You know there is going to be a slew of puns based on the recent news that Warner Brothers is going to fast track the Speedy Gonzalez Live action/CG feature film.
I mean, he is The Fastest Mouse in all of Mexico, so is there any other way to make this movie?
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Warner Brothers is making a live-action/CGI family comedy based around the classic Looney Tunes character Speedy Gonzales, with George Lopez providing the voice of the super-sonic Mexi-mouse.
While I am groovy with the idea of Lopez providing the iconic “¡Ándale! ¡Ándale! ¡Arriba! ¡Arriba!”. There is already a fair amount of political correctness that frowns upon characters like Speedy for the Mexican depiction. While Speedy is a rapidly moving energetic mouse, all the other mice were often depicted as slow and lazy, many even drunk. Speedy often spent his days saving these slow mice from trouble.
But Speedy is a good role model, and if anyone can toe that line of racial policitcal correctedness, its going to be Lopez, who has made a career riding those stereotypes with comic results.
I grew up with the Looney Toons character, and while I don’t see him (or his amigos) as stereotype racisim, being French I was never offended by Pepe LePew either.
That guy was a hopeless romantic, and just never got a break. I felt his pain.
Always watch the originals with my kid.
I dont care for the new one’s cause I watched the “old” ones first and I compare both and always revert to the “old”
now, my kid likes both and that’s cool.
the new ones are more kid friendly anyways.
But you cant go wrong with the originals.
I even saw a Speedy cartoon and they were singing “La Cucaracha” and used the line “Marijuana para fumar” now thats something you wont hear in the newer ones..
I’ve been waiting for this film all my life,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, not. :-)
Lopez as SPEEDY is Blasphemous!
(I’m Argentine-Spanish-German-American) so It’s not a hater thing.. Dude just seems Low-class to me.
He tries to hard to be Mexican(if that makes any sense)
I’d take Carlos(never met a joke he couldn’t steal)Mencia over him all dAY LONG!
Sorry (IMO)
Not a huge Lopez fan, I know he’s getting old but Cheech Marin woulda been nice.
Slow-Poke is one of my all time favs.
“I might be slow on my feet, But I’m fast in la cabeza”
Classic
Wow, REALLY?! I mean I love the classic Warner toons just as much as everyone else. But giving them live action movies, why? You’d think WB would have more respect for it’s classics. WB killed with the Dark Knight at the box office, I think they’ve done pretty well for a while now with other films as well. Why do they feel they have to do this?
I mean I get how they want to bring these characters back for future generations, but there are much better ways of doing so. Live action/CGI versions of old school stuff seldom turn out good. Why don’t they just bring back the WB classic toons back as good 2D TV cartoons again?
How do you think WB ended up the media giant that it is?
They cash in on each and every property they own! That’s how!
Respect the classics? By not touching them ever again? Where is the benefit of that? Right.. respect. Because that’s what they are in the business of… respect. I hear there is a big return on their investment for that. They respected Batman enough to give it a go, and as you suggest, it did alright.
You assume a live action Speedy film will suck? Because others have? Well there were other Batman films that sucked too so by your logic they shouldnt have made that either.
Why do they have to do this? Because they can, and it will likely make them money. You might not want to see it, but maybe it will be alright.
They have the resources to make the film, kids (who have never heard of speedy) will scream to get their parents to take them to see it and buy it on DVD as well as 17 different toys based on the characters.
Money is always the answer.
I didn’t say respect them by not doing anything at all with these characters, just try to bring them back in a form of how they use to be, when they were great. I also never said they didn’t respect their other properties as well. Nor did I say Dark Knight just, “did alright”, I said it KILLED at the box office.
Man, do you even fully read posts you comment on, or do you just skim threw them and make up the rest?
And yes, very seldom does Hollywood actually respect classic properties, but it would be nice if they actually started to more, at some point.
Batman Forever and Batman & Robin sucked because of one man. It didn’t mean that another and better director couldn’t come in next and do an actual good Batman film(s), WB to actually start fully respecting the property, which is exactly what happened, eventually.
I mean sure, there is a chance they could find an actual good director to do this. Someone that will actually respect the character and for once make a live action setting work for an old school kids cartoon brought to the big screen. But I’m not holding my breath either. I mean, how many good directors can you think of that would hop on this train wreck waiting to happen anyway?
But ya, your right, your right, it’s all about the money. There are TONES of kids out there that will eat this right up, no matter how bad it turns out.
It just hurts to see the stuff I grew up with and loved getting raped and random rants from people like me will never be able to stop it.
I thought you Rodney were an avid fan of the classic Merrie Melodies cartoons as well, this doesn’t effect you at all?
But ya, who knows, maybe it will turn out good. Hell, maybe even snag a few Oscars, who knows…
I am a big fan of the Merry Melodies and Looney Toons era of animated shorts. I think that is a lost art of animation written with a broad appeal (there were a lot of adult jokes in those kid toons)
But I draw my conclusion of what effect an adaptation has on its original source material, and I think of Stephen King. In an interview once they asked him how he felt about his books being changed for film, (Some for the worse) and how that changes the book. (The interview was held in his personal study) He turns around to look at the impressive bookshelf full of his published works and gestures to them and replies to the interviewer “They are still there.. unchanged”
I respect the old cartoons, but I think that the new ones stand on their own too, and will rise or fall based on that alone, unchanging the original material.
Well said Rodney, well said.
I just hope that these people who stumble across the bad versions of an actual good property, will take the time and effort to go out and find the actual said good stuff as well.
Ah! When will it end?! Besides there are so many other characters that are way more interesting and need their own a movie.
As a hispanic I want to see Speedy Gonzales unchanged.
Growing up I loved watching those cartoons because he was hispanic(there’s not that many around), even though he may have been a little politically incorrect. I didn’t care then and thinking about it now, I still don’t care.
The thing is, is that it was funny to me because I have seen the stereotypes put into the cartoon from either family and friends. Sometimes you’ve got to be able to laugh at yourself and of all people George Lopez knows this.
Most of his comedy is of the things we do as a people. Even The George Lopez show had its stereotypes. We have to stop looking at things as a reflextion or statement of us and more as a story with characters.
In The George Lopez Show, Benny was a horrible mother and a drunk and a gambler and a “friendly” woman. But that doesn’t means all hispanic mothers are like that. Its a character. Slowpoke Rodriguez was a character and in most cartoons or stories everyone other than the hero is incompetent.
I plead with George Lopez, don’t let them change the character! If you change Speedy then its not a Speedy Gonzales Movie and you’ll change the one of the few hispanic icons we have.
So, 1. Long live an unchanged Speedy and Speedy Movie and 2. Everyone grow up. Really? Have a sense of humor. We aren’t made of gold and aren’t above a little poking fun of.
Pepe LePew was a rapist.
brilliant
Dave Chappelle is brilliant – Killin’ them Softly.