Saturday, January 06, 2024

Eric Bauza Praises Billy West In His Return to Ren & Stimpy

Nickelodeon's most twisted characters are aiming to make a comeback as a Ren & Stimpy reboot is on the way.

Ren & Stimpy

Bringing back animated series to the modern era has been a hot ticket item recently, with series such as Rugrats, Animaniacs, Tiny Toon Adventures, Powerpuff Girls, and many others often brought back almost decades following their debuts. Now, it seems as though Nickelodeon's surreal duo, Ren & Stimpy, are set to receive their own animated reboot as a big update has found its way online. First premiering as one of the original Nicktoons, the series would oftentimes be as dark as it was hilarious.

The Ren & Stimpy Show first arrived on Nickelodeon in 1991, garnering five seasons and over fifty episodes to follow along with the crude protagonists. Following the series original end, the canine and feline were rebooted thanks to 2003's Ren And Stimpy: Adult Cartoon Party. This iteration offered a far more mature take on Stimpy and Ren, but failed to catch an audience that would see it live past its initial season on Spike TV. While a release date has yet to be revealed on the upcoming Ren & Stimpy reboot, it seems that the series has already done some voice recording for the animated characters' return.

Ren & Stimpy's Return

Voice Actor Eric Bauza wished the current voice of Ren and Stimpy, Billy West, congratulations on the upcoming reboot, excited to see West return to the role. West has made quite a name for himself over the years when it comes to the world of animation. Playing major roles in series such as Doug, Futurama, Disenchantment, and Looney Tunes, West has shown his skills more than a few times during his career.


Comedy Central announced that it had commissioned a reimagening of Nickelodeon's The Ren & Stimpy Show in August 2020, as part of the network tapping into IP across Paramount Global (then called ViacomCBS) to build an original animated slate of adult comedy around stalwart South Park. The Ren & Stimpy Show will join the Beavis and Butt-Head reboot from Mike Judge and Daria spin-off Jodie, starring Tracee Ellis Ross.

"We are excited to reinvent this iconic franchise with a new creative team and our partners at the Nickelodeon Animation Studio," Chris McCarthy, President of ViacomCBS Entertainment & Youth Group, shared in a statement back in 2020 when the news was first announced. "Ren & Stimpy joins our rapidly expanding roster of adult animation, including South Park, Beavis and Butt-Head, and Clone High, as we continue to reimagine our treasure chest of beloved IP for new generations."

It will not, however, involve John Kricfalusi, with the show's creator having no creative input into nor receiving any financial remuneration from the new series.

If this is your first time learning of the animated canine and feline, the official synopsis for Ren & Stimpy reads as such, "Meet the twisted twosome, Ren and Stimpy! This ornery asthma-hound chihuahua and his trusting feline sidekick are a mismatch made in animation heaven. Ren Hoëk is scrawny, temperamental, passionate and headstrong. Stimpy [Stimpson J. Cat] is loyal, brave and gullible. The only things this unlikely pair has in common are a life-long friendship and an incredible knack for getting into trouble."  

Which Nick Toons do you think need to receive their own rebooted series? Do you think this new take on Ren and Stimpy can live up to their original Nickelodeon series from the '90s? Feel free to let me know on X/Twitter, Bluesky or Threads!

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Originally published: January 06, 2024.

Original source: ComicBook.com; Additional source: Bleeding Cool.

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