The Last Airbender: The Legend of Korra

First of all, how did I miss this? I cannot believe that DiMartino is up for another spin with Nickelodeon. This is the most exciting news I have received since I found out that they have whole festivals devoted to bacon. Check out the trailer below. Also, anyone else find it odd that it is still called "The Last Airbender"?



(via Cartoon Brew)

Cartoon Chatter | The Wild Thornberrys

Although it was not as popular as Rugrats, Klasky Csupo's The Wild Thornberrys was a great cartoon that ran for a good six years (and reran until a few years back). It follows the titular Thornberrys as they travel the world filming wild animals. The protagonist of the show, Eliza, is a nerdy yet very brave girl with the ability to speak to animals. Perhaps I liked this because I always wished that I could speak to animals, but it provided some pretty interesting episodes and taught some good lessons.

Like other Nickelodeon cartoons, it wasn't always what you would expect kids to be watching (feral son, parents that let their children climb mountains unattended, lots of conflicts with poachers), but it was a thoughtful and interesting series. The animation was what you expected from Klasky Csupo and the stylized look was one familiar to kids at the time. Give a few episodes a try and you might become a fan. There is even a movie!

Image via sodahead.com

Cartoon Chatter | Monster High

My adorable little sister is a huge fan of Monster High. I had heard of the show, but I never watched it on television. Since she raved about it over and over again, I gave it a look-see. Well, to be honest, Monster High is not a cartoon that I would put on my list as "ridiculously awesome" or anything, but it's okay for kids.

Like most other contemporary cartoons, Monster High is exceptionally cheesy. It's got obvious morals and corny jokes. They highlight pop culture with puns—Justin Biter, Jaundice Brothers?—and that appeals to the kids of today. My little sister is eleven years old, so she finds these things hilarious. Her favorite is Frankie Stein, a hodge-podge female Frankenstein. There's a whole bunch of others—Cleo De Nile (a mummy), Clawdeen (a werewolf), Draculaura (a vampire), Ghoulia (not certain exactly), and Lagoona Blue (a sea monster thing).

The animation is decent for the kind of show that it is. There are animated foregrounds and backgrounds. You'll see some repeat animation (animations that have been flipped and repeated, or looping animations), but it's not as noticeable to kids. There's music as well. It sounds like whatever is on the radio now, so I'm not a huge fan, but I'm not the audience.

Overall, Monster High is a nice show for tweens to watch. They can somehow relate to these characters, I guess. They are at that awkward stage and seeing other awkward kids makes them feel normal, I suppose. If you have time, check out their YouTube channel and look around. 


Monster High image via fanpop.com

Cartoon Chatter | My Life as a Teenage Robot

Every now and then, a cartoon comes out that is funny and somewhat moralistic. Enter My Life as a Teenage Robot. This Frederator produced cartoon had a rather good soundtrack, decent animation and a fairly good storyline. Most episodes have a moral, but unlike other cartoons, you aren't knocked over the head with it.

XJ-9 (better known as Jenny) is a teenage robot created by scientist Nora Wakeman to protect Earth from alien invasions and other disasters. Instead of taking this responsibility seriously, Jenny prefers to hang out with her friend Brad and his brother Tucker. She has her share of odd encounters and romantic interests.

Perhaps what I like most about My Life as a Teenage Robot is that it presents a bit of a homage to animation greats Walt Disney and Otto Messmer. The popular hangout spot for Jenny and her friends is a spot called Mezmer's that has a black cat on its roof (Otto Mesmer created Felix the Cat). One episode pits glove-wearing mice in red shorts against Jenny (Mickey Mouse anyone?). These little Easter eggs are fun for me to see and hearken back to the beginnings of animation. While there are not any new episodes, you can catch some reruns on Nicktoons.

Image via flicker/Fred Seibert

Cartoon Chatter | Spongebob Squarepants

Sooner or later, readers, I would have to bring SpongeBob into my weekly chatter. Like Ren & Stimpy, SpongeBob SquarePants is a cartoon you either love or hate. There if often very little middle-ground. I know that there are those of you who are not attracted to yellow, porous, driver's test failing, square pants wearing, snail owning, karate practicing sponges that live in pineapples under the sea, but the cartoon is quite entertaining and very imaginative. Even I must admit that some sketches do not appeal to me (Mermaid Man & Barnacle Boy, you won't find me watching you), but overall SpongeBob is a diverse and hilarious distraction from the ordinary.

Spongebob even has a cast of well-developed and diverse characters. Many minor characters, like Mr. Krab's daughter Pearl, make reappearances in later episodes. Of course, the yellow sponge for whom the show is named always makes a great entrance and continues to astound you with his random behaviors.

There are several recurring themes throughout the series such as SpongeBob's obsession with jellyfishing. The show almost makes them look so cute, but then they electrocute a character and they lose that cuddly feel. Perhaps it is the storytelling that I enjoy most in SpongeBob. If it weren't for the storytelling, I'm pretty certain that the cartoon wouldn't last for more than 10 years like it has. I'm not certain how much longer it will continue, but SpongeBob will always be a favorite of mine.

Image belongs to Viacom and Stephen Hillenburg

Cartoon Chatter | The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius

I know that the cartoons I showcase skip around in terms of years. Since going back to the 90s last week, I'm ready to jump back into the 2000s with The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius. In terms of cartoons, Jimmy Neutron was a bit of a trendsetter in its usage of computer animation. The attention to detail throughout every episode made the series not only visually interesting, but quite successful. It was very popular and even shared the spotlight with The Fairly Oddparents during the Jimmy/Timmy Power Hours. Hit the jump for my rundown of the show.

Cartoon Chatter | Rocko's Modern Life

Rocko's Modern Life was by far one of my all-time favorite shows when I was younger. Rocko is a wallaby and he made me want to go to Australia about as much as the book Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. However, the reason that I enjoyed the show so much is because Rocko was just a guy living his life. He had annoying neighbors (the Bigheads), best friends, a job and a dog.

This was during the days of Ren & Stimpy and Rugrats. Cartoons weren't as polished as they are now. They had a sort of rugged look to them. That was true of Rocko's Modern Life. Although the characters were somewhat strange looking, they were true cartoons—heavily stylized and easily recognizable. Of course, the subject matter got a little dicey just as many other cartoons of the 90s. Rocko ending up stuck between a woman's boobs was not something that parents liked. Despite the occasion "adult themes" throughout the show, the storyline often focused on quite mundane ideas—like Rocko's issue with biting his nails.

For a while, Rocko's Modern Life had re-aired on Nickelodeon in the mornings, but it later moved to Nicktoons. I'm not certain if it is still on television, but you can easily dig up episodes on the internet or purchase dvds. Again, this was one great show! Hope you like it as much as I did when I was younger—and still do at 23.

Robots I love to love

Robots. With the upcoming release of Astro Boy, I thought about robots that I really like. While shows like Transformers made robots cool to me, I am not the biggest fan of clunky robots. In fact, I actually have a group of unusual favorites. Hit the jump to find out who they are.