Walt Disney Studios, "Ben and Me"

 

Happy 4th of July! Well, it's only July 2nd, but who's counting? Plus, if I wait until the 4th, it's highly doubtful anyone will see this.

Ben and Me is a Walt-Disney-produced short, animated film telling how a fictional mouse--and not the one you'd expect--assisted Benjamin Franklin in several of his many high-profile endeavors. I first saw this in a movie theater on an elementary school field trip and enjoyed it. I found it on YouTube last year and saved it for 4th of July this year.

Please enjoy embedded below or directly on YouTube here.

Have a great holiday weekend!

Bakshi's 'Lord Of The Rings' Commercial (1979)

Two Classic Cartoons: Spooks (1932) and Skeleton Frolic (1937)

 

I'ts early Friday evening, but it's still Friday, and here is my last post for the last full week of this year's Countdown.

Today I feature two very old cartoon shorts from the 1930s, Spooks by MGM (1932) and Skeleton Frolic from Columbia (1937). These rare cartoons are very reminiscent of classic Disney shorts such as The Haunted House and Skeleton Dance. I love seeing this old school animation. They truly don't make them like they used to.

Enjoy! Have a great last weekend before Halloween!

The Famous Adventures of Mr. Magoo, "Doctor Frankenstein" (1965)

 

Today I present my first cartoon of the season, and it's long overdue. This is an episode of the 1960s TV cartoon series The Famous Adventures of Mr. Magoo.

This series was a follow up to the original Mr. Magoo series. In this series, Magoo would play a famous story from literature, similar to Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol. This episode, which aired March 13, 1965, features an adaptation of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein. Unlike the fun, wholesome silliness of the original series, this episode was quite dark and serious, and it is a bit more faithful to the original novel than one would expect.

Please enjoy this episode embedded below or directly on YouTube here. Thanks!

Dracula, Sovereign of the Damned (1980)

 

Welcome to the first full week of the Countdown to Halloween!

I'm afraid I goofed! I promised you readers new posts every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday in October, but I missed out this past Friday. Sorry about that! I'll throw in an extra post at some point this month to make up for it. Today, I share with you what I would have posted last Friday.

This is the 1980 Japanese anime horror film Dracula, Sovereign of the Damned! Based on Marvel Comic's 1970s horror comic Tomb of Dracula, the film features the Son of the Devil, being, well, devilish. If you think it odd that a Japanese studio would adapt an American horror comic, don't--it's also been done with Marvel's The Monster of Frankenstein comic from the same time period. I've featured the Frankenstein film right here on this blog a few years ago.

Enjoy! And sorry for depriving you of this movie last Friday! Watch the movie embedded below or directly on YouTube here.

TV Commercials for Children's Christmas Music Albums

 

One of the joys of being a child in the '80s was being the target of many commercials for various products. It made us feel special to know that things were being made just for us. This was especially true around Christmas, and one of the things marketed heavily to us were christmas music albums.

They usually aired in the fall to allow plenty of time for delivery before the season, but it excited us to see them as a sign that Christmas was soon approaching. Here are a few examples.

Here are two commercials for Christmas albums created by Disney. I loved seeing these ads appear every year! Unfortunately, I never had either of these albums myself.

One I'm not sure I remember, but I find amusing nonetheless, is this commercial for a Christmas album recorded by...the Smurfs! This recording has nothing to do with the US TV cartoon, so don't expect the voices to sound like the cartoon, but if the Smurfs are your thing, this might be for you!

I'm sure the audio for these albums can be found on YouTube, so if you have the urge, I suggest you search there. I just might do the same myself.

Thanks!

The Real Ghostbusters, "Xmas Marks the Spot"

 

Welcome to Week 3 of the Countdown to Christmas! We're exactly two weeks from Christmas Day. Be prepared!

Today I present a fun, early episode of The Real Ghostbusters. The boys accidentally capture the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come, so it's up to Venkman and the gang to convert Ebeneezer Scrooge from his wicked ways.

Ghostbusters--they're not just for Halloween!

Enjoy below or on YouTube here. Thanks!

Garfield's Halloween Adventure and It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, October 30th, 1985

 

Today I offer an especially awesome treat! Brace yourselves!

Today I offer a solid hour of 1980s Halloween TV greatness. Today I present the 8pm to 9pm programming block from CBS on October 30, 1985. What makes this hour so special? Because it contains two Halloween heavyweights.

The 8 to 8:30pm program is the debut of Garfield's Halloween Adventure! Yes, this is the very first time the special aired. It's becomes highly revered by GenXers and millenials in recent years, so this is a big deal!

But that's not all.

In the 8:30 to 9pm slot--It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.

I KNOW, RIGHT???

And if that wasn't enough--the hour includes commercials.

HOLY HALLOWEEN!

Sit down in a comfortable chair, take a deep breath, relax and---enjoy!

You can watch this awesomeness embedded below and directly on Dailymotion here.

The Real Ghostbusters, "The Halloween Door"

 

And we are at Week 4 of the Countdown to Halloween 2023! This is the last full week of the season, so it's crunch time. If you've been holding off on certain activities because the time didn't feel "Halloweeny" enough, stop procrastinating NOW!

Today I present a Halloween episode of The Real Ghostbusters, "The Halloween Door." Of course, every episode of The Real Ghostbusters is Halloweeny, but this time it's right there in the title. According to the description on the Official Ghostbusters YouTube page, "Crowley is the chairman of Citizens United Againt Halloween. When the Ghostbusters refuse to join forces with him, Crowley by mistake opens the Halloween Door and breaks the underworld's ancient contract of imprisonment."

In short, a ton of ghosts are released to the world by some stick in the mud. You know, basically the plot of every Ghostbusters story that's ever existed. But as a diehard Ghostbusters fan, I ain't complainin'!

Enjoy!

Tom and Jerry, "The Flying Sorceress"

 

Welcome to Week 3 of the Countdown to Halloween. We're only two weeks away from the big night, so there's no wasting any time. Do your spooky stuff now!

Today I feature a witchy cartoon from the classic duo of Tom and Jerry. After upsetting his current owner with the mess he made in another chase with Jerry, Tom tries living with a woman who turns out to be a witch. Will Tom make the adjustment OK, or will he be a scaredy cat?

Find out now! Enjoy!

Saturday Supercade: Donkey Kong, "How Much Is That Gorilla in the Window"

The Super Mario Brothers Movie is majorly cleaning up at box offices worldwide. It's been the number one movie for three weeks in a row and has quickly become one of the biggest animated movies of all time. But this isn't the first time Mario has appeared in animated form. Far from it! His first animated appearance was 40 years ago!

Saturday Supercade was a Saturday morning cartoon show that appeared on CBS from the fall of 1983 to the spring of 1985. The program consisted of several animated shorts featuring various popular video game characters. Donkey Kong led off each hour, and like the video game, featured the gorilla Donkey Kong racing off with Mario's girlfriend Pauline, with Mario himself in hot pursuit.

In honor of the new movie, I present the OG animated Mario for historical purposes. Please note that these cartoons weren't actually good, but I feature it today anyway just to show how far Mario has come.

Enjoy!

Bugs Bunny, "Wackiki Wabbit" (1943)

Hello all! I'm posting a favorite Bugs Bunny cartoon of mine today for no other reason than I really love it. Possibly one of my favorite Bugs cartoons! I've been enjoying the Saturday Morning Cartoons block on network MeTV for a while now. Highly recommended for those who grew up enjoying these classic cartoons.

Enjoy!

 

The Popeye Valentine Special: Sweethearts at Sea

 

Ahoy maties! Valentine's Day is just days away, and I've discovered a nautical way to celebrate the day. With the 1979 animated TV special The Popeye Valentine Special: Sweethearts at Sea!

In this special, Popeye forgets to get Olive Oyl a gift for Valentine's Day, so she goes on a cruise to find a new man. When Popeye finds out, he goes to sea to win back his longtime love. However, the villianous Sea Hag and Bluto have their own Valentine's Day plans for our heroes.

The special aired on CBS on Valentine's Day 1979. I had no idea this existed until recently, and I'm happy to share it here.

Enjoy! And stay tuned for more Valentine's Day fun the next few days, and maybe even after the big day! I'm getting a late start, but I have more for you to love this year, and I'd like to get it all in.

One more thing--

GO EAGLES!

OK, now I'll show the special. 😊

Mel Brooks, The Critic (1963)

 

Sticking with the animation theme, here is another Oscar award-winning cartoon from 1963, created by Mel Brooks and animator Ernest Pintoff, "The Critic."

"The Critic" features a series of abstract images across the screen while light orchestral music plays in the background. Watching the cartoon in an unseen elderly movie patron who is verbally not happy with the cartoon. Brooks improvised his monologue in character while the images play, resulting in a funny three minutes of film.

Ernest Pintoff is a legendary animator who creates several unique short cartoons, some of which I may feature in future blog posts.

Enjoy!

The Dot and the Line cartoon (1965)

Happy New Year! I hope you all had a fantastic holiday season!

Now we get back to normal here--if nomal is even a thing here--as I present the 1965 cartoon The Dot and the Line.

This cartoon, directed by legendary Looney Tunes director Chuck Jones, is based on the 1963 book written and illustrated by Norton Juster. In the story, a dot leaves its partner, a straight line, for the company of a squiggle, leaving the line in a lurch, but the dot and the line learn a valuable lesson about relationships.

It's cuter and more intelligent than it sounds.

The cartoon was an Academy Award winner, and it deserved it. It's a very smart, sweet cartoon.

Enjoy!

Casper Saves Christmas

Today I feature my first cartoon of the Countdown to Christmas, and it's a cute one. Casper the Friendly Ghost hears the cries of a poor young boy lamenting that Santa Claus has never visited him. Feeling the Christmas spirit, Casper dresses as Santa and makes toys to make the boy's holiday a happy one.

Enjoy!

Welcome to the 2022 Countdown to Christmas!

 

Ho ho ho! Welcome one and all to the Countdown to Christmas at Me and You and a Blog Named Boo!

I hope everyone had a happy and stuffed Thanksgiving. With Turkey Day behind us, we can dive head first into the Christmas pool. Just as with the Countdown to Halloween, I hope to have plenty of holiday happenings for you to enjoy all season long.

This Countdown is not a multiblog event as for Halloween; this is just me doing my Christmas blogging thing. Of course, if anyone knows of a similar multiblog event for Christmas, by all means let me know and I'd be happy to contribute!

Today is just an introductory post to alert the masses; I'll start blogging more hearty stuff later this week. For today, please enjoy these short samplings of Christmas goodness.

Happy Holidays! Stay tuned now through New Year's Day--and beyond? Who knows!

Thanks!

Tom Turk and Daffy Featuring Porky Pig

 

Here is my second and final of this year's Thanksgiving features, the Looney Tunes cartoon "Tom Turk and Daffy," costarring Porky Pig!

Tom Turk is a turkey on the run from the barrel of pilgrim Porky's musket, and Daffy does his best to protect his fellow fowl from the hunt--that is, until Daffy gives into temptation to join Porky in the feast! Of course, after selling out his former friend, Daffy gets his comeuppance.

This cartoon is a lot of fun, and I thought for sure I had blogged it years ago, but I checked and couldn't find it anywhere, so here it is in 2022. Enjoy!

Happy Thanksgiving!

But wait, what's this?

The holidays are here! And they are glorious!

Stay tuned for the Countdown to Christmas! Happy Holidays!

Pumpkin Moon Animated TV Special (2005)

 

Welcome to Week 3 of the Countdown to Halloween! Today, I offer a special I've been trying to track down for years.

In researching material for Countdowns past, I came across a song written for a British animated TV special called Pumpkin Moon. The animation looked very cute, as was the song, but I couldn't find the special anywhere. Information on the special was sparse as well; all I could find was that it was made for British TV and was based on a children's book.

Now, after years of patience, I finally found it! Pumpkin Moon is about the relationship between a black cat and a magical jack o' lantern and the bond they form. Meanwhile, a small army--literally a small army--of witches looks to wage war on the benevelent pumpkins of the Midwestern US town they inhabit.

I haven't had the chance to see this before blogging it (always a role of the dice), so I'll be watching this for the first time along with you.

Enjoy! You can also watch the special directly on YouTube here.

Groovie Goolies, "Witches' Brew"

 

Welcome to Week 2 of the Countdown to Halloween! Let's not waste time and get right to it.

Today I offer an episode of the short-lived but fondly remembered animated series The Groovie Goolies. The Filmation-produced series aired as part of CBS's Saturday morning lineup during the 1970-1971 season, and features caricatures of famous monsters living together and performing in a rock band. Each episode was packed with music and comedy.

Here is a typical episode of the series titled "Witches' Brew." Enjoy!

Happy Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples' Day! For those in Canada, Happy Thanksgiving!