I’ve been watching some of the DC animated movies, including Batman and Harley Quinn and Suicide Squad Hell to Pay, both of which I’ve seen before and I’d classify in the “pretty good” category. I don’t think they had them earlier so they might have been added at the same time as the HQ series.

I saw that DC Super Hero Girls was available on Boomerang On Demand, so decided to check out what they had. The short I just watched had Hal Jordan and Carol Ferris. I can thank playing DCUO for making me a fan of DC Comics, so as soon as I heard Carol’s name, I thought the Star Sapphires. Then when I saw a green ring, I just knew that that had to be Hal Jordan. I enjoy those little call outs you see on some shows.

Oh, thanks for the HBO Max and Harley Quinn reminder. Sucks that I guess it’s not on Roku yet, but gives me an excuse to use my Apple TV. Just started it. Wow, is the F word the only word they use?

I watched Onward for the 2nd time tonight. I think I liked it better than I did the first time. I really enjoy the fantasy elements (the unicorns, fairies, manticore...). I liked the quest and even though the ending makes me a little teary (I admit it!), it's very cute. I feel like it was definitely a solid film by Pixar.

For those of you that like working on the checklist, do you like the icheckmovies.com section? I have to admit I do enjoy the shorts ones especially. It makes me watch items I would never usually watch on my own, especially the Russian one. Sometimes the shorts are beyond bizarre, but I've definitely come across ones that I really enjoy.

A favorite of mine is the one about the hedgehog in the fog, Yozhik v tumane. This one is from Japan, Atama-yama, that I first watched last night. It's very odd, but well done. Still not 100% certain what the maker was trying to say, but the good ones do make you think!

But anyway, does anyone have any suggestions to change it up? Are there lists that are new or missed first time around that would make a good addition for next year?

I’m not doing the checklist, but I do have a Russian cartoon that I enjoyed. I think it was called something like the Goldfish and the Fisherman ​​​​​​. It was about a fisherman who caught a magical wish granting fish.

I'm pretty sure I watched that one last year and did enjoy it. There are some good ones but it does take some digging at times. The Winnie the Pooh ones are interesting to watch as well...

I enjoy doing the icheckmovies.com portions of the checklist. I'm not familiar with any different ones but I do enjoy the ones that are listed. They really do encourage me to go out of my comfort zone on what I watch and I am frequently surprised at how interesting the Russian ones are. I really enjoy the Japanese ones also. I would enjoy adding other icheck lists but I have no idea of what to suggest. As I look through the list I do have one suggestion of things to add. I would add watch a season of an animated series while leaving watch an anime season. They really are two different things and I enjoy both of them. Having said that, I'm sure that I would be open to any changes that you might come up with. I'm also very happy with leaving things basically the same. I guess I'm very ambivalent in the morning, but I prefer to think that I am easy to please.

Thanks for the response! I may have to dig into the lists to see if there are any others or newer ones (icheckmovies.com has been adding lists slowly over the last year or two) that would work just for a little variety. Just was hoping someone would know offhand and save me a little work, lol!

That's a good suggestion, I'll add it to the list for next year!

As we get closer to the end of the month, people may be looking for Criterion crossovers. These are the ones that are known at this point: Akira, Fantastic Planet, Fantastic Mr. Fox, and Watership Down, Jason And The Argonauts, King Kong, Robocop. Also, there is animation in the By Brakhage and Science is Fiction box sets. Also, Jellyfish Eyes, King of Jazz and the Eclipse set, Dusan Makavejev: Free Radical could count as well.

Newer additions: The Fabulous Baron Munchausen, The Plague Dogs, The Triplets of Belleville, Watership Down
Along with these shorts: Asparagus, Begone Dull Care, Bluebeard, Coda, Edmond Was a Donkey, Hunger, Logorama, Madame Tutli-Putli, Monkey Love Experiments, Solar Walk, Yearbook, Yours Faithfully, Edna Welthorpe (Mrs).

Please add any more titles if you know of them!

Just finished Clone Wars season 4. My unofficial goal was to finish the series, but with two (slightly shorter) seasons to go, I don’t think I’m going to make it. There’s always the TV challenge!

There are two other Karel Zeman movies that qualify besides The Fabulous Baron Munchausen, Journey to the Beginning of Time (1955) and Invention for Destruction (1958).

The Fantastic Mr. Fox is also available on HBO Max. I have Robocop, King Kong and Jason And The Argonauts.

I was just watching a Leon Schlesinger short on HBO Max. Those old cartoons were pretty funny. Though there was some things I noticed. They were far from politically correct back then. It was a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood and the wolf was actually hitting on Red. With the me too movement, that’s something you wouldn’t see in today’s cartoons.

Thanks! I'll add those to the main list.

I'm all for cartoons being shown fully, after all, if we forget the past, we're doomed to repeat it. But I agree, they definitely stick out when watching them at this point. The housekeeper from Tom and Jerry, for instance. Even something as small as smoking catches my eyes nowadays.

Heck, just the sight of people gathering in groups catches the eye these days.

Ain't that the truth!?

I grew up in the late 50s and 60s and just don't really notice or pay much attention to smoking or other things that bother today's generations. It was when I was watching a 60s sitcom (don't remember just which one) in which several people were smoking and my grandson commented about "Wow! Did *everyone* smoke back then?" before I noticed. I had to tell him "It just wasn't a big deal back then. Lots of people did and lots of people didn't."

I appreciate it when companies put thoughtful disclaimers before cartoons with racist or sexist depictions. It's nice to have that context and to overtly point out what was more widely acceptable has changed. Warner Bros. seems to do a good job of that.

Speaking of the changing times, I watched Oliver & Company a couple days ago, and the whole opening infuriated me. I was ranting to my friends via text that no one adopted poor Oliver or even took him in from the rain. A friend pointed out that mass sterilization of cats and dogs is a relatively new trend and the large population of stray cats was historically viewed mostly as vermin. I was further reminded of this by the Disney short "Lend a Paw" which contains the message: "please don't drown cats". Cat trauma aside, I both enjoy Oliver & Company and don't think it's a good movie. It was a mainstay of my childhood entertainment, and I did so much fan art of Georgette when I was a kid. (I still think "Perfect Isn't Easy" is one of the best comedic Disney songs.) I'm also a fan of the shaggy animation and character design of late 80s Disney.

Even well into the 80s, smoking was pretty common, but it's been 30 years since then, so for me, at least, looks odd. Though, I do think Disney went a little too far for Saving Mr. Banks by not having Walt smoke at least once...they've even been known to photoshop the cigarettes out of his hands.

Totally agree about the warning. I think it's the best of both worlds. Disney has started to do so on Disney+ but they still are editing their films (like Splash, where they cover her butt with fake hair) which I don't really agree with.

You make me want to watch Oliver & Co! I haven't seen it in years and years...

Finished the 2018/2019 season of The Simpsons which became a goal of mine about half way through the challenge, so I'm happy about that, freed up some space on the DVR too! Kind of a hit and miss season for me, some funny episodes, some not so funny ones.

Wow, I have no idea where the month of August went! We're down to the last two days of the challenge...! Don't forget that tomorrow is a crossover day with the Criterion challenge!

Also, there will be three winners for the prizes this year, so don't forget to finalize and number your list! I'll give a couple/three days for people to finish their lists/checklists and will draw names.

Sad thing is, I decided to check Tubi for cartoons last night. There are a ton of 80s era stuff, that now I don’t have time to watch.

Well, the challenge ends soon, but that doesn't mean you have to stop watching!

Very true. Especially since I still have series I own to watch. I did lose Amazon Prime a few days ago. My sub ran out, and I didn’t feel like renewing at $120 for the year.

Still adding a few things to my list, but it's been an enjoyable month. What I've watched has been all new-to-me. There was recent dialogue about The Simpsons. I've almost gotten through the first 2 seasons during this challenge. It's true that I had never seen an entire episode of the show prior to this month. No, I haven't been living under a rock.

While I haven't commented much or at all, I have appreciated and followed along with the dialogue here. Thanks to all for another good animation challenge!