The history of beautiful animated films is no perfect fairytale. Sure, now we have Finding Nemo, Coraline, Kung Fu Panda, and The Princess and the Frog. And yeah, it all stems from the rich heritage of golden age classics, like early Mickey Mouse reels, Snow White, Looney Tunes, and Sleeping Beauty. But the late 1970s brought a “dark age,” when animation studios were shut down, artists fired, projects canceled, and the medium itself was thought to be dead. That’s where the documentary Waking Sleeping Beauty steps in, telling the true story of how animation, and the love for the art, was brought back to life by a group including Roy Disney (of Disney family fame), John Lasseter (Pixar, Toy Story, The Incredibles, Up, Wall-E, etc.) Tim Burton (Nightmare Before Christmas, Batman, Alice in Wonderland, etc.), and Don Bluth (An American Tail, The Land Before Time, The Secret of NIMH, etc.) and dozens of others. Together, they brought us the Disney Renaissance, revived the entire industry with new classics like The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and The Lion King. On March 26th, in select theaters, you’ll get to see the story for yourself. But for now, check out the trailer! (more… )

The classic Looney Tunes character, Speedy Gonzales, is headed to the big screen in his own feature film. The mouse speedster, notably smaller than Warner Bros.’ other fast-moving icon, RoadRunner, will dazzle his way into theaters, with comedian George Lopez providing the voice. New Line Cinema plans the movie as a mix of live-action and CG animation, creating a hybrid in style similar to the Chipmunks movies. Speedy debuted in the 1950s as a regular nemesis of Sylvester the Cat, and even won an Academy Award in 1955 for best short subject with a toon simply named “Speedy Gonzales”. He’s last been seen in the movies “Who Framed Roger Rabbit,” “Space Jam”, and “Looney Tunes: Back in Action.” (more… )

If you’re a long time fan of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd, Marvin the Martian, Pepe Le Pew, Porky Pig, The Road Runner, Tweety Bird, Wile E Coyote, and the rest of the Looney Tunes gang, then you’re in luck! Warner Bros. Consumer Products will be working with Johnny Cupcakes to produce a line of new delicious cupc… wait, no. To produce a line of limited edition T-shirts featuring the cartoon stars. Those of you in LA and the Boston area will be able to grab the shirts at the local Johnny Cupcakes stores in your area, otherwise you can look for them at their official website.

Just wanted to wish you all a happy Valentine’s Day, from all of us at ToonBarn!

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A brilliant strategist with juuuuust a few calculations off. Wile E. Coyote is the 17th scariest cartoon character of all time, as he chases after the amazingly fast Road Runner, waiting for the bird to slip up into one of his master plans, so that he can serve himself Road Runner sandwiches. Whether its rocket-powered shoes from ACME, a boulder in a slingshot, glue across the road, or a missle launcher aimed at bird seed, the Road Runner always manages to get away with that annoying “Meep Meep!” But Wile keeps trying. Because one day, some how, one of these plans will work. And then, finally, instead of “meep meep”, all he’ll hear is “meep …CHOMP!”

Coyotes are scary. Getting eaten is scary. Getting smashed by a giant rock that someone pushed off the ledge of a cliff so that it would fall on top of you and pound you into the pavement is… very, very, very scary. Well done, Mr. Coyote. You’ve earned your spot on the list. Check out the videos of this selection (more… )

At #19 for ToonBarn’s scariest cartoon characters is Yosemite Sam. The Looney Tunes characters, like Bugs and Daffy, all have one thing in common – they fear Yosemite Sam. And with good reason! The cowboy bandit is terrifying! He hates anyone and anything that gets in his way, and is willing to shoot at first sight. His fiery temper keeps everyone trembling around him, as you never know when he’ll snap and turn on you!

Though he can often easily be outsmarted, and makes his own silly mistakes, Sam remains one of the scariest cartoon characters on TV because he is so easy to make angry. And if there’s one thing you don’t want, its the roughest, toughest, short and angry Yosemite Sam charging at you, with guns a’blazing! (more… )

Marvin the Martian is hitting the big screen!  Warner Bros. and Alcon Entertainment have gotten together and decided to release a movie for the Looney Tunes favorite, mixing live-action and CGI animation.  The movie should hit theaters during the holiday time.