10 Times Kids Shows Were Struck By Tragedy

WatchMojo

Real life is harsh. Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re discussing the times tragic real-life circumstances impacted popular children’s TV cartoons.

Transcript

00:00 Welcome to WatchMojo!

00:07 Today we're discussing the times tragic real-life circumstances impacted popular children's

00:12 TV cartoons.

00:19 The Tohoku earthquake cancelled a major Pokemon arc, Pokemon the series Black and White.

00:23 When a real-life disaster strikes, even animated representations of a similar event can lead

00:28 to uncomfortable comparisons.

00:30 Early episodes of this Pokemon season had set up a confrontation between Team Rocket

00:34 and Team Plasma over a material called Meteonite.

00:46 This ferocious battle was supposed to happen in a special two-part episode that would have

00:49 seen destruction brought to Castelia City, but it was never aired.

01:00 Why not?

01:01 Because of the disastrous Tohoku earthquake and subsequent tsunami that struck Japan on

01:05 March 11, 2011.

01:07 At the time, networks considered the upcoming episodes insensitive and skipped over them,

01:11 and the story arc was never returned to.

01:13 Eventually, the conflict as a whole was altered in retcon, leading to a permanent question

01:17 on how such a battle would have played out.

01:27 A New Voice for Caillou, Caillou

01:29 The voice actors we hear as beloved childhood characters often become intertwined with our

01:32 memories of the show.

01:34 However, sometimes tragedy strikes and forces a change.

01:43 After season one of Caillou, Jacqueline Lenecki took over as the voice of the iconic character

01:47 for the next two seasons.

01:49 Tragically, Lenecki was involved in a fatal car accident in 2003 at just 17 years old.

01:54 By this time, Jacqueline's voice of the character had become a staple of the show,

01:57 so it was important to find a replacement that could bring the same charm to the character.

02:11 Annie Bovert ended up stepping into the role, putting her own verve into the talent that

02:14 Jacqueline had previously brought to the show.

02:24 Annie remained in the role until the end of the series.

02:27 Mel Blanc's Car Accident Almost Ended Bugs Bunny (Looney Tunes)

02:30 Mel Blanc was legendary for voicing some of the most famous cartoon characters in history,

02:34 including Bugs Bunny, Barney Rubble, and Mr. Spacely, and many, many, many more.

02:50 Without his brilliant voice work, a huge swath of characters likely would never have existed

02:54 or even been remotely as captivating.

02:56 But that nearly came to pass when a horrific car accident put the actor in a coma in 1961.

03:11 After weeks of unresponsiveness, his doctor brilliantly tried a different method to elicit

03:15 a response from Blanc, asking him how Bugs Bunny was feeling instead of Mel.

03:19 And emerging from the coma at last, Blanc responded, "Nah, what's up, Doc?"

03:26 Turns out the beloved character didn't want Mel Blanc to go anywhere either.

03:30 John Ritter's Death Transforms Clifford the Big Red Dog (Clifford the Big Red Dog)

03:34 John Ritter was a deeply respected actor and castmate for decades in Hollywood.

03:38 And throughout the entire run of the original Clifford the Big Red Dog animated series,

03:42 Ritter provided the voice of the titular oversized pooch.

03:46 However, in late 2003, he experienced heart complications while on the set of another

03:57 show and tragically died later that day.

03:59 A spinoff series, Clifford's Puppy Days, began around the same time, leading many to

04:03 believe that the star's death had caused the change of series rather than continuing

04:06 on with the original.

04:17 However, reportedly the finale movie and spinoff had already been planned and created and this

04:22 was not necessarily the case.

04:23 Regardless, John Ritter's impact on Clifford and the impact of his passing cannot be overstated,

04:28 as his voice had become synonymous with the character for years.

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05:01 Dedication to Anton Yelchin - Trollhunters Tales of Arcadia

05:04 Recasting an actor is never easy, especially when the individual in question is considered

05:08 by many as the perfect fit for the role.

05:10 This was the case for Anton Yelchin, a young actor who became famous in the reboot of Star

05:14 Trek as Lieutenant Chekov.

05:22 He also lent his voice and presence to the main character of Trollhunters Tales of Arcadia

05:26 for its first two seasons and part of the third before his life was horribly cut short

05:30 by a freak accident.

05:40 The makers of the show showed their support for the talented actor's memory, dedicating

05:43 the entire series to him upon its conclusion in 2018.

05:47 Not only that, but the final episode drew to a conclusion with the reused monologue

05:50 from his character, allowing him to close out the show he had so enriched.

06:05 What strange or tragic circumstances affected your favorite show?

06:08 Let us know in the comments!

06:09 And as always, thanks for watching!

06:27 (upbeat music)

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