Show #196: Scooby Doo On Zombie Island

Anthony Askew braves our dread waters on a moonlit Halloween night in search of his faithful old dog who's still got a few tricks left in him! For a direct-to-video movie with no great weight of expectation on it Scooby Doo On Zombie Island sure did push the boat out in terms of doing much more exciting things with the Mystery Inc gang after decades of rehashes had inured audiences to their schtick, and is credited with revitalising the franchise as a whole. Was it the witty self-awareness? The monster butts? Was Terror Time really THAT good of a song? Our investigation proceeds after the link, within which we can also share the Halloween treats of our Post-Podcaste Repaste!

Listen up!

Show #141: Rude Dog and The Dweebs

Brian Smith makes a stunning return to SOTSM with yet more ill-advised cartoon-as-promotion craziness courtesy of Rude Dog and The Dweebs!

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Hearkening back to a simpler time when rude meant bad, bad meant cool and an entire thirteen episode cartoon series could be made on the basis of the imagined virtues of a sportswear company mascot, Rude Dog and The Dweebs has a bafflingly persistent cultural cache despite the almost complete lack of merit in the show itself. So suitably enough we find more interest in topics surrounding it such as company spokes-animals, the etymology of rudeness and late 80s/early 90s animation in general. This podcast is many things to many people but above all it is RUDE.

THE SHORT VERSION

Dogs in cadillacs

The original

Spacecats IS a thing after all!

Show #133: Transformers - The Movie (1986)

Hitting the shops just in time for Christmas, Greg Driver and Paul Shipley show off their impressive collection of knowledge on Transformers: The Movie!

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Much has been writ of this fondly remembered cinematic outing on its 30th anniversary this year, so we'll do our utmost to add a personal touch to our remembrances of everyone's favourite 80s toybox slaughterfest, uneven as it may be but still one heck of a good time. Tales are spun of early lessons in the finality of death, myths are busted about the talent behind the scenes and inspiring anecdotes of the films marvellously upbeat soundtrack are shared.

THE SHORT VERSION

Robot Galactus

Robot upgrades

Robot-o-cide

Show #123: GI Joe (1983 - 1985)

Honouring America's annual tradition of celebrating their independence by blowing things up, it's a sample party platter of the GI Joe miniseries!

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While we're not entire strangers to GI Joe we deemed a franchise as venerable as this one was worthy of a closer look, removed from the bizarre influence of secret snake people and back to good old fashioned red lasers vs blue lasers. The results surprise even us as we find both a fond portrayal of the American ideal embracing all cultures & backgrounds and even stranger goings on than a dozen GI Joe movies. All that plus sailor scam artists, impressions of famous actors and the subliminal message to kids with destructive younger siblings everywhere!

THE SHORT VERSION

Cartoon combat

The lighter side of the fight against international terrorism

Workplace romances

Show #87: My Spoons! They're Still Here!

It's the start of a wonderful new holiday tradition here at SOTSM, with this year's stocking stuffer-sized entry being 1997's adaptation of A Christmas Carol!

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How many animated versions of A Christmas Carol are there? A lot, so we should be in fine standing for the next couple of years at least. This does mean we have to wade through a couple of the more dubious versions such as this example from DiC Entertainment. Don't let the cast list fool you, although Tim Curry is a wonderfully sassy Ebenezer Scrooge, it's a real slog to get through and not just because of the awful songs. It does feature a Frank Welker dog however, and isn't that reason enough to watch? (Nope.)

THE SHORT VERSION

Terrifying apparitions

Bad accents

Remember Scrooge? He's back! In dog form!

Show #84: He Can't Wear Shorts, He Hasn't Got Legs

There's something strange in our neighbourhood... It's Brian Smith and Greg Driver here to round up some revenants with The Real Ghostbusters!

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Returning from the great beyond of 80s cartoons comes a defining series of that era. The Real Ghostbusters does not have a gorilla in a hat. What it does have is the smartest and funniest writing of any show around from that tackiest of decades, both staying true to the comedy of its source material and expanding on the characters, their technology and the world they inhabit. We watch only the good parts mind, none of this business with Slimer getting top billing, and we are handsomely rewarded with an entertaining, good looking and sometimes even thought-provoking cartoon.

Don't forget to cast your vote; #TeamSlimer or #TeamSnarf !

THE SHORT VERSION

Spooky ghosts

Literary references

Deceased politicians

Show #82: Shut Up Huffer!

Niall & Dwayne merge with Greg Driver and Paul Shipley to form a super robot dinosaur to tackle the awesome might of season one of The Transformers!

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A podcast much delayed, but we shall never be silenced. Even by the cold, hard reality that another cartoon from our youth ain't quite what we thought it was cracked up to be, a fanciful memory eroded by cruddy animation and a relentless soundtrack but not enough to wear away a solid foundation of great voice acting, cool robots and crazy schemes. Considering our appreciation of the subsequent properties which arose from these humble origins it's only fair that we give their source its due, a source of passion that was stayed with us unwaveringly even after all these years.

THE SHORT VERSION

Flawless artistry

Power struggles

ROBOT DINOSAAAAARS

Show #66: Here's Your Son Back, He's Better Now.

Bionics on! Brian Smith of Dynamite In The Brain completes our super future family, and we're so very proud to be talking about Bionic Six!

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Springing from the fertile creative mind of Gordon Bressack and brought to life by director Osamu Dezaki and TMS, Bionic Six is a great looking show with a lot of great ideas but doesn't always nail it in the execution. Great sci-fi action is all too often undercut by grating, wisecracking dialogue and some of the high concept ideas ultimately go to waste or leave the audience royally confused. Catchy theme song though!

THE SHORT VERSION

The voice of a generation

Robot Gorillas

Spot the odd one out

Show #23: GET ME CHOPPER BACKUP

We're feeling the need, the need for speed this week as we jet off with the heroic aces of Hanna Barbera's Swat Kats: The Radical Squadron!

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Another show on the roster of The Funtastic World of Hanna Barbera (and unfortunately another cartoon sealed within the Warner Archive Collection), we were a bit apprehensive to return to this concentrated shot of 90s animated action. Our luck holds once again though as Swat Kats arrives loaded with great artistry and animation and some stellar performances from the voice cast. Half-remembered images from your youth can come up trumps once in a while!

THE SHORT VERSION

The worst kind of backup.

Collateral Damage

You're alright Cybertron.

Show #19: Potato Factory?!

Demon sorcerors tearing up your city? Vampire hiding in your coffee table? Chupacabra snacking on your goats? If the answer is yes don't wait another minute. Turn on your television or computer and watch Jackie Chan Adventures Season 2!

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From prehistoric icemen to crazed druids, supernatural art thieves to dark wizards, this season sure bombards the viewer with a whole lot of stuff although due to it's insane length not all of it is the greatest. This does however give the show plenty of time to cover as many cultural stereotypes as possible!

THE SHORT VERSION

Demons

Dwayne?

You ninjas are alright

Show #9: Dinoroni, A Cured Meat Made From Dinosaurs

We're back! After a hiatus due to coursework and convention attendance Niall and D return to the sorry task of discussing misplaced nostalgia with the 1988 cartoon Dino Riders!

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Oh dear. We thought we were on such a roll with Visionaries that we'd try another 80s property and see how it holds up. The answer: not well! Dino Riders represents the epitome of squandering a great concept with a half-assed cartoon that is interminable to watch and even harder to squeeze any enjoyment from. On the bright side, the world (and the Smithsonian museum) got some pretty cool dinosaur toys out of it!

THE SHORT VERSION

                                                           Boring People

                                                          The Beautiful Lie

                                                              The Future?