Friday, January 16, 2009

Cartoon Network Goes Live

The aping of the Disney Channel continues:

Cartoon Network is taking a big step into live-action, prepping a slew of programs that represent the channel's largest slate in a long time ... "They all fall under a sort of teenage-boy wish-fulfillment scenario," [Chief content officer Rob] Sorcher said . "They're action dramas for the most part."

What all this live-action development doesn't mean is that Cartoon Network is pulling back on animation. "This does not replace that in any way," Sorcher said. "This is a complement, an expansion."

Sure, you betchya. Doesn't encroach on 'toons in any way. Except that there are only so many broadcast hours in a day, and if you burn up a pile of them with live action, then there's less time for ... you know ... animation.

But everything goes in cycles. At some point thirteen-year-old boys will burn out on guys in Spandex and capes, and return to first principles.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

"They all fall under a sort of teenage-boy wish-fulfillment scenario,"

Sex with friends hot mom? Parents die in PTA fire? Rotating hot tub and pool table in MTV cribs living room? Sounds enlightening.

The first signal of any executives grasp for validation is... THE UNVEILING OF THE INFAMOUS OVERARCHING THEME OF THE HOTEL! TA-DA!

"Our research shows that our customers want to experience a Jungle Safari today. And we will be the first there to provide that world-class five star experience for them!"

Anonymous said...

Just another reaffirmation that broadcast television has indeed gone into the sh****r!!!!

Anonymous said...

Steve, where is a post with your comments about the MPTF Woodland Hills facility closing?

Anonymous said...

Yeah, they say it will be a "complement" to animation. But how much money do you think they'll throw into live-action, leaving animation with even less than before? Is now a time to be taking this sort of risk? What about doing what they do best?

Anonymous said...

More money is write. Not to mention they'll have to hire writers under a Writers Guild of America contract.

Anonymous said...

My brain crossed wires with that last comment.

Anonymous said...

They will throw more money into this because they will not know what they are doing and will refuse to put something on the air that will make them look like crap next to Nick and Disney. They will end up spending a fortune trying to get up to get up to speed in an area they are light years behind on.

Why they are rolling this out as a 'live-action' complement to their 'cartoon' brand is a mystery. Disney hits the god awful word 'family' loud and clear over and over and over until your ears bleed. Nickelodeon hits the god awful word 'kids' with the density of a thousand orange suns.

Now unless Time Warner decides to remove the word 'Cartoon' from their niche network's namesake anytime soon, they will continue to do nothing except confuse people about exactly what it is that they should expect to be watching on this channel.

Anonymous said...

Oh yeah and don't forget they are laying off the rest of their entire Flash animation division in April after originally promising they'd have work til 2010 for that fantastic Cartoonstitute that keeps switiching direction as does the tide.

They definitely have their priorties figured out.

Anonymous said...

:( I wish they would make more cartoons. And less poo. That should be their new business model. People can make their own poo without having to pay for it.

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