Ren & Stimpy "Adult Party Cartoon"

Ren & Stimpy: "Adult Party Cartoon"
Also known as Ren & Stimpy's All New Adult Party Cartoon
Created by John Kricfalusi
Directed by John Kricfalusi
Voices of
Country of origin United States
No. of seasons 1
No. of episodes 6 (3 unaired) (list of episodes)
Production
Running time 20–39 minutes
Production company(s)
Release
Original network Paramount Network (formerly Spike TV and The New TNN)
Audio format Dolby Digital
Original release June 26 (2003-06-26) – July 24, 2003 (2003-07-24)
Chronology
Preceded by The Ren & Stimpy Show

Ren & Stimpy "Adult Party Cartoon" (also known as "Ren & Stimpy's All New Adult Party Cartoon") was an American adult animation television series created by Canadian animator John Kricfalusi for the cable network The New TNN, which later changed its name to Spike TV and now Paramount Network. The series was developed as an "extreme" revamp of The Ren & Stimpy Show, which had previously aired on the American children's cable network Nickelodeon, and is noted for being significantly more vulgar and inappropriate than the original series.

History

The original Ren & Stimpy Show premiered alongside Rugrats and Doug on children's network Nickelodeon in 1991. The show's creator, John Kricfalusi, had many altercations with the network,[1][2] eventually culminating in his termination.[3] In 2002, about a decade after Kricfalusi's termination, Viacom (which owns Nickelodeon) contracted him to produce a new version of his series for an updated version of the TNN, Spike TV, which was devoted to programming for male audiences. Kricfalusi said that TNN wanted an "extreme" version of The Ren & Stimpy Show.[4] TNN gave Kricfalusi greater control of the writing and contents of the episodes, and he produced six new cartoons aimed at adult audiences.[5] Some of the head storyboard artists, screenwriters, and animators returned from the original Ren and Stimpy series, such as Vincent Waller, Eddie Fitzgerald, and Jim Smith, but most of the animation and writing team were a new team of artists, specifically instructed and headed by Kricfalusi himself.

Some of the original voice cast members returned, with the notable exception of Billy West, original voice of Stimpy and voice of Ren and Mr. Horse after Kricfalusi's termination, who turned down the role, as he thought it was a terrible idea and that voicing Stimpy in it would damage his career, he even disliked the first script he was sent. West predicted it would be cancelled quickly (and his prediction came true much to his surprise).[6] Eric Bauza was hired to replace West as Stimpy, while Kricfalusi reprised his roles as Ren and Mr. Horse. Cast members Harris Peet and Cheryl Chase also returned, and Kricfalusi's father Mike Kricfalusi and long-time childhood friend Tom Hay provided some voices.

All of the episodes were animated at Carbunkle Cartoons, in association with Big Star Productions. Kricfalusi had previously relied upon Carbunkle during the Nickelodeon years, and he subcontracted animation of many original series episodes (including "Space Madness", "Black Hole" and "The Royal Canadian Kilted Yaksmen") to that studio.

The new series began airing in June 2003 as part of an animation block also featuring Gary the Rat, Stripperella, and digitally remastered episodes of the original Ren and Stimpy series, subtitled "Digitally Remastered Classics". Kricfalusi wrote the first episode, "Onward and Upward", based on requests from fans from the Nickelodeon era.[5] The episode portrayed the characters as bisexual. Advertisers objected to some of the new show's content, particularly that of the risqué episode "Naked Beach Frenzy" which did not air in the show's original run, causing trouble with scheduling. The show stopped airing after three episodes when TNN's animation block was "put on hold".[7]

Kricfalusi shut down his Canada studio thereafter following a lawsuit filed by Carbunkle against Spümcø in the Canadian court system. In 2005, he announced that all of the Adult Party Cartoon cartoons that were fully produced were coming to DVD.[8]

Episodes

No.TitleDirected byStory byStoryboard byOriginal air dateProd.
code
1"Onward and Upward"John KricfalusiVincent WallerVincent Waller, Eddie Fitzgerald,
Fred Osmond, and Ray Morelli		June 26, 2003 (2003-06-26)APC08
Tired of living inside a homeless man's mouth, Ren and Stimpy move to classy new digs: the inside of a spittoon after Stimpy pools his secret stash of money into it.
2"Ren Seeks Help"John KricfalusiJohn Kricfalusi and Richard D. PurselSteve Stefanelli, Helder Mendonca, Jeff Amey,
Derek Bond, Tavis Silbernagel, and John Kricfalusi		July 3, 2003 (2003-07-03)APC07
In a film noir themed episode, after Ren does something so horrible to Stimpy that it leaves Stimpy in hysterical grief and Ren in guilt, he realizes how cruel he can be to his beloved pal and tries to apologize to him, but Stimpy refuses to forgive him, so Ren goes to see a psychiatrist. After a depressing walk from places to places, he walks to the "help" apartment and seeks psychiatric help from Dr. Mr. Horse, to whom he tells his dysfunctional early years, and why he became such an abusive psychopath in the first place.
3"Fire Dogs 2"John KricfalusiJohn Kricfalusi, Richard D. Pursel, Eddie Fitzgerald,
Vincent Waller, and Jim Smith		John Kricfalusi, Jim Smith, Eddie Fitzgerald,
Vincent Waller, and José Pou		July 17, 2003 (2003-07-17) (Part 1)
July 24, 2003 (2003-07-24) (Part 2)		APC05
The fire chief was so impressed with Ren and Stimpy's heroic deeds from the first "Fire Dogs" cartoon that he mutates into Ralph Bakshi and move in with them, and to also go out on a bachelor's life to eat pizza; however, Ren and Stimpy are disgusted by his habits.
4"Naked Beach Frenzy"John KricfalusiJohn Kricfalusi, Mike Kerr,
Jeff Amey, and Caroline J. Alvarez		Jeff Amey, Steve Stefanelli,
Matt Roach, and Nick Cross		Unaired (Unaired)APC01
Ren and Stimpy enjoy a day at a nude beach. Ren shows his respect to the superiority of the female form, forcing Stimpy to find succor in the bosom of a large foreign huckster, due to feeling offended by Ren showing attraction to a nearby female. The girls at the beach, however, seem to prefer Stimpy, causing jealousy to rage within Ren.
5"Altruists"John KricfalusiVincent Waller, John Kricfalusi, Mike Kerr,
Eric Bauza, Jeff Amey, and Richard Pursel		Vincent Waller, Jeff Amey,
Nick Cross, and Matt Roach		Unaired (Unaired)APC03
In a somewhat The Three Stooges parody tribute, Ren Hoek, renowned lover of humanity, and his friend Stimpy decide that they must do everything in their power to help a couple of misfortunates; a woman and her handicapped (headless) son, by building a house for them.
6"Stimpy's Pregnant"John KricfalusiJohn Kricfalusi, Jeff Amey, Richard Pursel,
Matt Roach, Steve Stefanelli, and Warren Leonheardt		John Kricfalusi, Jeff Amey, Richard Pursel,
Matt Roach, Steve Stefanelli, and Warren Leonheardt		Unaired (Unaired)APC02
Stimpy becomes pregnant with Ren's baby, causing Ren to at first abuse, and then respect Stimpy as a partner. Ren is at first disgusted with Stimpy's pregnancy, as he is forced to deal with his incessant loving moments with his child, such as attempting to explicitly eat for two. When Stimpy goes into labour, Ren is forced to start a driveby with other people on the highway. With help from the police, Ren and Stimpy successfully get to the hospital, where their child is delivered by Dr. Horse, only to learn that Stimpy was just constipated, although Mr. Horse does not have the heart to tell the anticipated 'parents' this and so the waste is made to behave like an infant male, and was named "Little Ricky".

Cancelled episodes

The show was originally going to have a second season. However, due to criticism the series had, the show only lasted for one season and only 6 episodes were fully produced before the show's cancellation, but these episodes were never fully produced. Like "Onward and Upward" and "Ren Seeks Help", certain episodes were based off scripts written for the Spümcø era of the original series.

  • Life Sucks - Ren explains to Stimpy that life sucks, much to Stimpy's horror. After that, they have an extensive look at life's past tragedies like the Children's Crusade. According to John Kricfalusi, this was meant to be a prequel episode to "Ren Seeks Help". This is suggesting that this episode was the cause of Ren and Stimpy's argument, as it is never stated in "Ren Seeks Help" what Ren had done. Production had begun on this episode, with some voice work and roughly a third of the storyboard, at the time of the cancellation. Originally written for Nickelodeon.
  • The Big Switch - Following the events of "Ren Seeks Help", Stimpy can't tolerate Ren's abuse any longer and the two argue over which is better: to be an idiot or a "psychotic asshole". They finally settle the argument by making a bet that they can switch roles for a day. The episode's basic premise was loosely made in the Games Animation era (the season 5 episode "Who's Stupid Now?").
  • Fishing Trip - Ren & Stimpy go on a fishing trip in search of the elusive foul-mouthed bass. The episode's basic premise is loosely related to the season 3 episode "Bass Masters" and the unproduced Spümcø episode "The Wilderness Adventure."
  • The Wilderness Adventure - George Liquor takes Ren & Stimpy hunting in the deep woods. The episode was originally written for Nickelodeon, but was rejected several times. Michael Pataki was to reprise his role as George Liquor. The storyboard for the rejected episode, however, were completed in the 90s and one of the ideas would later used in the season 2 episode The Great Outdoors.[9]
  • My Little Ass - A fake commercial, which parodies My Little Pony. The script for the commercial was written during when Kricfalusi was working on the new episodes for TNN, but it was never made. (Source: John K. Interview - 08/19/03, WGN Radio)
  • Powdered Toastman's Rolling Tobacco - A second fake commercial. The commercial was going to mark the return of Powdered Toastman. The idea for the commercial was conceived, but the commercial itself was never fully produced. (Source: John K. Interview - 08/19/03, WGN Radio)
  • Log for Moms - A third fake commercial. This commercial was possibly going to about a log specifically targeted to mothers. This commercial was planned, but it was never completed. (Source: John K. Interview Part 2 - 8/31/04)
  • The Succubus - The plot of this episode was going to be based on some of Kricfalusi's experiences with Robyn Byrd. (Source: A Tweet posted by Robyn Byrd on Twitter)
  • Untitled Shampoo Master Episode - The character named Shampoo Master first appeared in Naked Beach Frenzy, and Kricfalusi was planning on making an entire episode dedicated to him. (Source: John K. Interview Part 2 - 8/31/04)
  • Untitled Mike Barrier Episode - An episode about Mike Barrier's own interests and fears was planning on being made, but the episode never began production. (Source: John K Interview - Part 2 - 8/31/04)
  • Untitled Father Episode - Another episode was going to be about the specific tastes and phobias of someone, this time being Kricfalusi's own father. The episode was left unfinished. (Source: John K Interview - Part 2 - 8/31/04)

Broadcast and DVD release

The episode "Man's Best Friend" was originally set to air in the original series' second season, but the episode was rejected by Nickelodeon due to disturbing violence and references to tobacco.[10] The episode did not air on television until 2003. TNN's official episode lineup on their website seemed to suggest that they consider the episode "Man's Best Friend" a part of the Ren & Stimpy "Adult Party Cartoon" series, but this episode in general is not counted as one of the three episodes from this series that did air in the US. The first new episode that aired on TNN was "Onward and Upward", and "Ren Seeks Help" was the second. The episode "Fire Dogs 2" was the last episode to air on TNN. The three episodes "Naked Beach Frenzy", "Altruists", and "Stimpy's Pregnant" did not originally air on TNN, though they did air on other networks overseas, including Fox in Italy and MTV in Poland. They were also included in the Ren & Stimpy: The Lost Episodes DVD set that was released on July 18, 2006.

Reception

DVD Talk panned the series, writing, "Even with a few bright spots [...] [Ren & Stimpy "Adult Party Cartoon" is] a mostly dismal affair that will sharply divide fans of the series."[11]

PopMatters was more favorable, writing: "With snot as side dishes and vomit as gravy, the foulness is overwhelming, yet also clever. Kricfalusi's satire may be obvious, but he's not just making puke jokes for nausea's sake."[12]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Jonathan Valania (December 18, 1992), "Ren & Stimpy Creator Isn't Laughing At Comic Book", The Morning Call
  2. ↑ Matt Schimkowitz (June 3, 2013), "No, Sir, I Don't Like It: The Misfire That Was 'Ren and Stimpy's Adult Party Cartoon'", Vulture
  3. ↑ "'Ren & Stimpy' go on without their creator", USA Today, September 25, 1992
  4. ↑ "John K Stuff: Bio In Progress". Johnkstuff.blogspot.com. 2007-11-10. Retrieved 2015-11-08.
  5. 1 2 Lenburg, Jeff (2006). Who's who in Animated Cartoons: An International Guide to Film & Television's Award-winning and Legendary Animators. New York: Applause Theatre & Cinema Books. pp. 187–188. ISBN 9781557836717. Retrieved 8 November 2015.
  6. ↑ "Billy West Interview". UnderGroundOnline. Archived from the original on March 4, 2008.
  7. ↑ Hibberd, James (November 2003). "Spike Retooling Its Toon Strategy". Television Week. Archived from the original on June 3, 2004. Retrieved December 21, 2010.
  8. ↑ "The Ren and Stimpy Show DVD news: John K. chats: talks about APC & other show DVDs, says R&SS to get 'Ultimate' DVDs with more extras!". TV Shows on DVD. April 24, 2005. Archived from the original on October 23, 2015. Retrieved November 8, 2015.
  9. ↑ http://www.whataboutthad.com/2011/04/14/storyboard-the-wilderness-adventure/
  10. ↑ Mangels, Andy (January 1993). "Hollywood Heroes". Wizard. Wizard Entertainment (17): 32.
  11. ↑ Miller III, Randy (July 17, 2006). "Ren & Stimpy: The Lost Episodes : DVD Talk Review of the DVD Video". DVD Talk. Retrieved May 8, 2016.
  12. ↑ Gibron, Bill (August 4, 2006). "Ren & Stimpy: The Lost Episodes | PopMatters". PopMatters. Retrieved May 8, 2016.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.