In the early 1980s, ex-Disneyland employee and businessman, Tom Carter started up his own animation studio(Tom Carter Productions) with plans on producing a feature film called "Huck's Landing"; a prequel to Mark Twain's "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer". The studio consisted of notable cartoon names such as John Cawley, Scott Shaw, Floyd Norman, and Phil Mendez. When the project went nowhere, Phil Mendez left Carter's studio to work for DiC Entertainment where he would end up creating the NBC series, "Kissyfur", in 1986.
However, the character of Kissyfur was actually concieved back when Mendez was working for Tom Carter Productions. In addition to "Huck's Landing", Tom Carter Productions was also producing several shorts that were reminiscent of early Looney Tunes and MGM cartoons(notably the works of Tex Avery). Mendez, of course, initially created Kissyfur for this purpose, but the short wasn't finished before things went south for the studio.
Despite all this, the short still exists somewhere in an incomplete state. According to my source who had seen short at a con, the animation was complete, but lacked any sound. It would be nice to see this short online for archival purposes, even if it's incomplete.
Pic related is a still from the short featured in the 1991 book, "Cartoon Confidential", by Jim Korkis and John Cawley.
During the 70s, Marvel briefly planned a Howard the Duck cartoon (in which the only character retained besides Howard himself was Beverly) where he was on the run from a Texan millionaire who wanted to catch him for his wife's dinner. There were a lot of legal problems with Steve Gerber that kept it from getting off the ground, but how far it got into production remains unknown.
As for this 'Monstress' character developed by Doug Wildey, who knows?
This is really interesting, but I don't know how well received it would be. People seemed to be moving away from folksy domestic antics to exotic fantasy adventures in the 80s and 90s
Jaxson Butler
>Take a character famous for being an undergound comix character in a mainstream universe >take out absolutely all the edge for saturday morning shenanigans
O O F O F
Colton Hill
That happens all the time. I think they want another TMNT.
Yes, at one point TMNT was underground and obscure.
>This feels so bizarre it feels like i stepped into an alternate timeline.
Hunter Ramirez
Apparently, it was titled "Kissyfur's Honeypot" and it's possible that Mendez reworked the short into book form(pic related). Sadly, I have no way of confirming this as the Internet Archive does not have it in their library.
I always like Kissyfur. It was like some strange companion series to Tale Spin.
Alexander Phillips
It would have been cool to see how it might have effected the movie though. Chances are it's the type of thing which would remain a running joke just like the ''Thing Ring'' and Herbie the robot are in FF.
Kevin Gonzalez
>Have a talking duck >LET'S EAT 'EM
How this guy became a millionaire is beyond me.
Julian Taylor
Well, the head of the studio was arrested and sentences to 7 years for investment fraud.
Jackson Adams
Had the series ever had a VHS release?
Gavin Myers
What was up with the late 80s and 90s and turning R-rated movies into kids shows?
Buy them and put them on the internet then, you can't find them outside the US.
Jacob Baker
>Entirely Asian woman most likely Japanese >Name is Nancy Miner She is still so damn hot. Also >toy has the upper face completely covered
Camden James
He finished his lines just days before dying (it was basically just a cameo), apparently finance fell through. There used to be a storybook based on the movie posted to some production guy's blog.
Jace Diaz
Could that blog be retrieve via the wayback machine?
Chase Lee
"Fender Bender 500" was one of the last Hanna-Barbera projects to feature most of the original crew who worked on the '60s shows and aired in 1990-91 in the U.S. as a segment on "Wake, Rattle and Roll" which aired in syndication, and sold as an interstitial package between shows elsewhere.
Several, if not dozens of episodes from the 50-episode run are lost or in little beyond potato quality. I'm digitizing some of those "lost" episodes from a foreign dub at the moment.
You would think they'd put it on Boomerang, or something.
Kayden Phillips
Back in 2006 there was a Donald Trump cartoon pitched but never got off the ground Stop and think about that for a minute There's a legit chance that our current President saw a pilot for this cartoon and flat out rejected it The guy who allowed his own line of steaks rejected this cartoon
My theory is that there's some sort of rights lingo going on. Taft initially owned a company known as Worldvision to distribute their shows and films (including H-B's output) onto cassette, but later on it was used to finance projects and was strongest in the late '80s and early '90s with 1989/90 being the peak.
In 1989 they were purchased by a company that made sappy high school dramas, who is now owned by the conglomerate mongrel known as CBSViacom. Because they co-produced those select few shows rather than solely distributing them, they ended up taking the rights as well and negotiating a few obscure TV shows that nobody will purchase isn't worth the investment.
>cartoon couldn't get off the ground >cartoon became real life
Aiden Jenkins
>I'm digitizing some of those "lost" episodes from a foreign dub at the moment.
Bless you, sir. I've always had a soft spot for those HB shows where they threw all their characters together. Shit like Yogi's Treasure Hunt and Laff-a-Lympics.
Xavier Diaz
They know very well kids watch those movies, just like nowaday, they play R-rated games like COD or Battlefield.
Ethan James
So, Warner would have to buy the rights from Viacom?
Colton Myers
Mabel thicc af ngl
Caleb Rogers
Thassa duck man, thassa duck!
Ryan Kelly
And the Republic of China animated it.
Aaron Ward
Even used the same main 2 voice actors.
Ayden Thompson
I kind of liked Fender Bender 500, it was kind of like a 90s version of Wacky Races, just with off-road trucks instead of race cars, I mean it has to be there was a race or two that had Dick Dastardly actually win, like this for example: youtu.be/u13013R5CD4
Any word on whatever happened to Monstress? She seems like fetish fuel in the making. Plus, an easy matchup against Giganta in the inevitable DC/Marvel crossover.
Noah Ramirez
Kissifur is a case of creators making the best of a FUCKING SHIT NAME.
Cameron Powell
Apparently, the name is supposed to be a butchered version of "Christopher".
Adam Jenkins
I don't have one in the set that I've got, but it does come close, I guess.
Negotiate, at least. It's kind of like when a show has music and they have to deal with the record companies.
It's honestly pretty dang good, the animation is top-tier for that era of H-B as well (being headed by long-time veteran Ray Patterson) and it's very clever-- shame that it ended up getting swept under the rug.
>the animation is top-tier for that era of H-B as well (being headed by long-time veteran Ray Patterson) I've never considered any of the H-B series as having animation that could be considered truly "bad". Even their lowest efforts would be considered "mediocre" at worst. That and their art direction is what truly keeps these series top-notch for Dark Age-era tv animation personally.
Jacob Peterson
>I don't have one in the set that I've got, but it does come close, I guess Why?, does in the episode of this screenshot, had Dick Dastardy & Muttley winning in Greece only for the prize to be Medusa's head that turns them into stone
Aiden Thompson
The pre-Katzenberg version of Black Cauldron is my most wanted thing ever in terms of animation.
Landon Cooper
I don't know what you're talking about and want to hear more of it. BC was a great movie.
Brandon Cook
I have a DVD sample pack thing of this, and it's terrible.
>Huck Finn as a character is all about challenging the notions, prejudices, and hypocrisies of the "moral elites" of the time, most especially racism and classism >"Let's make im friends with a turtle!"
If I wanted to watch one of the greatest works of American literature be bastardized I would watch the drunk who showers at the library
Technically he didn't "have" Howard, Howard was born on an alternate planet
Asher Smith
I don't like John Cawley, he is just unpleasant based on what he wrote on his site. Not unpleasant in "a huge jerk" kind, but in "somewhat dumb, but thinks he's smart because he knows many big words".
Robert Allen
Still, either he or Mendez has access to the animation, so they'd be the ones to talk to about it.
