Anybody Remember Cartoon All-Stars To The Rescue?
It follows a teenager named Michael, who is using cannabis, and various cartoon characters, from their perspective shows that were popular at the time, who confront him after coming to life from items in his sister's room.
The program featured characters from 10 different shows, including The Smurfs, ALF, Garfield and Friends, Alvin and the Chipmunks, Winnie the Pooh, Muppet Babies, The Real Ghostbusters, Looney Tunes, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
The special aired on all superstations, along with other independent stations.
The special is considered a time capsule of animation history due to it featuring various characters from various Saturday morning shows. Some even consider it one of the greatest cartoon crossovers of all time.
Do you remember watching this? Comment below!
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Forbes
5 hours ago
- Forbes
How Avatar: Seven Havens Expands Meaningful Representation In Fantasy
The Avatar Universe encompasses a world where people, using martial arts, can 'bend' the elements of water, earth, fire, and air. Every generation, one person with the ability to bend all four elements is born, earning them the title of 'Avatar.' Back in the early 2000s, before the term 'DEI' became the popular buzzword it is today, the show Avatar: The Last Airbender was engaging in inclusive storytelling, a move that few other intellectual properties dared to make at the time. It maintained a consistent focus on a world influenced by non-Western cultures and included disability representation that never felt forced or shoehorned in. Now, with the newest iteration in the franchise, Avatar: Seven Havens, Avatar Studios, led by Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, along with Nickelodeon, are expanding the world of the Avatar universe and reaffirming their commitment to inclusive storytelling, which has always been a key part of the series' success. Despite the controversies surrounding DEI in recent years, diversity isn't just about moral obligation. For example, Avatar: The Last Airbender, the first entry in Nickelodeon's Avatar series, draws from cultures that aren't solely Western, with East Asian, South Asian, and Indigenous cultural references being a key part of how the story's themes are conveyed. Even concepts like Yin and Yang, which are often simplified into the 'good vs evil' trope in Western thinking, more accurately represent a 'push and pull' or balance between two equal but opposing forces and are thoroughly explored and explained through multiple characters and ideas. From the very beginning of the show's use of these tropes, audience members can engage with a story that differs significantly from media catering to a specific audience, with the Avatar franchise highlighting cultures and tropes that aren't often focused on or showcased. Seven Havens, scheduled to premiere in 2026, features a new Avatar who is disabled, with a still from San Diego Comic-Con showing her missing one of her legs. This decision has already sparked debate on social media, with some questioning whether a physically disabled character can truly embody the 'traditional' strength of the Avatar, which is considered in the story to be the most powerful person in the world. However, this view diminishes the characters of the series as a whole and grossly misunderstands the importance of accessible storytelling. Since its inception, the Avatar universe has defined power beyond physical ability, demonstrating how it can be strengthened through spirituality, intelligence, and creativity. That much has always been clear for the able-bodied and disabled characters alike. Before Seven Havens, the previous Avatar series, The Last Airbender and the Legend of Korra, both explored disabilities in a way that the mainstream hadn't done before, as multiple disabled characters played a key part in the story. For example: Toph Beifong, a blind earthbender, lived a double life when the cast first met her. Because of her disability, her family and peers saw her as fragile and too helpless to do anything for herself, someone in need of constant surveillance and protection. Despite how they treated her, it was revealed that her blindness gave her a unique connection to her element that allowed her to develop a 'seismic sense' where she could 'see' through the vibrations of the earth, ultimately making her one of the most powerful earthbenders in the world. FEATURED | Frase ByForbes™ Unscramble The Anagram To Reveal The Phrase Pinpoint By Linkedin Guess The Category Queens By Linkedin Crown Each Region Crossclimb By Linkedin Unlock A Trivia Ladder Teo, a boy in a wheelchair, lost the use of his legs after a devastating flood. Still, through his community, specifically his father who was a scientist, Teo was able to access areas that would often be inaccessible for wheelchairs because the people around helped clean the temple he was living in of debris so that he could explore it, and even attached a glider to his wheelchair so that he could temporarily fly around in the air. Zuko, a burn victim, was a banished prince from the Fire Nation and the main antagonist of the first season of the show. Much of the promotional art featured his face, which had a burn mark that covered a large portion of his face, partially affecting his eye and ear. Rather than hiding it, the story delved into the physical and generational trauma that resulted in the scar. Even when there was a chance to remove it permanently, he kept it, and the scar that he once viewed as a source of shame and trauma became a symbol for empathy and growth. Ming Hua, a villain from The Legend of Korra series, developed a unique style of waterbending despite having no arms. While her lack of arms was never explained, she was portrayed as a dangerous and formidable foe, requiring her to be locked away for nearly a decade without water in her immediate vicinity, a testament to how those who imprisoned her actively feared her ingenuity. Through Pavi, the new Avatar in the upcoming series Seven Havens, and her disability, Avatar can continue its path of inclusive storytelling in a way that most fantasy genres can't do without seeming insensitive or making the characters feel like they're included as representatives but still unimportant to the story. Pavi, like the many disabled characters in the Avatar universe that came before her, can serve as a reminder that inclusivity isn't harmful to good storytelling but is a key part of it. Her disability is showcased because it isn't a limitation to the narrative; it's a part of her that shouldn't be ignored, ridiculed, or treated as an obstacle for her to overcome. Instead, it's a part of her that provides opportunities to explore her creativity, spirituality, and strength, just like the characters before her. With companies like Disney, Netflix, and Amazon investing heavily in animation and the returns they earn from viewers, Avatar Studios is uniquely positioned to lead the next generation of animated storytelling, not just through action-packed fight scenes or smooth animation, but through storytelling that is inclusive and uniquely theirs. As further proof, the world-class storytelling they first engaged with back in 2005 remains both appealing and narratively essential for international partners, new and returning fans of the franchise, and anyone seeking meaning and representation.
Los Angeles Times
3 days ago
- Los Angeles Times
Malcolm-Jamal Warner carried a heavy load for Black America
There were three television characters who really mattered to me as a kid: Michael, Leroy and Theo. In elementary school, 'Good Times' was the television show that most closely resembled my family. And seeing reruns of Ralph David Carter's portrayal of a precocious young boy learning what it means to be poor, gifted and Black is what moved his Michael from fiction to family for me. By middle school, I was no longer wearing cornrows like Gene Anthony Ray, but I tried everything else to be like his character Leroy from the television show 'Fame.' For some of my classmates, the performing arts were a fun way to express themselves, and the show was inspirational. For me, it was my way out of the hood, and Leroy was the blueprint. Through the Detroit-Windsor Dance Academy, I was able to take professional dance lessons for free and ultimately earned a dance scholarship for college. But it wasn't a linear journey. Despite being gifted, I struggled academically and required summer classes to graduate from high school. That's why I connected with Theo, whose challenges in the classroom were one of the running jokes on 'The Cosby Show.' The family never gave up on him, and more importantly, he didn't stop trying. Through the jokes about his intelligence, the coming-of-age miscues (and the dyslexia diagnosis), the storylines of Theo — like those of Leroy and Michael — often reflected struggles I foolishly thought no one else was experiencing when I was growing up. It is only through distance and time are we able to see moments like those more clearly. In retrospect, the three of them were like knots I held onto on a rope I had no idea I was climbing. This is why the Black community's response to the death of Malcolm-Jamal Warner this week isn't solely rooted in nostalgia but also in gratitude. We recognize the burden he's been carrying, so that others could climb. When 'The Cosby Show' debuted in 1984, there were no other examples of a successful two-parent Black family on air. We were on television but often trauma and struggle — not love and support — were at the center of the narratives. So even though Black women had been earning law degrees since the 1800s — beginning with Charlotte E. Ray in 1872 — and Black men were becoming doctors before that, the initial response from critics was that the show's premise of a doctor-and-lawyer Black couple was not authentically Black. That narrow-minded worldview continued to hang over Hollywood despite the show's success. In 1992, after nearly 10 years of 'The Cosby Show' being No. 1 — and after the success of 'Beverly Hills Cop II' and 'Coming to America' — the Eddie Murphy-led project 'Boomerang' was panned as unrealistic because the main characters were all Black and successful. The great Murphy took on the Los Angeles Times directly in a letter for its critique on what Black excellence should look like. However, Black characters like Michael, Leroy and Theo had been taking on the media since the racist film 'The Birth of a Nation' painted all of us as threats in 1915. It could not have been easy for Warner, being the face of so much for so many at an age when a person is trying to figure out who he is. And because he was able to do so with such grace, Warner's Theo defined Blackness simply by being what the world said we were not. This sentiment is embodied in his last interview, when he answered the question of his legacy by saying: 'I will be able to leave this Earth knowing and people knowing that I was a good person.' In the end, that is ultimately what made his character, along with Leroy and Michael, so important to the Black community. It wasn't the economic circumstances or family structure of the sitcoms that they all had in common. It was their refusal to allow the ugliness of this world to tear them down. To change their hearts or turn their light into darkness. They maintained their humanity and in the process gave so many of us a foothold to keep climbing higher. YouTube: @LZGrandersonShow
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Yahoo
Seeing the ‘Smurfs' movie with my daughter took me right back to Saturday morning cartoons
The new film brought back childhood memories for the adults. Hello, Yahoo readers. I'm Suzy Byrne, and I've been covering entertainment in this space for over a decade. I'll be the first to tell you I'm no hardcore cinema buff. Since I had a child, though, I've made it a point to see as many kid-friendly movies as possible. Maybe it's because I'm a big kid ✔ and love a cheerful ending ✔. But also, as a busy working parent, is there greater joy than getting two hours to turn off your phone and put up your feet while your child is fully entertained?! So that's what this is — one entertainment reporter + her 10-year-old child + friends seeing family-friendly fare, indulging in film-themed treats and replying all to you about the experience. Welcome to Kids' Movie Club. Now playing: Sometimes my kid picks the movie we sit down to watch, like Zombies 4: Dawn of the Vampires and A Minecraft Movie. Other times, it's my inner child calling the shots — the one who grew up religiously watching The Smurfs during Saturday morning cartoons back in the day. I may groan about the sequels and remakes now playing these days, but there's a certain comfort in familiarity. The two moms I went to the theater with also felt that nostalgic pull. As I reclined my seat and dropped my hand into the greasy popcorn bowl (hey, didn't I say no butter?), I'm taken right into that world — in this case, the one where little blue creatures, three apples high, live in a colorful, hidden mushroom village and dodge villains in patched robes with feisty cats. Yes, this mostly animated, part-live-action flick is one as much for the grown-ups as the kids. Case in point: Rihanna voices Smurfette and debuts new music. That flew right over the heads of the 6-year-olds in the theater, but the adults and the Rih Navy? Very aware. There are also bleeped bad words and Smurfette talking about what happens to 'handsy' men. There are jokes about forgetting to unmute on work video calls and, for '80s kids, a cover of '80s goddess Belinda Carlisle's hit 'Heaven Is a Place on Earth.' In the PG flick, clocking in at 1 hour, 29 minutes and featuring a star-studded voice cast, the kids enjoyed the free-flowing humor throughout. Though, for the other original watchers, not from Jokey Smurf, who's apparently been retired from the crew. A character giving everyone exploding boxes lands different in 2025. There's also an uplifting message about finding your purpose, as No Name (voiced by James Corden) tries to discover what he's good at — just like Brainy, Hefty and the rest of the largely blue man crew. The plot 🎬 The story jumps, skips and detours into chaos, but here's the general idea: No Name gets magical abilities from a talking book named Jaunty (Amy Sedaris). He shows them to Papa (John Goodman) — I've found my thing! — and in doing so alerts Gargamel's even more sinister brother Razamel (both wizards voiced by JP Karliak) as to the location of the Smurfs' village. Papa Smurf gets Smurfnapped, prompting Smurfette and No Name to go on a Smurfs world tour — to France, Germany and Australia — to try and get him back. Along the way, they meet a dizzying number of new characters — Papa's brother Ken (Nick Offerman), friend Ron (Kurt Russell), the furry but fierce Snooterpoots, the Alliance of Evil Wizards and the International Neighborhood Watch Smurfs — who require an org chart to keep straight. Our viewing party 🍿 Three moms, three 10-year-old girls and my husband, who slept through a good portion of the film but somehow remembered every plot point better than the rest of us. The theater was out of blue slushies, but we survived — like true '80s latchkey kids who got themselves up, fixed their own breakfast (Smurf Berry Crunch, anyone?) and made it to school on their own. It was a cozy scene: My daughter had won Smurf plushies for the other kids in a claw machine while on vacation, so they all had those friends. (More stuffies! 🙄) One girl even brought her blanket from home. Parts that had the kids talking 👧🏻👧🏻👧🏻 Smurfette didn't have that much to do beyond being supportive, but the kids were still stans. They enjoyed learning her backstory about Gargamel making her from clay to sow discord among the Smurfs. She later had a mic-drop moment with the villains, saying just because she was created by someone bad doesn't mean she has to be: 'Who I am is up to me.' Other Smurfette highlights included when she momentarily had an orange beard, stress ate all the fries and told the baddies that they needed therapy and a hug. Sound Effects Smurf (Spencer X) got laughs — especially now that the kids are of the age where they know most curse words — beeping out words like: 'I don't know what the [bleep] I was thinking' and 'Kick [bleep] Smurf.' Razamel's eventual takedown had them howling: He was sent airborne, and his clothes flew off. Other hits: Azrael (Rachel Butera) being turned into a gryphon to help Gargamel escape the castle and the dance numbers. I mean, when isn't a dance party to Rihanna a good idea? 'Please Don't Stop the Music' — ever. Parts that had the adults talking 👩🏻👩🏻👩🏻🙎🏻♂️ The sequence with Smurfette and No Name moved through different animation styles, including Claymation and an old-school video game. It was an animator's flex. Natasha Lyonne as Mama Poot. My friend knew it was the actress from the first syllable she uttered with that distinctive voice. A portal plot point. Again. It seems like nearly every kid-friendly summer movie have one. Whether or not Gargamel was always a brother. Apparently, Razamel is new. So are the four books, including Jaunty, which maintain balance in the universe. And was there always a Smurf language, where 'smurf' was substituted for random nouns, verbs and adjectives? Yup. The moral messaging may have been laid on thick— 'There's more magic in you than you think' and 'Kindness always wins' — but I'll take the positivity. We also swapped Smurf merch memories: Who had the firefighter figurine that had a real pump? Who owned The Smurfette book? And we talked about who dared to try Smurf Berry Crunch, which we agreed was probably 70% sugar and 30% blue dye. (No wonder it had a short run.) Appropriateness 🚽 It was fine for our crew of kids, but there was some violence (villains, kidnappings, fights), a lot of name-calling (stupid, imbecile, etc.) and toilet talk ('I smurfed my pants), and the aforementioned censored curse words. Also: unnecessary cat hate. Razamel wasn't a fan of his brother's feline. Honestly, justice for Azrael. Stay for the credits? 🎞️ Yes — there's a mid-credits scene with Gargamel and his assistant Joel (Dan Levy) hinting at 'unfinished business' with the Smurfs. Trailers 🎥 They got the kids laughing before the movie even started and the sugar kicked in. The biggest hit was The Cat in the Hat (out Feb. 27), starring Bill Hader. There's a popcorn explosion, pepper spray retribution and a 'toot fart.' My crew loves a fart joke, so I might as well preorder those tickets now. Solve the daily Crossword
