FILMATION animation studio APPRECIATION

[Güicho]

(apologies image heavy, will take multiple posts)


1967
Don't know how intentional or conscious it was, but anyone ever catch the visual parallels between the 2001 Justice League Animated and the 1967 Filmation's classic Justice League opening.

1967
2001

[Güicho]

1967
2001

[Güicho]

1967
2001

[Güicho]

1967
2001

[Güicho]

Not a part of the intro, but I'll add Filmation's Batman.

1967
2001

2001


Sadly Filmation couldn't add Batman or Wonder Woman to their JL at the time as they were licensed for live action shows- Batman 66-67 and look for the equally camp 67 attempt at a Wonder Woman pilot).
Filmation however did great by Wonder Girl, they didn't shy from showcasing her as the most powerful on the Titans.
And they'd go on to do the first animated Wonder Woman, appearing of all places the Brady Cartoon.

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[CliffHanger2]

Yeah I like the filmation stuff better than WBs.

[Minerboh]

Space Sentinels was my favourite in the pre He-Man era.
I think that it needed more episodes.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

What's a Filmation thread without Archie and his friends!

[Güicho]

And their Billboard Hot 100 number one charting song.

[Comic-Reader Lad]

It seems there are a few Blackstar fans here -- one of Filmation's last productions for Saturday morning before they went to syndication with He-Man in 1983.

Anyone else a fan of Filmation's earlier stuff? I thought their Archie/Sabrina series were quite good for the most part, but I have to admit I'd want a US of Archie DVD set just for the sake of completeness.

Here's a handy list of Filmation's series:

1. The New Adventures of Superman
2. Journey to the Center of the Earth
3. The Superman/Aquaman Hour of Adventure
4. Fantastic Voyage
5. The Archie Show
6. The Batman/Superman Hour
7. The Archie Comedy Hour (introduced Sabrina to animation)
8. The Hardy Boys
9. Archie's Funhouse
10. Will the Real Jerry Lewis Please Sit Down
11. Sabrina and the Groovie Goolies
12. Archie's TV Funnies (had segments featuring comic strip characters like Dick Tracy & Broom Hilda)
13. Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids
14. The Brady Kids
15. Lassie's Rescue Rangers
16. Star Trek: The Animated Series
17. My Favorite Martians
18. Mission: Magic!
19. The U.S. of Archie
20. The New Adventures of Gilligan
21. Shazam! (Filmation's first live action series)
22. The Secret Lives of Waldo Kitty
23. The Shazam/Isis Hour (live action)
24. The Ghost Busters (live action)
25. Uncle Croc's Block (Fraidy Cat, Wacky and Packy, MUSH)
26. Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle
27. Ark II (live action)
28. The New Adventures of Batman
29. Space Academy (live action)
30. Space Sentinels
31. The New Archie and Sabrina Hour
32. Tarzan and the Super 7 (incl. Web Woman, Manta/Moray, Superstretch/Microwoman, Freedom Force, Jason of Star Command)
33. Fabulous Funnies (more comic strip cartoons, but without Archie)
34. The New Adventures of Mighty Mouse and Heckle & Jeckle
35. The New Adventures of Flash Gordon
36. Sport Billy
37. The Tarzan/Lone Ranger Adventure Hour
38. The Tom and Jerry Comedy Show
39. Blackstar
40. The Kid Super Power Hour with Shazam!
41. The Tarzan/Lone Ranger/Zorro Adventure Hour
42. Gilligan's Planet (final Saturday morning production)
43. He-Man and the Masters of the Universe
44. She-Ra: Princess of Power
45. Ghostbusters (animated version of their live action show)
46. BraveStarr (final Filmation series)

I left out The Batman/Tarzan Adventure Hour and Fat Albert revivals as they seemed redundant.

I think it's great that so many of the above list have been released on DVD for fans to relive and share with their kids. Hopefully, the copyright owners of the unreleased shows will eventually put them out on DVD or at least license them to Amazon or Netflix for streaming.

[WestPhillyPunisher]

Anyone else a fan of Filmation's earlier stuff? I thought their Archie/Sabrina series were quite good for the most part, but I have to admit I'd want a US of Archie DVD set just for the sake of completeness.

Regarding U.S. of Archie, if memory serves (a dicey proposition in my advanced years), I think, heavy emphasis on THINK the show came out in 1976, no doubt timed for the country's bicentennial. However, I was in the process of graduating from high school and enlisting in the Navy, so my free time to watch TV was limited, especially after July when I left for boot camp, I was only able to watch a handful of episodes, I particularly remember the ones that featured Alexander Graham Bell, Susan B. Anthony and the Wright Brothers.

[Surf]

- They made a commitment to diversity way before it was the thing to do. They had the first African-American animated character in an ongoing series with Pete Jones from the 1969 Hardy Boys animated series. Of course, they are well-known for their long-running hit, Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids. Other diverse characters starred or co-starred in Superstretch and Microwoman

I just recently found the Retro Heroes page on YT with all the Space Sentinal stuff. Man... I was a little kid when it aired but years ago, one of my cousin's (and we're both 42 and 43 now) who has a really long memory and is into comics like I was. Couldn't for the life of me, remember the name of that show. I knew they were a black couple and I remember the husband being a Mr. Fantastic/Plastic Man hybrid but that was as far as I got. I've been watching them only recently and it's not even how I remembered it lol. Still great that YT, even as poor a quality as it is, has those old cartoons.

The Filmation documentary is still on YT as well. Yes, they were a favorite of mine due to volume alone. Bravestar came around when I was in like 4th or 5th grade and I didn't take to it like the previous series but at the time Galaxy Rangers was the hottest cartoon before school and it wasn't close. Haha, Filmation also had some pretty hot and unexaggerated animated women through ALL of their shows.

[Personamanx]

The He-Man/She-Ra Christmas special is something I try to watch every year. It's about as mediocre as anything else Filmation produced, but it has enough charm to have captured a place in my heart.

Actually, now that I think of it BraveStarr is a surprisingly watchable cartoon as a whole.

[Güicho]

[font=georgia] Couldn't for the life of me, remember the name of that show. I knew they were a black couple and I remember the husband being a Mr. Fantastic/Plastic Man hybrid but that was as far as I got. I've been watching them only recently and it's not even how I remembered it lol. Still great that YT, even as poor a quality as it is, has those old cartoons.

Absolutely loved Super Stretch and Micro Woman, and their dog Trouble.

As well as the Space Sentinels and later Freedom Force!
Filmation had a very diverse line up of characters.

[Güicho]

Other than the bizarre (almost in reverse sounding) theme music,
Fimation's Star Trek was essentially the 4th season of Star Trek The Original Series.
With most actors back to reprise their roles (sadly missing Chekov) , and several of the never produced 4th season scripts, just re-purposed for the episodes. It really felt like a continuation of the show.