Saturday Morning Watchmen
Encyclopedia
Saturday Morning Watchmen is a Newgrounds
and YouTube
viral video
published on March 5, 2009. The video parodies the Watchmen
comic book series, claiming to be a clip from a 1980s Saturday morning cartoon
based on the series. The video was animated, written, composed and sung by Harry Partridge and voiced by Partridge, Joshua Tomar, and Hans Van Harken. It pokes fun at the tendency of the campy nature of 1980s animation to sanitize superheroes and other violent themes. It features many of the mainstays of '80s cartoon films, like catchy rock themes, and references to the openings of Thundercats
, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
, Jem
, The Legend of Zelda
, and Scooby-Doo
. On the Newgrounds
site, Partridge stated the video "combines two huge passions of mine, one being the comic genius that is Alan Moore
and the other being kids' programming from the late '80s, which I would say is my biggest animation inspiration."
s. The video begins with Ozymandias calling the Watchmen to stop the "Reds" from polluting a lake. The video then introduces the various Watchmen as comrades and lovable crime fighters. The characters dance, eat pizza, and teach lessons like saying no to drugs and getting to bed on time. A rock theme song plays, and the team unites in front of a logo at the clip's end.
, Ozymandias
, Silk Spectre II, The Comedian, Doctor Manhattan, Nite Owl II, Bubastis the genetically-engineered red and black-striped lynx, and the giant alien from the comics. Concepts like Ozymandias' television room and Nite Owl's hovercraft also appear in the video. However, many of the comic's concepts appear reversed, a slight at the sanitation of '80s programming. Nite Owl, a troubled and timid man in the comics, is portrayed as a carefree leader who "loves to party down". Rorschach appears as a "nutty" character who is a "friend to the animals", and is shown petting a pair of German Shepherds, in contrast to the graphic novel, where he kills the two dogs with a meat cleaver. In addition, it depicts the Comedian as being attracted to Silk Spectre II, who is his daughter in the graphic novel. The video also changes the comic's opening scene, having Ozymandias save The Comedian from falling out of a window rather than throwing him to his death.
, artist for the Watchmen series, commented that he had seen the video and "loved it", remarking "The thing is, obviously they're having fun with it but the way it was done, you know that the person really cared about what they were doing…really knew Watchmen in detail."
Alan Moore
, writer of the series and known for expressing disdain to film adaptations of his works, told people at his Out of This World lectures this was the only Watchmen "adaptation" he enjoyed.
Newgrounds
Newgrounds is an American entertainment and social media website. Founded on July 6, 1995 by Tom Fulp, the site primarily hosts Adobe Flash animations and games, but also features a music-oriented page, along with an art portal...
and YouTube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
viral video
Viral video
A viral video is one that becomes popular through the process of Internet sharing, typically through video sharing websites, social media and email...
published on March 5, 2009. The video parodies the Watchmen
Watchmen
Watchmen is a twelve-issue comic book limited series created by writer Alan Moore, artist Dave Gibbons, and colourist John Higgins. The series was published by DC Comics during 1986 and 1987, and has been subsequently reprinted in collected form...
comic book series, claiming to be a clip from a 1980s Saturday morning cartoon
Saturday morning cartoon
A Saturday morning cartoon is the colloquial term for the animated television programming that has typically been scheduled on Saturday mornings on the major American television networks from the 1960s to the present; the genre's peak in popularity mostly ended in the 1990s while the popularity of...
based on the series. The video was animated, written, composed and sung by Harry Partridge and voiced by Partridge, Joshua Tomar, and Hans Van Harken. It pokes fun at the tendency of the campy nature of 1980s animation to sanitize superheroes and other violent themes. It features many of the mainstays of '80s cartoon films, like catchy rock themes, and references to the openings of Thundercats
ThunderCats
ThunderCats is an American animated television series that was produced by Rankin/Bass Productions debuting in 1984, based on the characters created by Tobin "Ted" Wolf. The series follows the adventures of a group of cat-like humanoid aliens...
, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1987 TV series)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is an American animated television series produced by Murakami-Wolf-Swenson. The pilot was shown during the week of December 28, 1987 in syndication as a five part miniseries and began its official run on October 1, 1988...
, Jem
Jem (TV series)
Jem, also known as Jem and the Holograms, is an American animated television series that ran from 1985 to 1988 in U.S. first-run syndication...
, The Legend of Zelda
The Legend of Zelda (TV series)
The Legend of Zelda is an American animated series based on the The Legend of Zelda video game series for the Nintendo Entertainment System. The plot follows the adventures of Link and Princess Zelda as they defend the kingdom of Hyrule from an evil wizard named Ganon...
, and Scooby-Doo
Scooby-Doo
Scooby-Doo is an American media franchise based around several animated television series and related works produced from 1969 to the present day. The original series, Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, was created for Hanna-Barbera Productions by writers Joe Ruby and Ken Spears in 1969...
. On the Newgrounds
Newgrounds
Newgrounds is an American entertainment and social media website. Founded on July 6, 1995 by Tom Fulp, the site primarily hosts Adobe Flash animations and games, but also features a music-oriented page, along with an art portal...
site, Partridge stated the video "combines two huge passions of mine, one being the comic genius that is Alan Moore
Alan Moore
Alan Oswald Moore is an English writer primarily known for his work in comic books, a medium where he has produced a number of critically acclaimed and popular series, including Watchmen, V for Vendetta, and From Hell...
and the other being kids' programming from the late '80s, which I would say is my biggest animation inspiration."
Contents
Saturday Morning Watchmen is styled after the opening sequences of 1980s Saturday morning cartoonSaturday morning cartoon
A Saturday morning cartoon is the colloquial term for the animated television programming that has typically been scheduled on Saturday mornings on the major American television networks from the 1960s to the present; the genre's peak in popularity mostly ended in the 1990s while the popularity of...
s. The video begins with Ozymandias calling the Watchmen to stop the "Reds" from polluting a lake. The video then introduces the various Watchmen as comrades and lovable crime fighters. The characters dance, eat pizza, and teach lessons like saying no to drugs and getting to bed on time. A rock theme song plays, and the team unites in front of a logo at the clip's end.
Watchmen elements
The short film claims to be a 1980s television version of Watchmen, and features RorschachRorschach (comics)
Rorschach is a fictional comic book character and antihero that was featured in the acclaimed 1986 DC Comics miniseries Watchmen...
, Ozymandias
Ozymandias (comics)
Ozymandias , is a fictional character and the main antagonist appearing in the comic book limited series Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, published by DC Comics. Named Ozymandias in the manner of Ramesses II, he is a modified version of the comic book character Thunderbolt from Charlton...
, Silk Spectre II, The Comedian, Doctor Manhattan, Nite Owl II, Bubastis the genetically-engineered red and black-striped lynx, and the giant alien from the comics. Concepts like Ozymandias' television room and Nite Owl's hovercraft also appear in the video. However, many of the comic's concepts appear reversed, a slight at the sanitation of '80s programming. Nite Owl, a troubled and timid man in the comics, is portrayed as a carefree leader who "loves to party down". Rorschach appears as a "nutty" character who is a "friend to the animals", and is shown petting a pair of German Shepherds, in contrast to the graphic novel, where he kills the two dogs with a meat cleaver. In addition, it depicts the Comedian as being attracted to Silk Spectre II, who is his daughter in the graphic novel. The video also changes the comic's opening scene, having Ozymandias save The Comedian from falling out of a window rather than throwing him to his death.
1980s cartoon elements
The video features numerous elements of '80s Saturday morning cartoons, including an opening rock theme song and a sanitation of dark themes and characters. It also mocks the commercial nature that led cartoons to contain cheap animation and play off the popularity of established work.Reception
Dave GibbonsDave Gibbons
Dave Gibbons is an English comic book artist, writer and sometime letterer. He is best known for his collaborations with writer Alan Moore, which include the miniseries Watchmen and the Superman story "For the Man Who Has Everything"...
, artist for the Watchmen series, commented that he had seen the video and "loved it", remarking "The thing is, obviously they're having fun with it but the way it was done, you know that the person really cared about what they were doing…really knew Watchmen in detail."
Alan Moore
Alan Moore
Alan Oswald Moore is an English writer primarily known for his work in comic books, a medium where he has produced a number of critically acclaimed and popular series, including Watchmen, V for Vendetta, and From Hell...
, writer of the series and known for expressing disdain to film adaptations of his works, told people at his Out of This World lectures this was the only Watchmen "adaptation" he enjoyed.
See also
- "Husbands and KnivesHusbands and Knives"Husbands and Knives" is the seventh episode of The Simpsons nineteenth season, and was first broadcast on November 18, 2007. It features guest appearances from Alan Moore, Art Spiegelman and Dan Clowes as themselves as well as Jack Black as Milo. It was written by Matt Selman and directed by Nancy...
", an episode of The SimpsonsThe SimpsonsThe Simpsons is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical parody of a middle class American lifestyle epitomized by its family of the same name, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie...
featuring a similar fictional cartoon called Watchmen Babies in V for VacationV for VendettaV for Vendetta is a ten-issue comic book series written by Alan Moore and illustrated mostly by David Lloyd, set in a dystopian future United Kingdom imagined from the 1980s to about the 1990s. A mysterious masked revolutionary who calls himself "V" works to destroy the totalitarian government,...
.