| |
|
|
ADVERTISEMENT
|
|
|
Ah, my heart just stopped...Oh, there it goes.
-BarneyThe Simpsons
|
 |
|
 John Kricfalusi (born September 9, 1955) is an Emmy-nominated Canadian animator, better known as John K.
He is creator of The Ren & Stimpy Show and The Ripping Friends animated series, The Goddamn George Liquor Program, the first animated series made using Macromedia Flash, as well as the founder of animation studio Spümcø International. When Kricfalusi did not completely approve[1] of one of his cartoons, he would credit himself as Raymond Spum.[2]
Career
For many years, Kricfalusi drew low-end studio television cartoons (the best one in Kricfalusiâs opinion was the The Jetsons revival) before being "rescued" around 1985 by director Ralph Bakshi (whom Kricfalusi had worked for before during two brief periods in 1981 and 1983). Kricfalusi and Bakshi were going to make a film called Bobbyâs Girl, but that film fell through when Tristarâs president stepped down. Kricfalusiâs first finished project was directing the animation for The Rolling Stonesâ 1986 music video of âHarlem Shuffleâ[citation needed]. Kricfalusiâs most famous project under Bakshi was Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures, based on the classic Terrytoons character. Kricfalusi directed eight of the twenty-six episodes and supervised the series.[3] Kricfalusi also worked on another cartoon series at the time called Galaxy High, providing character designs for some of the aliens in the series.
Kricfalusi founded his Spümcø International animation studio with partner Jim Smith, creating the controversial Ren & Stimpy Show. Spümcø sold the show to Nickelodeon in 1988. Nickeleodeon and Kricfalusi conflicted regarding the production, including the level of violence in the show. Kricfalusi points specifically to the episode "Man's Best Friend", which features Ren beating the character George Liquor with an oar, for his firing.[4] Nickelodeon fired Kricfalusi from production of the series in 1992, leaving the production of the series in the hands of Nickelodeon and Games Animation.
In 1996 John Kricfalusi created the first internet cartoon series using Macromedia Flash, The Goddamn George Liquor Program. He followed this with Weekend Pussy Hunt, the second Flash cartoon.
Since then, Kricfalusi has worked on various projects including some web-based cartoons, Björk and Tenacious D music videos, some Yogi Bear cartoons (including Boo Boo and the Man, A Day in the Life of Ranger Smith and Boo Boo Runs Wild), two Jetsons cartoons (Father & Son Day and The Best Son), and the short-lived FOX Kids TV series The Ripping Friends. Most recently he has written, directed, and starred in a new Ren & Stimpy show, entitled Ren and Stimpy Adult Party Cartoon produced for Spike TV, a network which has allowed the animator much more freedom to work with the lewd and bizarre themes that make his art distinctive. Most of the stories were based on fan ideas and original scripts that were rejected by Nickelodeon during the show's original run. After only three of six episodes aired, the show was also canceled because the network censors found it too much by even their own standards. Ren and Stimpy Adult Party Cartoon was released on DVD including three episodes that never aired. Kricfalusi hoped its success would guarantee a straight-to-DVD Ren and Stimpy series so he could avoid the problem of censors.
Kricfalusi provides several audio commentaries in Looney Tunes Golden Collection Volumes 2 and 3 (DVD sets of classic Warner Bros. Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons) and appears in some of the bonus featurettes as well. Typically, Kricfalusi does commentary on the Bob Clampett cartoons, whom Kricfalusi often praises for his fast-paced and nutty style. John refused to do any more commentaries after volume 3 because of artistic integrity. He disapproved of the method of restoration for the cartoons through DVNR (Digital Video Noise Reduction), which tends to erase parts of the artwork, and the oversaturation of the colors.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
