Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Taz All Folks!


Coming on Monday, our “partial” DVD Review of Taz-Mania – Season One, Part One: Taz on the Loose!



It’s “partial” for a number of reasons, including the time it would take to view and write-up all 13 shows on the disc. Limiting the review to the first four shows, in which is found a good cross-section of the wonderful guest-starring characters, will be sufficient in communicating to you my feelings on the series itself.

But, more importantly, it leaves room for an opening discussion of the period of TV animation during which TAZ-MANIA came to be. I think that’s an interesting topic that hasn’t gotten nearly as much coverage or analysis as it should.

Thad Komorowski does a fine job in covering the times in question in his book on the REN AND STIMPY series, titled “Sick Little Monkeys”. I’m not even a REN AND STIMPY fan, but I’ll recommend the book – because it covers R&S and the period leading up to its debut quite well. 

For the purposes of tying it to Taz-Mania, our own discussion will remain within the scope of Disney and Warner Bros., but there was far more to it than that. 

 Perhaps we’re still too close to the period for true historical analysis but, by now I feel more should have been written on the subject. Anyway, we’ll attempt to tackle it, in our own humble way, in our upcoming TAZ-MANIA post. Be there, won’t you?

I-I-I'm not even sure w-w-why I'm H-H-Here!

4 comments:

Comicbookrehab said...

I like bits of "Ren & Stimpy": the character designs, backgrounds, voice acting. But the final product...I find the behind-the-scenes "war" between John K. and Nickolodeon executives more entertaining.

Alby D said...

Looking forward to it!

Joe Torcivia said...

‘Rehab:

I suspect you’d enjoy Thad’s book. I’d really like to see that period covered in a truly comprehensive way, because it’s still effecting TV animation to this day. …In ways both good and bad.

Joe Torcivia said...

Alby:

I’d hoped you’d notice this… and I’m sorry there will only be four (of 13) shows discussed in my typical level of detail.

To do it differently would have taken longer than I wished – and I wanted this out before the Second Volume of TAZ-MANIA is released on August 06, 2013 (2 ½ weeks from this writing).

Also, the topic of the times surrounding TAZ-MANIA’s debut is a worthy one, I feel. In no way is it the comprehensive survey of the period that I would like to see, but I don’t feel you can adequately tell the story of TAZ-MANIA without that sort of surrounding detail.