Hi, everyone !!
Well... would you believe it!?! September has come to an end already and, aside from being the time for Billie Joe Armstrong of Green Day to get woken-up, it means that (in the Northern Hemisphere) Autumn (or, "Fall", as it's perhaps better known to our friends across 'The Pond') is rapidly closing in (once again) and, as it does so, the days will get shorter while the nights grow longer... and darker - as we count down the days to Hallowe'en at the end of October !!!!!! :-O ;-) :-)
Anyway... one advantage of these long, dark nights is that they're pretty much perfect for huddling-up and streaming something on your Roku player. I'm sure many Roku owners (myself included) will be enjoying the build-up to Hallowe'en by watching something horror-related or slightly more scary than usual on their Roku player(s) as October 31st draws ever nearer...
If that sounds like you, then you may already be familiar with an annual online event which is known as the "Countdown To Hallowe'en" that encourages participants (i.e. bloggers) to contribute to a month-long blogging marathon in honour of the Hallowe'en season. I've long been a fan of this event but, since I only started my UK Roku blog in 2013, I made my debut as an "Official" 'Cryptkeeper' for the 'Countdown To Hallowe'en 2013' and participated again for 'Countdown To Hallowe'en 2014' and 'Countdown To Hallowe'en 2015' plus the 'Countdown To Hallowe'en 2016', as well as reprising my role (albeit in another slightly different guise) for the 'Countdown To Hallowe'en 2017' last year. Fortunately, being an annual event, this fiendishly fun (and sometimes frightening) celebration has presented me with yet another prime opportunity to spotlight even more of the Hallowe'en / Horror themed Roku content for you in the build-up to Hallowe'en 2018...
As with the last few years, because the series of posts I have planned will be devilishly different from my regular weekly offerings (not to mention a lot more frequent, too) I plan to group them all under a unifying banner. However... instead of "A MummyVision Guide To Hallowe'en On Roku" as used in 2013, or "Another CreatureFeature Guide To Hallowe'en On Roku" as it was known in 2014, or the subsequent "Alucard's Bat-tastic Guide To Hallowe'en On Roku" from 2015, not forgetting my look back over "A Cinematic History of Horror for Hallowe'en On Roku" from my Hallowe'en blogathon in 2016, plus my guide to "Awesome Horror Streams for Hallowe'en Screams on Roku" from 2017, this year's theme will be "Abnor Mal's Guide To Creepy Cartoon Classics on Roku" through which I shall be offering "Spooky Streams for Laughs & Screams on Halloween" by sharing plenty of vintage cartoon classics from the plethora of spooky animated short films that have been released throughout the course of animation history and are guaranteed to get you in the seasonal mood, all the while still endeavouring to bring you one post every day, throughout October, culminating (as you may expect) on the 31st... when the Countdown To Hallowe'en 2018 ends and the celebrations begin !!! :-O ;-) :-)
For quick & easy access to the official Countdown To Hallowe'en website which includes a list of all "Cryptkeepers" (i.e. contributing bloggers) for 2018 with yours truly (once again) among them (plus details of all past contributors) you'll find the following badge with a built-in link to their website in the upper right hand column of my blog for the duration of the Countdown To Hallowe'en 2018:-
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Please make the effort to click on the badge and visit the Countdown To Hallowe'en website to show your support for this annual online Hallowe'en extravaganza PLUS don't forget to use the links you find there and check out all the other 'Cryptkeepers' taking part this year. I know they'll appreciate it if you visit their blogs & share your thoughts on the contribution(s) they've made.
For my part, albeit in a slightly different format to last year, I'll (once again) endeavour to post one Hallowe'en / Horror related article every day, throughout the month of October, each covering one vintage Hallowe'en cartoon classic from the amazing selection of spooky animated short films that have been released over the last nine decades. Most of these will be around 5-10 minutes long but on each Wednesday throughout October, upto and including Hallowe'en itself, I plan to treat you to some slightly longer cartoons (20-30 minutes) under a collective banner of the "Midweek Mega-Toon" that will ensure you have at least one big "treat" every week between now and November. With 31 top animated film shorts to choose from, by the end of the month, you'll have plenty of options for your creepy cartoon viewing in celebration of Hallowe'en on 31st October 2018!
As in years gone by, I'll try to ensure that as many of the featured animations are also available on Roku in Canada and the USA (not just the UK & Ireland) however, due to geographical restrictions, I reserve the right to post certain films which may only be available here and not (currently) on Roku in USA and/or Canada. Either way, you can rest assured there will be PLENTY of Hallowe'en / Horror themed cartoon content available to stream FOR ALL ROKU OWNERS, who have access to popular video sharing sites like 'YouTube', 'Dailymotion', and 'Vimeo', plus (possibly) either 'Plex' and/or the 'Roku Media Player' channels for streaming the odd title that might be harder to find! ;-) :-)
So, if you wish to get a head-start by installing any of the afore-mentioned Roku channels which you don't (yet) have among the selection of apps that you've already added to your streaming device(s), here's a list of links to all of my recommended apps for streaming the creepy cartoons I'll be sharing:-
YOUTUBE..........................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "WEB VIDEO" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
PLEASE NOTE:- That because of the all-round ease of streaming content from 'YouTube', including the ability to "cast" from the 'YouTube' app(s) for 'iOS' (Apple) plus 'Android' mobile devices, it's my intention (whenever possible) to provide links to cartoons that were uploaded to 'YouTube' so you can then watch any given video on a big screen television via your Roku player (or NowTV device) but if they're not available on 'YouTube' I'll provide links to other sources (Vimeo, Dailymotion, etc).
VIMEO....................................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "WEB VIDEO" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
ROKU MEDIA PLAYER.........................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "PERSONAL MEDIA" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN RELEASED***
PLEX.....................................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "PERSONAL MEDIA" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN RELEASED***
In addition to the above channels (apps) - all of which are available via the Roku Channel Store that can be found built-in to your Roku player(s) under "Streaming Channels" from the 'Home' menu of your device - you should consider installing the private channel by 'Dailymotion', for which you must be signed-in to your online Roku account, that can be done using the ACCESS CODE: dailymotion by way of the "Add channel with a code" option in the 'Manage Account' section of Roku's website.
If, for whatever reason, you have not yet added 'Daily Motion' to your list of installed apps... then you will need to follow the necessary steps (outlined below) to make it available on your device. As mentioned before, because this is a "private" channel, you will not be able to find it in the Roku UK Channel Store... and will instead need to log-in to your online Roku account where you can make use of the "Add channel with a code" option. For the benefit of anyone who may not have installed any so-called "private" channels to their Roku account before... if you 'Sign in' to the Roku website online, then look under 'Manage account', you will see an active link through which you may "Add channel with a code" and, if you click on that, you will then see a pop-up window where you need only enter the 'Channel access code' and click the blue 'Add channel' button to have the channel added to your Roku account. In this instance enter ACCESS CODE: dailymotion to install it.
Here's a screenshot of the 'Manage account' section, with the active link to "Add channel with a code" highlighted in blue. To get to it... simply scroll down the 'My Account' page, which is the main page that loads-up after you sign in to your Roku account online, until you see the section shown below:-
If you have never added a "private" channel to your Roku account before (or it has been a while since you last added one) then you should be aware that, following some recent problems in Mexico which led to a ban on the sale and/or import of Roku products in that country, it became necessary for Roku to issue a 'WARNING' message (see screenshot below) every time a "private" channel is added. This is nothing that should concern you and, having already installed this particular channel myself, I can confirm that there are no issues with it - so just click "OK" to continue...
Once you have clicked the blue "OK" button, you will then get another pop-up window asking you to confirm that you wish to add the private channel to your account. From there, you need only click on the blue "Yes, add channel" button to have 'Daily Motion' added to your account. Here is the channel icon (aka 'HD Poster' image) to look for among the list of apps added to your Roku account:-
TIP: If you don't see the above icon for the 'Daily Motion' private channel at the end of your list of installed apps, go to Settings > System > System update > Check now on your Roku device and, once you see the on-screen message saying "Your Roku player software is up to date", simply press "OK" followed by the "Home" button on your Roku remote, to return to the main menu. From there... you need only press the 'RIGHT' directional arrowhead key once, followed by a single press of the 'UP' directional arrowhead key, via your Roku remote and you should then see the 'Daily Motion' private channel sitting at the end of your list of installed Roku channels ready to be launched! ;-) :-)
As in years gone by, I'll try to ensure that as many of the featured animations are also available on Roku in Canada and the USA (not just the UK & Ireland) however, due to geographical restrictions, I reserve the right to post certain films which may only be available here and not (currently) on Roku in USA and/or Canada. Either way, you can rest assured there will be PLENTY of Hallowe'en / Horror themed cartoon content available to stream FOR ALL ROKU OWNERS, who have access to popular video sharing sites like 'YouTube', 'Dailymotion', and 'Vimeo', plus (possibly) either 'Plex' and/or the 'Roku Media Player' channels for streaming the odd title that might be harder to find! ;-) :-)
So, if you wish to get a head-start by installing any of the afore-mentioned Roku channels which you don't (yet) have among the selection of apps that you've already added to your streaming device(s), here's a list of links to all of my recommended apps for streaming the creepy cartoons I'll be sharing:-
YOUTUBE..........................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "WEB VIDEO" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
PLEASE NOTE:- That because of the all-round ease of streaming content from 'YouTube', including the ability to "cast" from the 'YouTube' app(s) for 'iOS' (Apple) plus 'Android' mobile devices, it's my intention (whenever possible) to provide links to cartoons that were uploaded to 'YouTube' so you can then watch any given video on a big screen television via your Roku player (or NowTV device) but if they're not available on 'YouTube' I'll provide links to other sources (Vimeo, Dailymotion, etc).
VIMEO....................................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "WEB VIDEO" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN FIRST RELEASED***
ROKU MEDIA PLAYER.........................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "PERSONAL MEDIA" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN RELEASED***
PLEX.....................................................................................COST: FREE [Roku Guide Review]
***FILED UNDER: "PERSONAL MEDIA" in Roku UK Channel Store WHEN RELEASED***
In addition to the above channels (apps) - all of which are available via the Roku Channel Store that can be found built-in to your Roku player(s) under "Streaming Channels" from the 'Home' menu of your device - you should consider installing the private channel by 'Dailymotion', for which you must be signed-in to your online Roku account, that can be done using the ACCESS CODE: dailymotion by way of the "Add channel with a code" option in the 'Manage Account' section of Roku's website.
HINT:- Please CLICK on the above image TO ENLARGE IT for easier viewing !!
If, for whatever reason, you have not yet added 'Daily Motion' to your list of installed apps... then you will need to follow the necessary steps (outlined below) to make it available on your device. As mentioned before, because this is a "private" channel, you will not be able to find it in the Roku UK Channel Store... and will instead need to log-in to your online Roku account where you can make use of the "Add channel with a code" option. For the benefit of anyone who may not have installed any so-called "private" channels to their Roku account before... if you 'Sign in' to the Roku website online, then look under 'Manage account', you will see an active link through which you may "Add channel with a code" and, if you click on that, you will then see a pop-up window where you need only enter the 'Channel access code' and click the blue 'Add channel' button to have the channel added to your Roku account. In this instance enter ACCESS CODE: dailymotion to install it.
Here's a screenshot of the 'Manage account' section, with the active link to "Add channel with a code" highlighted in blue. To get to it... simply scroll down the 'My Account' page, which is the main page that loads-up after you sign in to your Roku account online, until you see the section shown below:-
ONCE AGAIN:- Please CLICK on the above image TO ENLARGE IT for easier viewing !!
If you have never added a "private" channel to your Roku account before (or it has been a while since you last added one) then you should be aware that, following some recent problems in Mexico which led to a ban on the sale and/or import of Roku products in that country, it became necessary for Roku to issue a 'WARNING' message (see screenshot below) every time a "private" channel is added. This is nothing that should concern you and, having already installed this particular channel myself, I can confirm that there are no issues with it - so just click "OK" to continue...
AS BEFORE:- Please CLICK on the above image TO ENLARGE IT for easier viewing !!
Once you have clicked the blue "OK" button, you will then get another pop-up window asking you to confirm that you wish to add the private channel to your account. From there, you need only click on the blue "Yes, add channel" button to have 'Daily Motion' added to your account. Here is the channel icon (aka 'HD Poster' image) to look for among the list of apps added to your Roku account:-
TIP: If you don't see the above icon for the 'Daily Motion' private channel at the end of your list of installed apps, go to Settings > System > System update > Check now on your Roku device and, once you see the on-screen message saying "Your Roku player software is up to date", simply press "OK" followed by the "Home" button on your Roku remote, to return to the main menu. From there... you need only press the 'RIGHT' directional arrowhead key once, followed by a single press of the 'UP' directional arrowhead key, via your Roku remote and you should then see the 'Daily Motion' private channel sitting at the end of your list of installed Roku channels ready to be launched! ;-) :-)
Meanwhile, if there's any Roku Channel Developers or Content Providers who are featuring any of the cartoon classics I mention on your channel and would like to be included in this series of articles then feel free to comment below, providing details of the channel plus which cartoon(s) I've shared that are on it, and I'll be only too happy to mention your app by way of an additional option for Roku users to stream the cartoon(s) you have available. Your assistance with this is much appreciated... although I cannot guarantee that each individual channel will be included for every cartoon, as there is obviously only a finite number of posts that can be made throughout the month and I may not have the time. Don't let that put you off though because, if I can't squeeze you in this time around, then there's always the possibility of being included in next year's Countdown To Hallowe'en instead! ;-)
Anyway, I just wanted to give you all a "heads up" as to what I've got planned for this blog over the month of October. Of course, there will still be my regular 'Weekly RoundUp' posts to keep you informed of ALL NEW ADDITIONS to the "Official" Roku UK Channel Store during that time. All of which means... that there's now even more reason(s) for you to visit this blog on a regular basis as you prepare for your own Roku-assisted Hallowe'en celebration(s)... Mwah-Ha-Haaaaaaaaaa !!!!!!!!
Still, that's about it for now... I hope to see most, if not all, of you back here tomorrow and each day of October as we bring you "Abnor Mal's Guide To Creepy Cartoon Classics on Roku" with a total of 31 spooky shorts over the Countdown To Hallowe'en 2018. Be afraid... BE VERY AFRAID !!!!!!!!!!
Just don't be too afraid to pay us another visit !!
That's all folks !!
