It's Underdog, folks. And he hasn't been on TV long enough for three generations of dogs to have died in the real world.
Usually I'm pretty on board with Jerry Beck over at Cartoon Brew, but the rage on this - in the comments section, not in his post - and in the animation community, seems pretty silly. To me.
Cartoon Brew, which we likey. Even when we disagree... ey.
Underdog was a cartoon about a dog that put on a costume and battled crime. It has been turned into a live action movie about a dog that puts on a costume and fights crime.
Is it stupid? Yeah. Is it good stupid? Who knows. Spider-man 3 thought it was art, but it was ass. Maybe this knows it's not art and will be something else. Something better than ass.
It boils down to this: I'm up for giving it a chance. If something you love from your generation is "upgraded" for the next one, it can go one of two ways. Batman Begins, or Nipples on the Batsuit. The first Spiderman, or a maskless Tobey McGuire sitting on a rooftop, clearly five carmel apples to the wind, losing a battle to both Venom AND Funyons.
But Underdog was a knock off of Superman. And now, somebody knocked it off.
My Jury's out.
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20 comments:
I don't love classic Underdog because it's good. I love it because I'm 42. So I can't really complain about inanity tailored to another generation's taste. I bet Snowball Express would need some retooling, too.
Can you imagine a cartoon today using as much boilerplate as Underdog and Tennessee Tuxedo did? I wonder if having 90-second catchphrases like "I am a true hero and a hero never fails. I can't be bothered with such details" and fill-in-the-blank plots make a show easier for kids to get into? It sure doesn't hold up (as opposed to actual Jay Ward shows).
Details... details!
Vomit
Guess these filmmakers never saw the original series. I'm surprised he's still a shoeshine boy.
Person who is probably connected to the animation industry, responding to the blog:
“Anonymous said...
Vomit
June 7, 2007 9:49 AM”
Person on myspace probably NOT connected to the animation industry, responding to the same post:
“I'm no "Underdog" wonk, so I have no actual geek rage to vent or defend, BUT I'll say the dog in that commercial looks quite different from the cartoon version. It seems like they changed a lot of other stuff too. One reason I liked Spider-Man 3 (or at least didn't hate it as much as seemingly everyone else) was that Sandman and Venom looked just like their comic book counterparts. Raimi turned Green Goblin into something from a Japanese kids' TV show. But I never really liked Green Goblin that much, so I didn't care. THEN he turned Dr. Octopus into a shirtless slob in a trenchcoat. What's my point? Well, those first two movies were really popular even though they changed stuff. You're right, most movies like this change a bunch of stuff. Yep, you were right. I had nothing to say, yet I wrote an entire paragraph.”
Again:
Probably an animation professional:
““Anonymous said...
Vomit
June 7, 2007 9:49 AM”
Probably not:
“Just that I wish they'd come up with ORIGINAL ideas for once instead of another fucking sequel, remake, reimagining, rip-offor in this case...another animated property that gains nothing by being done live action (in fact, looses it's inherent charm and appeal).
Would that be too much to ask in a summer with at least three .3 movies in a row?”
If they want to do properties, fine. There are so many with enormous cinematic potential: John Carter of Mars, Ringworld, The Dark Tower, Dr. Strange, Kamandi.
How about some interesting biopics? Nero, Hannibal (No. The Historical one), Halsey, Stonewall Jackson.
I could go on.”
I’m just saying.
Being from the UK, I have no grounding in the original series -- I can't recall its ever being shown over here -- I can't really say whether the trailer foreshadows a film which pays proper homage to the original (assuming the original deserves any such thing). But, as trailers go, it looks no better or worse than many aimed at a family/young audience. From my POV, it makes more sense to reserve judgement until I see the movie.
Reserve judgment until you see the movie? Where's the fun in that? Besides, if you smell a turd before you see it, it's still a turd.
I'm honestly not sure what to make of the trailer. It isn't as bad as the first one I saw a few months ago at the movies. As for the radical changes made to the "Underdog" property...well, the original had its moments. But it was pretty junky overall, just like "Tennessee Tuxedo" and "Klondike Kat" were junky. I doubt a by-the-book movie version of the original "Underdog" would uh, fly for today's moviegoers. I am just a bit tired of old tv shows being made into movies though. With the exception of "The Fugitive", none of them have been worth a crap IMO.
I do have to commend the trailer for a refreshing absence of fart jokes. On that basis, I'm surprised you like it, Steve. And just FYI, "good stupid" fell out of fashion about two-seasons-of-the-Fairly-Oddparents ago. :D
Poot
Spiderman III - spider crap
Pirates III - pirate crap
Underdog - dog crap
Nowadays summer movies always suck.
As an animatin writer how would you have handled the Sapranos' final episode. If it was animated, I mean.
Giant fighting robots, natch.
Aw, my friend won the bet. He said you'd use giant robots, but I was sure you'd go with CG Little Rascals.
:)
Sometimes when you think you smell crap, it turns out to be a delicious piece of cheese.
Food for thought.
Yes, but if it's brown and smells like a turd. You can tell me it's cheese all day long and you're still going to be eating alone my brother, you're gonna be eat'n alone.
Hey there is a another dust up over at CB. Maybe you should link to it too.
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