Just a Smurfload of Smurfs

I love drawing Smurfs. For example:

The Hanna-Barbera Cinematic Universe

The Cinematic Universe – an interconnected world in which a number of different film franchises can coexist. 

     It’s no wonder the concept is as popular as it is. Studio bigwigs love them because they’re practically a guarantee of butts being in seats for years and years to come, and audiences love them for the sense of realness that comes with these fictional worlds having such a broad scope… when done right, that is. 

     

     As Han Solo would say, “That’s the real trick, isn’t it?” Because as great of a concept as a cinematic universe is, there aren’t many besides Marvel that are actually doing it right. DC is all over the place, the Wizarding World is just depressing, and Star Wars… well… let’s not talk about Star Wars. 

     One that I had genuine hope for, however, was the Hanna-Barbera-verse! (Don’t know if that’s actually what they were branding it as. Too many dashes.) This was to be a series of films focusing on the wide array of characters created by Hanna-Barbera Studios and set in one, as I said before, interconnected world, all kicking off with 2020’s Scoob! I’m not in showbiz, so I may be wrong, but as I understand it, after Scoob! didn’t perform as well as expected, plans for this cinematic universe came to a screeching halt. 

   I’m not here to trash Scoob! though. Instead, I think it would be way more fun to pitch WHAT I WOULD DO if tasked with giving Hanna-Barbera their own cinematic universe! So here it is! The first phase of what I’m calling the HBCU! 

     First of all, I think starting with a Scooby-Doo movie was a great idea! High fives all around! The key difference here, however, is that you make an ACTUAL Scooby-Doo movie. Get rid of all the Blue Falcon, Dick Dastardly, Jabberjaw, etc. and instead shift the focus onto what really defines the Scooby-Doo franchise, which is, I think, Scooby and his pals solving a spooky mystery. 

     There’s an adage that goes, “Show. Don’t Tell” and it’s definitely one that’s essential to creating a well-rounded cinematic universe. This is a brand-new take on the Mystery Inc. gang, so rather than starting them out as already established mystery solvers and talking about all the things they’ve done, let’s show them doing the things! Act as if no one has ever heard of Scooby-Doo before and introduce us to these characters at the beginning. In other words, this needs to be an origin story. How Scooby met Shaggy, Velma, Freddy, and Daphne. You basically take the first few minutes of Scoob! and expand it into an entire film. Sure, you won’t immediately get the fan-service stuff like epic battles with Captain Caveman, but we’re laying a foundation here! One brick at a time! 

     One reason why most people don’t tire of Marvel movies is because of their diversity in tone. Guardians of the Galaxy feels completely different from Captain America: The Winter Soldier, and because of such, the cinematic universe stays fresh AND broadens its scope. This is why, for the HBCU, we follow up Scooby-Doo by with a GALACTIC shift in tone. 

     Me emphasizing ‘galactic’ like that is my cute way of saying that Space Ghost is next. It’s a Space Ghost movie. 

     This one will scratch that super-hero itch that studio execs think people want from a CU, and is also obscure just enough to where the filmmakers can stretch their legs a little… creatively speaking. I’m not getting too much into the specifics of any of these, but for this one, I do have a fantastic voice cast in mind! Check it out:

Jon Hamm as Space Ghost 

Mark Hamill as Zorak 

Charlie Day as Brak 

Ben Schwartz as Jace 

Jenny Slate as Jan 

     I also think it’d be cool to get a huge star like Meryl Streep to play the villain Black Widow… Except you couldn’t actually use the name Black Widow, for obvious reasons. Spider Woman maybe? Even that sounds bland and a little Marvel-ish… I dunno! Like I said, there’s a lot of leg room in this cinematic universe. That’s one of the things that makes it so appealing! 

     Anyways, here is where you could start planting some seeds for things like Herculoids or The Galaxy Trio, but keep the references subtle and make sure that they, first and foremost, serve the Space Ghost storyline. Again… this is a brick-by-brick operation! 

     So, if you were going to break up the whole Hanna-Barbera brand into categories, you’d have the team of crime-solving teenagers (we’ve checked that box), the Alex Toth adventure stories (check), and next you’d have the just flat-out wacky cartoon characters. ‘Wacky’ of course, being the key word as the third film in our lineup is none other than Wacky Races! 

     Here’s where you really fly off the handle and establish just how out there this universe can go! Mobsters, hillbillies, cavemen, and of course, main staple Dick Dastardly! All in a fast-paced energetic romp with strong, diverse characters and infinite merchandising possibilities! We’re not just copying Marvel! The HBCU is its own thing, baby! 

     And to further show how we’re not just copying Marvel: each film will be preceded by a theatrical short! This way, we introduce such Hanna-Barbera all-stars like Yogi Bear and Huckleberry Hound right out the gate, and in the cartoon short format in which they originally thrived. These would pretty much be straight-forward cartoons, only they’d still exist in the same shared universe and could occasionally cross over with aspects of the films. For example, let’s say Scooby and the gang investigate a haunted amusement park, then in a later short, we see Augie Doggie and Doggy Daddy visit the same amusement park. Or maybe one of Birdman’s adversaries shows up later to take on Atom Ant. That type of thing. These characters could eventually get their own movie like a Yogi’s Ark Lark or Galaxy Goof-Ups, but when they do, the characters will already have a solid foundation established by these shorts and be ready to be taken to new heights on a larger cinematic scale. 

PLUS… they’d be funny. 

     And there you have it. Phase One of some nobody on the internet’s pitch for a Hanna-Barbera Cinematic Universe! From here you have a jumping off point for all that crossover stuff that studios think the fans want: Velma Dinkley could get an internship at Quest Labs, Jabberjaw could cross paths with the crew of Sealab, the Jetsons could meet the Flintstones… again! And naturally, each of these occurrences would culminate in an occasional “event movie.” Laff-a-lympics maybe? …Probably something else. All the while keeping the focus on each individual story that’s being told. After all, the audience has to enjoy the individual elements of the universe on their own, otherwise they won’t enjoy the universe as a whole.

Happy VILLAINtines Day!

     There are honestly moments where I'll stop and remember that the DuckTales reboot has ended. I would describe these moments as... melancholy. 

The Wizarding STUFF of Harry Potter - Part 3

 Ron Weasley is a mess. Naturally, his assortment of accessories would follow suit.

The Wizarding STUFF of Harry Potter - Part 2

     This batch of accessories from that wonderful world of witchcraft and wizardry is devoted to the cleverest of Gryffindors. I'm speaking of none other than Miss Hermione Granger!

     I wanted to include at least one book with each of these, but since no one at Hogwarts loves books more than Hermione, I included a few more... probably not enough now that I think about it.

The Wizarding STUFF of Harry Potter - Part 1

     Wands, whatnots, macguffins, artifacts... The Harry Potter series isn't just people and places. It's also things! And because of such, I thought it'd be fun to devote a few posts to just the STUFF that makes up the Wizarding World, starting with the accessories of Harry himself.

     I really racked my brain to include as many as I could but if you notice anything that I left out, please DO NOT let me know as the thought of such failure will keep me up at night.

Pooh Grease

 

My Favorite Movies of 2021

If there are two things I love, it's watching movies and making lists. Ergo, making a list of the movies I've enjoyed is really the most sensible thing I've ever done in my entire life.

That's... probably an exaggeration.

Anyways, here they are! In no specific order, the movies that I watched in 2021 and enjoyed the most:

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Encanto

I’ve watched this several times already and, while I love it, there’s still a lot that I don’t really get. The grandpa dies and, as a result, his family gets random superpowers? But also, their house is alive, there’s a magic candle, and… something with a butterfly?? It’s a lot. 

If you can get past all of that though, you get a good movie about living up to other people’s expectations and how toxicity can creep its way into even the happiest of families. PLUS, the songs have basically turned my house into a nonstop dance party and that's never a bad thing. 

The Mitchells vs The Machines

I’m all about animated movies that shake things up and deliver something different than the standard look and feel most animated films have these days. This one does that, so thumbs up!

Luca

I know this isn’t the case, but sometimes I feel like other animated movies are always about the same thing and then Pixar comes along and is like, “How about a coming of age film where Italian sea monsters learn about prejudice and the intricacies of lifelong bonds while training for triathlon to win a Vespa?”

Black Widow

This was the first movie I saw in theaters since the pandemic and the first Marvel movie my daughter saw in theaters ever! That’s an occasion we mark now.

The action in this movie almost made me sore just from watching, and that's exactly how a Black Widow movie should be. Plus, it's a great "passing the baton" movie and I can't wait to see more Yelena in the future.

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings

Of the four Marvel movies that came out this year, I thought this one was by far the best! I like super hero movies that aren’t really about super heroes but also ARE about super heroes! Does that make sense? 

Yeah. It totally does. Moving on!

The Suicide Squad

I’m squeamish and don’t necessarily enjoy watching movies where people’s faces get blown off, so I wasn’t really planning on watching this one. There was part of me, however, that really wanted to like it so I eventually worked up the courage and am really glad I did. It’s a wild ride and sooooo much fun! 

But people’s faces DO get blown off.

The Harder They Fall

Idris Elba is also in this movie. 

That’s the review.

Dune

aka. Lawrence of Arabia IN SPACE!

People have attempted to make it before and the result has always been incredibly dumb, but this time… not so much. Way to go, Dune guys! You freakin DID IT! 

Flora & Ulysses

I was pleasantly surprised with this one. A CGI squirrel with super powers is a pretty stupid premise, but stupid or not, I was laughing from beginning to end. Plus, it's randomly an unofficial cast reunion for the DuckTales reboot... so go ahead and check that box.

Spider-Man: No Way Home

This one was another surprise as I was NOT expecting to like it. I’m not a fan of the previous incarnations of Spider-Man and didn’t see the point of shoving them into this new franchise when it’s great on its own! Shows what I know though because that’s just what they did and it was great! 

I think the overall lesson here is that my expectations are bupkis and I should probably just shut up.

Honorable Mention - Us Again

This isn’t technically a movie. It’s only 7 minutes long, but I did see it on the big screen and it made me cry so… IT’S ON THE LIST!

Honorable Mention - Star Wars: Visions

Also not a movie, but still worth talking about. Like I said, I’m a fan of animation companies breaking away from the norm and trying something new. For a powerhouse like Disney to do something this out of the ordinary and this amazing with the franchise I love most... well... It gets all of the applause from me. Here's to a new year with more of this type of thing. I'd specifically love more of The Ninth Jedi storyline.

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And that's the list! I hope 2022 is great for all of you and may the passing of Shai-Hulud cleanse your world!

Sorry. That's a Dune thing. 

Man! That was one nutty movie, amiright?

Topping Off 2021

Happy New Year, everyone! Per tradition, here's last year's batch of blog headers!

     I really appreciate all of you who take the time to check out my little corner of the World Wide W. Hopefully you like what you see.

January 2021

February 2021

March 2021

April 2021

May 2021

June 2021

July 2021

August 2021

September 2021

October 2021

November 2021

December 2021