From: donnell@polyp.micro.umn.edu (Your Heinous)
Subject: Re: Bob Camp to Take Over R&S Production
Organization: none
Date: Sun, 27 Sep 1992 18:51:51 GMT

In article <1a326bINNm1j@aludra.usc.edu> zuckerma@aludra.usc.edu (David Zuckerman) 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?

					--Judex--