From: thssapk@iitmax.iit.edu (([<{\_/}>]))
Subject: REN & STIMPY OPTIMIST (was R&S AXED BY NICKELODEON)
Organization: Illinois Institute of Technology
Distribution: na
Date: Fri, 2 Oct 92 19:33:12 GMT

In article <1992Sep25.140030.7339@news2.cis.umn.edu> donnell@seahorse.micro.umn.edu (Your Heinous) writes:
>In article <92268.204740U52025@uicvm.uic.edu> <U52025@uicvm.uic.edu> writes:
>>   I have mix feelings about this. I fear that NIK would put some one in his
>>place who would destory the show in one episode.  Then my other feeling is that
>> I can't blame them for firing him. The report on the radio said he made the
>> comment to the fact that REN & STIMPY took to long to make. Come on! It just
>>13 episodes, you don't here the people who make the SIMPSONS complaining.
>>
>>
>>                       ,thats how I feel folks, how do you feel?
>>
>>
>>          " What we anticipate seldom occurs;
>>            what we least expect generally happens. " (Benjamin Disraeli)
>
>John Kricfalusi was apparently fired for A: Being behind schedule.
>B: Turning in episodes from approved storyboards, that had been altered and
>no longer met with Nicks approval.
>
>Nickelodeon owns RNS, not their creator. It is over. I don't think anyone,
><with the possible exception of Ralph Bakshi himself> could take it over,
>and keep tis popularity. 
>
Hey, don't be so pessimistic!
The Variety article talking about the firing also said that
"Nickelodeon was trying to renegotiate contracts with John K. and
Spumco"  or something similar.  Perhaps they will get a new contract,
for fewer episodes in a season, so that Spumco can actually 
finish episodes on time.  

Two reasons why they MAY bring R&S back:

1)  I agree with the previous poster;  Nobody can even think of matching
    John K.'s demented vision for R&S.  Bakshi may be demented enough,
    but he's not demented in the same DIRECTIONS as John K. 8)  Unless
    the people in charge of Nickelodeon are total morons, they realize
    that it's either John K, or no Ren and Stimpy.

2)  Can Nickelodeon live with no RNS?  Sure, but that show was pretty
    much the flagship for their new "SNICK" lineup.  I don't follow
    their ratings, but without RNS, will anyone really see "Rugrats"
    or "Clarissa explains it all"?  

So NICK has a financial stake in keeping RNS, and keeping it with
Krafalusi.

>MTV owns Nick, so there is hope it could end up there. But Nick paid for a
>childrens show, and apparently Kricfalusi was trying to push the boundary
>just a little too far. This is kinda reminiscent of the problems the
>Bakshi run "MIghty Mouse-The New Adventures" ran into prior to its removal.
>
Didn't it get canned because of some hyperventilating fundamentalist
claim that a scene of MM sniffing some flowers symobolised sniffing cocaine?

>You'd think that this dichotomy between what the viewers crave, and the 
>expectations of the network, would inspire NICK/MTV to realize that
>there are adults interested in creative animation. But no, they just 
>understand money.
>
I seriously doubt NICK does not realize RNS has an adult following.
Heck, that fact has only been printed in TIME, Newsweek, the New
York Times, Washington Post, etc.....etc. 8)

>RNS merchandising will now be out of control, as Nick tries to squeeze
>every last drop of money from our heroes. <I predict...>. They will
>most likely degenerate into a bad parody of themselves, and be axed
>by next season. 
>
I hope NICK won't be stupid enough to send some hack to keep RNS going.
If John K. and NICK fail to come to terms, I would see NICK playing 
reruns of all the episodes in sequence, while trying to take the
merchandising of RNS for all ti was worth...:-/.

>As for the argument that The Simpson's don't complain, think back to the
>first season of the Simpsons. New episodes were delayed for months, because
>they couldn't churn it out fast enough to meet public demand. Fox
>responded by upping the budget and hiring more animators. Nick responds
>to similar problems by axing the creator and the animation company.
>Could you see the Simpson's continuing without Matt Groening's
>involvement? <Admittedly, he is becoming more peripheral to the showe>
> It is over.  Let us treasure what we recieved, and curse the philistines
>who ended it prematurely.
>
>					--Judex--
>

Try joining the write-in campaign.  Write-ins have saved shows
that weren't half as original and funny as RNS!  (Designing Women,
for one).

Later!!!

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