Kyluna's Blog

post #8 Childrens cartoons?

March 25, 2010 at 1:37 am (Uncategorized)

So a friend of mine introduced me to a children’ s series called “The Adventures of Mark Twain”   According to the reading I did on youtube and wikipedia “released in the UK as Comet Quest, is a 1985 stop motion animated film directed by Will Vinton (best known for “The California Raisins” animation). It received a wider theatrical release, still limited to seven major cities, in January 1986. It was released on DVD in January 2006.”  The series is supposed to use segments of Mark Twains writing on his quest for Haiies Comet.  The cartoon was never banned however the clip below, “A Mysterious Stranger” was purposly left out when Disney aired the program.  Prehaps this was due to censorship or creepiness however they did not remove the Adam and Eve sketch, which is more funny than religious to me.

This subject matter is both intelligent and dark and I do not believe that today it would be consider child safe.  Many of the older animations have a reputation for being acceptable back in the 80s but being frowned upon today.  IMDB sums the plot of Mark Twain up by saying “Based on elements from the stories of Mark Twain, this feature-length Claymation fantasy follows the adventures of Tom Sawyer, Becky Thatcher, and Huck Finn as they stowaway aboard the interplanetary balloon of Mark Twain. Twain, disgusted with the Human Race, is intent upon finding Halley’s Comet and crashing into it, achieving his “destiny.” It’s up to Tom, Becky, and Huck to convince him hat his judgement is wrong, and that he still has much to offer humanity that might make a difference. Their efforts aren’t just charitable; if they fail, they will share Twain’s fate. Along the way, they use a magical time portal to get a detailed overview of the Twain philosophy, observing the “historical” events that inspired.”

Another clear example of childrens animation that would no longer be considered safe is “Watership downs” This animation based on a British novel must come with a warning: Intensly graphic and unsettling.  According to IMDB “Although Watership Down is a peaceful habitat, Hazel realises there are no does, thus making the future of their new home uncertain. With the help of a seagull named Kehaar, they locate a nearby warren, Efrafa, which is overcrowded and has many does. Hazel sends a small emissary to Efrafa to present their request for does. While waiting for the group to return, Hazel and Pipkin successfully raid the nearby Nuthanger Farm to rescue a group of hutch rabbits there, returning with two does. When the emissary returns, Hazel and his rabbits learn Efrafa is a tyrannical police state led by the despotic General Woundwort; Hazel’s rabbits barely return alive. However, the group does manage to identify an Efrafan doe named Hyzenthlay who wants to leave the warren and can recruit other does to join. Hazel and Bigwig devise a plan to rescue the group of rabbits from Efrafa to join them on Watership Down. The Efrafan escapees start their new life on Watership Down, but soon Woundwort’s army arrives to attack the Watership Down warren. Through the bravery and loyalty of Bigwig and the ingenuity of Hazel, the Watership Down rabbits defeat Woundwort.”  The plot is simple and the novel is a best seller but as the collection of clips shows it truley should not have been meant for children of today.

Last but not least I want to draw your attention to “Plague Dogs” who according to this site is the #1 most disturbing childrens film.  The film is about dogs escaping from a test lab and are chased by humans and helicopters.  In the end the dogs drown. “After the dogs attack some sheep on the fells, they are described as ferocious man-eating monsters by a journalist named Digby Driver. A great dog hunt follows which is intensified with the fear that the dogs could be carriers of a dangerous bioweapon like bubonic plague. The research station is fictional. It is named ARSE (Animal Research, Scientific and Experimental).” is what wikipedia had to say about it and again I caution you to watch the following clip.

I would say that we have some traumatizing animations in our shows today but these movies are part of an animation history that we may never see again in the politically correct world.

ETA I have commented on: Lyver, Alberry, and Taylor