Breakthrough’s TOONED! to Launch on TVtropolis

TORONTO: Breakthrough Films & Television’s live-action docutainment series TOONED! is slated to premiere on Canada’s TVtropolis on March 19 during the 11:30 a.m., 7:30 p.m. and 10 p.m. time slots.

TOONED! is a half-hour factual series that examines hit cartoon shows and the stars, voices and visionaries behind them. Each episode is driven by a theme (love, sidekicks, superheroes, etc.). Among the comedians, cartoon moguls and Hollywood stars that are featured are June Foray, Howie Mandel, William Shatner, Nancy Cartwright, Gilbert Gottfried, Lo Bosworth, Leonard Matlin, Stan Lee, Vivica Fox, Andrea Martin, Janeane Garofalo, Shannon Tweed, Don Hahn and Cheech & Chong. The show also pays tributes to cartoon legends such as Mel Blanc, Hanna & Barbera, Chuck Jones and Jay Ward.

The series is produced by Breakthrough Films & Television in association with Dale Burshtein Productions and Canwest Media.

Dale Burshstein, the series creator and co-producer, commented: “So many of us had this shared experience—waking up early to watch a marathon of Hanna Barbara, Jay Ward and Looney Toons, and the rest of the lineup—we all had the same references and iconic catchphrases growing up; we were all in our pajamas, eating sugar cereals and seeing shows that stayed with us forever. This show is very nostalgic and it’s cool to see that no matter who we talked to, we all have those shared memories. The work that was created then was hilarious, irreverent and obviously has enormous lasting power. Superstar cartoon shows of today continue to pay tribute to this time and these characters.”