Unfortunately, the campaign ended up falling short of its goal, but Ren and Stimpy fans need not despair, because it’s been re-launched on Indiegogo. And this time, instead of the original hefty goal of $289,400, they’re only trying to raise a modest $70,475, which I’m confident they will achieve before the campaign ends next month. They’re already more than halfway there.
If you never watched The Ren & Stimpy Show (believe me, you’re missing out on a lot), the series followed the exploits of a cat named Stimpy and a chihuahua named Ren. It was followed by an adults-only spinoff called Ren & Stimpy “Adult Party Cartoon”.
The animated series created by John Kricfalusi was part of Nickelodeon’s original Nicktoons line-up in the early 1990s.
A quarter of a century after first invading American homes, Nickelodeon’s The Ren & Stimpy Show remains a game-changing icon of TV animation. And now, a new feature-length documentary project seeks to reflect the creative brilliance sometimes lost behind the controversial show’s black comedy, toilet humor and sexual innuendo, which often caused altercations with Standards and Practices, but earned ardent fans worldwide.
From production industry veterans Ron Cicero and Kimo Easterwood, Happy Happy, Joy Joy – The Ren & Stimpy Story will delve deep into the world of Ren the rage-fueled chihuahua and Stimpy the simpleton cat. The filmmakers’ goal is to show that the creativity that fueled the animated series is akin to the intrepid genius and controversial merit of Banksy and Warhol.
The feature length documentary, Happy Happy, Joy Joy - The Ren & Stimpy Story, now in postproduction, reveals the collective genius -- and longstanding influence -- of a series that was cut in its prime. While the departure of John Kricfalusi, the show’s creator, has been well reported, the story of how Ren & Stimpy upended TV animation; touched everyone from neurosurgeons to the superstars at Pixar, AND became a multi-billion property, is fading into obscurity. The film aims to change that through insights and archived art gleaned from over 45 artists, directors and network execs connected to the show, plus art historians, and a range of fans. The film also features original shorts from Ren & Stimpy cartoonists.
The documentary features interviews key talents who worked on the show, including Bob Camp, Vincent Waller, Billy West, Chris Reccardi, Jim Gomez, and Vanessa Coffey. Commentary about the influence of the show also comes from celebrity fans such as self-described “Hillbilly Bartender from Myrtle Beach” to celebrities like Jack Black, “Weird” Al Yankovic, Bobby Lee, Billy Gibbons, and Iliza Shlesinger and more. But the real treasure trove will be the “mountains of archival art work, network notes and storyboards that have been locked away for the past 25 years” that we’ll see in the documentary.
So what will a contribution by you help these filmmakers accomplish? Here’s a breakdown of where the money is going:
- Clip Licensing & Legal – (55%) – The documentary has the initial OK from Nickelodeon to license Ren & Stimpy art work and scenes from the series. A huge coupe! The team behind the documentary also cut in archival footage from the 90’s. All of this will need to be paid for. The more they raise, the more R&S footage they can use!
- Color Grading – (10%) – The film is shot entirely in 4K. The raw footage looks amazing but to make it shine after assembly, the production team need a final color grade.
- Main Titles & Interstitials – (15%) – The team have some killer ideas on how to visually present the archival material. Simon Clowes, who is the motion graphics genius behind the title sequences for Superman Returns, Sherlock Holmes, and Xmen: First Class is doing the documentary a huge favor but the team still need to pay his team.
- The Rewards – (30%) Yup, all those great looking items are high quality and cost dough….some of which is going directly to the original R & S artists.
Plus, depending on how much you’re willing to give, there’s a bunch of cool Ren and Stimpy swag you’ll be sent, including some original drawings from the series and more. Head on over to the Indiegogo page to find out everything you need to know about the project.
This looks like it will be the definitive chronicle of the rise and fall of one of the most unique programs to ever hit Nickelodeon. As soon as Happy Happy, Joy Joy – The Ren & Stimpy Story is available for you to watch, NickALive! let you know!
Get a sneak peek at the Happy Happy, Joy Joy - The Ren & Stimpy Story documentary below!:
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Sources: Cultured Vultures, /Film.
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