It’s despicable! In a strange and twisted attempt to gain a newer and younger audience, and cash in on some solid gold goodies, Warner Brothers has created Loonatics. If you haven’t seen or heard of this yet, take a moment and Google it (Although, be forewarned, it is not for the squeamish or faint of heart).

This “updated” version of the classic Looney Toons characters is set 700 years in the future with the heroes being descendants of the original Bugs Bunny and gang favorites. But now our lovable Bugs looks like some mutated rabid creature that crawled out from under the pages of a Stephen King novel. He’s dark and scary and has teeth that could easily chomp through your arms, let alone carrots. What exactly do they believe will happen in the next 700 years to produce this? They are no longer Looney, but criminally insane.

According to Sander Schwartz, president of WB Animation, “The new series will have the same classic wit and wisdom, but we have to do it more in line with what kids are talking about today … What we’re doing is taking Bugs Bunny, a classic, and changing him for the kids – making him fresh, cool and hip.”

Cool and hip? Yikes! If that is cool and hip, then I must have taken a wrong turn at Albuquerque. And I have a hard time believing how evil Bugs can carry the same wit and wisdom of his forefather – could Evil Bugs really pull off wearing an opera dress with as much charm and grace? If he does, I don’t even want to know.

Why is it that the entertainment industry is so obsessed with having to “remake” everything and give everyone an “extreme makeover?” Granted, this opinion is coming from someone who is still recovering from the aftermath of George Lucas’ “improvement” of the Star Wars saga, but haven’t we learned our lesson from previous attempts to “improve” on a classic – New Coke, Crystal Pepsi, the XFL? Are we as a society so sorely lacking in original material and creative imagination?

Now I do kind of like the idea of futuristic super hero cartoon characters, but the only way we can do this is to destroy our childhood icons? Come on! And don’t tell me that all the original ideas have been used up. Recent gems such as SpongeBob (who lives in a pineapple under the sea) and just about every new Disney/Pixar release prove it.

The world is constantly evolving around us, but that doesn’t mean our tastes are mutating along with it. Sometimes, the old adage stands true: If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. Classics are classics and, in the great production of life, some things will never be improved on. I know that this will be heart-wrenching to those who try and make a fast buck off an old standard, but what do you expect in an opera, a happy ending?

Moni Wood is a continuing education student in English. She can be reached for comment at [email protected].