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| Online Cartoons | | By Tracey Kennnedy for Screenager Central |
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Sometimes what you really need is a good laugh-- a knee-slappin' ha-ha when you have heaps of homework, a serious snicker when you need a stress bustin' study break, a fierce funny when you want to forget the major fight you just had with a friend. Get ready to surf with a smile. Here are some great ways to laugh out loud (and online). |
When you click onto Cartoon Network's site, you'll find all the cable channel's staple characters alive and well in cyberspace: Courage the Cowardly Dog, Johnny Bravo, the Powerpuff Girls, and more. View video clips, watch Web shows, and see snippets of shows both new and old. There's even a link to Looney Tunes, so you can see classic Bugs Bunny and the gang. Be sure to check out what Dee Dee and Dexter might look like as 1960s Japanese animation. For comic relief that's sure to please, don't miss the shorts featuring Wendell & Wuggums, especially "Game Over" (Wendell becomes digitized in his video game and his furry best friend saves him and scores big.)
Who's been crowned the coolest cartoonist? (Hint: the same computer animation group that dethroned Disney, then partnered with them, then told them to Buzz off.) (Hint, Hint: Their first big claim to fame came with Woody and Buzz Lightyear.) We're talking, of course, of Pixar! Head on over to The Pixar Website for your fix of Toy Story, A Bug's Life, Monsters, Inc., and Finding Nemo. You can also get a sneak peek at upcoming short and feature films--you don't have to wait for the theater release, you can find out now what all the insider talk is about for The Incredibles (opening November '04) and Cars (sometime in 2005). Pixar, famous for its bouncing '60s-era Luxor lamp logo, also offers seven great shorts for your viewing pleasure.
Do you want a cartoon that cares? How about an earth-friendly toon that's good for a giggle and for the globe? "It's a Jungle Out There" are "cartoonlets" that help Mother Earth and the animal kingdom through green-friendly, world witty, animal amusement. There's the self-depreciating Peep the bird, his sizeable sidekick Simon the Hippo (who also plays straight mammal to Peep), Suzanne the Crystal Goddess cuckoo bird, and Silly Billy the Zebra. Don't worry, you won't find lectures, only laughs and links to environmental causes.
We saved the coolest, cleverest cartoon for last. Hip animation, wonderfully wacky characters, great dialogue, truly bizarre situation -- it can only be everybody's Internet favorite Homestar Runner. From the email link that brings up floating letters and a post box, to Homestar's introduction of the site, animated like a video recording, complete with clapperboard and director voice-over, it's all wild and wacky fun. If we had to pick a few faves, we'd definitely choose Strong Bad reading his email (a must watch!), the Hairstyle Runner game (like the '70s magnetic board where you move the metal shavings onto a man's face and head to design his new hairstyles for him) and "The System is Down" short. We could go on and on. Check it out. If you're not already a fan, you likely will be soon.
These sites are perfect for letting off steam, de-stressing and just plain goofing off, whether it's for two minutes or two hours. So when you need to tune out, tune into these cool online toons.
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