Animation News: Ted Key, Famous for Creating Hazel, Also Was the Man behind Mr. Peabody & Sherman, Stars of the DreamWorks Animation Motion Picture Opening March 7th

Ted Key, Famous for Creating Hazel, Also Was the Man behind Mr. Peabody & Sherman, Stars of the DreamWorks Animation Motion Picture Opening March 7th Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.- February 25, 2014 - The DreamWorks Animation motion picture, "Mr. Peabody & Sherman," which opens in theatres nationwide on Friday, March 7th, contains the following credit: "Sherman and Peabody are based upon the characters and format created by Ted Key." Although his name is unfamiliar today, when Key created the characters that became Peabody and Sherman in the late 1950s, he was one of the best-known cartoonists in the country. The reason was "Hazel," his comic panel about a bossy-but-warm-hearted maid that appeared in TheSaturday Evening Post, a weekly general-circulation magazine published by the then-Philadelphia-based Curtis Publishing Co. Hazel would shortly become even better known as the title character of a situation comedy that ran in prime time from 1961 through 1966, garnering its star, Shirley Booth, two Emmy Awards. Shirley Booth and Ted Key Key grew up in Fresno, Calif., graduated from the University of California, Berkeley, in 1933, moved to New York two years later and spent the last 57 years of his life outside Philadelphia in Valley Forge, Pa. Key's involvement with Peabody and Sherman came at the behest of his brother, Leonard, who was trying to help his long-time friend Jay Ward land a sponsor for a cartoon show featuring a plucky flying squirrel named Rocky and a dimwitted moose named Bullwinkle. Cereal maker General Mills agreed to sponsor the show, but wanted it to be a half hour. That meant Ward needed more characters. So, Leonard Key turned to Ted Key, who responded by creating a storyboard for an animated cartoon called "Johnny Daydream." It featured a boy named Johnny Daydream and his pet, Beware the Dog, who traveled through time using devices on Johnny's belt and Beware's collar. With input from Ward and his co-producer, writer and voice actor Bill Scott, the time-traveling boy and dog became a time-traveling dog and boy. Beware, who was a snooty, talking dog in the Johnny Daydream storyboard, morphed into Mr. Peabody, a genius dog scientist, and Johnny became his adopted boy, Sherman. When Rocky and His Friends debuted in the fall of 1959, Peabody and Sherman were in it. The pair starred in 91 episodes of "Peabody's Improbable History" over the next five years. Key's role in creating Peabody and Sherman wasn't mentioned in the credits for "Rocky and His Friends," but he was listed as a claimant in the copyright registrations for both characters, along with Ward and Scott. Hazel ran in The Saturday Evening Post through 1969 and has been distributed to newspapers by King Features Syndicate since, even though Key stopped drawing it in 1993 and died in 2008. Eleven collections of Hazel cartoons have been published in book form. All five seasons of the Hazel TV show are available on DVD and the show airs in the United States on Antenna TV. Key's other notable creations include: * Three children's books published by E.P. Dutton & Co. - "So'M I," "Phyllis" and "The Biggest Dog in the World," which was the basis for the 1973 movie, "Digby, the Biggest Dog in the World;" * The stories for three 1970s Walt Disney Co. movies, "The Million Dollar Duck," "Gus" and "The Cat from Outer Space," the last of which Key wrote the screenplay for and novelized; * "Diz and Liz," a two-page cartoon spread about a brother and sister that ran in Jack and Jill, Curtis Publishing's monthly magazine for children, for much of the 1960s; * "Positive Attitude Posters," a line of motivational posters featuring Key's cartoons that were sold to businesses biweekly from the mid 1960s through the end of the 20th century. Key's youngest son, Peter, wrote gags for the "Hazel" comic panel from 1975 through 1983 and, after getting an MBA, worked as a business journalist from 1985 through 2013, spending the last 15 years at the Philadelphia Business Journal.  Peter Key talks about his father's contribution to Peabody and Sherman in the new documentary currently streaming on Netflix documentary, "DreamWorks Presents:  Mr. Peabody & Sherman - A Journey WABAC."  For interviews with Peter Key about his father, Ted Key and his creations, please contact Jim DeLorenzo at 215-266-5943 or jim@jhdenterprises.com. Additional information about the new motion picture, "Mr. Peabody and Sherman," is available athttp://www.mrpeabodyandsherman.com.

Anime For Dummies: Persona 4: The Animation

So, what happened to the first three? It's Persona 4: The Animation, on Anime For Dummies!

Laid Back Comics Watches: Hulks Agents of S.M.A.S.H.

Superhero animation pretty much a standard now in the world, it has been for almost a decade now. But lately shows have been taking a lot of negative hits on-line. Be it from angry over shows being canceled over low toy sales. Or newer ones that haven’t taken well to the older crowd that had grown up with them and panned dramatically over the tone. It seems like no one can catch a break. But, that is not stopping companies from trying. The newest show is Hulk Agents of S.M.A.S.H. which is a team based show putting together all of the Hulks under one roof. At the time it was thought the hook of the series would be a reality show deal, but it is more updated as Rick Jones web series he is making. This makes more sense and allows for a much better concept than the first.

Last year SDCC Marvel TV Panel showed off the show in a sizzle reel promo giving the idea behind it and characters involved as well as the creative mind of Paul Dini handling the series as well. And while Paul has had a creative consultant credit with some of the newer Marvel shows, this is the first time it felt like he had more of a hand in development and execution, the second episode was written by him. The series has more look and feel to that of Ultimate Spider-Man than it does to Avengers Assemble, now some will read that and possible be excited or flip the table, but please hold off until the end then you can flip all the tables you want.

The writing on the show shares some of the humor of Ultimate Spider-Man but transfer it to more slapstick against the Hulk. Who is super strength but is constantly crushed, knocked around, or blow up to one side as the first episode goes on. With each time Hulk making the same ‘I am not amused’ face right before it happens, which is funny the first time around but by the end of the episode where you get these moments in rapid succession it wanes greatly. Though that gag does seem to subside into the second part of the pilot episode which makes the second the much stronger of the episodes.

It is like a muscled up Voltron Force.

Strength of the show here is with the voice cast, so far everyone seems to be able to pull off the characters with ease. It is always choice casting to get Clancy Brown on any show and here with Red Hulk he seems to be having more fun than I have seen in a while. Also nice to see he isn't playing a villain role. Seth Green is always fun to hear and able make a nice Rick Jones even at the most over the top humor lines it doesn't come off hammy but funny. Eliza Dushku as She-Hulk was an interesting choice as she hasn't had much work in voice acting, but she fairs very well as Jenifer in the role, Though less screen time as she comes in the second episode. And of course Fred Tatasciore as the main man to be doing the Hulk for several years now once again becomes the big gamma ‘monster’.

Ultimately though it begs the question if a Hulk series could stand on its own. This writer has been pretty much under the assumption that Hulk a great comic character, outside the medium he more of a great supporting character. Here though, they seemed to surround Hulk with his other Hulk counter points, Red, A-bomb/Rick Jones, Skaar, and She-Hulk. Who in light of being a full time lawyer in the comics has had her profession changed to that of a pilot? And surprisingly it seems to work for the show.

Outside of some the more childish humor thrown in at times the show can take a deep tone with Hulk, a hero cast out and yet accepting of it. Surrounding himself with others like him seems to build him up a little bit. As first episodes go, this one feels more fleshed out than Avengers and has the know with all to try and balance out the humor with more serious moments. This could easily be the show that could break the mold for Hulk and his supporting cast.

OVERALL: 7.0 out of 10

Hulks and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H airs on Disney XD Sundays at 11/10 C

Bryan "BAC" Clendening writes for The Broken Infinite, follow him on twitter @BAClend

Comic News: Bruce Timm Steps Down

     BRUCE TIMM RELINQUISHES DC DVD PRODUCER

      by Frankie Rodriguez 

                 Bruce Timm, after giving birth to the DC Animated Universe, has stepped down as DC's Supervising Producer over at Warner Brothers. He's been working on DC series since 1992 and held many roles within the many DC cartoons up until the recent cancelled series Young Justice and Green Lantern the Animated Series. He has stated he will be working on Original Animations. He will be succeeded by long time veteran of the DC Animated Universe/cartoons, James Tucker.

        Batman: The Dark Knight Returns Part 2 will be Timm's last feature.

Review: Lupin III: The Secret of Mamo

Spoiler alert: I was actually going to review the first Lupin III anime series this week, but tests have kept me from rewatching the entire thing. You'll be seeing that review next week. Instead, enjoy my review of the first feature Lupin film, The Secret of Mamo.

Lupin III: The Secret of Mamo

Directed by Soji Yoshikawa and Yosuo Otsuka 

Summary: "Lupin, the master thief/spy/Jack of all Trades, has been executed, but he is still alive, and not even Lupin himself knows how that is possible. While trying to figure out, however, he and his gang are thrust into a conspiracy involving clones, Lupin's un-trustworthy rival Fujiko, and a minature mad-madman's plot to take over the world." (from AnimeNewsNetwork)

This is both a typical and atypical Lupin movie. My first time watching this, all I could remember was seeing the bizarre reveal at the end, which I won't spoil here. Watching it a second time, the first half is full of the stuff you expect from a Lupin adventure, but then the second half hits and we enter a scifi conspiracy film. It's cool stuff and once you wrap your head around it, it's a good movie, but on your first time watching it you will be stunned. 

Let's start from the beginning. The movie begins with Lupin being executed. Well, short movie, right? Inspector Zenigata refuses to believe he's dead, and after a Dracula homage and a quick escape, Lupin is alive and kicking. We cut to Lupin and the gang stealing the Philosopher's Stone as part of a contract, but Fujiko being the traitor she is, takes it from Lupin to claim the reward from a mysterious man named Mamo. The gem turns out to be a fake, and understandably Mamo is pissed by this, so he tries to have the Lupin gang killed. What follows is several chase sequences involving helicopters, planes, and a giant truck that vaguely looks like Optimus Prime being sent after Lupin. Naturally, Lupin manages to give them the slip, but ends up being stranded in the desert, where the Lupin gang dissolves after a lot of in-fighting.

The animation isn't very notable for a 70's animated film, only being a bit better than the Lupin TV series that was airing at the time. Still, the chase sequences are well-done and will grab your attention, and there's still the classic Lupin slapstick and sexual humor. Then things get weird, but I'll try to explain it without spoiling much. 

Mamo's an interesting Lupin villain. He's not the first to claim mystical powers, that honor belonging to Pycal. He does however have access to technology that shouldn't exist for centuries, including cloning. He's actually been cloning himself to stay alive for centuries, with his life spanning back to ancient times, or at least so he claims. His evil plan is to become god of the earth, and to do that he needs to find true immortality, and he offers to Fujiko and Lupin immortality because he finds them worthy. He's more of a sci-fi villain than a mystical villain, but a reveal near the end makes him an almost otherworldly adversary for Lupin, making him one of the more unique and memorable villains in Lupin history.

So does the sci-fi conspiracy mix well with the comedic action of Lupin III? I think it helps that the film eases the audience into the weirdness that is Mamo by starting out with the typical Lupin tropes, only scaled up for a feature film debut. The reveal at the end is still bizarre and some fans might find it unacceptable, but after a second watch I consider it one of the highlights of the film and a reason to watch it. There are other bizarre moments in the film, such as an American agent insulting Jigen by calling him a Democrat (this was during a time when the president was a Democrat), a Lupin comic featuring DC Comics characters making a brief appearance, and Lupin meeting Hitler. No, that all actually happened. I could probably point every weird thing that happens in this movie, but we'd be here all day. 

Oh hi Godwin's Law.

The story overall is an epic one for the Lupin gang. While characters like Goemon and Zenigata have little to do in this movie, they still have their crowning moments of glory, such as Goemon taking out a helicopter with a sword and Zenigata leaving the police force just so he can still hunt Lupin. Lupin and Jigen are the same characters as usual, but Fujiko's more of a damsel in distress this time around. She's still great at manipulating both sides, but she needs to be saved a few times and spends a lot of time screaming. Fujiko's gotten herself in hairy situations before, but she's never been a true damsel in distress. She's always had a backup plan of some sort, or at least managed to put on a confident face when in danger. If you want to see Fujiko being awesome, this is not the Lupin feature for you.

Now for the dub, or rather dubs of this movie. This movie has a long history of English dubs. It was first dubbed back in 1978 for Japanese Airlines by Toho, but that dub is extremely rare and few people have heard it. The second dub was released in America by Streamline Pictures in 1995, starring Bob Bergen as Lupin, and Manga Video released a dub for the UK a year later. In 2003, Geneon took a crack at dubbing the movie with the same cast they used to dub the second Lupin III TV series, featuring Tony Oliver as Lupin, Richard Epcar as Jigen, Lex Lang as Goemon, Michelle Ruff as Fujiko, and Jake Martin as Zenigata. Tony Oliver's a decent Lupin, but never been my favorite rendition of the character in English. He sounds comedic enough, but he lacks the gusto that makes the character as fun and tough as he is. Epcar as Jigen is pretty good, appropriately gruff and deep enough and never letting up on the snark. Sadly, Goemon and Fujiko sound flat in comparison. Lex Lang sounds like he's reading his lines off a script and never emotes. Goemon is a stoic character, but he's not supposed to sound like a robot. Michelle Ruff is slightly better, but her attempts at sounding sexy sound fake, and she doesn't have the fun dangerous undertones that the Japanese actress had. Zenigata sounds like a redneck and it's just weird. Paul St. Peter as Mamo does a good job of playing the power hungry villain. He's never over-the-top, but his sinister tone and air of superiority are carried through his voice. The only dub I've seen is the Geneon dub, and it's the easiest to find, being available to watch on Hulu. It's an okay dub, though definitely not the best Lupin dub I've heard.

Overall, for the first Lupin III film, Secret of Mamo is a memorable trip, full of adventure and comedy you expect from Lupin with some weird science fiction to spice it up. Maybe the science fiction will be too spicy for some to handle, but I think it gives the film some much needed weight. It's not the best Lupin film; Hayao Miyazaki's Castle of Cagliostro beats it out on pretty much every level, but it's a worth a watch for anyone curious about Lupin.

Sadly, Secret of Mamo has been out-of-print for awhile, but there is some good news. As I mentioned earlier, the film is streaming on Hulu. Discotek Media recently acquired the film's license, and they plan to release the film with not 1, not 2, but all 4 English dubs, including the rare Toho dub. Discotek usually puts a lot of effort into their Lupin releases, and it looks like this will be the must-have version of Secret of Mamo. When it comes out, I recommend buying it.

BUY IT!