Tuesday, January 3, 2012

Woody Woodpecker

Woody Woodpecker
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Woody Woodpecker is an animated cartoon character, an anthropomorphic acorn woodpecker[1] who appeared in theatrical short films produced by the Walter Lantz animation studio and distributed by Universal Pictures. Though not the first of the screwball characters that became popular in the 1940s, Woody is perhaps the most indicative of the type.
Woody was created in 1940 by storyboard artist Ben "Bugs" Hardaway, who had previously laid the groundwork for two other screwball characters, Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, at the Warner Bros. cartoon studio in the late 1930s. Woody's character and design would evolve over the years, from an insane bird with an unusually garish design to a more refined looking and acting character in the vein of the later Chuck Jones version of Bugs Bunny. Woody was originally voiced by prolific voice actor Mel Blanc, who was succeeded by Ben Hardaway and later by Grace Stafford, wife of Walter Lantz.
Lantz produced theatrical cartoons longer than most of his contemporaries, and Woody Woodpecker remained a staple of Universal's release schedule until 1972, when Lantz finally closed down his studio. The character has been revived since then only for special productions and occasions, save for one new Saturday morning cartoon television series, The New Woody Woodpecker Show, for the Fox Network in the late 1990s/early 2000s.
Woody Woodpecker cartoons were first broadcast on television in 1957 under the title The Woody Woodpecker Show, which featured Lantz cartoons bookended by new footage of Woody and live-action footage of Lantz. Woody has a motion picture star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on 7000 Hollywood Boulevard. He also made a cameo alongside many other famous cartoon characters in the 1988 film Who Framed Roger Rabbit.
Woody Woodpecker and friends are also icons at the PortAventura Park in Salou, Spain. Brought to the park by Universal Studios, Woody and friends remain there despite Universal no longer having a financial stake in the park.
Universal's owned studio, Illumination Entertainment, the creators behind Despicable Me announced a Woody Woodpecker film to be made. ...READ MORE

Monday, January 2, 2012

Ben 10

Ben 10
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


Ben 10 is an American media franchise created by "Man of Action" (a group consisting of Duncan Rouleau, Joe Casey, Joe Kelly, and Steven T. Seagle), and produced by Cartoon Network Studios. The franchise is about a boy who acquires a watch-like alien device called the Omnitrix (later the Ultimatrix) attached to his wrist that allows him to turn into alien creatures. In April 2008, Ben 10 (the original television series) was succeeded by Ben 10: Alien Force, which itself was succeeded in April 2010 by Ben 10: Ultimate Alien. The theme song for the first series was written by Andy Sturmer and sung by Moxy. The theme songs for both of the sequel series were instrumental. Reruns of previously aired episodes are currently being aired on Cartoon Network and its fellow television channel, Boomerang.

Series

Ben 10
As the original series, Ben Tennyson and his cousin Gwen Tennyson shared the same birth date, making them both 10 years old. Later chronologically they turn 11, with Grandpa Max being 59-60. This version of Ben was more childish, rude, and cocky. Dr. Animo, Vilgax, and Kevin 11, recurred through the series as main villains. The pilot episode aired on December 27, 2005, as part of a sneak peak of Cartoon Network's Saturday morning lineup. The second episode was shown as a special on Cartoon Network's Fridays on January 13, 2006. The final regular episode aired on April 15, 2008. A total of 52 episodes, spanned across 4 seasons were produced and aired. ...READ MORE