Classic Looney Tunes mouse Speedy Gonzales will soon be headed to theater near you. Will the movie be a CGI/live-action combo in the mold of Scooby-Doo, Garfield, and Alvin and the Chipmunks? Oh yes it will. Comedian/talk show host George Lopez is slated to do the voice of Speedy, and the premise will be updated for a modern audience.
Assuring that this new version won't feature "the racist Speedy," co-producer Ann Lopez had this to say to The Hollywood Reporter:
"Speedy's going to be a misunderstood boy who comes from a family that works in a very meticulous setting, and he's a little too fast for what they do."
Speedy has faced criticism over the years for what some consider to be a stereotypical and offensive portrayal of Mexicans. In fact, in 1999 the Warner Bros.-owned Cartoon Network stopped airing Looney Tunes featuring Speedy. In a 2002 interview with Fox News, a spokesperson for Cartoon Network commented,
"It hasn't been on the air for years because of its ethnic stereotypes. We have such a huge library, I think we intend to go with popular shows that aren't going to upset people. We're not about pushing the boundary. We're not HBO."
In that same interview, the spokesperson admitted that in Cartoon Network Latin America Speedy Gonzales was "hugely popular." And in 2009 the same spokesperson said regarding Speedy's immanent return to the network: "With the sudden interest in the show, we decided to rotate it in and see how it does." Of course, this was now the network which was home to The Venture Bros., Family Guy, and Robot Chicken – so perhaps their vigilance against "pushing boundaries" had loosened.
Though the initial Speedy cartoons were entertaining enough – with the self-titled 1955 cartoon short winning the Academy Award – I've always related them not so much with racism as with the end of the golden age of the Warner Bros cartoon shorts. By the 1960s, the animation studio leaned heavily on the poorly-matched duos of Speedy/Daffy & Speedy/Sylvester, as well as Road Runner cartoons. Sometimes, to be really creative, they'd mix Speedy with Road Runner, or have Speedy/Daffy/Sylvester/Road Runner in the same cartoon. The production values on many of these cartoons had rapidly fallen since the heyday of Chuck Jones, and it really shows:Note the awkward, stilted way Daffy Duck walks and talks, the corny special effects, and terrible background music. But this was an era in which TV cartoons – with their limited budgets – had become the dominant medium, so I guess it makes sense. These newer Warner Bros. cartoons were tailor-made for TV, not the movie theaters.
The point is, in the 1960s it was Speedy Gonzales – and not Bugs Bunny – who was the Warner Bros. star character. Speedy's dominance of the Looney Tunes slate pointed to his massive popularity. So who am I to second-guess the WB's decision in 2010 to make a major motion picture out of the character?
But in the battle over whether Speedy is racist, or the victim of overly-zealous political-correctness, I'm not sure what message this new movie is trying to send. By vocally making it clear that the movie will not feature "the racist Speedy," the film's producers are separating the character out from his classic cartoon roots. That's fine, but does that separation potentially alienate Speedy's fanbase, which apparently includes many viewers from Mexico? Is this reboot a validation of the enduring popularity of the character, or a condemnation of the character as it was originally conceived? Or is there a way to strike a balance?
Do you think Speedy Gonzales is racist, or is it all much ado about nothing? And what do you think of the character's new direction?
What a pile of crap...
ReplyDeleteIf Speedy were racist, he'd be slower than everyone else not blindingly fast. After all, it is the "lazy/sleepy Mexican" stereotype we're talking about. WB needs to man up and give fans the real Speedy if they're going to do a film. Not some PR sanitized non-Speedy in name only.
As a kid, I admired Speedy as a character. He was fast, clever, resourceful, cool, noble and he dated EVERYBODY'S sister.
ReplyDeleteOf course, all of his Mexican mouse pals were usually lazy and stupid stereotypes and as I got older, they began to bother me more and more. They didn't seem to do much of anything but lie around and comment on the action in lazy drawling accents. My guess-- and I'm probably wrong-- is they're the main reason these cartoons offend, rather than Speedy himself.
However, the crappy animation and the almost non sequitor pairing of Speedy with Daffy Duck as his antagonist were what really irked me the most. These cartoons were almost always dreadful. Your critique of their production values is a direct hit.
And... you know... racist stereotypes populating the supporting cast certainly don't help.
Speedy is about as insulting to Latin America as Bugs Bunny is insulting to Brooklyn wiseguys - which is, to say, that they're both cartoons and not to be taken seriously, except for either a.) folks who are stupid and ignorant, and who equate entire groups of people with cartoon characters, or b.) folks whose job it is to be offended by things and then try to create a media circus around their own cause, such as the PTC, or the former governor of Alaska.
ReplyDeleteFor that matter, the gags are what really the focal point and, generally, made most of the cartoons, as opposed to the hero of said toon (at least for me). That's why my favorites were the original Chuck Jones Road Runner bits, as they were, for the most part, silent, physical gags, and were, in their own way, unique.
I think it's telling when the population we're worried about offending isn't offended at all. Honestly, I think a "racist Speedy" movie in the same vein as the original cartoons would fail to stir up as much controversy as, say, Harry Potter or The Simpsons ever has.
ReplyDeleteForgive me for saying this, but stereotypes exist for a reason. But should I be offended when a movie depicts a boy reading a comic book, because the stereotype is that only boys read comic books? Stereotypes aren't inherently offensive; it's how stereotypes are handled that makes the difference.
I've always felt that this whole "let's make everything PC" movement fails to get at the root of the problem, which is that we, as a culture, don't understand other demographics well enough to know what is and is not offensive, and that even when we do, we're not creative or clever enough to bring up the subject at all without offending everyone.
I'm not suggesting this new Speedy movie should be tactfully racist, but I'm guessing that a Speedy Gonzales show that completely abandons its arguably controversial roots will be about as effective as a production of West Side Story that removes all racial tension and doesn't involve anybody getting hurt.
"Speedy is about as insulting to Latin America as Bugs Bunny is insulting to Brooklyn wiseguys..."
ReplyDelete"I think it's telling when the population we're worried about offending isn't offended at all."
That pretty much sums it up right there. I've never known anyone in my family, or at any of the schools I went to that took issue with Speedy.
What I take the most issue with is that George Lopez is involved. That man's ability to continue having a career is to me, one of the most terrible things in the pop culture world of today. Dude is straight up one of the biggest Uncle Tom's going on.
"What I take the most issue with is that George Lopez is involved."
ReplyDeleteYeah, that was pretty much the nail in the coffin for this project a far as I'm concerned.
Also, remember how those old Looney Tunes cartoons (the good stuff, not the later crap right before they closed down) were funny on both an adult & child level? Like, as a child I could watch "Duck Amuck" and it was funny-awesome, and then as an adult it was still funny-awesome?
ReplyDeleteTHAT'S the problem I have with many of these CGI reboots like Scooby, Garfield, etc. As an adult, I do not find them remotely funny. Unlike classic Looney Tunes, Muppets, etc they just don't work on those two levels.
Hell, I still laugh at "Sports Goofy" as an adult.
Hell, I still find SESAME STREET funny as an adult.
ReplyDeleteWhat about his cousin Slow-poke Rodriguez? That would fit with more standard Mexican stereotypes.
ReplyDeleteFurther, maybe they haven't since the 90's but late night Cartoon Network (prior to Adult Swim taking over every night) used to show old WWII cartoons with Japanese stereotypes and I also saw one set in Mexico where there were these three lazy Mexican guys, one with flies following him around. It was amazing.
ReplyDeleteThey also used to show the scenes where the characters speak in minstrel black voices after being blackened by an explosion.
Of course, the suicides and people getting shot point blank in the face are the parts I have missed the most.
I sincerely hope, and you did not say this explicitly in your response post, you don't find old Scooby Doo cartoons entertaining as an adult. I lump that show in with Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, Welcome Back Kotter and other shows that make me wonder "I started watching these shows between 5 and 7 - who were all the fucking adult morons watching these shows? They were all terrible in retrospect"
ReplyDelete"I sincerely hope, and you did not say this explicitly in your response post, you don't find old Scooby Doo cartoons entertaining as an adult."
ReplyDeleteAh, you got me there. It is true: I find a lot of those old Hanna Barbara cartoons unfunny/not entertaining today. Scooby-Doo is pretty unwatchable. Ditto for most of the TV shows you cited, though Happy Days at least made it a point to regularly tackle difficult issues way before other shows of its ilk did.
As latinamerican myself I never found Speedy offensive. Neither any of my friends. It's weird how yankees think about the people of other countries.
ReplyDeleteI don't think this is about PC, this is about bad writing. It's very difficult to transfer the spirit of the short cartons into a movie. So they don't. They use a well-tried story, some kinda modern looking CGIs and hope that the fans will buy the merchandise. And by lowering the expectations they avoid a hype backslash.
ReplyDeleteMy mother is from Guatemala and she's always thought Speedy was funny. She also liked the Taco Bell chihuahua that you don't see anymore.
ReplyDeleteI knew as a kid it was racist to view all Mexican mice as lazy but when they had to draw straws to see who would go after the cheese and then celebrate the 'winner' with chants of "Good for you Jose. He is lucky fellow" while someone else says, "We'll hold your sombrero for you, won't we Manuel?" I laughed my ass off everytime. It is still a funny bit that even Mexicans would laugh at today. I just hope Speedy doesn't loose his edge and end up fighting against Lou Dobbs or something stupid like that. And remind me, isn't Speedy the 'victor' in every cartoon. He always gets the cheese and escapes every trap?
ReplyDelete