The CN Movie/Tropes

"Ever wonder what your life is like when you're living life as a television star? Well, I have. I'm Finn, the guy in the funny white lookin' hat. I came to CN Studios way back in April 2010. When I first came to the studio, I really felt like I fit in. And who knows what it would have been like if I got aired on Nickel... Nickelback...? Nicholas? The company that aired my pilot. That was when I met my two best friends. It was Chowder and Flapjack."
– Finn, narrating the opening scene
The CN Movie is a 2021 live-action/animated film, based on the Cartoon Network network, directed by James Bobin (The Muppets, Muppets Most Wanted). This serves as another film with hand-drawn animated characters in a live-action setting. And surprisingly enough, it's produced by Warner Bros., making it the second franchise centered around a row of cartoon characters in the real world after Looney Tunes. The movie depicts the network's characters as actors that interact with each other outside their universes.
After eight long years, Finn decides to reunite with his old friends Chowder and Flapjack. After a good reunion, Finn suggests on getting the two a movie to bring them back to the public (which they were torn down unfortunately). As the three set off to return home, they end up on the other sides of the world, so their old friends (who are outside their shows) go out to find them. Jeremy Shada and Thurop Van Orman reprise their roles as Finn and Flapjack while Asher Bishop voices Chowder, in favor of the now older Nicky Jones; accompanied by Linda Cardellini as CJ, Kate Micucci as Sadie Miller, Sean Giambrone as Jeff Randell, Sean Marquette as Mac, Keith Ferguson as Bloo, and Grey Griffin as Yumi Yoshimura.
This film is meant to re-introduce the old Cartoon Network shows that have been taken off the air, concluded happily, or just been ignored by the studio. The film is followed by an adult mockumentary series on TBS, titled The CN Show, in July 2022. A sequel to the film was planned to follow the series, until it was scrapped.
== The CN Movie contains examples of: ==
*2D Visuals, 3D Effects: When the animated characters hold live-action objects.
**Also applies in the second Stinger (see below).
*Actor Allusion:
** During the flashback prologue, Clarence has a few ideas with his revival idea as his show reaches cancellation.Clarence: How about this? An episode where Jeff gets casted for a show taking place in the '80s?Jeff: Clarence.Clarence: [sadly] I know.
** When Chowder and Finn reunite with Flapjack, Flapjack greets them in a southern accent and saying "Aw, did you come all the way here to see wittle 'ol me?" .
** Chowder mistakes Beth Tezuka's voice for Panini's.Chowder: You sound like someone I know back where I come from.Beth: Yeah, and everybody says I sound like that dumb blonde from that slice-of-life family show, even though I came out way before she did.
** CJ calls Sadie "Webby" at one point.Sadie: Don't make that joke again. Ever.
** The epilogue has Ami talking to Madame Foster in the background. Does it ring any bell that their voice actresses have been on a show together?
*Adaptational Jerkass: Flapjack. As much as he's a soft cream puff in-universe, he's a little short-tempered, danger-hungry powerhouse out-of-universe. Regardless, he's still a nice guy all-in-all.
*Advertised Extra: Any one of the Cartoon Network characters you can name (sans CJ, Sadie, Jeff, Mac & Bloo, and Yumi). In the actual movie, they just have supporting roles and minor roles.
*Animated Actors: From seeing the Crystal Gems (other than Amethyst) eating, to CJ and Margaret as friends, to some dumb characters actually smart, or maybe selfish characters are actually kind off-set, they're a good qualification. Although some of them retain their perks.
*Animation Bump: The CN characters move as they do in their respective homes, but in the real world, they move more fluently.
*As Himself:
** Thurop Van Orman, Pendleton Ward, and Carl Greenblatt. However, they were just disguises the trio uses to get inside the Warner Bros. studio.
**Kaley Cuoco appears briefly as the supporting CN characters arrive at the Warner Bros. studio.
** Japanese rock duo Ami Onuki and Yumi Yoshimura of Puffy AmiYumi voice their animated counterparts at the end credits.
** Sadie's voice actress, Kate Micucci, even interacts with Sadie at one point.
*Big Applesauce: After the trio and their old friends reunite in Spain, they drive to New York after shaking the cops. As they arrive, their transportation breaks down and, followed by missing their transit bus after Flapjack becomes distracted.
*Biting-the-Hand Humor: Directly to Cartoon Network than Warner Bros., apparently.
** During the first scene in the movie, the defunct cartoon characters give out their complaints with the studio with Finn in group therapy.Ms. Baker: That was nice of you to share your hard life, Finn. We've all had tough lives out of our shows.Bubbles: Yeah, we recently got a reboot, which depicted us horribly! [she fires her eye beams at a poster of the PPG reboot] Ben: Look who's talkin'. I got one six months after you.Sumo: Our show got canned thanks to those superhero jerks! We barely even got close to getting a crossover.Johnny: I got a TV movie instead of an actual movie movie! But I don't blame the girls for their movie's box office flop.Yumi: Our show got cancelled after our creator left. Even all the stuff that had us on the network's site was removed.
** And in the Candy Tavern after the trio reunites, Chowder and Flapjack talk about their bittersweet series finales after given word that they were cancelled. Chowder: ...I think the worst part in my finale was I married Panini and had a bunch of kids!Flapjack: You think you have it bad? Me and Cap'n got turned into real people at the end of my last episode and we got chased out of town.Chowder: It's like Cartoon Network no longer cares about humor anymore.
*Black Helicopter: Mac and Bloo hijack one after the group misses their bus.CJ: How do you keep getting these things?
*Breaking the Fourth Wall: Usually done throughout the movie by Chowder, Yumi and the narrator. Pretty much any character with a show that constantly breaks the fourth wall.
*Bull Seeing Red: Mac takes on a bull with the help of her red shirt to get the trio out of Plaza de Toros de Las Ventas. Prior to that, the bull can be seen chasing Flapjack as his shirt has red stripes.
*Butt-Monkey: Flapjack receives Amusing Injuries throughout the story, as well as receive some smacks upside the head.
*The Cameo: Surprisingly several.
** Tom Cavanaugh as a WB studio security guard.
** Timothy Dalton, Kathleen Turner, and Wayne Knight who have previously had roles in other live-action/animated films.
** Bryce Dallas Howard as one of the people getting off the plane the trio's trapped in.
** Dennis Haysbert as a news reporter.
** John Oliver as a cruise ship captain.
** Hell, even Chris, Beth, Danny, Wallow, and Plum appear for a brief scene when the trio arrives at Warner Bros. for the first time.
*Celebrity Paradox: During the supporting characters' Rescue Arc, they unintentionally meet Kate Micucci, the voice behind Sadie, which ends up with Micucci saying that she voices her and Sadie denying that.
*Chase Scene: The occasional car chase variant where the CN characters are chased by the Los Angeles Police Department in Maryland.
*Comic Book Movies Don't Use Codenames: Princess Bubblegum and Flame Princess are referred to by their actual names Bonnibel and Phoebe in this movie.
*Company Cross References:
**The boys get thrown out by one security guard reminiscent to another security guard that did the same thing to Porky Pig back in 1940.
**As Mac and Bloo fly back to CN Studios, they accidentally hit the WB water tower, which starts tumbling down; causing a man to say, "Not again!"
*Crapsaccharine World: CN Studios. Many or few shows have ended or been taken off the air from decisions from the execs or low ratings. Or the creators and writers wanting to wrap things up on their shows.
*Creator Cameo: See "As Himself" above.
*Dance Party Ending: At the start of the end credits. As well in its post-credits scene.
*Deadpan Snarker: The narrator. The trio has their moments, too.
*Drives Like Crazy: In the car chase scene, Yumi drives briefly and plays her guitar while the song "Paranoid" plays in background. She's then pulled out of the driver's seat by Chowder.
*Dumbass Has a Point: Chowder makes a good one on Finn's suggestion.Finn: Hey, how about we re-introduce you guys with a movie?Chowder: Finn, as much as that sounds like a good idea, who, by today's standards, wants to see a movie about either a cat-bear-rabbit thing, even though I'm pretty much basically a cat, and a kid who wants to be an adventurer? It would probably take fans' full interest in one to happen.
*Fish Out of Water: Finn, Flapjack and Chowder go out of the studio and into the real world with less knowledge of it whatsoever.
*Free-Range Children: Chowder, Finn and Flapjack. Back in 2010, they were going around the studio and going around their respective homes without adult supervision.
*Genre Savvy: Chowder, due to being a fourth-waller, and CJ, due to being a pop-culture enthusiast.
*Drunk on Milk: One scene shows the trio in the Candy Tavern after reuniting. They're seen drinking root beer, along with hiccuping and stuttering while talking.
*Interactive Narrator: The Powerpuff Girls' narrator. The only people he interacts are characters who are aware of the fourth wall.
*Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Flapjack. Despite his off-screen personality, he's still kind-hearted to people.
*Kleptomaniac Hero: Mac and Bloo are pretty much an exaggerated example of this trope. They can get any piece of transportation from a cruise ship at the start to a helicopter at the end.
*The Knights Who Say "Squee!": CJ fangirls over Kaley Cuoco to the point where she asks for a selfie with her.
*Loads and Loads of Characters: The movie features characters from shows produced and only by Cartoon Network Studios. Those consisting of Chowder, The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack, Adventure Time, Regular Show, Steven Universe, Clarence, Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi, The Powerpuff Girls, Uncle Grandpa, Craig of the Creek, Mighty Magiswords, Summer Camp Island, Dexter's Laboratory, Johnny Bravo, The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, The Life and Times of Juniper Lee, Camp Lazlo, My Gym Partner's a Monkey, Squirrel Boy, Samurai Jack, Ben 10, We Bare Bears, and OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes.
*Logo Joke: Since the movie takes place in 2018, the Warner Bros. Pictures logo is the 1998-2020 version (with the Warner Bros. Discovery byline rather than a WarnerMedia byline) and the Cartoon Network Studios logo is the 2013-2022 version.
*London: Our heroes end up in London after Flapjack was distracted by a car's hood ordainment and Finn getting his backpack accidentally put into the cargo hold.
*Massive Multiplayer Crossover: Not only does this have almost every Cartoon Network character, it also includes the Bravest Warriors characters in one scene.
*Mythology Gag:
**This isn't the first time seeing the Cartoon Network characters in a real world setting, notably the Hoopshots commercials and CN City's Get Animated bumpers.
**Chowder mentions that he eats brain grub each week.
**To escape the police, Chowder eats some spicy peppers and uses his fiery breath to rocket the group out of the chase.
**Flapjack can be seen playing with his foot with a face drawn on it.
*Narrating the Obvious: Lampshaded by Chowder.Chowder: You realize the audience already knows about this.Narrator: You wanna narrate this movie?Chowder: No.
*Not Growing Up Sucks: Bubbles utters this.Bubbles: We've turned 20 a few days ago. [everyone applauds] But even though we are 20, we're still little girls that still fight crime during the day before bedtime.
*Not So Above It All: Even most characters, i.e. Panini, retain their common quirks.
*The Other Darrin: Implied and lampshaded in-universe. Chowder is voiced by Asher Bishop in this movie, due to Nicky Jones being too old for playing the title character. However, in one scene...Finn: We've been meaning to ask you.Flapjack: You sound different.Chowder: Oh, yeah, after eight years, my old voice was getting older, so I got a new voice. [reverting to Nicky Jones' voice] But my old voice is still around.[Finn and Flapjack look at him awkwardly]Chowder: You'll get used to my [reverting to Asher Bishop's voice] new voice, even if you'll miss my [with Nicky Jones' voice] old voice.[with Asher Bishop's voice] New voice.[with Nicky Jones' voice] Old voice.[with Asher Bishop's voice] New voice.[with Nicky Jones' voice] Old voice.[with Asher Bishop's voice] New voice.[with Nicky Jones' voice] Old voice.[Finn covers his mouth]Finn: Please, stop.Chowder: [with Asher Bishop's voice] Sorry.
*Overly Long Gag:
** The boys attempt to get inside the Warner Bros. studio, only to get thrown out by security. They use many disguises to get in, such as disguising as women; salesmen; the Three Stooges; and delivery boys. Their fifth attempt to get in was by disguising as their creators, which apparently worked.
** Chowder's Other Darrin scene above.
* Putting the Band Back Together: As Bonnibel suggests that Finn reunite with his friends, he bites the bullet and goes to their respective homes.
*"The Reason You Suck" Speech: The receptionist (Tina Fey's character) gives a good reason on why the studio wouldn't wanna make a movie about either Chowder or Flapjack.Sandra: Let me give you a simple answer: You're not appealing to modern audiences.[Flapjack crosses his arms in response]Chowder: And I thought I knew my show was bad.Sandra: You guys are good for the younger demographic, but for the older demographic, not so much. [to Chowder] Your show consists of constant fourth-wall jokes, a few out-of-character moments, ridiculously named foods to differ from the characters... and let's not forget unaware potty humor.[a toilet is heard flushing, then a man walks by holding a newspaper. Chowder chuckles]Sandra: [to Flapjack] And yours has disturbing content that could scare a child and some female characters that are voiced by male actors.Flapjack: Well, maybe my creator thought it would be funny or cost less.Sandra: Look, your shows are okay; they have good morals from time to time, but what they lack are character development and heart. So, the answer is "no". Need I go on?Finn: Uh, yeah. How do you know so much about their shows?Sandra: I watched some of their episodes with my kids.
*Road Trip Plot: The premise focuses on Finn, Flapjack, and Chowder ending up on different parts of the world and it's up to their friends to travel around the world get them back home.
*Roger Rabbit Effect: A massive throwback to this trope.
*Sequel Hook: At the end.Flapjack: I wonder if we'll ever do this again.Chowder: It's possible, if this thing makes enough for another one. But then again...
*Shared Universe: According to the co-writer Xavier Shaquille, who also pitched the idea, the movie takes place in the same universe as Looney Tunes: Back in Action. Even one scene indicates it.
*Shout-Out:
** The boys disguise as the Three Stooges in their third attempt to get in the studio.
** When the boys meet the receptionist Sandra for the first time.Finn: Hello. We're here to meet the main executive of WB, please.Sandra: Ah, you must be the Looney Tunes.Finn: Heard of those guys, but no, not really.Sandra: Hmm, one of the Nicktoons?Chowder: That's pretty much a different franchise.
** Marceline sings Lindsay Lohan's "Ultimate" near the end credits.
*Spain: The trio ends up in Madrid, Spain after they went the wrong direction.
*Spiritual Successor: It's mainly Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Looney Tunes: Back in Action, and James Bobin's Muppet duology rolled into one.
*Status Quo is God: Shown in the epilogue, all the defunct show characters are back in the studio, now interacting with the current running show characters.
*Superman Stays Out of Gotham: There are certain shows that aren't present in the film as the film would only have Cartoon Network Studios-produced characters. Those being:
**The Cartoon Cartoons series, Cow and Chicken; I Am Weasel; Ed, Edd n Eddy; Courage the Cowardly Dog; Sheep in the Big City; and Codename: Kids Next Door.
**Any series produced by Warner Bros. Animation, either Looney Tunes; DC Entertainment; or Hanna-Barbera.
**This also applies to the Lego-based series, Ninjago; Legends of Chima; and Mixels.
*Take That!:
** This movie does some jabs at Cartoon Network's rival Nickelodeon a few times.
*** At the very start of the movie...Finn: When I first came to the studio, I really felt like I fit in. And who knows what it would have been like if I got aired on Nickel... Nickelback...? Nicholas? The company that aired my pilot.
*** When the boys meet the Bravest Warriors, Beth mentions that she came out four years before her other Liliana Mumy counterpart Leni Loud, talking down that Leni's more popular than her.
*** Sandra the receptionist mistakes them for the Nicktoons, in which Chowder dismisses as they're a difference franchise.
** Bubbles shoots a poster of the Powerpuff Girls reboot with her eyebeams, serving as a nod to the original show's fans' dislike on its reboot. Doubles as Biting-the-Hand Humor.
*The Stinger:
** In the epilogue, Finn decides to talk to the key people of the studio to give Clarence a revival.
** Dexter introduces the CN characters to Cartoon Network City 2.0, a 3-dimensional Pocket Dimension reminiscent to the CN City bumpers.
** After the credits, we have Marceline singing (and mainly lip syncing) to "Boogie Feet" with the other CN characters joining in afterwards.
*This Loser Is You: Finn, by his perspective.Finn: Believe me, I had it even worse than you guys. I kept breaking up with many girls, I met my dad who was a big jerkface, I lost my arm and I never got it back in the finale.
* Title Drop: When the boys disguise as their creators to pass through security.Chowder/C.H. Greenblatt: Hello, uh, we'd like to pitch a movie to the main executive of this studio. It's called The CN Movie. What do you think?Guard: Eh, maybe work on the title.
*Traveling at the Speed of Plot:
** When the boys start planning to go to Warner Bros. Studios at the beginning.Finn: That's an hour long walk from there.Chowder: Gotcha covered. [he pulls down the top of the screen and transitions to a view of the Warner Bros. studio]
** Defied in this scene. When the three travel back from London to Burbank, they travel by a rowboat in London, then going through the streets Paris, France, followed by Italy, Europe, until accidentally arriving in Madrid, Spain.Finn: Y'know, this would have saved us trouble if you did that thing last time.Chowder: Hey, it's only for when the plot needs it. Or for when it needs to be broken. It's not for anytime.
Category:Cartoon Network
Category:Tropes