What are your least favorite theatrical cartoon characters?

Most of the Robert McKimson stuff at Warner Bros.

 

Me neither, and I'll add Tazmanian Devil to the list as well.

 

The Tasmanian devil, and Speedy Gonzales - those interminable Warner brothers cartoons that featured either Sylverster or Daffy trying to nail Speedy were the pits, and they just kept getting worse as they produced them well into the 60s. It's very sad that they tarnished the greatness of the whole Warners animation enterprise with that trash - still, the classic ones endure..... just can't wait to see some of them on DVD

 

Screwy Squirrel. Sorry Tex, I love ya but the squirrel's got to go.

 

Those Road Runner cartoons could get old fast. But I love the theme.

 

It's always Woody Woodpecker hunting season around here - the most annoying laugh of any character ever.

All the best - Andrew

 

Amen, brother.

 

Any post Hanna-Barbara "Tom & Jerry."

(Dis)honorable Mention: "Spike & Tyke"

 

McKimson's stuff always gets the knock, but then, who could compete with Freleng and Jones? Kind of like being George in the Beatles. But some of his stuff I liked a lot: his loudmouthed Foghorn Leghorn had his moments, and I liked some of the Porky Pig and Bugs Bunny toons he did, if only became he made them exaggerated, over-the-top loudmouths--a refreshing change.

A shame this is about 'theatrical cartoon characters', otherwise, Speed Racer wins, hands down. And there's even a box set now!

I'll have to get back to you on a theatrical dud....maybe Popeye, never got into him much....


ED

 

Just horrible animation. What was the frame rate on Speed Racer? 6 fps? It's like watching a flip book your bored buddy made during French class.

 

Well, Woody Woodpecker was in about a dozen funny shorts in the 40's - the other zillion were just plain awful... Casper - sheesh, I can't stomach hearing "A g-g-g-g-g-g-host!!!!!!!" - talk about one dimensional (and a stablemate of Herman and Catnip)... Hmmm, I've never seen a Terrytoon that made me laugh - Farmer Alfalfa and those gawdawful mice, Mighty Mouse, Gandy Goose, Heckle and Jekyll - peeeee-yew... Bunny and Claude & Cool Cat from Warner's - yuck... UPA - Mr. Magoo won prizes because of the graphics (pioneered about 6 years before at Warner's - the flat backgrounds that didn't fill the lines didn't raise much of an eyebrow when Chuck Jones did stuff like that around 1944, but egghead critics who didn't value things like humor and bellylaughs latched onto Magoo/UPA one shots like they were animations' shining moments)... Jeez Steve - did you start this so I could rant on a different topic????

 

Rocky and Bullwinkle.

 

Penelope Pitstop, yuck! Boring as watching your hair grow. OOps! This should be in the TV cartoons thread.

Speed Racer, defintely. Total cheese IMHO.

 

Baby Herman was pretty annoying, and so was Foghorn Leghorn, Ah Say.

 

Rocky/Bullwinkle don't count - they were created for TV; same for Penelope Pitstop - limited animation for television is a whole nother thread (and there's some real crapola for that topic)...

 

I passionately despise Roger Rabbit!!!!!!!! THE most annoying cartoon ever! Especially that pl-pl-pl-pl-please!!!!!!!!!!!!
F YOU!!!!!!

 

Does Jar Jar Binks qualify?

 

Ken, you are of course right about there being a few decent Speedy Gonzales and Tasmanian Devil cartoons early on - credit where it's due. The early Speedy cartoons were done by Friz Freleng, weren't they? But Speedy in particular became a pathetic shadow of his former self - why they chose him and Daffy to be the focus of those awful 60s productions I'll never understand.

As for Screwy Squirrel, I agree that he was a bit of a dud, rather lacking in personality. It seems like he was trying to be like Bugs, but he just didn't have the smarts - he was just annooying. Having said that, I quite like those cartoons, if only for the fact that they were made when Tex Avery was at his maddest. There are some strained gags, and some eye-popping ones as well.

McKimson's work in the 40s is great, IMO - I like the 50s work somewhat less, but I could say that about most of the Warners team. Foghorn Leghorn was a good character, but he too became annoying as the years went by. Just the other day I watched "Gorilla My Dreams", one of McKimson's best Bugs films - with a very violent ending too....

 

Er, I think that might have been the one, but I'm not sure - can't remember whether Bugs would have said it, or the mother gorilla....

Some of those McKimsons from the 40s remind me of the very early comic-strip format Mad Magazines