Yesterday I happened to catch the mention over at Toon Zone of this article in the Wall Street Journal about the changes being made to popular American animation before shipping it overseas.

Big round heads and tiny bodies make the Powerpuff Girls instantly identifiable to their fans in America. The preteen karate superheroes star in one of the top-rated shows on cable’s Cartoon Network.

Last year, though, the “Powerpuff Girls” showed up in Japan with a whole new look. On “Demashita! Powerpuff Girls Z,” the heroines have grown up, sprouted long legs and wear skirts well above their knees. In the original American storyline, the girls were created of sugar, spice and everything nice; their Japanese counterparts are normal girls who acquire superpowers from a chemical reaction initiated by a rice cake.

Once, American entertainment companies exporting characters just dubbed them into other languages. But in recent years, Asia has become the testing ground for character reinvention, a process called “transcreation.”

That Powerpuff Girls is the flagship example of transcreation surprises me, because I’ve always sort of found the animation style very anime-ish and I’m not an anime fan. In fact, I’ve been known to yell at the television “How can you possible fight crime when you don’t even have fingers?! And when your head is bigger than your body??” (I am a joy to watch TV with, let me tell you.) Further down in the article I get more information, though:

When Craig McCracken created the Powerpuff Girls show, he deliberately gave it what he thought was a “Japanese look.” But when the show first aired in Japan in 2001, it failed to attract a wide audience. So Cartoon Network decided to reinvent the characters to boost its appeal in Japan, an idea Mr. McCracken welcomed.

In their transcreation, Blossom, Buttercup and Bubbles got Japanese names and the lives of typical Japanese junior-high-school students. Since Japanese kids like to dress up like their favorite characters, the girls got more realistic outfits, with miniskirts, matching vests and hip-hugging belts.

While I understand the premise, I suppose, I am disturbed by the fact that part of this reinvention is making the girls older. My understanding of the American version (granted, we don’t watch it all that often) is that the girls are much younger than junior high. Why the age change? Is that cultural, or does making them older allow for racier themes and clothing, and appeal to a, er, wider audience? To whit:

“In Japan, girly love themes are a must,” Ms. Seki [a producer at Toei who helped create the show] says. When “Demashita! Powerpuff Girls Z” was launched in Japan a year ago, the executives at Cartoon Network soon realized that the revamped plots and skimpier outfits not only attracted young girls, they also broadened the audience to include animation-obsessed adult men known in Japan as otaku, or geeks, who were also fans of the original.

That last bit sort of creeps me out, quite frankly. Look, I don’t have a problem with grown men who are obsessed with cartoons, and don’t even particularly have an issue with grown men who are obsessed with sexy cartoons, but if it’s all the same to everyone involved, could we not market the same shows to my children as to those guys? Please? Sheesh.

Do go read the entire article; although the discussion of Powerpuff Girls is perhaps the most compelling/controversial, changes made to Big Bird of Sesame Street are also touched on, as well a brief discussion of how Spongebob Squarepants managed to thrive in Japan as is (and against expectations).

So that’s the scoop on transcreation. Learn something new every day, I guess.

On the one hand, I hate lists like this, because I tend to find myself sort of petulantly whining “Who says?” in response to what someone says is the greatest five this or the worst 10 that. On the other hand, lists like this are always entertaining. And this particular one has the added benefit of offering some trivia tidbits about some of the characters along the way.

What did this supposed reader poll reveal? Well, Buzz Lightyear came in as number 1, which seems only fitting for the spaceman determined to reach infinity or beyond. Given my own son’s infatuation with him for years, I can’t argue. (I remember the year of the Buzz Lightyear birthday party like it was yesterday. We played pin the alien in the spaceship.) Buzz is the one to beat, surely.

In second place is Mike Wazowski from Monsters, Inc. I’m okay with that, but this is where I start to get a little confused, because Sulley only made number 7 on the list, and poor Boo is only number 12. (But I have viewed Monsters, Inc. more times than I care to admit, and I did not know the provided trivia tidbit, which is that Boo’s real name is Mary, after the toddler who voiced her.)

Despite the wild popularity of Cars, Mater doesn’t hit the list until number 17, with little Guido just squeaking in at number 20. Toy Story is clearly the big winner, with 6 of its characters making the top 20.

Check out the line-up, then check out the irate comments posted to the article. Plenty of folks have a favorite who was left off the list (oh, the horror), or disagree vehemently with someone who did make the list. I’m not sure anyone reminded these folks that we’re talking about made-up characters, but it does make for some entertaining reading.

As iconic as the “Peanuts” comic strip was in the cartooning world for so many years (indeed, as it continues to be), there’s a lot of dissension over what sort of man Charles Schulz, the strip’s creator, was.

Some have pointed out that his own challenges in life were what enabled him to write so poignantly about life inequities even in what was (supposedly) a forum for children, but that the man behind the ink was dark and difficult. Others have argued that his ability to work through such issues in his art left him a perfectly delightful man in person.

This debate is hardly new, but it’s been cropping up in the news again lately and I thought it was worth looking at. Personally, I find it fascinating that people are so interested in diving into Schulz’s life.

Over at Cartoon Brew Amid does an excellent round-up of reaction to the David Michaelis biography. On the one hand, Bill Watterson (creator of Calvin and Hobbes and himself a cartooning legend and something of an iconoclast) gives Michaelis’ biography, Schulz and Peanuts a glowing review. On the other hand, members of Schulz’ own family have been very vocal in their assertions that the book is not the accurate portrayal it makes itself out to be.

Charles Schulz’s son Monte left a comment at Cartoon Brew which said (among other things):

Honestly, the quote I’ve really wanted to give the press, after reading both the early of the manuscript and the final book, is this: “The book is stupid, and David Michaelis is an idiot.” That said, I had a six year on-going conversation with him about this book, and like David quite a lot. But I was shocked to see the book that emerged, because it veered so drastically away from what he told us he intended to write. Which is why we’ve been so militant in our response. Incidentally, the material David edited out of the book is even more outrageous. The fact is, after reading the book, I decided I’d learned more about David Michaelis than I did about my dad. I found that interesting.

The follow-on comments are interesting, as well, and one commenter is kind enough to point out that later this month there will be an American Masters documentary on Charles Schulz’s life on PBS which may be worth viewing.

In “Good Ol’ Charles Schulz,” AMERICAN MASTERS presents an unexpected portrait of the man behind the most popular comic strip in history. The feature-length documentary premieres Monday, October 29, 2007, 9:00-10:30 p.m. ET on PBS.

No word yet on whether the Schulz family has a problem with the upcoming documentary. Or, indeed, why people are so intent on getting the “real” story of a man whose work should arguably be left to speak for itself.

[image credit: Encyclopædia Britannica Concise]

I’m so excited.

There are a few iconic shows from my youth where I look back and sigh with nostalgia and say “Now that was a show!” One of them was Land of the Lost. I dreamt myself as Holly, struggling to survive in a prehistoric wilderness, riding around on on a baby dinosaur (Junior?) and hanging out with my friend Cha-ka. At five or six or however old I was when Land of the Lost was my idea of television perfection, I was unbothered by lousy special effects or rubbery Sleestaks. The tell-tale asthmatic wheeze of a Sleestak was enough to guarantee me a nightmare that night, but I kept going back for more.

And so—although I typically sneer at the whole “let’s turn an old TV show into a movie” thing—I am thrilled to find out that Land of the Lost is being made into a movie… even if it is being turned into a comedy:

Universal is pushing the button on “Land of the Lost” for a March start.

Decision to greenlight the Will Ferrell project surprised observers, who are aware that U had a rough ride with its $160 million comedy “Evan Almighty.” Studio sources suggest the budget of “Land of the Lost,” described as an event comedy, was recalibrated from $125 million to $100 million in order to earn its start date.

Brad Silberling will helm the bigscreen adaptation of Sid & Marty Krofft’s children’s skein of the same name. Jimmy Miller is producing along with the Kroffts; Julie Wixson-Darmody and Daniel Lupi exec produce.

I can see how “event comedy” would make sense, I guess. But… what’s this? No Will and Holly?

Adaptation by Chris Henchy and Dennis McNicholas revolves around a disgraced paleontologist, his assistant and a macho tour guide who find themselves in a strange world inhabited by dinosaurs, monkey people and reptilian Sleestaks.

Hmmmm. The purist in me says no, but the Will Ferrell fan in me says yes. Mixing Sleestaks and macho sounds like comedy gold, frankly. I’ll have to wait for the buzz once the project nears completion to find out if it’s worth seeing in the theater, of course, but I can nearly guarantee I’ll rent this one at the very least.

Nearly a year after Greg Page left The Wiggles due to health concerns, the group is still going strong with replacement Sam Moran. In fact, this has been a pretty exciting week for the children’s musical sensation. Although many bands cannot withstand the loss of a core member, The Wiggles are still a household name and they’ve just released another DVD and are about to tour again:

On Tuesday, the group released “Getting Strong” in the United States, its 28th DVD and the first without Page. They’re also getting ready to set out on their third U.S. tour of the year.

The Wiggles, as most parents know, are as ubiquitous as sippy cups and blankies in the preschool set with catchy songs like “Hot Potato,” and “Fruit Salad” that can wedge themselves into the brain for days.

Has Moran lived up to Page’s legacy? See a clip from the new DVD here, where he seems quite at home. And yes, I do have “Hot Potato” stuck in my head now, thanks.

(You can, of course, purchase Getting Strong! right here at Ty’s Toy Box—both the DVD and the CD are available.)

Although I still maintain that poor Sam should’ve gotten his own shirt color, he seems to be adjusting well. It sounds like the group can’t resist a bit of ribbing, though:

“Sam’s been a mate of ours for years and of Greg’s, and stepped in for Greg many times so it wasn’t hard from an entertainment point of view,” Field said.

But he said they still give Moran a hard time.

“We just constantly tease him about being the new guy. If we’re still around in 15 years, we’ll still be teasing him about being the new guy,” Field said.

Field said they let Moran get behind the wheel of the Big Red Car, but they put learner plates (for new drivers) on it before his first official gig.

Well, hopefully the release of Getting Strong! will give Moran that last bit of boost from “new guy” to “just one of the guys.” Congratulations to all of The Wiggles, and have a great tour!

If you’re like me, this is the month where your children start talking about Halloween incessantly—what they’re going to wear, what kind of candy they hope to get, what sort of candy should we give out, Mom? and so on and so forth. You’d think that Halloween was National Give In To Your Child’s Whims Night, the way the kids get into it as the ultimate night of excitement and endless sugar.

Now don’t get me wrong, here. I love Halloween. I’m a fan dressing up and scaring people. (Wait. That didn’t come out right….) And I’ve been known to eat a candy bar or two (okay, twelve) in my day. I just think it’s funny that my children get so amped up over a single night. And it’s not even like I can use it to my advantage, the way I can Christmas. (Because Santa is watching you, you know. I think you’d better be nice to your brother. I’m just saying.)

My children have grown up with the Great Pumpkin, but it wasn’t until they opened the Spookley Store here at Ty’s Toy Box that I became acquainted with a different sort of pumpkin. You see, Spookley is square. He’s the only square pumpkin in a patch full of round pumpkins. And he’s worried that he doesn’t fit in. But as it turns out, Spookley has some very special talents of his own.

I don’t know about you, but I prefer this sort of story to a sack full of sugar with no underlying, character-building lesson. I’m just crazy that way.

If you’re so inclined, take a break from the pre-Halloween madness to check out Spookley. The store currently has an assortment of books (including the original The Legend of Spookley the Square Pumpkin signed by author Joe Troiano) and Spookley plushes as well as the DVD.

When my son was little he had a wide assortment of food allergies, so we started “buying” his Halloween candy off of him at the end of the night. That way he got to go trick-or-treating and still got a treat. He’s long since outgrown his allergies, but now both kids often opt to “sell” their candy either for cash or for a larger prize. If you’ve never done this with your children I highly recommend it (all the fun with less of the tooth decay), and something like a Spookley DVD or plush might be a perfect swap for a pile of fun-size chocolate bars.

(Plus, you know, they probably won’t catch you eating their chocolate if they’re busy watching the movie….)

Newborn babies are awesome. You bring one home and the world seems full of possibilities. In those early days of parenthood, one thing is certain: You will be the greatest mom (or dad) ever.

(Let’s pause while seasoned parents have a good guffaw over that.)

And aside from the fact that they don’t sleep very often and some of them tend to barf a lot, babies are loads of fun. They’re warm and squishy and cuddly and you can dress them up however you want and they never, ever say, “Mooooooooom! I wouldn’t be caught dead in this!”

Yep. All too soon we come to realize that we’re not perfect parents (most of us don’t even come close), it’s just that for a while they couldn’t complain.

And so it is with a mixture of nostalgia and resignation that I approach Halloween every year. Once upon a time I selected the cutest costumes and put them on my unsuspecting babies and all was right with the world. Now they’re older and for some reason they seem to have their own ideas about what they should wear. And for some reason that doesn’t include going trick-or-treating as Elmo or Piglet. Hmph.

Heck, they’re not even willing to go as Robin and Raven again (their costumes from a couple of years ago), although I suspect that protestation has more to do with wanting new costumes than thinking that those get-ups are uncool.

“How about we go as Pirates of the Caribbean?” they asked, as I browsed the Ty’s Costume Shop a few nights ago.

“How about I just make you both GIANT PUMPKIN outfits?” I countered, just to see the look of abject horror on their faces.

They do grow up entirely too fast. If yours are still little enough to con into the costumes of your choosing, enjoy it. And take lots of pictures. (And take heart; in a few years you can show those pics to their prom dates!)

[Photo credit: Encyclopædia Britannica Online]

For years now generations of children and parents have relied upon Sesame Street to talk about, well, everything. You could count on Grover to understand what it feels like to be embarrassed. You knew that Ernie would be able to capture that sort of reckless joy that maybe some of us don’t feel often enough. Even Elmo—bless his furry, annoying little soul—has guided many a preschooler in learning about words and feelings and how to talk about yourself in the third person.

So it’s not exactly surprising, but it is a momentous step, all the same: The next big Sesame Workshop project is geared towards military families, and is all about injured war veterans returning home:

More than a million children have parents who are in the military and have been deployed in the last six years. And roughly 18,000 military personnel in Iraq or Afghanistan have been wounded or injured seriously enough to be evacuated.

In the new production, Rosita, a fluffy blue mop-headed muppet, is upset because her father has returned home in a wheelchair. Rosita angrily refers to the wheelchair as “that thing” and reminisces about the days when she could dance to salsa music and kick a ball with her dad.

With encouragement from Elmo, Rosita musters the nerve to talk with her parents about how she is feeling.

“Sometimes I feel a little sad, because things are so different now,” Rosita says during a family outing to the park. “I wish your legs were OK, Papi, and I wish you didn’t have to go to the doctor so much. And I just wish things could go back to the way they were!”

Rosita’s father tells her that although he may have changed, his love for her hasn’t. And he persuades her to hop on the back of his wheelchair so the two can try a new kind of dancing.

I wish there wasn’t a need for such a DVD. Unfortunately, there is, and to have children’s beloved characters once again facing situations they themselves might be grappling with at home is bound to be a comfort to children and families facing the reality of wartime military life.

The project is already drawing praise:

Psychiatry professor Stephen Cozza of Uniformed Services University, which trains military doctors, said a parent’s injury or emotional problem is often “a big white elephant in the room that nobody’s talking about.”

[…]

On the other hand, there can be a tendency to give young children more information than they can handle, said Cozza, who also is an adviser to Sesame Street.

He said the new DVD seeks to strike the right balance by showing families how to talk openly about the changed situation they face without frightening young viewers.

This is the sort of thing that makes Sesame Street the legend it so richly deserves to be. Kudos to everyone involved for tackling such a sensitive issue. I feel all warm and fuzzy, now, heading into the weekend. Have a great one, everyone!

I read it over on Yahoo! and then had to run over to the Wallace and Gromit site to watch the little video announcement (which is just as cute as you’d imagine, with a guy in a Gromit suit running around and Nick Park so adorable you’ll want to pinch his cheeks).

“In this film Wallace and Gromit have got a new business, they’re into baking and they’ve built a windmill on the top of their house to grind the corn, to bake the bread and with a dough-to-door delivery service,” he said.

The film, which also sees cheese-fan Wallace develop a new love interest in the guise of a woman called Piella, will be co-written with Bob Baker who collaborated on previous successful outings for the animated duo.

So, yes, it’s true: Wallace and Gromit will star in “Trouble at Mill” next year, which is the good news. The bad news for those of us Stateside is that it will be shown on the BBC. I’m sure it’ll work its way across the pond eventually, but we’re going to have to wait for it.

While you wait, definitely do check out the the Wallace and Gromit site if you haven’t been there in a while. They seem to be adding new things all the time. You can enter the Creation of the Month contest and possibly score a signed print of your creation! And their themed companion site for schools has some stuff the kids will absolutely love.

Best of all? In the announcement video Park mentions starting a blog. I assume he’s referring to the production video blog but maybe he means a different, upcoming, one. (What would be better than one blog? Two blogs, of course!)

More details about the upcoming film can be found here, and you may wish to skip it if you don’t want any spoilers… but I’m just going to tell you, they use the phrase “a Matter of Loaf and Death.” Classic.

I should probably point out—by way of disclaimer—that I’m one of those people who loves Pixar. I want to have Pixar’s babies, in fact. I know there’s a faction of serious animation types who have issues with Pixar, but for the most part I am delighted by every movie they put out.

And so I, personally, am always excited when there’s another Pixar film on the horizon, but this latest project is causing a lot of other folks to sit up and take notice as well. WALL-E is slated for release this coming summer, and buzz about it has been floating around for a while. I hadn’t paid much attention because, well, I’m not very patient. I knew it was a long way off and I didn’t want to torment myself. Heh. But on Monday a new video trailer was released.

(Go watch it. I’ll wait.)

If that doesn’t make you wish it was being released tomorrow, I suspect you are dead on the inside. The graphics alone are stunning. And the premise of the story is a real departure for a studio known for stories that are touching but hardly controversial.

Way back in February, Jim Hill wrote about the film and warned that his piece contained spoilers… so I skipped it. But after watching the trailer yesterday I had to go back and have a look:

“WALL E” starts out on Earth in the year 2700. Which — due to the horrible way that humans have treated this planet — is now just one massive trash heap floating in space.

Earth in fact has become so toxic that — centuries before our story actually gets underway — mankind has abandoned the planet. We’re now all living aboard the Axiom, this massive spaceship that circles high overhead. Waiting for the day that the planet once again becomes inhabitable.

[…]

And wait ’til you see what happens to WALL E once he gets on board the Axiom and finds out what has become of mankind. How — because humans have grown even more lazy in the 700 years that they’ve been off Earth — we’re all now just these enormous fat blobs who can only move about because we travel in huge floating lounge chairs.

Hmmmm. A cautionary tale? After all the backlash following Happy Feet daring to suggest that we humans aren’t caring for the planet properly? And when people are wondering if children’s media can deliver a message about environmentalism without being unwelcome?

That’s new. And potentially risky. Could WALL-E be the beginning of a new era in entertainment? I can’t wait to find out.