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"Family Guy" is one of the most successful adult animated comedies of all time, following the suburban Griffin family through all kinds of wacky misadventures, and its creator Seth MacFarlane has ended up with an extensive career in comedy as a result. Once upon a time, however, he was just a writer working his way up through the ranks, learning how to put together a good cartoon comedy script. While on his way up, he worked on a beloved Cartoon Network series that would have an impact on not only MacFarlane's career but also affect how he made "Family Guy," and it was all about a lady-crazed himbo with a penchant for talking like an Elvis impersonator. That's right, before MacFarlane created hits like "Family Guy" and "American Dad!," he was a writer on the Cartoon Network classic "Johnny Bravo."

"Johnny Bravo" was just one of the best shows during...

The 1990s was a golden age for cartoons. Following the creatively bankrupt string of toy commercials disguised as TV shows of the '80s, we got one phenomenally written, visually inventive, boundary-pushing cartoon after the other in the 1990s. One of the best shows of that decade was "Dexter's Laboratory." Created by maestro Genndy Tartakovsky, the show was the very first Cartoon Cartoons show to be made into a series. It follows the titular Dexter, a boy genius with a skill for engineering who is at constant odds with his older sister Dee Dee, who keeps entering Dexter's secret lab without his permission and interfering with his experiments.

The show was a huge hit, responsible for starting the careers of plenty of veteran animators like Craig McCracken, Rob Renzetti, Seth MacFarlane, and Butch Hartman, who each went on to create successful animated shows of their own. You can see the...

Quick Links Cow and Chicken Travel to the Depths of Hell The Red Guy Grew to Be One of the Show’s Best Assets Even After This Ban, Cow and Chicken Saw Great Success

Cartoon Network boasts a ton of acclaimed TV shows, especially during the 1990s. While Disney was focusing on tame animations like Quack Pack and Timon & Pumbaa, Cartoon Network was showing off a wide array of whacky animations. As such, this quickly put the network on top and allowed it to defeat a lot of dynamic competition.

Cow and Chicken is a prime example of the network's otherworldly approach and focuses on two immature anthropomorphic siblings. The characters exist within their own surreal universe, creating a wealth of humorous and entertaining plotlines. Though the show amassed a very devoted fan base, Cartoon Network swiftly removed its pilot episode after its original release. But what's the pilot about,...

We’re a long way from the world of 1990s animation. New animation houses emerged with a splintering at Disney and the rise of Cartoon Network. Two animators who benefited from this world were Cinzia Angelini and David Feiss — the directors of the new release Hitpig. While Angelini found a home at DreamWorks, Feiss created Cartoon Cartoon hits Cow & Chicken and I Am Weasel. With Hitpig, the two animators-turned-directors have an opportunity to create a project that blends modern technology with nineties humor. Both Angelini and Feiss sat down with FandomWire to discuss their new film, the importance of independent animation, and adding Jason Sudeikis to Hitpig at the last minute.

Angelini and Feiss Began in 2D Animation

Both Angelini and Feiss began their careers in the world of 2D animation. Angelini contributed to 90s classics like Balto and Quest for Camelot before finding homes at Dreamworks. Meanwhile, Feiss...

Fans of the Cartoon Network shows are about to dive into a sea of nostalgia after the announcement of a crossover episode. Jellystone!, which premiered on Max in 2021, has brought together characters like Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Hound, Snagglepuss, and more. Hanna-Barbera’s characters will be joined by other Cartoon Network characters in a two-part special called Crisis on Infinite Mirths.

A still poster of Jellystone! | Credits: Max / Cartoon Network

The crossover episode will serve as the third-season finale of the series. The reimagined characters in Jellystone! had already caught the attention of fans. Interestingly, select fans have already seen the crossover episode at San Diego Comic-Con.

Max’s Jellystone! Is About To Bring Favorite Cartoon Network Characters For A Crossover The upcoming Crisis on Infinite Mirths episode of Jellystone! | Credits: Max / Cartoon Network

C. H. Greenblatt developed the animated comedy Jellystone! including reimagined characters from Hanna-Barbera studios. Greenblatt was a...

Cartoon Network fans are currently divided over a recently revealed scene in the highly-anticipated crossover special in Jellystone! The scene in question will have the original version of Bubbles from The Powerpuff Girls beat up the 2016 reboot version of herself, at the request of series creator Craig McCracken.

The animation network was among the many big-named companies present at this years San Diego Comic-Con, held annually in California. On Sunday, July 28, a panel for Jellystone!, the animated Hanna-Barbera ensemble comedy, was held to promote the massive Cartoon Network crossover special called "Crisis on Infinite Mirths" for the streaming service Max. The special features numerous cartoon cameos from Cartoon Network original shows like Dexter's Lab, Ed, Edd, n Eddy, The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, Johnny Bravo, Cow and Chicken, and so much more. However, theres a scene in this special that takes a nasty jab at the divisive reboot of...

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"Dexter's Laboratory" was the first in an incredible wave of original animated shows from Cartoon Network. "Cow and Chicken," "Johnny Bravo," "I Am Weasel," "The Powerpuff Girls," "Ed, Edd, n Eddy,", "Courage the Cowardly Dog," and "Dexter's Laboratory" were collectively known as Cartoon Cartoons, and they turned Cartoon Network into a popular destination for animated entertainment that landed with kids and adults alike. However, Genndy Tartakovsky is one of only two creators from this run of shows who is still making groundbreaking animation today. The other is "The Powerpuff Girls" creator Craig McCracken, who just so happened to cut his teeth working alongside Tartakovsky through much of the first couple seasons of "Dexter's Laboratory." Perhaps that's why it's so wonderful to this day.

"Dexter's Laboratory" smartly' borrows and mixes elements from the best classic cartoons. There's the slapstick comedy elements that come from "Looney Tunes,...

Maxwell Atom's animated series "The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy" debuted on the Cartoon Network on June 13, 2003, and would go on to run for 84 episodes over the course of six seasons. The premise was delightfully ghoulish. The cluelessly happy Billy (Richard Steven Horvitz) and the angry misanthrope Mandy (Grey DeLisle) once cheated Death by rigging a limbo competition; it seems that Death will grant favors to the living should they win at a competition à la Ingmar Bergman's "The Seventh Seal."

Because of Billy and Mandy's limbo victory, a grim reaper named Grim (Greg Eagles) becomes their indentured servant. Grim constantly wants to kill Billy and Mandy, while the kids just want to go on adventures. Grim begrudgingly goes along. Early Billy & Mandy segments were originally aired as part of the diptych series "Grim & Evil," which shared its 22-minute airtime with another Maxwell Atom series, "Evil Con Carne.

Genndy Tartakovsky's 2001 animated series "Samurai Jack" is probably one of the best of its era. The series boasted a peculiar and stoic tone, with the title hero (Phil Lamarr) staying quiet for vast blocks of the show. Samurai Jack was lost in the distant future, thanks to the sorcery of a tricky trickster god named Aku, and a lot of the series was devoted to Jack's exploration of strange, new alien settings. "Samurai Jack." also featured a unique, neo-cubist aesthetic; characters didn't have black-line outlines, and backgrounds were often abstract and blocky. Fans will also hasten to add the overwhelmingly awesome action of "Samurai Jack." If one is animating with blocky shapes and abstract backgrounds, the action can be just as stylized. The fight scenes on "Samurai Jack" are the stuff of legend. 

"Samurai Jack" ran until 2004, and there had long been plans to adapt the series into a live-action feature film.

Van Partible's animated series "Johnny Bravo" debuted on the Cartoon Network on July 14, 1997. It was one of four new shows that Cartoon Network premiered in 1997 and 1998 that served as a declaration for a new creator-forward direction the network was taking. "Johnny Bravo" debuted alongside Genndy Tartakovsky's "Dexter's Laboratory," David Feiss' "Cow and Chicken," and Craig McCracken's "The Powerpuff Girls." In 1999, that lineup would be complemented by "Ed, Edd n Eddy," and "Courage the Cowardly Dog." These shows were all quirky and idiosyncratic and attracted a generation of fans.

"Johnny Bravo" was about a barrel-chested, Elvis-voiced lug who lived with his mother and attempted to find love in the big city. His buffoonery and vanity, however, usually kept him single. Johnny was played by prolific voice actor Jeff Bennett, who has been acting professionally since 1991. Van Partible had been working on a version of the show as early...

After Jim Samples, the Cartoon Network executive who oversaw the greenlighting of such successful cartoons as "Samurai Jack," "Ben 10," "Codename: Kids Next Door," and "The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy," left, a new regime at the popular animation-focused cable channel changed tactics. When Stuart Snyder took over in mid-2007, he had a brand new mandate for Cartoon Network — no weird stuff.

Speaking with Buzzfeed, "The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack" creator Thurop Van Orman recalled Snyder saying, "'We don't want anything weird or anything where any mom would come out of the kitchen and say, 'What are you watching?'"

Now, this is not to say that Snyder failed at that command, or that his definition of the word "weird" is different than this writer's, but his tenure was filled with shows you could call "weird" and would make a mom say "What are you watching?"

"The Amazing World of Gumball,...

"Toonami" debuted on the Cartoon Network in 1997, back when the network was just hitting its stride. Cartoon Network debuted in 1992, and originally offered mostly old animated reruns. It was, for years, the best place to find old Droopy cartoons, as well as Looney Tunes, Tom & Jerry cartoons, old DC superhero fare, and reruns of Hanna-Barbera trash like "Scooby-Doo" and "The Flintstones." 

In 1994, the network had the brilliant idea to repurpose a largely forgotten Hanna-Barbera character named Space Ghost, transforming him into a talk show host. "Space Ghost Coast to Coast" set a new dadaist tone for the Cartoon Network, proving that it could make hip, self-aware, original content in addition to its blocks of reruns. In 1996 and 1997, Cartoon Network launched a quartet of new shows -- "Dexter's Laboratory," "Johnny Bravo," "The Powerpuff Girls," and "Cow and Chicken" -- and their reputation was solidified. It was now a destination station.

Prior to the debut of "The Powerpuff Girls" in 1998, show creator Craig McCracken had directed a series of tasteless cartoon shorts starring a character named No-Neck Joe. No-Neck Joe appeared regularly at the celebrated annual Spike & Mike Sick and Twisted Festival of Animation, cementing McCracken's underground credentials. The Powerpuff Girls first came into McCracken's repertoire as early as 1992, back when they were called the Whoopass Girls. The juxtaposition between the characters' creepy, ultra-cute, Margaret Keane-like faces and their ultra-violent behavior was the stuff of comedy legend, and McCracken kept the Girls in his back pocket for years.

Throughout the 1990s, McCracken rose in the ranks of the animation world, landing gigs on shows like "2 Stupid Dogs," "Dumb and Dumber," and, most notably, Genndy Tartakovsky's seminal series 1996 "Dexter's Laboratory." McCracken directed many episodes of the show. "Dexter's Laboratory" was one of four new series launched by the Cartoon Network...

HBO Max and Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav can't seem to keep their names out of the headlines recently, tied exclusively to baffling business decisions like canning the highly-anticipated release of "Batgirl" or absolutely obliterating the streaming platform's animated offerings. Zaslav made it known during the Q2 earnings call that he had hoped to cut 3 billion from HBO Max's operating budget before the inevitable streaming merger with discovery+, which apparently meant annihilating the relationships HBO Max had with Warner Bros. Animation and Cartoon Network.

Learning that your life's work is being wiped out with complete disregard for the artistry or the lives of those that crafted it is difficult enough, but as "Infinity Train" creator Owen Dennis shared, Zaslav and the Discovery team couldn't even have the common courtesy to inform the creators of their decision to throw away their years of work like expired takeout. As Twitter user @sapphyreblayze rightfully pointed out,...

(Welcome to My Most Ridiculous Note, a series of interviews in which animators talk about the weirdest and funniest notes they received from studio executives.)

The early days of Cartoon Network were a great place for weird and exciting cartoons. Once the network started airing original programming, shows like "Dexter's Laboratory," "Johnny Bravo," and "Courage the Cowardly Dog" delivered fun shows aimed at kids, with oftentimes bizarre imagery or adult situations that could be appreciated by audiences of all ages. In those early years, however, no show was as weird as "Cow and Chicken."

The show...

The post Cow and Chicken Creator David Feiss Explains His Original Idea for the Show and Network Notes About The Devil [Interview] appeared first on /Film.

Once upon a time, in the faraway era of the mid ‘90s, a show premiered that would give rise to animated series that would shape Cartoon Network for the next two decades. The What a Cartoon! Show was an anthology of animated shorts by some of the greatest up-and-coming minds of animation at the time. It would introduce the world to such classics as Johnny Bravo, Dexter’s Laboratory, Cow and Chicken, The Powerpuff Girls, and a slew of other shows that made Cartoon Network a legitimate threat to Nickelodeon’s Nicktoon lineup.

Related: Cartoon Network Shows You Completely Forgot About

With only a handful of these shorts being optioned for full series, a lot of really good projects never made it past the pilot stage, and have been lost to animated obscurity. The following is a list of the ten most popular What a Cartoon! Show shorts that were Not...

If you grew up watching Nickelodeon's Invader Zim, chances are you're a cool person with a twisted sense of humor... and repressed trauma. That's because Invader Zim, despite being a kids' show, is absolutely morbid and dark even compared to the likes of Cow and Chicken, Samurai Jack, or the first three seasons of Spongebob Squarepants. It's no wonder Invader Zim only lasted two seasons in Nick.

Related: The 10 Best Classic Cartoon Network Shows, Ranked

Still, the utterly insane kids' cartoon gained a cult following which even warranted a belated Netflix film, Invader Zim: Enter the Florpus. It was a dream come true for us fans of the screechy evil green alien. Creator Jhonen Vasquez even included some homages to the canceled cartoon, something only fans could've chuckled at. Here are 10 of those moments in Enter the Florpus.

On Oct. 1, 1992 — nearly 25 years to this very day — something extraordinary occurred.

I’m talking, of course, about the birth of Cartoon Network, television’s first provider of round-the-clock animation. And what better way to help the network get through its quarter-life crisis than by arbitrarily judging which of its original creations best stand the test of time?

Before we dive in, I want you to know where I’m coming from. As a child, I basically had three parents: a mother, a father and Cartoon Network. I was four years old when the channel premiered, so by the time it...

Cartoon Network

After what has felt like an eternity, the PowerPuff Girls are finally getting a revival.

The hit Cartoon Network show first graced our television screens back in 1998, where it would run for a glorious 7 years before being canceled back in 2005. Since then, the show’s old episodes were prominently featured on Boomerang; which happens to be the home to other much loved cartoons such as Johnny Bravo, Top Cat, Cow and Chicken and Tom and Jerry. Now, after 11 years and virtually every other superhero getting a reboot, we’re finally going to be getting something new from Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup.

Cartoon Network has ordered 40 new episodes of the re-booted series, with hopes that it will get the same reception from a new generation. Executive producers Nick Jennings and Bob Boyle told Turner in a recent Q&A just what possessed them to bring the show back. “The Powerpuff Girls...

What's leaving Netflix in March? Well, the streaming service is expiring a slew of movies and TV shows, with a big chunk of the departing titles belonging to the Cartoon Network -- you'll see those say bye-bye at the end of the month. From what we can tell, that's about it in terms of TV exiting Watch Instantly.

As for movies, the clock is ticking for favorites "Dumb and Dumber," "Fright Night," Desperado," "Seven," "Pretty in Pink," "Romy and Michele's High School Reunion," and "The Muppet Movie," which will all be pulled in the monthly purge.

Here's the complete list of titles that will vanish from your streaming list (pending any sort of meddling time-travelers). And, just so you're not left empty-handed, here's a list of what's new on Netflix in March 2015.

Leaving March 1

"3 Ninjas: Kick Back" (1994)

"Air Bud" (1997)

"Anaconda" (1997)

"Arachnophobia" (1990)

"Brokedown Palace" (1999)

"Cheech & Chong's Nice Dreams" (1981)

"Cool Runnings...

Cartoon Network

Remember when Saturday mornings were the best part of the week? Plonking your butt down in front of the TV to indulge in hours of back-to-back cartoons; laughing yourself silly at the squeaky clean jokes from the likes of Dexter’s Laboratory and The Powerpuff Girls. Only, it wasn’t all so innocent. Our young unblemished minds merely skimmed past the sexual innuendos and lewd adults one-liners that somehow sneaked their way in there.

It seems producers of kids cartoons were trying their best to out-do each other in sneaking the most inappropriate gags possible past the censors: Captain Pugwash had a sailor named “Master Bates”; Spider-Man openly slipped in a semen joke; and we somehow managed to overlook Rocko working as a sex-line operator in Rocko’s Modern Life. Turns out, we missed a lot of other things too.

No doubt these gags highly amused – albeit shocked – our parents,...

The 90s will be remembered for a few things: Grunge, Michael Jordan, Bill Clinton’s extramarital hullabaloo, and perhaps the greatest generation of TV cartoons ever. Just like the 2000s had the emergence of great television dramas on HBO, Showtime, and AMC (The Sopranos, The Wire, Six Feet Under, Deadwood, Mad Men, and Breaking Bad), the 1990s had the persistent excellence of Cartoon Network, Nickelodeon, and the Disney Channel. If this seems like an exaggeration, then you probably didn’t watch the shows.

Hand-drawn animation was still the norm, and characterization took precedence over background and scenery. But even though the animation was great, these cartoons had great stories. You can have a bad TV show with good animation, but you can’t have a good TV show with uninteresting characters and narrative. This list is devoted to cartoons made specifically for kids, so no Dr. Katz, Daria, or The Simpsons.

It's been more than a decade since the 1990s ended, yet the Internet can't seem to go a day without a reminder of the neon slap bracelets that may have been banned from your school.

Yes, we get it. Times are tough and there's comfort in reflection, but enough is enough.

Below, a final goodbye to the 90s to end the nostalgia once and for all. (We're not kidding. There are 1990 items below.)

1. Scrunchies

2. "The Wild Thornberries"

3. Dawson and Joey

4. "Hercules: The Legendary Journeys"

5. Mr. Feeny

7. MTV playing music videos

8. Snick

9. The premiere of "Freaks and Geeks"

10. Levar Burton

11. "Daria"

12. "Arthur"

13. "The Powerpuff Girls"

14. "Smart Guy"

15. Comedy Central globe logo with buildings

16. "The X-Files"

17. Rosie O'Donnell

18. Bill Nye

19. "Dawson's Creek"

20. The Mighty Ducks"

21. "Are You Afraid of the Dark"

22. Cornholio

23. Rachel Green

24. Tim Allen

25. "All That"

26. "Beverly Hills 90210"

27. "Step by Step"

28. "The Ren & Stimpy Show"

29. "The Famous Jett Jackson"

30. "Buffy the Vampire Slayer...

Seth MacFarlane has always been a TV guy. Even before he became one of the biggest names in entertainment with shows like Family Guy, American Dad! and The Cleveland Show, he was part of the team over at Cartoon Network, writing for shows like Dexter.s Laboratory, Johnny Bravo, and even Cow and Chicken for a couple of episodes. But then 2012 came and completely reshaped his entire career. Ted, MacFarlane.s directorial debut about an overgrown manchild and his anthropomorphic teddy bear, was nothing short of a blockbuster sensation when it was released last June, making its $50 million budget back in its first weekend and going on to earn over $535 million at the global box office. The success has turned the writer/director into one of the hottest commodities in the film world, with multiple projects now in the works and a gig hosting the 85th Academy Awards this Sunday.

Old Cartoon Network classics are making a comeback, courtesy of Brak and Zorak.

Everyone's favorite space cat and giant praying mantis of the early 2000s cartoon "The Brak Show" are officially hosting "Cartoon Planet," an hour-long block featuring the eccentric shows of Cartoon Network past, starting this Friday, Mar. 30 from 8-9 p.m.

The series will include cartoons like "Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends," "Dexter's Laboratory," "Johnny Bravo," "Flapjack," "The Powerpuff Girls" and more.

Friday night's lineup will feature episodes of "Cow and Chicken," "The Powerpuff Girls," "Foster's Home," "Johnny Bravo" and "Dexter's Lab."

Tune in to "Cartoon Planet" on Fridays from 8-9 p.m. Et on Cartoon Network.

Old Cartoon Network classics are making a comeback, courtesy of Brak and Zorak.

Everyone's favorite space cat and giant praying mantis of the early 2000s cartoon "The Brak Show" are officially hosting "Cartoon Planet," an hour-long block featuring the eccentric shows of Cartoon Network past, starting this Friday, Mar. 30 from 8-9 p.m.

The series will include cartoons like "Foster's Home For Imaginary Friends," "Dexter's Laboratory," "Johnny Bravo," "Flapjack," "The Powerpuff Girls" and more.

Friday night's lineup will feature episodes of "Cow and Chicken," "The Powerpuff Girls," "Foster's Home," "Johnny Bravo" and "Dexter's Lab."

Tune in to "Cartoon Planet" on Fridays from 8-9 p.m. Et on Cartoon Network.

I grew up in a small town, and I live in a very conservative state. To say that I’m not the “norm” in the place where I choose to live would probably be an understatement. I have some amazing, wonderful people in my life, and I’m blessed to be able to call some of them my friends. All the same, it seems like there are a lot of people who are perfectly willing to judge people just because that person has picked up a particular book or watched a particular movie.

I am a geek. I am a very proud geek. Growing up in the area that I did and with parents who were mostly pretty supportive of the things that I liked (I read, and they were good with that; Mom occasionally raised some objections and still teases me about the “weird stuff” that I like, but...

Sony Pictures Animation has set a multi-year deal with Fred Seibert and his Frederator Studios to develop animated feature films, it was announced today by Bob Osher, president of Sony Pictures Digital Productions, and Hannah Minghella, president of production for Sony Pictures Animation. Seibert, a prolific animation producer, promises to be a rich source of original ideas as Sony Pictures Animation continues to advance its development slate.

"It is hard to imagine someone more passionate about animation than Fred Seibert, " said Bob Osher, who first worked with Seibert at Turner Entertainment, when Seibert was president of Hanna-Barbera Productions. "He is a remarkable creative resource."

"Frederator Studios is thrilled to be working with Bob, Hannah, and their team at Sony Pictures Animation," said Fred Seibert. "They've given us a unique opportunity to further develop our incubator for big animation ideas."

"As we look to make a wide variety of animated movies,...

The following information focuses on the 2009 Comic-Con schedule that is set for Saturday, July 25th. It’s not a full schedule - it only highlights TV and movie related panels and events.

Highlights for Saturday include Lost, Fringe, a screening of the pilot episode of ABC’s V, a first look at Heroes: Redemption, 2012 and a little film coming out next year you may have heard of: Iron Man 2.

10:00-11:00

Marvel: “Hero Up” with The Super Hero Squad Show!— Marvel’s first action-comedy series is a manic, mind-blowing, all-ages romp through the Marvel Universe. Coming to Cartoon Network in September, the animated show is loaded with superstar voice talent. Several of the actors will preview their characters in a live performance: Tom Kenny (Spongebob) as Iron Man and Modok, Charlie Adler (Cow and Chicken, Transformers features) as Dr. Doom, Steve Blum (Wolverine and the X-Men) as Wolverine,...