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Getting a Sneak Peak to the Ben 10 Reboot (coming April 2017)

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

While most of Europe aired the new Ben 10 rebooted series since fall of last year, fans from North America are still anxiously waiting. Teletoon Canada offered a sneak peek Monday night for what’s to come in Spring. This new series is better off packaged as two episodes for the time-slot it is given instead of 10 minutes (giving a lot more time for commercials), before jumping to another show.

Given that the intended audience is for kids with limited attention span, the 10-minute format is satisfactory. But I’m craving longer tales, and am hoping by binge-watching a bunch of episodes back to back will reveal a greater story arc.

Tonight’s broadcast sees Ben Tennyson (Tara Strong reprises the role) learning responsibility. His access to the internet gets taken away until he cleans the Rust Bucket, a camping van that he, his cousin Gwen (Montserrat Hernandez) and grandfather Max (David Kaye) rides in throughout their many adventures. When the alien Fly Guy attempts to steal it because it reeks of garbage, this boy has a lot to do before his family returns! Amusingly enough, they are off to visit a bat guano cave.

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Scooby-Doo Mystery Incorporated Season One and Season Two Review

Scooby-Doo Mystery Incorporated is the latest incarnation of the much beloved franchise that is willing to poke a little fun at itself.

Creators: Joe Ruby and Ken Spears
Producer/writer: Mitch Watson

Animation is no stranger to the horror genre and one of the most enduring cartoon icons associated with this crossover is Scooby-Doo. The cartoons that follow his capers made those spooks that went bump in the night not as terrible as it should be. The scares are only as real as Fred, Daphne, Velma, Shaggy and Scooby want it to be and by the episode’s end, they usually face up to it. The only thing they have to fear is fear itself.

And in the 40+ years since this franchise’s inception, nearly everyone has grown up watching at least one episode of this great dane buffooning his way into popular culture. The comedy relief Scooby provides take the edge out of nearly all of the frights that play out on network television. Unlike Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Twilight Zone or The Outer Limits, this cartoon series gives younger viewers a campfire story they can comfortably fall asleep to.

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LEGO Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu Makes for a Fun Asian Ghost Month Watch! (Part One)

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

The latest season of LEGO Ninjago is certainly worth watching during Hungry Ghost Month. In Asia, this tradition of entertaining spirits during the start of a new lunar month is widespread and based on folkloric beliefs. Some of what’s presented in the series comes into play, and it adds to the versatility of what this world represents. Although this latest season’s introduction is in part due to the events from the last story-arc, to see how much of the spirit realm influences daily life needs to be observed. Lord Garmadon is the blame when he had to cast powerful magic to open a portal to the Cursed Realm to save the day. He may have inadvertently traded places with Morro, a renegade spirit. When this ghost saw that Lloyd is the new Green Ninja, he had to figure out a plan in how to possess him.

But Morro also has a vendetta against Sensei Wu. He was a former pupil whom Wu thought was the chosen one. But when the master saw an ambition and arrogance that would rival even Darth Vader, he knew the boy was not the one (“Winds of Change”). The number of episodes made to tell this latest chapter is shorter than its early seasons, and the 10 episode count makes for a perfect weekend watch. The storytelling is top-notch and the Hageman Brothers have outdone themselves in how they pay respect to a few supernatural Asian traditions.

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What’s Next for Transformers: Robots in Disguise? A Review

Hasbro’s Transformers certainly has evolved throughout the years. Ever since Generation One, this franchise is no longer just an animation for kids. It’s grown from not just simply being a marketing ploy to sell toys. Rainmaker (formerly Mainframe) Entertainment’s Beast Wars was the first to shift this franchise’s direction into a sophisticated world that many fans, including myself, enjoyed. The character dynamics and brooding personalities featured helped keep interest in this franchise alive.

Not everyone took to Transformers: Animated right away, and to skip ahead to Transformers: Prime, I especially loved the darker tone the storytelling went. No matter how small of a success the Autobots made, something sinister would emerge. Optimus had hope, and he believed everything his team did could help light their darkest hour.

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Not Pleased with Dreamworks: Dragons move to Netflix

By Ed Sum (The Vintage Tempest)

An all new broadcast direction will be in store for Hiccup and gang in DreamWorks’ Dragons. New seasons will be “exclusively” broadcast on Netflix when the series returns in Spring 2015. No explanation was given for the change and not everyone subscribes to Netflix. Mixed feelings will no doubt spread when children are tuning in find their dragons are not offered on regular channels anymore. Hopefully the executives at Cartoon Network are smart enough to hold on to what they can broadcast: Series One: Riders of Berk and Series Two: Defenders of Berk.

People who are not interested in buying into the Netflix model will be left waiting for the DVDs (if that’s still going to happen) to release months after the end of season to get their Toothless fix. Just what kind of hold Netflix has with DreamWork’s best franchise is no doubt being kept secret much like in how Drago Bludvist, the villain in the upcoming movie, plots to use the dragons he captures against the free city of Berk. He also aspires to take over the world.

Fans will at least have Cressida Cowell’s original books to read and the comic books by Titan Publishing to keep their appetite sated. Toothless will most likely approve.

However, tasteless is the better word for a ‘global’ decision to limit who can continue watching this series. Thankfully, no country is being prevented from subscribing into Netflix.