First off, here’s the official press release: Weigel Broadcasting Co. announced the launch of an all-new national television network, MeTV TOONS, dedicated exclusively to the very best of classic animation, from Hollywood-era shorts to made-for-television favorites. In this new collaboration between Warner Bros. Discovery and Weigel – the company...

Sorry – No Thunderbean Thursday today as we devote this space to a special announcement. Come back a 1pm Eastern/10am Eastern – or whatever that time is where you live. Don’t worry – it’s good news! Feel free to hang out on the Cartoon Research Facebook Group until then. No comments on this post. Save them up for later…

Just for fun, emphasis this week (with a few exceptions) is on some of the more obscure early television animation featuring circus themes. For balance, one major force in kids’ TV (Total Television) is included – but their output of episodes relating to circuses turns out to be surprisingly sparse. Other subjects of discussion include a studio...

Continuing our overview of the Argentine animated ad in four parts. Today, part 2: Manuel García Ferré. García Ferré is best known as an independent producer, but since advertising was the backbone of his not so small usine, it works perfectly as a showcase for the whole. Manuel García FerréManuel García Ferré (1929-2013) was a Spanish-born cartoonist,...

In spite of having an internationally recognized tradition of comics (“historieta” is the local term, and perhaps the most appropriate, for the same reasons that a bande desinée is not exactly a manga), Argentina does not seem to have an equally powerful equivalent in animation. One could argue economic reasons, but it is true that with a publishing...

Next week is “Star Wars Day” (May the 4th be with you!). When George Lucas’s seminal science fiction film debuted in 1977, no one could have predicted that Star Wars would not only eventually have its own day but also be ubiquitous in our pop culture and lexicon, spawning multiple sequels, prequels, sidequels, animated series and streaming shows,...