My Top 5 Animation Icons (Television Edition)

Hey all! So I've been trying to write another Disney animation post but it was more or less turning into a rant about how I don't like pets (because I REALLY don't like them); I watched The Aristocats and that movie just makes me boil over with animal loathing. I've hit a point in my list of movies where I don't have much to say about them. So I thought I'd take a break from Disney to talk about my other heros of animation specifically in the fine world of television cartoons.

So here they are, in no particular order, my top 5 animation icons (T.V category):

Craig McCracken



This man basically animated my childhood. In my opinion he can do nothing wrong. Here is the creator of both The Powerpuff Girls and Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends. Not to mention all the work he did on Dexter's Labratory. He has a new show premiering on the Disney Channel next week (that's July 19th...mark it down on your calendars, it will be epic) called Wander Over Yonder. I have been enthusiastically looking forward to this show since last Summer when it was officially announced.

I love Craig's (that's right we're on a first name basis) work for two big reasons and lots of smaller reasons. Reason number uno: such fantastic, clean, line work. Simple, flat shapes, round edges and bright colors. This guy just knows how to make things look good. Reason number two: he does not patronize children by over explaining, dumbing things down, or resorting to gimmicks like toilet humor in order to entertain. He goes straight to the essence of childhood - having fun, friendship, and family. Also, he has an entire episode of the Powerpuff Girls that's about the Beatles; as in every line in the episode is a quote from a Beatles song. Does it get much better than that?

I also feel like if I'm going to put Craig on this list I have to give a special shout out to his wife, Lauren Faust. I'm not familiar enough with her personal work to officially give her her own little blurb but I think she's awesome. She did work extensively on both the Powerpuff Girls and Foster's. She's also the creator of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic as well as the Super Best Friends Forever shorts. SBFF is enough for me to think she's amazing. Go watch them, they are spectacular. It will seriously be 5 minutes well spent. SBFF!

Mike DiMartino/Brian Konietzko

Everyone knows these guys as the creators of Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra. Both of these shows are so fabulous that I can forgive whatever work they did on Family Guy. The thought and care that they put into their craft is so refreshing. Everything looks so clean and well made it makes me feel all twitterpatted to look at it! They tackle some hefty ideas simply and straightforwardly. Adults sometimes have the idea that children can't handle hard topics (myself included) but these shows seem to bring up all of them from not fitting in, love, death, loss, dealing with family troubles. It also shows that children can be empowered and rise above their circumstances to make the world a better place.

Also, I'm pretty much addicted to Mr. DiMartino's blog. I have a lot of respect for him simply due to the insights that he shares. I often feel that his ideas need to further permeate throughout the rest of the entertainment industry....ESPECIALLY his thoughts on violence and how it should be used in story telling. Go read it, you won't regret it.
the best blog you will ever read

Pendelton Ward

This guy created Adventure Time and I know there's a lot of haters out there hatin' on this show because it's just "too weird" but I think this show is MATHEMATICAL! Like McCracken's work, this show is polished and uses such fantastic colors. The art in this baby is just soothing to look at and SO creative! The plot is also deceptively complex. At first it seems like it's just about a kid and his pet dog and the crazy stuff they do but the more you watch the show the more you learn that the story actually takes place on a post-apocalyptic earth. And if you think Avatar tackles deep topics, that's nothing compared to what Adventure Time gets into. They talk about everything from loneliness, identity, Alzheimer's, religion, modern medicine vs. alternative medicine, geek culture, love....this list could get pretty extensive so I'll end it there. That's one great thing about this show, the premise is so convoluted that it really allows for open discussion on any topic.

Although I will relent and say that occasionally this show is too weird to sit through. But ONLY occasionally.



Shinichirō Watanabe

Ok, so I do occasionally watch anime. I don't like to bring that up in every conversation because there is a stereotype with anime watchers that they're all crazy maniacs who will watch anything coming out of Japan because they have Japan-envy. I am not one of those people. I consider anime to be another form of animated entertainment and therefore treat it as such. Just like the American cartoons I watch I'm very particular about what anime I'll watch. I won't watch anything that goes on indefinitely (i.e. Naruto, DargonBall Z, Pokemon) and I can't handle when there's too much explanation as to what's going on in the plot (shows like Fullmetal Alchemist do this). That's where Mr. Watanabe comes into play. This is the guy behind such amazing shows as Cowboy Bebop and Samurai Champloo.

I'm a super big fan of Cowboy Bebop. It is the only anime show I own (and by that I mean my sister owns it and I watch it). It has some amazing sequences throughout the show and the music is fabulous but what really makes this show something is the plot and the character development. I like that the plot isn't over explained but the audience is allowed to figure out the character's back stories and piece together everything by themselves. And the ending....oh boy! Well done!



And there's my list! An honorable mention goes to Alex Hirsch for creating Gravity Falls. That show is HILARIOUS!