"The Head" (1994) TV series

Creator:

Eric Fogel
(more)

Seasons:

1 | 2

Release Date:

29 August 1997 (Denmark)

Genre:

Animation | Comedy | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Plot:

Roughly-drawn but well-written cult cartoon about alien invasion. Small aliens on Earth, needing human receptacles...

Plot Keywords:

Alien | Cult | Alien Invasion | Freak | World Domination

Cast

Gordon Barnett		(1 episode, 1994)
Patricia Bibby		(1 episode, 1994)
Jason Candler	...	Jim / ... (1 episode, 1994)
Tad Hills		(1 episode, 1994)
Melanie Holtzman		(1 episode, 1994)
Chris Johnston		(1 episode, 1994)
Mike Judge	...	Butthead (1 episode, 1994)

Series Directed by
Eric Fogel		(unknown episodes)
Ken Kimmelman		(unknown episodes)
Ray Kosarin		(unknown episodes)
Choon Man Lee		(unknown episodes)
Eugene Salandra		(unknown episodes)
Paul Sparagano		(unknown episodes)

Series Writing credits
Gordon Barnett		(unknown episodes)
David Benullo		(unknown episodes)
Eric Fogel		(unknown episodes)

Series Produced by
John Andrews	....	producer (unknown episodes)
Pete Demas	....	executive producer: MTV (unknown episodes)
John Lynn	....	supervising producer (unknown episodes)
Abby Terkuhle	....	executive producer (unknown episodes)

Series Original Music by
Jack Livesey		(13 episodes, 1994-1995)
Peter Nashel		(13 episodes, 1994-1995)

Series Film Editing by
Neil Lawrence		(unknown episodes)

Series Production Management
Adam Liggio	....	production team (13 episodes, 1994-1995)
Jacqueline Barba	....	production manager (unknown episodes)
Lorraine Coyle	....	production manager (unknown episodes)
Karen Hyden	....	production manager (unknown episodes)

Series Art Department
Matt Sheridan	....	storyboard artist (unknown episodes)
Monica Smith	....	character color designer (unknown episodes)
Yong-Hong Zhong	....	storyboard artist (unknown episodes)
Michael Zodorozny	....	background color designer (unknown episodes)

Series Sound Department
John Bowen	....	sound editor (unknown episodes)
Bill Chesley	....	sound engineer (unknown episodes)
Ted Gannon	....	sound designer (unknown episodes)
John Lynn	....	sound director (unknown episodes)
Ray Palagy	....	dialogue editor (unknown episodes)
Tony Pipitone	....	sound editor (unknown episodes)
Michael Ruschak	....	sound mixer (unknown episodes)

Series Animation Department
Kimson Albert	....	layout artist (unknown episodes)
Edward Artinian	....	layout artist (unknown episodes)
Mike Baez	....	layout artist (unknown episodes)
Ciara Breslin	....	layout supervisor (unknown episodes)
Jeff Buckland	....	background designer / layout artist (unknown episodes)
Simon Deitch	....	layout artist (unknown episodes)
Sharon Fitzgerald	....	layout supervisor (unknown episodes)
Ray Kosarin	....	layout supervisor (unknown episodes)
Sue Perrotto	....	layout artist (unknown episodes)

Series Editorial Department
Damian Van Demburgh	....	assistant editor (unknown episodes)
John C. Holswade	....	editor: video (unknown episodes)
Bennett Killmer	....	editor: video (unknown episodes)

Series Other crew
Merle Becker	....	production assistant (unknown episodes)
Ciara Breslin	....	layout checker (unknown episodes)
Sharon Fitzgerald	....	design director (unknown episodes)
Eric Fogel	....	creative supervisor (unknown episodes)
Amy Jackson	....	production associate (unknown episodes)
Nancy Lane	....	layout checker (unknown episodes)
Nick Litwinko	....	video post supervisor (unknown episodes)
David McGrath	....	layout checker (unknown episodes)
Paul Williams	....	production assistant (unknown episodes)
Andrea Wortham	....	production coordinator (unknown episodes)

Series Thanks
Jessica Finestone	....	special thanks (unknown episodes)
Lisa Hackett	....	special thanks (unknown episodes)
Jeffrey Keyton	....	special thanks (unknown episodes)
Teasha Kirchner	....	special thanks (unknown episodes)
David Lanfair	....	special thanks (unknown episodes)
Jeffrey Marshall	....	special thanks (unknown episodes)
Donald Silvey	....	special thanks (unknown episodes)
Van Toffler	....	special thanks (unknown episodes)

Production Companies

• MTV Animation

Distributors

• YTV

Other Companies

• Plus One Animation  overseas animation studio

Also Known As:

Runtime:

22 min

Country:

USA | Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Company:

MTV Animation

Movie Connections:

Followed by "The Maxx" (1995)

Gritty Style, Great Lines, and Interesting Characters

To say that "the Head" was my favorite show during its actual television run would be an overstatement. I watched it as frequently as I could, but missing it wouldn't mean heartbreak.

The series is about a man named Jim trying to find love and friendship in New York City. The only thing is, an alien encounter left him with a massive head playing home to an alien named Roy. Season one (Which, unfortunately, is the entire show) follows Roy and Jim as they work together to stop an alien invasion from a parasitic species bent on the domination of Earth.

The artistic style seems simplistic and gritty, but definitely has a certain compelling quality to it. The characters move awkwardly and unrealistically, but it's forgivable when you consider it's a show about freaks that was first aired as a segment on a show called "Oddities." Eric Fogel and Ray Kosarin do some downright incredible things with perspective to give every scene a very fresh and interesting feel. And the characters themselves are all well-designed and fascinating to look at.

The story is a little weak and predictable. The usual alien invasion bit with meddling federal agents and a mad scientist. But it has its own quirks to liven it up. And the characters were all fascinating. Unfortunately, since it was such an action-oriented plot, most of Jim's friends seemed underdeveloped and two-dimensional, and Jim himself seemed like a generic Everyman sort, but his alien, Roy, had a distinct and enjoyable personality. And Dr. Elliot is one of the few mad scientists to have a clear background that shows why he is who he is. He's honestly among the most enjoyable villains I've ever seen.

Ultimately it's the jokes that make the show. There are some decent puns, but it's mostly the dead-pan sort of stuff that seems incredibly popular in this, the Family Guy era.

"The Head" was a great show if you were into it, but it definitely wasn't for everybody.