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== Plot ==
== Plot ==
In Corey's room, an unseen person steals her piggy bank off her dresser. The theft is witnessed by [[Papa Smurf]], who emerges from a [[Smurfs]] comic book with the other Smurfs and alerts the other cartoon characters in the room ([[ALF: The Animated Series|Alf]] from a framed picture, [[Garfield (character)|Garfield]] from a lamp, [[Alvin and the Chipmunks]] from a [[record sleeve]], [[Winnie-the-Pooh|Winnie the Pooh]] from a stuffed animal, [[Kermit the Frog|Baby Kermit]] from an alarm clock, and [[Slimer]] who passes through a wall).
In Corey's room, an unseen person steals Corey's piggy bank off her dresser. The theft is witnessed by [[Papa Smurf]], who emerges from a [[Smurfs]] comic book with the other Smurfs and he alerts the other cartoon characters in the room ([[ALF: The Animated Series|Alf]] from a picture, [[Garfield (character)|Garfield]] as a lamp, [[Alvin and the Chipmunks]] from a [[record sleeve]], [[Winnie-the-Pooh|Winnie the Pooh]] as a stuffed animal, [[Kermit the Frog|Baby Kermit]] as an alarm clock, and [[Slimer]] who passes through the wall).


Alf, Garfield, Alvin, Simon, and Theodore track down the thief and discover that it is Michael, Corey's brother. Alvin opens a box under his bed and Simon identifies its contents as [[marijuana]]. Meanwhile, Corey expresses her concerns about his change in behavior, causing him to storm out of the house. The cartoon characters realize that something must be done about his addiction and they set off after him, leaving Pooh behind to look after Corey.
Alf, Garfield, Alvin, Simon, and Theodore track down the thief and they discover that it Michael, Corey's brother. Alvin open the box under the bed and Simon identifies its contents as [[marijuana]]. Meanwhile, Corey expresses her concerns about his change in behavior, causing him and he storm out of the house. The cartoon characters realize that something must be done about his addiction and they set off after him, leaving Pooh behind to look after Corey.


At the arcade, Michael smokes pot with his old "friends" and "Smoke", an [[anthropomorphic]] cloud of smoke, who try to convince him to try harder drugs. They run out and are chased into an alley by a police officer, who is revealed to be [[Bugs Bunny]] wearing a police officer's hat. He traps Smoke in a garbage can and uses a time machine to see when and how Michael's addiction started. It turns out that it did so through peer pressure by some older high school kids. After he has returned to the present, he meets up with his "friends" and they decide they want to do some crack. He is hesitant until one of them steals his wallet. He and Smoke chase after her, until they fall down a manhole and meet up with [[Michelangelo (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)|Michelangelo]], who tells them that the drugs are messing up his brain. Baby Kermit, [[Miss Piggy|Baby Miss Piggy]], and [[Gonzo (Muppet)|Baby Gonzo]] take him on a tour of the human brain. There, [[Huey, Dewey, and Louie]], and [[Tigger]] join the rest of the cartoon characters in trying to teach him the many "Wonderful Ways to Say No".
At the arcade, Michael smokes pot with his old "friends" and "Smoke", an [[anthropomorphic]] cloud of smoke, who try to convince him to try harder drugs. They run out and are chased into an alley by a police officer, who is revealed to be [[Bugs Bunny]] wearing a police officer's hat. He traps Smoke in a garbage can and uses a time machine to see when and how Michael's addiction started. It turns out that it did so through peer pressure by some older high school kids. After he has returned to the present, he meets up with his "friends" and they decide they want to do some crack. He is hesitant until one of them steals his wallet. He and Smoke chase after her, until they fall down a sewers hole and meet up with [[Michelangelo (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)|Michelangelo]], who tells them that the drugs are messing up his brain. Baby Kermit, [[Miss Piggy|Baby Miss Piggy]], and [[Gonzo (Muppet)|Baby Gonzo]] take him on a tour of the human brain. There, [[Huey, Dewey, and Louie]], and [[Tigger]] join the rest of the cartoon characters in trying to teach him the many "Wonderful Ways to Say No".


Michael wakes up in his room, believing the whole thing to be nothing but a nightmare. Corey walks in and tries to talk to him, but he loses his temper and angrily yells at her, nearly breaking her arm and hurling her to a wall. He comes to his senses and tries to apologize to her, but she runs out frightened. Smoke appears and tells him he did the right thing, but he is not sure. Saddened, he looks at himself in a small mirror and is shocked to see Alf looking at him. Alf grabs him and pulls him into the mirror. Inside a [[House of mirrors|hall of mirrors]], Alf shows him his reflection of how he is today, then the one if he does not stop taking drugs: an aged, corpse-like version of himself. When he insists that he could quit if he wants to and that he is in charge of his own life, Alf takes him to see the "man in charge". He is horrified to see that it is Smoke.
Michael wakes up in his room, believing the whole thing to be nothing but a nightmare. Then Corey walks in his room and she tries to talk to him, but he loses his temper and angrily yells at her, nearly breaking her arm and against her to the wall. He comes to his senses and tries to apologize to her, but she runs out of his room frightened. Smoke appears and tells him he did the right thing, but he is not sure. About this he looks at himself in a small mirror and is shocked to see Alf looking at him. Alf grabs him and pulls him into the mirror. Inside a [[House of mirrors|hall of mirrors]], Alf shows him his reflection of how he is today, then the one if he does not stop taking drugs: an aged, corpse-like version of himself. When he insists that he could quit if he wants to and that he is in charge of his own life, Alf takes him to see the "man in charge". He is horrified to see that it is Smoke.


Corey and Pooh go back into Michael's room and find his box of marijuana. Smoke appears, throws Pooh into a cabinet, and starts tempting Corey into trying it. She believes that if she does so, then maybe she and Michael could have fun together like they used to before he started doing drugs.
Corey and Pooh go back into Michael's room and find his box of marijuana. Smoke appears, and he throws Pooh into a clothed and starts tempting Corey into trying it. She believes that if she does so, then maybe she and Michael could have fun together like they used to before he started doing drugs.


Meanwhile, the drug-induced carnival in Michael's mind leads him to [[Daffy Duck]] who reads his future in his [[crystal ball]] - after failing to read it from a bowling ball - and it is a sicklier version of himself than before. After one last warning from the cartoon characters, he, now ashamed of himself and his drug addiction, comes back into his room just in time to stop Corey from using the drugs herself. He tells her that he never wants to see her end up like him, and admits he was wrong for using them in the first place, though he is unsure if he can change despite his obvious desire to do so. She advises him to talk about his problems with her and their parents. Smoke tries to persuade him otherwise, but he grabs him and throws him out the window, as he feels that he has "listened to {him} long enough". After falling in a garbage truck, Smoke vows to return, but all of the cartoon characters appear on a poster on Michael's wall as a reminder to always say no when confronted by drugs. He releases Pooh from the cabinet and smiles down at Corey as they go talk to their parents about his drug addiction.
Meanwhile, the drug-induced carnival in Michael's mind leads him to [[Daffy Duck]] who reads his future in his [[crystal ball]] - after failing to read it from a bowling ball - and it is a sicklier version of himself than before. After one last warning from the cartoon characters, he, now ashamed of himself and his drug addiction, he comes back into his room in time to stop Corey from using the drugs herself. He tells her that he never wants to see her end up like him, and admits he was wrong for using them in the first place, though he is unsure if he can change despite his obvious desire to do so. She advises him to talk about his problems with her and their parents. Smoke tries to persuade him otherwise, but he grabs him and throws him out the window, as he feels that he has "listened to {him} long enough". After falling in a garbage truck, Smoke vows to return, but all of the cartoon characters appear on a poster on Michael's wall as a reminder to always say no when confronted by drugs. He releases Pooh from the cabinet and smiles down at Corey as they go talk to their parents about his drug addiction.


== Characters ==
== Characters ==

Revision as of 17:41, 6 June 2023

Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue
Promotional poster
GenreSocial guidance film
Written byDuane Poole
Tom Swale
Directed byMilton Gray
Marsh Lamore
Bob Shellhorn
Mike Svayko
Karen Peterson (supervising)
Voices of
Music byRichard Kosinski
Sam Winans
Paul Buckmaster
Bill Reichenbach
Bob Mann
Guy Moon
Alan Menken
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Executive producerRoy E. Disney
ProducerBuzz Potamkin
EditorJay Bixsen
Running time32 min.
Production companiesMain:
The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation
Southern Star Productions
Original release
NetworkABC
NBC
Fox
CBS
USA Network
Syndication
Release
  • April 21, 1990 (1990-04-21)

Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue is a 1990 American animated television film starring many characters from several animated television series at the time of its release.[1] Financed by McDonald's, Ronald McDonald Children's Charities, it was originally simulcast for a limited time on April 21, 1990, on all four major American television networks (by supporting their Saturday morning characters): ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox, and most independent stations, as well as various cable networks.[2][3] McDonald's released a VHS home video edition of the special distributed by Buena Vista Home Video, which opened with an introduction from President George H. W. Bush, First Lady Barbara Bush and their dog, Millie. It was produced by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Foundation and Southern Star Productions, and was animated overseas by Wang Film Productions. The musical number "Wonderful Ways to Say No" was written by Academy Award-winning composer, Alan Menken and lyricist Howard Ashman, who also wrote the songs for Disney's The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin.

The plot chronicles the exploits of Michael, a young teenage boy who is using marijuana as well as stealing and drinking alcohol. His younger sister, Corey, is worried about him because he started acting differently which becomes a concern for their parents (who are also starting to notice his changes). When Corey's piggy bank goes missing one morning, her cartoon toys come to life to help her find it. After discovering it in Michael's room along with his stash of drugs, they proceed to work together to do an intervention and take him on a fantasy journey to teach him the risks and consequences a life of drug abuse can bring.

Plot

In Corey's room, an unseen person steals Corey's piggy bank off her dresser. The theft is witnessed by Papa Smurf, who emerges from a Smurfs comic book with the other Smurfs and he alerts the other cartoon characters in the room (Alf from a picture, Garfield as a lamp, Alvin and the Chipmunks from a record sleeve, Winnie the Pooh as a stuffed animal, Baby Kermit as an alarm clock, and Slimer who passes through the wall).

Alf, Garfield, Alvin, Simon, and Theodore track down the thief and they discover that it Michael, Corey's brother. Alvin open the box under the bed and Simon identifies its contents as marijuana. Meanwhile, Corey expresses her concerns about his change in behavior, causing him and he storm out of the house. The cartoon characters realize that something must be done about his addiction and they set off after him, leaving Pooh behind to look after Corey.

At the arcade, Michael smokes pot with his old "friends" and "Smoke", an anthropomorphic cloud of smoke, who try to convince him to try harder drugs. They run out and are chased into an alley by a police officer, who is revealed to be Bugs Bunny wearing a police officer's hat. He traps Smoke in a garbage can and uses a time machine to see when and how Michael's addiction started. It turns out that it did so through peer pressure by some older high school kids. After he has returned to the present, he meets up with his "friends" and they decide they want to do some crack. He is hesitant until one of them steals his wallet. He and Smoke chase after her, until they fall down a sewers hole and meet up with Michelangelo, who tells them that the drugs are messing up his brain. Baby Kermit, Baby Miss Piggy, and Baby Gonzo take him on a tour of the human brain. There, Huey, Dewey, and Louie, and Tigger join the rest of the cartoon characters in trying to teach him the many "Wonderful Ways to Say No".

Michael wakes up in his room, believing the whole thing to be nothing but a nightmare. Then Corey walks in his room and she tries to talk to him, but he loses his temper and angrily yells at her, nearly breaking her arm and against her to the wall. He comes to his senses and tries to apologize to her, but she runs out of his room frightened. Smoke appears and tells him he did the right thing, but he is not sure. About this he looks at himself in a small mirror and is shocked to see Alf looking at him. Alf grabs him and pulls him into the mirror. Inside a hall of mirrors, Alf shows him his reflection of how he is today, then the one if he does not stop taking drugs: an aged, corpse-like version of himself. When he insists that he could quit if he wants to and that he is in charge of his own life, Alf takes him to see the "man in charge". He is horrified to see that it is Smoke.

Corey and Pooh go back into Michael's room and find his box of marijuana. Smoke appears, and he throws Pooh into a clothed and starts tempting Corey into trying it. She believes that if she does so, then maybe she and Michael could have fun together like they used to before he started doing drugs.

Meanwhile, the drug-induced carnival in Michael's mind leads him to Daffy Duck who reads his future in his crystal ball - after failing to read it from a bowling ball - and it is a sicklier version of himself than before. After one last warning from the cartoon characters, he, now ashamed of himself and his drug addiction, he comes back into his room in time to stop Corey from using the drugs herself. He tells her that he never wants to see her end up like him, and admits he was wrong for using them in the first place, though he is unsure if he can change despite his obvious desire to do so. She advises him to talk about his problems with her and their parents. Smoke tries to persuade him otherwise, but he grabs him and throws him out the window, as he feels that he has "listened to {him} long enough". After falling in a garbage truck, Smoke vows to return, but all of the cartoon characters appear on a poster on Michael's wall as a reminder to always say no when confronted by drugs. He releases Pooh from the cabinet and smiles down at Corey as they go talk to their parents about his drug addiction.

Characters

The characters, from 10 different franchises, are:

Voice cast

The various character owners licensed them freely due to the public service aspect of the special.[4][5]

The special marked the first time the characters Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck were voiced by someone other than Mel Blanc, who had died shortly before the production,[6] prompting Warner Bros. to enlist Jeff Bergman in his place.[7]

Broadcast

ABC George H. W. and Barbara Bush anti-drug message promo
7 Network Bob and Hazel Hawke anti-drug message promo

The special was screened in Australia in November 1990. Like the U.S. broadcast, it aired simultaneously on Australia's major commercial networks (Seven Network, Nine Network, and Network Ten). Prime Minister Bob Hawke introduced the Australian screening.[8] It was screened in New Zealand in December on both TV One and Channel 2 simultaneously. Prime Minister Jim Bolger introduced it instead of the U.S. president. It was screened in Canada on the CBC, CTV, and Global Television Networks and most independent stations shortly after its original U.S. broadcast, although all of the characters had their respective shows aired on either CTV or Global but not CBC. Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney introduced it. The special was broadcast in Brazil in 1994, as Rede Manchete made Portuguese Brazilian dubbing in Herbert Richers Dubbing Studios.

In the United States, all superstations and a handful of independent stations (mainly in selected cities) aired the special, but some stations aired the special at a different period during the week the special aired on the Big Four stations and a number of cable networks. Superstations WPIX in New York City, WGN-TV in Chicago, KTLA in Los Angeles, KTVT in Dallas, WKBD-TV in Detroit, KHTV in Houston, WVTV in Milwaukee, KSTW in Tacoma/Seattle, and KWGN in Denver premiered the special at the same time the big four networks and cable systems premiered, with St. Louis' KPLR-TV premiered the special two hours later after its television premiere. New York's WWOR-TV and Boston's WSBK-TV would later premiere the special the following morning on April 22.

Broadcasters and introductory speakers
Country Broadcaster(s) Introductory speaker(s)
 United States ABC, CBS, NBC, FOX, Univision, Telemundo, Syndication, PBS (select participating stations), USA Network, Nickelodeon, MTV, Disney Channel, Lifetime, TBS SuperStation, TNT, BET, American Forces Network President George H. W. Bush and First Lady Barbara Bush
 Australia Seven Network, Nine Network, Network Ten Prime Minister Bob Hawke and Spouse Hazel Hawke
 Brazil Rede Manchete President Fernando Collor de Mello
 Canada CBC, CTV, Global, Radio-Canada, TVA, TQS, Canadian syndication, Le Canal Famille, Super Écran, Radio-Québec Prime Minister Brian Mulroney
 Chile Canal 13, Chilevisión, La Red, Megavisión, TVN, UCV Televisión, other regional channels including Telenorte First Lady Marta Larraechea
 Germany ARD, ZDF, RTL plus, Sat.1, ProSieben, NDR, SDR, Hessen Vice-Chancellor Hans-Dietrich Genscher[a]
 Israel Arutz HaYeladim President Chaim Herzog
 Italy Rai Uno, Rai Due, Italia 1, Canale 5, Telemontecarlo Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti
 Japan NHK, ANN (TV Asahi), FNN/FNS (Fuji TV and other affiliates), JNN (TBS), NNN/NNS (NTV and other affiliates), TXN (TV Tokyo), JAITS Emperor Akihito
 Mexico Canal de las Estrellas, Canal 5, Canal 9, other independent stations President Carlos Salinas de Gortari
 New Zealand TV One, Channel 2 Prime Minister Jim Bolger
 Poland TVP Minister of the Interior and Administration Krzysztof Kozłowski
 Spain TVE 1, TVE Internacional, Antena 3, Canal Sur, Telemadrid, TVG, ETB 2, Canal 9, Tele 5, Canal+, Galavisión (the Latin American dub was broadcast there) Queen Sofía of Spain
 Sweden TV4 Prime Minister Carl Bildt
 United Kingdom BBC, ITV, Channel 4, S4C Queen Elizabeth II

Reception

The production has been considered a time capsule of animation history during the time period of the US war on drugs,[9] and has been ridiculed as “propaganda”[10] and “preachy”.[11]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Genscher introduced the film during its broadcast on ZDF. In other German releases of the film, it was introduced by the former President of the Bundestag Annemarie Renger, who also served as the Chairwoman of the Supervisory Board of McDonald’s Kinderhilfe, the German division of Ronald McDonald Children's Charities.

References

  1. ^ "Cartoon special: Congressmen treated to preview of program to air on network, independent and cable outlets". Los Angeles Times. April 19, 1990. Retrieved August 24, 2010.
  2. ^ Bernstein, Sharon (April 20, 1990). "Children's TV: On Saturday, networks will simulcast 'Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue,' an animated feature on drug abuse". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 24, 2010.
  3. ^ "Hollywood and Networks Fight Drugs With Cartoon". The New York Times. April 21, 1990. Retrieved August 29, 2010.
  4. ^ Bernstein, Sharon (April 20, 1990). "That's Not All, Folks—Cartoons Join Drug War: Children's TV: On Saturday, networks will simulcast 'Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue', an animated feature on drug abuse". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 22, 2011.
  5. ^ Gerstenzang, James; Decker, Cathleen (March 3, 1990). "Bush Praises TV for Enlisting Cartoon Heroes in War on Drugs President's visit: He brings his anti-drug message to Southland entertainment executives and schoolchildren". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 22, 2011.
  6. ^ Flint, Peter B. (July 11, 1989). "Mel Blanc, Who Provided Voices For 3,000 Cartoons, Is Dead at 81". The New York Times. Retrieved June 26, 2008. Mel Blanc, the versatile, multi-voiced actor who breathed life into such cartoon characters as Bugs Bunny, Woody Woodpecker, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Tweety Pie, Sylvester and the Road Runner, died of heart disease and emphysema yesterday at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. He was 81 years old.
  7. ^ "Jeff Bergman". behind the voice actors. Retrieved 6 June 2014.
  8. ^ Toons join the drug war! TV Week, November 3, 1990
  9. ^ "The Movie Where Garfield, Bugs Bunny, the Smurfs, and a Ninja Turtle Team up to Fight the Ultimate Menace". 2 March 2023.
  10. ^ "Recover from Your 4/20 Hangover by Rewatching 'Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue'". 21 April 2016.
  11. ^ "America's Stoned Kids: Guinea pigs of cannabis legalisation | Television | the Guardian".
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