TVSquad

When I heard Speed Racer was coming to Nicktoons, I figured it was the original cartoon, but no such luck. Instead, a newer version is being created to (not) coincide with the upcoming live-action film version from the Wachowski brothers (The Matrix), although having both debuting around the same time will definitely result in the kind of synergy studios crave.

The new Speed Racer 'toon is being produced through Lionsgate and Animation Collective, the studio behind Kappa Mikey, an anime-inspired comedy that also airs on Nicktoons.

Pirates, it seems, are still cool. At least, nautical-themed cartoons still seem to be all the rage. There's SpongeBob SquarePants, of course, and the upcoming The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack on Cartoon Network, which actually looks like it could be pretty good.

For the longest time ninjas were the cool thing, then it was pirates, and now I wonder who will be the next group to tickle our collective brain. I'm guessing either leprechauns or vikings, but I digress. Let's get back to pirates:

Those Scurvy Rascals is a British series consisting of 26 three and a half minute episodes that focus on a trio of pirates who steal pants rather than silver and gold. The show's Web site has some clips, which are just variations of the opening theme, but the goofy premise and the pirate theme should attract a young audience. Look for the shorts on Nicktoons this spring. Arrr.

Nicktoons recently acquired Planet Sketch, an animated children's series from Decode and Aardman Animation that has already proved wildly popular outside the United States. The computer-animated series includes a cast of odd characters, including a "tough" group called "The Rappers" who secretly love playing playground games; two farting horses known as the "Parping Ponies;" and the Gnaughty Gnomes, little creatures who like to gross people out. I did a quick search on YouTube but could only find what appeared to be a clip of the German version of the series, a clip that was actually just someone taping an actual television set. Nevertheless, given Aardman's success in the past with such productions as Wallace and Gromit and Flushed Away, this could be a very cool addition to the Nicktoons line-up. The series will debut sometime this spring.

UPDATE: Clips can be found here. Many thanks to e-nick.

Tom Kenny... Ever seen him? Maybe not. Ever heard him? Probably. This guy isn't really a familiar face, but he's definitely a familiar voice, most notably as Spongebob Squarepants, the little sponge who lives in a pineapple under the sea. Some of you that were born before 1990 and lean more toward the less-animated comedies might know him as a guy from Mr. Show with Bob and David (Tom was neither Bob nor David).

I suppose I'm a bit too old for this to be on my radar, but I only recently learned of the popular Edgar and Ellen series of children's books by Charles Ogden. They apparently focus on a brother and sister who live in the quiet town of Nod's Limb where they lead a macabre, Addams Family-esque existence. The twins have also been animated for a series of shorts on the Nicktoon Network, and you can check out two of them here and here. A feature film based on the books is also in development.

[via Cold Hard Flash]