Many of my generation spent their childhood not being able to watch cartoons until after they finished their homework. I was always lucky. My parents were fine with me watching cartoons while working on my homework.

I have fond, fond memories of sitting on my parents’ bed, my books spread out around me, trying to learn logarithmic functions or write papers on Shakespeare while watching M.A.S.K., G.I. Joe, Thundercats, Silverhawks, and Transformers. My grades were good. My homework was completed and turned in. My parents had little room to complain.

In high school, I was in a boarding school with a set study time in the evening. It took quite an effort to not do my homework while watching Animaniacs or any of the Disney Afternoon cartoons.

By the time I reached college, I was still watching the same cartoons when I could catch them around marching back practice, again watching them while doing my homework, much to the annoyance of my struggling roommates.

By 1995, the Disney Afternoon was in its death throes, its only quality offering being Gargoyles. Another studio was stepping up with its own station and cartoon afternoon set- the WB. Grouping up Tiny Toon Adventures and Animaniacs, the new set certainly outdid anything Fox had to offer at that point. Within three years, the WB had an afternoon line-up centered around the imported Pokemon cartoon.

My life has changed. Afternoon cartoons are limited to one Cartoon Network offering and two anime from the Asian cable network. All three are taped while I’m off teaching to be watched in the evening while eating dinner and working on bits of my to-do list. I keep meaning to check out one of the current WB After-toon show offerings, but time just hasn’t been on my side.

Not only is it no longer on my side, but it has finally failed the obnoxious little Pikachu and his dear Ash Ketchum. After two weeks of promoting the heck out of the After-toons show, the WB appears to be doing away with this ten-year-old main stay. All that will remain of the WB’s animated offerings for those not armed with cable is the Saturday morning line-up.

It’s the tragic end of an era. Fox did away with their cartoon line-up a couple of years ago. Now the WB is doing away with theirs. One can only hope they will see the error of their ways. It would be a shame if more children can’t form happy memories of watching cartoons while doing their homework before running outside to play.

Today, I kind of got to enjoy a fantasy. I got to work on a storyboard, be an ADR director, be an ADR voice actress, and be a foley artist. I like storyboarding. It’s fun! I totally aced the ADR director station! I totally screwed up the ADR voice work because I read half the lines at a normal pacing, when the scene called for a funky pacing. I should have re-tried it, but it was still fun! Then, I learned what a foley artist is. A foley artist is the person (normally a voice actor) who controls the sound effects. So, I got to do the sound effects for a scene. Definitely need some serious work in that department!

Where did I get to live out this little dream? The Oregon Museum of Science and Industry has a temporary exhibition on animation sponsored by Cartoon Network. If you are anywhere near the Portland area, I highly recommend the exhibition. It was a blast!

Of course, I come home and pop in my newly recorded YuGiOh GX and Descendants of Darkness episodes to watch!