They just don’t make them like this any more
With everything from Animaniacs to Danger Mouse and Voltron getting a modern makeover, there seems no limit to the demand for 21stcentury versions of classic 1980s and 90s cartoons.
However, while the likes of The Smurfs and Alvin and the Chipmunks have gone on to bigscreen success and others such as DuckTales, Thundercats, My Little Pony and Inspector Gadget are entertaining a whole new generation in a revised form, we believe there are some animated tales from the past two decades of the 20th century that deserve another chance.
So after looking back through the TV schedules when 3.45 Live, Son of a Gunn, What Now and After School ruled, Stuff has come up with the list of eight great cartoons we’d like to see reborn.
Super Ted (1982)
Part of What Now’s eclectic mix of Saturday morning cartoons, this Welsh series followed the adventures of an anthropomorphic teddy bear with superpowers. The Americans did attempt to remake it in 1989, but couldn’t recapture the sweet, endearing spirit of the original.
Bananaman (1983)
Originally appearing in British comic Nutty, this superhero parody’s animation transition was greatly helped by some inspired vocal casting.
The show featured all three of The Goodies (Tim BrookeTaylor, Graeme Garden, Bill Oddie), and the action was peppered with zany one-liners and the trio’s somewhat surreal sense of humour. A movie was proposed in 2014 but has never seen the light of day.
Lucky Luke (1983)
While fellow Belgian-created comic-book character Tintin and co-author Rene Goscinny’s Asterix have continued to find the spotlight, the ‘‘poor lonesome cowboy’’ has never really found fame since this ‘‘dubbed’’ series.
Notable for its French opening song and Pee-Wee Herman himself (Paul Reubens) voicing Luke’s dimwitted dog Bushwack, many different versions followed over the next two decades, but none had quite the same appeal.
Dungeons and Dragons (1983)
Another of the What Now alumni, this Marvel coproduction has to take at least some of the credit for generating Kiwi interest in the multi-dice game that inspired it.
Focused on a group of six friends who are transported via a rollercoaster into a fantasy realm, like live-action shows The Tripods, Blake’s 7 and Sapphire and Steel, it maddeningly ended on a cliffhanger.
Count Duckula (1988)
A stablemate of the megapopular Danger Mouse, this vampire parody also showcased the vocal talents of Only Fools and Horses star David Jason.
A vegetarian vampire, Duckula was more interested in carrots or broccoli sandwiches than blood, much to the dismay of his companion, Igor.
Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventures (1990)
Part of the wave of movieinspired cartoons at the turn of the decade (Back to the Future, The Wizard of Oz, Attack of the Killer Tomatoes), this boasted a catchy theme tune and the central trio of George Carlin, Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves reprising their original roles.
With an enhanced phone booth, they were able to meet everyone from Mozart to Mark Twain and Marco Polo.
The Critic (1994)
When Al Jean wasn’t writing for and later running The Simpsons, he was the co-creator of this short-lived series about film critic Jay Sherman.
Making great use of Jon Lovitz’s distinctive voice, it featured some magnificent movie parodies, including Home Alone 5, Forrest Gump 2: Gump Harder and True Lies 2. A short series of webisodes followed in 2000 and Sherman has made the occasional appearance on The Simpsons.
Pinky and the Brain (1995)
Starting out on Animaniacs, the two laboratory mice ‘‘trying to take over the world’’ gained a cult following and eventually their own show.
Each increasingly bizarre plan satirised history or modern culture, with Microsoft (Microsponge), Gilbert and Sullivan and AA Milne among the targets. Imagine what they could do with Donald Trump and Boris Johnson?