2015 thanks in part to the developer's decision to switch from the XNA framework to Unity. It also "totally scrapped the original world map in its rough state" and began re-envisioning a more minimal GUI to focus on Cuphead's classic cartoon feel. When the game was announced in January, it was originally planned for PC. That's since changed, as the developer now expects to launch Cuphead on Xbox One as well as Steam. StudioMDHR also mentioned a "dream idea" in its latest press update: The developer hopes "we can at least be successful enough to port it to Sega Master System with cartridge, instructions and box" one day. [Image: StudioMDHR]
Watch an artist bring cartoons to the real world using his phone
If you think that plain reality is boring, you're not alone. Storyboard artist Marty Cooper (aka Hombre McSteez) has been bringing his "Aug(De)mented Reality" cartoons into the real world through a clever technique that draws on both his iPhone and the transparent plastic cells used by old-school animators. When he finds an interesting location, he both draws dozens of frames to match the scene and captures it all with an equal number of photos; from there, he stitches together short videos that bring everything to life.
Watch Dark Souls 2 as a radical refugee from the 80s cartoon lineup
Between the faux VHS tracking, fetishistic synthesizer use and art style that's equal parts lazy anime and Trapper Keeper doodles, this amateur reimagining of Dark Souls 2 as a cartoon from the Reagan era would fit seamlessly between Saturday morning episodes of MASK and Jem And The Holograms. [Image: Bandai Namco]
New FX series Chozen premieres debut episode on Xbox One
Chozen, a new animated series from the creators of Eastbound & Down and Archer, will debut on Xbox One a week before it airs on FX. Xbox One owners who have a subscription through a participating cable provider - Xbox Wire lists AT&T U-Verse, Comcast, Cablevision, Suddenlink and WOW - can fire up their FXNow app on January 6 to tune in. According to Xbox Wire, Chozen stars a gay white rapper recently released from prison, who uses his talent to "take aim at the stereotypes of machismo and misogyny that are synonymous with rap music." The character (also named Chozen) is voiced by Bobby Moynihan, of Saturday Night Live fame.
1930s cartoon-inspired Cuphead targeting late 2014 on PC
Indie developer StudioMDHR's introductory game Cuphead will launch in late 2014 on PC. The game's graphics are turning a few cup-heads, as they are inspired by 1930's-era cartoons from Fleischer Studios, "old Disney" and particularly artists like Mickey Mouse co-creator Ub Iwerks, Grim Natwick (Betty Boop) and Willard Bowsky (Popeye). Cuphead is a run-and-gun game with a world that includes branching pathways and bosses, as well as weapons and power-ups. StudioMDHR, which consists of brothers Jared and Chad Moldenhauer, said Cuphead is a "retro game" at its core, "meaning it leans heavier on gameplay and not as much on story." The game's basic premise surrounds our hero Cuphead gambling with the devil, losing, then having to find a way to pay the devil back. "We wanted to avoid the classic save the world/princess and make the story/theme feel more comparable to 1930s cartoons," Chad told Joystiq. "This is why it is about Cuphead's deep-seated inability to stay out of trouble versus a hero destined to overcome a pre-existing obstacle. Even though he creates his own problems you can't help but root for his success." While StudioMDHR said the game will be difficult, Cuphead will have infinite lives and won't lose his weapons if he falls in battle, though there will be harder difficulty modes to challenge strong-willed players. Cuphead is confirmed for PC and StudioMDHR said it is "pursuing a console release." The developer shared a few more screens that show some of the game's behind-the-scenes design changes, which we've included in the gallery below.
'Sonic Boom' to debut on Cartoon Network in fall of 2014
A new, computer animated television series staring Sonic the Hedgehog and pals will premiere on Cartoon Network sometime in the fall of next year, Variety reports. In Europe, the show will debut on French children's networks Canal J and Gulli. The show, provisionally called Sonic Boom, is being produced by Sega of America and French animation company Genao Productions. The initial production run will produce 52 11-minute episodes (aimed at children aged six to 11) that will chronicle the adventures of Sonic and Tails as they battle Dr. Eggman, natch. No footage of the show has been released, but the above teaser image does at least confirm Amy's presence in addition to Sonic and Tails – we're still trying to put a name to the center-right silhouette. (We're guessing it's Knuckles with a gym membership.) The degree to which chili dogs are involved has yet to be ascertained.
Daily iPhone App: Fish Out of Water! makes a gorgeous splash in a shallow pool
Halfbrick Studios is one of the most popular developers on the App Store, so much so that I can guarantee you've played their work before: Fruit Ninja and Jetpack Joyride are their two biggest titles. And now, the Australian developer has released a brand-new iOS game, called Fish Out of Water, available on the App Store now for US$0.99 cents. Jetpack Joyride is one of my favorite iOS games of all time, and one of the main reasons for that is just how polished it is. It just oozes quality, and Fish Out of Water has that same feeling. The game runs perfectly, looks great and just bubbles over with well-crafted art and design work. Unfortunately, Fish Out of Water's weakness is that it's simple, almost too simple to stay interesting for long. Here's the game's core: You throw fish. That's it, really -- the goal is to try and throw fish and earn both "skips" (where your fish tap across the water) and "distance", which you're then rated on by a panel of cartoony crabs. Your rating is placed up against a daily leaderboard for the world and your own league, and that's the game. There are six fish to toss in total, and they each have their own strengths and weaknesses, and the game boasts an excellent weather system that's set to the clock every single day. But even with those complications, this game doesn't change all that much: You just toss fish, as hard as you can, at the right angle. Once you've tossed a fish, you can hit a boost button to try and speed it up at certain times, but in my experience, it doesn't matter much. Even when you rate high or low, the game doesn't do a great job of telling you what you did wrong or right, leaving the whole contest to what basically seems like chance. The game's fun for a few throws, and it does do a solid job of keeping you interested -- you level up by performing various missions, and there are tons of social elements in there, so much so that you're notified as you play on how your friends are doing and whether you're beating them or vice versa. Halfbrick can't really make a bad game, as far as I'm concerned, and Fish Out of Water is good. It's just a little boring, is all -- the company opted for casual here, and they certainly hit that target. Hopefully we'll see something a little more involving, with the same amount of quality, from Halfbrick in the future.
