Via: Toon Nation.net
While I was vaguely aware that Netflix has a fairly comprehensive repertoire of animated films and TV shows, I’d never actually spent the time to go through and see what was there. That’s all changed thank to the Roku box we got for Christmas, which has spurred me to take a deeper look at what can and cannot be watched, animation-wise, on Netflix.
While there are the usual suspects on there: plenty of anime, the latest blockbusters, there are also plenty of hidden gems. For example there are some of Don Bluth’s classics in there, some old-school DreamWorks before they switched to a CGI-only studio, independent stuff like Mary & Max and even some of Ralph Bakshi’s more (in)famous works.
It’s safe to say that I have my work cut out for me over the next couple of months as I wade through all the classics and non-classics alike in the all -you-can-eat buffet that is Netflix. Such availability will only prove beneficial to these films as they gain a wider exposure through Netflix than they ever could have on DVD.
So what are you waiting for, Netflix normally offer a free trial of some sort, so head on over now and check it out. You’ve nothing to lose by doing so,
Way ahead of you. My husband and I have been loving Netflix streaming, both the animated offerings and everything else. (We watched all six seasons of the new “Doctor Who” and are more than ready for the new one to start.) Another benefit I’ve found to instant streaming is that I’m more willing to try watching stuff that I’m less certain I’ll like. Certainly the ability to rent any number of DVDs at a fixed per month cost helped with that too, but there was still the fact that I was stuck with whatever DVD I picked until I sent it back and the next one arrived. If I picked one that I hated, it still felt like kind of a waste. (Not to mention the problems of getting a multidisc set one disc at time.) But when I’m watching Netflix streaming content, I can stop anytime and move onto something new right away. I watched about five minutes of “Ren and Stimpy Adult Cartoon Party,” decided that was all I wanted to see, and went on to something else.
Yeah, I’m afraid I’m a wee bit late to it (I blame Netflix for using Silverlight, which isn’t compatible with Linux, which I use), but now that i have it, I’ve added a whole bunch of stuff to our queue, which I can check out whenever I want without feeling constrained by waiting on the discs, etc.
Of interesting note however, is this article in The Hollywood Reporter that discusses how much Netflix pays for content. I’d say they’re paying too much, but the price will eventually come down as more people cut the cord on cable and move online. There’s absolutely no reason why Netflix has to pay about $12 million for the streaming rights to a film. That’s being overvalued in my book.