cartoon - Retroland

The Black Cauldron

If you are searching for a story from which to make a successful animated film, there are certain elements that you can’t go wrong with - swords and a bit of sorcery (couldn’t hurt), a battle between good and evil (now you’re talking), a brave young hero on a quest to save the world (gotta have it) and, of course, a psychic pig (Right? Right?). Put all these ingredients in a pot, give it a good stir, and the result is The Black Cauldron, an 1985 animated Disney film based on Lloyd Alexander’s fantasy book series, The Chronicles of Prydain.

Inch High Private Eye

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Don Adams, who brought Maxwell Smart to life in Get Smart, would later give voice to a trenchcoat-wearing crime fighter named Inspector Gadget. But a decade earlier, there was another diminutive cartoon detective whose voice also bore an uncanny resemblance. Only this time, it wasn’t Adams, it was someone doing an impersonation of Maxwell Smart. Proving yet again that size isn’t everything, this little guy was known as Inch High Private Eye.

Speed Buggy

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The public has always shown affection towards cars that have the ability to converse. As a result, sitcoms, action shows and family films have repeatedly used some form of chatty chassis to delight viewers. It was only a matter of time before kids had some talking transportation on Saturday mornings to look up to, thanks to the creative minds at Hanna-Barbera and the animated Speed Buggy.

The Groovie Goolies

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With the overwhelming success of The Archies on Saturday mornings, Filmation decided to offer a similar show with monstrous results. The Groovie Goolies, an animated collection of decidedly hipper versions of the famous movie monsters of yesteryear were paired with some new friends. Featured alongside Sabrina, The Teenage Witch, Sabrina and the Groovie Goolies debuted in 1970 and a year later, finally got their own show, The Groovie Goolies.

The Jetsons

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After Hanna-Barbera proved that a prime-time cartoon sitcom set in the Stone Age could be successful, they set their sites on the faraway mid-21st century. In the middle of a futuristic world where flying cars buzzed the skies and robotic maids tended to the chores, they plopped down a typical family, The Jetsons.

Garfield and Friends

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Garfield, role model for lazy cats everywhere, started out as a syndicated newspaper comic strip created by Jim Davis. And, as one might expect, the character proved popular enough to made the transition to TV commercials, which eventually led to his own Saturday morning show in 1988, Garfield and Friends. The kitty with an attitude endeared himself to many a young viewer, enough to stick around for a respectable 121 episodes.

Mission: Magic

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If an association with The Brady Bunch was good enough for Davy Jones, why couldn’t another emerging teen idol use the power of Brady to spark some increased career exposure. In the case of Mission: Magic, Australian singer Rick Springfield lent his likeness, name and music to this animated Saturday morning series, an offshoot of The Brady Kids, to conjure up a little extra name recognition with record-buying youngsters.

Jonny Quest

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Just about every kid of the 70s, at least those who had access to a TV on Saturday morning, remembers Jonny Quest. The reason is simple: there was hardly a time that the Hanna-Barbera produced series wasn’t on TV. From 1967 through most of the 70s, and even into the 80s, kids have been following the adventures of Johnny and his pals. That’s some surprising longevity considering that only 26 episodes of the original animated series were ever produced.

Inspector Gadget

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Imagine a hybrid of Maxwell Smart, James Bond, and Inspector Clouseau and you have a pretty good representation of the trenchcoat- wearing, bumbling (but heavily-equipped) Inspector Gadget. Unfortunately, where he excelled in technological advances, he sorely lacked in savvy. Still, it was hard not to love Inspector Gadget, the syndicated cartoon series created by DIC Entertainment – which arrived on the airwaves in 1983.

Dynomutt, Dog Wonder

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Any regular watcher of television will tell you that a dog is man’s best friend. They will also attest that nifty gadgets are a crime-fighter’s best friend. So, what if we had a dog who was a loyal pet and sidekick to a crime fighting millionaire? Logic suggests that he would be equipped with plenty of high-tech sophistication. Such was the case with Dynomutt, a lovable but ever-clumsy canine robot, equipped with an array of gear that would make the future Inspector Gadget a tad jealous.