Re: August Animation Challenge 2010 - Discussion Thread
 

Well, I’m calling it a night. I’ve got 57 items completed. And I think I got everything checked off on the checklist. I might have made it to 100 items except I got hit with a family tragedy this month and I had to go out to Colorado for four days to attend a funeral. I took my portable DVD player and plenty of DVDs, but it was hard, under the circumstances, to do a lot of watching. I tried watching stuff on the plane ride there and back, but two of the anime series I picked turned out to be NSFA (Not Safe for Airplanes). “Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi,” which I watched on the way there, had a lot of raunchy humor. I can only imagine what the young guy sitting next to me must have thought. It didn’t help when I started singing along with the Japanese end song by the fourth episode. (Hey, it’s a catchy song—and I thought both of the guys in my row had earphones in!) On the return trip, I stuck with Looney Tunes.

I wonder if anyone else participating viewed animation from as many different countries as I did. I saw animation from eight countries: the U.S., Japan, Korea, Mainland China, France, England, Czechoslovakia, Russia. I have at least three other countries in my collection that I didn’t get to (Yugoslavia, Hong Kong, Taiwan).

I tried counting the number of individual pieces I watched, but I’m too tired right now to keep count.

I had a bunch of anime series I need to watch that I hoped to get to, but I didn’t. I found it was more satisfying pulling stuff off the shelves and deciding based on what I wanted to see. So I saw a number of things it would have taken me much longer to get to.

Re: August Animation Challenge 2010 - Discussion Thread
 

I've been pretty consistent with my habit of going along pretty good in these challenges til fading at the end. Month-end job responsibilities kicked my tail. I did enjoy the opportunity to involve my kids in the challenge. :D

Re: August Animation Challenge 2010 - Discussion Thread
 

I'm glad I was able to fit in Moral Orel: The Complete Series before the Challenge was over. I love this show and highly recommend it to anyone that hasn't seen it before or is on the fence about watching it. It's funny, disturbing, cute, emotional, depressing, inspiring, and thoughtful. It serves as a great commentary on religion, family, and society and does so in a unique way. It's a shame the show got canceled when it did, but for its brief run I think it is a pretty impacting program.

Re: August Animation Challenge 2010 - Discussion Thread
 

Or once a month for each challenge ;)

Re: August Animation Challenge 2010 - Discussion Thread
 

Well, I managed to fit a decent amount more in before dawn. Luckily I don't have class until this evening, so staying up this ridiculously late isn't going to really make a difference. I actually used this time to watch some of the DC Universe Animated Movies, which I had wanted to re-watch ever since watching Batman: Under The Red Hood earlier in the challenge. I ended the challenge with one of my favourite animated movies of all time, The Brave Little Toaster, so I thought that was fitting conclusion.

This was actually the first challenge I've taken part in and I enjoyed it a lot. It was a great way to watch a lot of recently acquired animated titles and revisit things I hadn't seen in a while. I really liked watching some of the old shorts by Disney, Ub Iwerks, and the Fleischer Brothers. This challenge actually inspired me, as I previously said, to start picking up the Walt Disney Treasures line and so far I've got all of the Mickey Mouse releases and one of the Pluto releases. Looking forward to checking those out as well, after I've taken a little break from animation of course.

It was great seeing everyone share their thoughts about what they've watched and recommendations of what to check out. I've always been a fan of animation; I was never in the camp that viewed animation as "inferior" to live-action, but this challenge gave me an even greater appreciation for animation in its many forms.

Out of everything that I watched for the first time or for the first time in a long, long while (e.g. Flintstones, Darkwing Duck), I think I enjoyed Samurai 7, Persepolis, and Home Movies the most. Obviously stuff that I've seen before and was re-watching is stuff I knew I already liked. I do wish I had made it to Cowboy Bebop this time, but I watched plenty to not really bother me about it. If anything, I'll just make that the first animated thing I watch after I take a break and catch up on some of my live-action backlog (DVDs, Blu-rays, Television).

I think the next time the Animation Challenge rolls around I'll probably start with The Simpsons: Season One and work my way through all of what's been released up to that point. Or maybe instead I'll try and watch all of my Disney movies. Whatever I decide, I'm sure I'll have plenty of things to watch for the first time or revisit next year.

Thanks again to everyone that participated and made this a great challenge and to Mister Peepers for running it!

Re: August Animation Challenge 2010 - Discussion Thread
 

These Challenges give me that extra little push I need to watch some of my unwatched DVDs instead of being lazy and just watching whatever movie is on TCM, or re-watching King of the Hill, Robot Chicken, or The Venture Bros. episodes on Cartoon Network late at night (okay, I did still do that, but, hey, it counted for the Challenge).

I really liked this Challenge. I didn't watch a lot, but I was able to watch a decent sized stack of my old unwatched DVDs, remembered to start watching Batman: The Brave and the Bold again, and started watching the new Scooby-Doo reboot (had never heard of it, but happened upon it a few weeks ago and liked it enough to keep watching).
[shameless plug]If you don't want to wait until next August, you can always do a Simpsons Challenge or a Disney Challenge during the Second Annual May Make-Your-Own-Challenge Challenge. [/shameless plug]

Re: August Animation Challenge 2010 - Discussion Thread
 

http://i56.tinypic.com/2417zud.jpg

I finished this challenge by watching one of my favorite animated films, The Castle of Cagliostro. I was introduced to the film through scenes in the laser disc video game Cliff Hanger. It's a lot of fun with some great action scenes. If you're a Hayao Miyazaki fan then definitely check it out! :up:

Fun challenge but like others I did not get to all of the titles I wanted to watch. Maybe next year. :D

Re: August Animation Challenge 2010 - Discussion Thread
 

So I ended up with 57 entries, but if I count each short and TV episode separately, I watched a total of 247 items.

Everything I watched came from:
34 VHS tapes
29 DVDs (i.e. 29 separate discs)
9 Beta SP broadcast tapes

(Those Looney Tunes Golden Collection DVDs were gold mines for this challenge. Lots of material on each disc. And I noticed them on other participants' lists also.)

All but the Beta SP tapes (part of the tape library where I work) were from my personal collection. I only bought one item for the challenge and that was to fulfill the "puppet" requirement on the checklist. (It was a used DVD of THE MUPPETS TAKE MANHATTAN.)

Re: August Animation Challenge 2010 - Discussion Thread
 

I just have to add my thanks to all the participants and especially to Mister Peepers for hosting this challenge. When I started I wasn't sure animation could keep me interested for a whole month. No problem at all! As many have mentioned it was great rediscovering things like Looney Tunes, Popeye, Betty Boop and even Batman The Animated Series and finding out that they hold up very well. I may like some of these even better now than when I first saw them. I also really enjoyed seeing some silent animation for the first time.

At first I was going to focus mainly on my anime backlog but ended up watching way more shorts that I anticipated but I'm not complaining. I still manged to get through four complete anime series and got close to finishing a fifth. One of the best things I watched was the anime series Zipang a very well done time travel story. I also would have to recommend Batman Under the Red Hood and Monster House.

I totally agree and would like to also mention the Popeye sets which include some shorts from the 1910's and 1920's along with lots of background material and commentaries.

Re: August Animation Challenge 2010 - Discussion Thread
 

Speaking of anime I have noticed that I am picking up some Japanese with recent viewings. Granted it's common or simple words like what (nani), who (doushite), no! (masaka), fool (baka), damn (shimatta), and ryoukai! (roger!) but it's nice being able to comprehend their meaning now. Obviously I am nowhere near being able to watch anime without subtitles. ;)

Macross Plus:  Movie Edition was the first anime that I watched in Japanese because that was the only format available in VHS. I don't recall VHS having a language option other than an English dub for anime titles so it was nice hearing the original language in the '90s. With the advent of DVD the English dub does not need to be the only language option now. :up:

Re: August Animation Challenge 2010 - Discussion Thread
 

Dammit! I forgot the challenge went till dawn. My wife was adamant about watching White Collar and Covert Affairs, and with only an hour left after those I just gave up. I still needed 25 minutes or so of short films and 15 minutes of TV content for two more full entries. I could have done it, but I was also still a few items shy of completing the checklist and I didn't have material for those items so just called it.

I only knocked off a couple items from my Unwatched Pile, which would disappoint me more if it weren't for the fact that I saw several things I'd not seen in ages (I honestly don't recall seeing The Jungle Book since the Regan administration) and it was fun to re-acquaint myself with a lot of that content. Also, I enjoyed going through the Library of Congress's "Origins of American Animation" digital collection and seeing the roots of the medium; I don't recall ever seeing any of those short films before this month. Next year, I'll concentrate more on things I've never seen.

Anyway, I had a lot of fun with this challenge. It helped offset the disappointment of June, when I went from hosting the Historical Appreciation Challenge to not even participating. I'm certainly looking forward to next August, and I, too, applaud our host Mister Peepers.

Re: August Animation Challenge 2010 - Discussion Thread
 

Results will be up sometime next week.

Re: August Animation Challenge 2010 - Discussion Thread
 

I'm ashamed to say I let my list get terribly behind once again. This is at least the third challenge I've let that happen now. Not trying to make excuses here, but I did have quite a busy month. I'll try and get it up-to-date by tomorrow.

But anyway, the challenge itself was a blast. Revisiting those earlier Simpsons seasons was just a reminder how that show was damn near perfect television in its heyday. I never really got around to listening to all the commentaries over the years, so this was the perfect opportunity to start at the very beginning. And I'll most likely continue with subsequent seasons and it'll probably take until 2011 to catch up to whatever the current DVD season is at the time. Of course discovering Ralph Bakshi, sneaking in a couple of anime films and some stop motion/puppetry animation was a great way to top it off.

Thanks again MP!

Re: August Animation Challenge 2010 - Discussion Thread
 

I think I'm also doing three extra entries for prizes based on the top three lists. As long as you participated in the challenge, PM me your three top lists(not counting your own). I'll take names through the 5th.

I'm glad people had fun. Wasn't sure how this challenge would turn out.

Re: August Animation Challenge 2010 - Discussion Thread
 

Re: August Animation Challenge 2010 - Discussion Thread
 

It was a fun challenge. I was also able to complete the checklist and watched a nice variety of shows and movies.

Re: August Animation Challenge 2010 - Discussion Thread
 

This has been my first challenge and I had a lot of fun with it. I found this to be a great opportunity to catch up on my collection (i didn't) and see a lot of stuff for the first time.

Re: August Animation Challenge 2010 - Discussion Thread
 

I know I've mentioned this before, but one of the highlights to many of these challenges for me is seeing new folks join the forum and participate.

So a belated welcome, Jerpuffs! :wave: Hope you'll stick around.

Re: August Animation Challenge 2010 - Discussion Thread
 

Another fun, but tiring month doing back to back challenges like that. Thanks again for hosting. For some reason I had all these random Fire Bomber songs stuck in my head today! :D

Re: August Animation Challenge 2010 - Discussion Thread
 

My first time too. I loved doing the checklist but had no delusions of watching 100 movies such a short amount of time. After doing it, I have to say there should have been a "Disney Afternoon" category.

I wish I had gotten to more of the gems in my Netflix queue but having two girls under 6, they kinda dictate the animation we watch.

Re: August Animation Challenge 2010 - Discussion Thread
 

This was my first challenge, too, but chiefly because I have such a large amount of animation in my collection, so it was easy to do. I had planned to watch a large number of movies, but I wound up relying on shorts for much of the count, since my time was so curtailed that it was easier to set a goal of finishing a number of shorts before going to bed, or watching them at work when I had the chance than it was to concentrate on movies. And the movies I chose tended to be short ones (60-80 min.), which enabled me to pick up the count. (As a result I left things like the 133-minute PRINCESS MONONOKE off my viewing pile.)

I haven't had time to go through my list item by item, but I think roughly half of what I watched was first-time viewing. The major discoveries were Disney's wartime documentary, VICTORY THROUGH AIR POWER (1943), a masterpiece of animation of combat scenes, and the recent anime videogame adaptation, HALO LEGENDS (2010), an epic sci-fi work that deserved a theatrical release, IMHO.

I continued my animation watching last night (Sept. 1), including a few more old Looney Tunes and Popeye cartoons, as well as finishing up the one anime series I came close to completing, "Rumbling Hearts," the last four eps. of which I watched last night (after stopping at ep. #10 on Tues. night). It's a romantic melodrama, maybe not for all tastes here, but I found it quite compelling.

Re: August Animation Challenge 2010 - Discussion Thread
 

I had a lot more fun with this challenge than I expected. Going into it, I really wasn't sure if I'd make it through the entire month, but I did with ease and found myself wishing I had a few more days.

I missed my modest goal of 50 by 2, but that's because I had to unexpectantly go out of town for work the last two days of the month. Even though I had my laptop, I just couldn't find the time to fit much in.

Anyway, thanks for hosting Mister Peepers and now to clean off my DVR before the horror challenge in October.

Re: August Animation Challenge 2010 - Discussion Thread
 

I didn't watch many of the titles I had in mind. I'd meant to catch up on the LT Golden sets, Popeye, Top Cat, Batman TAS, etc. but just didn't have enought time...

I *did* use the challenge to burn through a set I didn't care for much ("Wait Till Your Father Gets Home"). It was better overall than my impression of the first few episodes I watched last year when I bought it, but it's not one I'll revisit much, if ever. It suffers from one of my pet peeves with animated product. I *hate* film/tv actors doing voice work on animation if they sound like themselves in the finished product. In my head I see them instead of the character on the screen which takes me out of the story. On "Wait Till Your Father Gets Home" I heard/saw Howard Cunnningham, *not* the dad of the series everytime he spoke (which is often).

I also watched my "Birdman and The Galaxy Trio" set. I found I that I'd never seen it growing up! In the back of my mind I keep thinking I *must* have seen it because I watched every episode of "Space Ghost" and most markets ran both titles. Apparently it never ran here or I just changed the channel. I really enjoyed it... not as much as I do "Space Ghost" but it's still very good. :)

Anyway, I did better than I thought I might and had a good time with it.

Now to wait for October and the Horror challenge... I've been saving Horror titles so I'll have more unwatched product for the month!

Thanks again Mr. Peepers!

Re: August Animation Challenge 2010 - Discussion Thread
 

I've been on the forum for years but just discovered the challenges. I really enjoy the concept and the discussions, and I've been able to finally get some stuff off my unwatched pile. But my schedule doesn't allow for a lot of bulk watching and i'm sure I'll end up at the bottom of the list for the third time in a row. I know it's not about the numbers, but it's still demoralizing. Is it worth finishing at the bottom of the Criterion challenge just so I can finally watch The Wages of Fear and Rififi? Not sure...

But many thanks to the folks who run the challenges.

Re: August Animation Challenge 2010 - Discussion Thread
 

You're really asking if The Wages of Fear and Rififi are worth watching, davidh777, and my answer is yes. I haven't seen anyone belittling how much anyone else watched. I find the challenges that I participate in help me decide which unwatched DVDs to get to, and help me plan which movies I want to share with my family.

I've decided that I watched too many movies in last year's Horror Challenge. I'm going to try not to push myself to watch one more when I'm too tired in the future. I'm also watching the occasional film that doesn't fit the current challenge when I feel like it, rather than putting it off for a month or more.

This challenge led me to watch some great movies that have been on my shelf for a long time, and led me to discover one great movie that I had never heard of, Blood Tea and Red String. I also revisited Popeye, Betty Boop and Droopy. I wasn't planning on participating in this challenge about a month before it began, so I view my participation as very satisfying.

Thanks for organizing this challenge, Mister Peepers.

Re: August Animation Challenge 2010 - Discussion Thread
 

I think it's encouraging that even established members have recently gotten into the challenges. Remember, these things are like golf: your final score might be compared with the other participants's final scores, but you're really competing against yourself. Check out my 2010 lists (links in signature) and you'll see I haven't hit 30 yet. Hell, when I could make my own challenge, I only managed to watch six things!

What makes the Criterion Challenge really nice is that it's the one challenge where cumulative quantity is de-emphasized. Like the collection itself, this challenge is entirely about quality--watching films held in high esteem. So you've only got two titles. Won't it be great to finally get those out of your unwatched pile? And this is the chance to not only make yourself (finally) watch them, but to catch like-minded people in the same state of mind with whom you can discuss the films on a level beyond "fail" or "ftw."

Also, if your schedule is the main discouraging factor, then I suggest that you make it a point just to watch the two discs you have in their entirety (every bonus feature, with commentary, etc.). Let's say you're worn out and just don't have it in you to watch a whole movie one night. Watch a featurette on the composer, or browse through a photo gallery instead. Feel free to stretch out your viewing. For that matter, you can just sit down and read through the booklet if you want and still make some progress.

My last suggestion is that you really explore the complete list of eligible titles. You'd be surprised how many movies you might actually own in non-Criterion editions that you could watch if you want to up your viewing count. I had no idea, but apparently Silverado had a Criterion release once upon a time on LaserDisc. It hasn't been part of their DVD library, but I'm gonna finally get around to watching the DVD that has gone unwatched since I so happily bought it on sale more than five years ago!

Re: August Animation Challenge 2010 - Discussion Thread
 

I appreciate the support. I actually have tons of unwatched Criterions. Seven Samurai was one of the first DVDs I bought, but I haven't cracked the three-disc version. And I just ran across my sealed copy of The Third Man. I'd love to watch these again. The reason I specifically mentioned The Wages of Fear and Rififi is because they've been on my really-should-watch list for a while. I could throw Sanjuro and some others on there as well. Heck, I'd like to rewatch The Rock too. I guess I'll think about it some more.

Re: August Animation Challenge 2010 - Discussion Thread
 

I've been largely offline for the last week or so, but mucho thanks to MP for running the Challenge and to everyone else for making it a fun month. I ended up sick in bed several days of August, so watched much more than I planned, and more TV seasons than I thought possible in a month. But I finally watched all of Futurama and absolutely loved it. Looking forward to finding the new shows now, glad it's back, and hope it's up to the quality of the first 4 seasons. I enjoyed all of the discussion and the list posts, and look forward to next August.

And welcome to the Challenges davidh777! I'm just echoing what others have said, but don't feel bad about personal numbers or think that you have to watch 100 to participate. Watching 1 is just as "good" as watching 300. It's just all about making this a community.

Re: August Animation Challenge 2010 - Discussion Thread
 

If you haven't already, make sure you watch the four movies before you watch the new season.

Re: August Animation Challenge 2010 - Discussion Thread
 

I think I watched three Criterion movies last year. :shrug: But that was two DVDs and an LD out of my unwatched pile, and that's all that really mattered to me at the end of the month.
I'm more or less just repeating what Trevor and MinLShaw said, but it's a good idea to remember that we're not all playing on a level playing field in these Challenges: Some participants are single, some are married, some have kids, some have jobs that allow them to watch movies at work, some work part-time, some are between jobs, some are still in school, some may be on vacation during that month, some may be home recovering from an illness or surgery, etc.

If you feel a need to compete, compete against yourself: Set a personal goal and shoot for that. If you're like me, the important thing is to move some stuff out of your unwatched pile, and watch a few new films or maybe a couple of old favorites.

Re: August Animation Challenge 2010 - Discussion Thread
 

Have the final stats been listed? If so, I've totally missed that thread!

Re: August Animation Challenge 2010 - Discussion Thread
 

Almost done

Re: August Animation Challenge 2010 - Discussion Thread