So then we're staring into the future past, or the past present, or the third thing the X-Men did.
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1. From a very early age, I gravitated towards anime. I never knew Speed Racer was anything other than just another cartoon.
What is the first one you watched that really shaped your tastes for years to come?
Mick Michaels: Early on, Speed Racer was definitely one of my favorites as kid in the 70s. From there I moved to Star Blazers and Battle of the Planets.
But I had also always been a big fan of Bugs Bunny, Flintstones, Popeye, Scooby Doo and that whole crew...definitely the classics.
Saturday morning cartoons were also a favourite of mine, but what kid did not love Saturday morning cartoons...Super Friends, the whole Hanna-Barbera world.
Though not cartoons per se, I was also highly influenced by Ultraman and Johnny Sokko and His Flying Robot.
Later on, it was Thundar the Barbarian and GI Joe. Actually man, I would watch anything that was on TV growing up...it was all awesome to me.
2. The Simpsons came about when I was turning 12. It was a great moment of transition for Americans to finally have animated shows geared towards adults as well as children. Tell me about your first cartoon that wasn't strictly for kids.
Mick Michaels: For me it was the Flintstones and the Jetsons. To be honest, a lot of the early Looney Tunes Cartoons were more geared toward adult subjects then most people realized.
By the time the Simpsons came on I was someplace else in life. I do remember watching them during the Tracey Ulman show and maybe bits and pieces of the first two seasons but never went out of my way to see it.
That being said, I was aware of their impact on pop culture...and I do enjoy the Simpsons ride at Universal Florida.
3. It would be unfair to ask you to name a favorite. So what do you love about your three favorite shows?
Mick Michaels: Even if I have seen the episode a million times, the funny parts are still funny. That means it’s a classic and it’s timeless...the gags still work.
The shows that were able to capture the human qualities that we could all relate to are the ones that I have the biggest connection to...even as an adult.
I have met plenty of “adults’ who don’t or won’t watch cartoons because they believe they are “too old,” or “that’s not what adults do,” or whatever.
I still watch them...old and new ones...Johnny Bravo, Power Puff Girls, Dexter’s Laboratory, SpongeBob...modern classics now! The Loud House, Amazing World of Gumball, Bob’s Burgers...Disney and Pixar movies...man I dig them all.
You are never too old to laugh and enjoy a trip through the imagination.
4. It was hard for me to really get into REAL anime, but I'd have to say that my entrance was Princess Mononoke. Tell me about your favorite anime and how did you get into it?
Mick Michaels: I know what you mean. Unfortunately, the American translations are often lacking in the true meaning with the dialog, thus, disjointing the storyline a bit.
However, I am not a huge fan of subtitles...if I have to read and watch the action at the same time...I just lose interest.
Besides Speed Racer, which my older brother introduced me to; Star Blazers and Battle of the Planets were my first real anime emersions. At that time, I was all about sci-fi and superheroes...could not get enough of it.
The Lord of the Rings movie, the rotoscope one from ’78, also had a great impact on me, including the two TV movies, The Hobbit and Return of the King.
I realize they are not necessarily anime in the Japanese sense, moreso American high-end animation for the time, but as a kid, I related them as being one and the same.
So much so that the rotoscope Lord of the Rings movie set me one a path to be an artist and an animator as a kid.
As an adult, I love Spirited Away...it really is an amazing film. Miyazaki knows how to truly capture the imagination and how to bring it to life. I have watched other anime over the years...a lot while my kids were growing up...some I liked others not much. It definitely is an acquired taste.
5. The holy trinity of adult shows is The Simpsons, Futurama, and Family Guy. Tell me why your favorite is the best.
Mick Michaels: Again, if I can watch it a million times and the gags still get a laugh, then it’s a classic to me. Bugs Bunny does that for me...plus I have spent most of my life quoting many Loony Tunes’ lines.
As an adult, I can relate to a lot of what Fred Flintstone went through...there’s that surreal connection to the real world that makes a connection for me...and you know, it’s the finding of humor in the ordinary that sets great shows apart from those that need to contrive it and create un-relatable cast of characters and storylines.
Even if it’s an over-the-top, fantasy, adventure story, if the characters are relatable and you can imagine yourself in that world with those characters, then it works.
I was never a Futurama or Family Guy guy, just like I never got into South Park and the whole allure to Beavis and Butthead and the like. However, I have begun to appreciate Seth MacFarlane in recent years.
6. Animated shows or features?
Mick Michaels: I guess it depends if they can get their point across in the time allotted. As an example, I like SpongeBob better as the 30 minute shorts rather than the full length movies.
That’s not to say that I won’t watch the movies because I have and do. Somethings just work better in a shorter format.
I love Disney and Pixar movies. Emotionally I am hooked. But I was never a fan of when they took those movies and made a cartoon series out of them...for me the magic was lost.
7. Let's hear about your favorite shows/movies from when you were a kid.
Mick Michaels: Love it or hate it, since 1977 it has been nothing but Star Wars for me...what can I say that hasn’t already been said?
I’m also a huge Rocky and Indiana Jones fan…not to mention the Godfather.
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