Re: Movie Ideas

From: Andy Hill <chance_at_unix.infoserve.net>
Date: Sat, 6 May 1995 21:21:19 -0700 (PDT)


On Sat, 6 May 1995, Matthew b Milam wrote:

> Let me explain why this won't work.
>
> 1. What age groups have watched it lately?

     Pick one. They watched it. Target marketing for age groups usually
revolves around timeslot, like afternoon strip (3-4:30) and Sat AM (7-10:30).
In a lot of areas, 'KATS airs between 4:35 AM and 6:00 AM. Timeslot is
irrelevant in this case as regards age group - there's no definable
"target audience" that can be expected to be up at that hour.

> 2. What seperates this from other shows?

     Ask me something hard. The show has likeable anthropomorphic
hero-characters that are capable of much more than fighting the
monster-of-the-week. The only other ac/adv show with the kind of
characters that fall even close to the same category is "Biker Mice" and
"Sonic". Both have things going for them, but IMO not as much as the
'KAT guys. Watch any episode and take a look at everything from the
artwork to the music, you'll only find it on 'KATS. 'KATS has a
"formula" concerning how episodes happen, but is not itself a "formula"
show. Anything can happen. Look at the disparity in scripts. In lots
of other ac/adv stuff, you get precisely that: action and adventure. In
'KATS you can throw in character development, and the possiblity of
storylines that center around the characters, and not simply their
conflicts. I can't say the same for X-Men, can you?

> 3. Why save it?

This is going to be a weak fall in terms of ac/adv stuff. There are a
whole whack of comedy entries coming out, but the only ac/adv show I've
heard of with any promise is "Sailor Moon", and that is primarily
targeted to the female audience from what I've heard. Exo, WildCATS, etc
have been canned - no third season. 'KATS was on top of all those by a
BIG margin - _without_ the merchandising backup that helped its
competition to succeed. Check out the newsgroups and the various
animation articles concerning what people have written about 'KATS, and
the number of letters people have sent H-B and all concerned parties.
This didn't happen when EXO or WildCATS were cancelled. People not only
watched the 'KATS, but they felt almost criminally shortchanged when
Turner killed it. An "average" show does _not_ get this kind of reaction
- I know, I've been around a few. From a purely financial viewpoint as
Ted would see it, it makes no sense NOT to save it. They spent 10
million bucks on the last season, and cancelled before they had any
chance of recuperating the costs from the merchandising they set up.
It's bad business for starters. New eps backing up the toy release and
video games/home videos for the fall and X-mas season would make Turner
megabucks. Continually repeating the current ones, and pulling them off
the air before the toys are released is financial suicide.

> Sorry for sounding doubtful but the school i go to likes X-Men they claim
> X-Men has more action and less "thinking" to a certian extent they even
> hate The Power Rangers (Which i happen to be a fan of).
> When the show was cancelled i felt betrayed, abused, misguided. I
> belived that H-B was coming back from the "Cookie-Cutter years".

Who told you that you had to apologize for expressing an opinion? That's
nonsense. You think that _you're_ upset that H-B is headed toward the
"cookie-cutter" years, you should listen to some of the people that
work(ed) there. Remember, accountants pay the bills, and accountants are
lousy animators, but they call ALL the shots for now. For now.

> I also stop having faith when i found out that compared to the Swat Kats
> X-men would kill them.
> This not to make you mad,,,this is a reason of concern for what might be
> a lost cause. Remeber only ted has the power.

Heck, no one's mad. Ted is someone with a lot of money who thinks he
knows everything about animation when he's had little experience in the
business - it's called "instant know-it-all". Here's my favourite quote
from Ted concerning animation on his networks:

     "We have more cartoons than anybody: The Flintstones, The Jetsons,
      The Smurfs, Scooby-Doo. They're nonviolent. We don't have to worry
      that we're encouraging kids to kill each other - like _some_ of the
      other cartoon programs do."

Anyone have any questions as to the real reason 'KATS was canned? Doesn't
appear to be lack of fan support now, does it?

     Regarding lost causes and the movie. One, the movie project is
independent of Hanna-Barbera and Turner. Tremblays could do it tomorrow
and the only thing Turner could do is cry in his non-alcoholic beer. The
TMNT movie was NOT made on the basis of percieved fan-support for the
cartoon or the comic, it was a self-standing entity. Lots of D2V stuff
is made every year with no previous public exposure to the characters -
and the Tremblays could pitch such a project successfully even if the
money people couldn't so much as _spell_ "SwatKats". What Turner did
won't matter, the poor timeslots won't matter, nor will the poor
merchandising efforts of the TPS entity. A movie could essentially be
another beginning, rather than a chapter of the end.

Andy

Received on Sun May 07 1995 - 00:24:49 PDT

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