Changing Their Toons
Ten cartoons from the Cartoon Network and Hanna-Barbera.
World Premiere Toons
Wednesdays, at 9 p.m., on the Cartoon Network
What's Goin' on Back There? (Feb. 12), starring Sledgehammer O'Possum, a street possum. It might be a matter of taste, but the self-conscious funkiness of this cartoon (a cop car, for example, is labeled "Po-leece") smells Kingfishy to me. It may be that the creator, Pat Ventura, is black, but that still wouldn't really excuse it.
Home Sweet Home (Feb. 19), starring the Zoonatiks, who are basically wacky animals. I'm sure whoever did this worked very hard on it.
Mission Imfrogable (Feb. 26). Swamp and Tad are frogs from outer space, I guess, but it's unclear why. One is dumb, and the other cracks wise. On the positive side, their boss screams only sometimes.
The Great Egg-Scape (March 5). The Flintstones' pet, Dino, is forced to play mother to a rapidly growing thunderbuttasaurus. This short was written and directed by Hanna-Barbera co-founder Joseph Barbera, and the nicest thing you can say about it is that, compared with most of their oeuvre, it's better than it has to be.
Johnny Bravo in full swagger (30 seconds):
Steve, the talking dog, confronts disaster with aplomb (30 seconds):
Rule No. 1 for Female Academics: Don’t Have a Baby
How Can You Survive in an Air Bubble 100 Feet Underwater for Three Days?
Why Do Women Always Have to Smile?
Larry Doyle is the former news editor of New York. He writes regularly for television.
Stills and video and audio clips © 1996 Cartoon Network Studios and Hanna-Barbera. All rights reserved.