From: Jenny.Lerew%bbs@quake.sylmar.ca.us (Jenny Lerew)
Date: Tue, 29 Sep 92 00:16:21 PDT
Organization: Quake Public Access, San Fernando Valley, CA (818)362-6092
Subject: Re: Bob Camp to Take Over R&S Production
Distribution: world
Reply-To: Jenny.Lerew%bbs@quake.sylmar.ca.us (Jenny Lerew)
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In message <1992Sep27.185151.28962@news2.cis.umn.edu>
dated Sun, 27 Sep 1992 18:51:51 GMT
donnell@polyp.micro.umn.edu (Your Heinous) writes:

> In article <1a326bINNm1j@aludra.usc.edu> zuckerma@aludra.usc.edu (David Zucke
rman) writes:
> >The Business section of Saturday's _Los Angeles Times_ contained the 
> >following article on the front page.  Copied without permission, but hey,
> >desperate times call for desperate measures.  :^)
> >
> >--begin included article
> >
> >"REN & STIMPY" CREATOR FIRED
> >
> >FORMER PARTNER WILL TAKE OVER CULT CARTOON SHOW
> >
> >By Daniel Cerone
> >Times Staff Writer
> >
> >
> >The Nickelodeon cable-TV channel confirmed Friday that it has fired
> >John Kricfalusi as producer and director of his cult cartoon creation,
> >"The Ren & Stimpy Show," and replaced him with his former partner,
> >Bob Camp.
> >
> >Nickelodeon, a unit of Viacom International Inc., will form an animation
> >studio in Los Angeles to continue producing the series.
> >
> >Although Kricfalusi -- a self-styled rebel in the animation community --
> >had repeated run-ins with network executives over the raunchy content of
> >his popular series, the dismissal apparently came over his failure to
> >meet delivery deadlines.
> >
> >"The main problem has been with production," said a Nickelodeon executive
> >who asked not to be named.  "We aren't getting new episodes.  So it isn't
> >even a content problem.  We are a network.  We have a big audience for
> >this show.  And we need to get episodes on the air."
> >
> >Nickelodeon had already scaled back its order for the second season of
> >"Ren & Stimpy" from 26 to 13 episodes to accommodate Kricfalusi's
> >meticulous production techniques.
> >
> >But only 2 1/2 episodes containing fresh material have aired since the
> >new season began Aug. 15.  Two other episodes have been completed but
> >were shelved, reportedly because Nickelodeon executives found them
> >offensive.
> >
> >Kricfalusi did not return phone calls, but he has argued in the past
> >that his brand of animation, in which characters assume a full range of
> >human emotions, takes time.  He will retain an undisclosed financial
> >interest in the series, Nickelodeon said.
> >
> >Kricfalusi sold the rights to his characters -- an irascible Chihuahua
> >and a bloated cat -- to Nickelodeon in order to get his independent
> >production company, Spumco, off the ground.  The characters sparked a
> >national craze after "Ren & Stimpy" premiered last year with six episodes,
> >and Nickelodeon cashed in with numerous product licenses.
> >
> >Employees have been offered an opportunity to stay with the show under
> >the leadership of Camp, who has directed several episodes of "Ren & Stimpy"
> >and will oversee all creative elements in its production, but many have
> >professed loyalty to Kricfalusi.
> >
> >--end included article
> >
> >
> >-Dave
> >-- 
> >David Zuckerman             zuckerma@aludra.usc.edu         Univ of Southern
 CA
> >              "Time and distance are out of place here" -- R.E.M.           
   
> 
> Funny that they don't grasp the fact that John K. is pretty much the main
> reason that they have a large audience for the show. but I am not suprised.
> Bob Camp's episodes got a few complaints here, and I think that the show
> is headed downhill. I wonder how John K. feels about this. they just stole
> his creation, shut down his company and gave his characters and his job
> to his partner Bob Camp. <Perhaps stole is too strong a word, since they did
> pay him for it>. Would this constitute a betrayal by a former partner?
> 
>                                     ---Yes, it would.  That's why
a good number of John K.'s original, handpicked staff would rather
burn in hell before doing ersatz Ren & Stimpys without him--especially
and particularly under these circumstances.  To say John is being a gentleman
about all this(whatever his personal feelings might be)is putting it 
mildly; he says his only concern at the moment is that so many artists
will be out of a job because of this crummy situation.  
     Sure, they *could* continue to work under someone else, but most
of them left other jobs specifically to work for Kricfalusi...not for
Bob Camp.  Artists--some of them--DO have a conscience.

Newsgroups: alt.fan.ren-and-stimpy,alt.tv.ren-n-stimpy