Remember the days when Saturday morning cartoons offered such vibrant voice and studio talents as Hanna Barbera, Mel Blanc, Chuck Jones and Jay Ward?

Toronto’s Breakthrough Films & Television does, and pays tribute to the cartoon creators with Tooned!, a 13-episode half-hour live-action docu-tainment series that features Hollywood cameos by comedians, stars and cartoon moguls, including William Shatner, Howie Mandel, Andrea Martin and the voice of Bart Simpson herself, Nancy Cartwright.

Airing three times on Fridays on TV Tropolis at 11:30 a.m., 7:30 and 10 p.m. beginning March 19, every episode will be theme-driven (Love, Sidekicks, Superheroes and Villains) and offer feature stories, candid interviews and behind-the-scenes profiles.

 
While Tooned! is live-action, its host is animated: ‘Howard’ is a former ‘animated extra’ who adds tons of trivia to every episode.
‘This show is very nostalgic’ series creator Dale Burshtein, who co-produces with Breakthrough Films & Television and Canwest Media, said in a statement.