"Ren & Stimpy 'Adult Party Cartoon'" (2003) TV series

Creators:

John Kricfalusi
Jim Smith

Seasons:

1 | unknown

Release Date:

26 June 2003 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Comedy

Plot:

John Kricfalusi, the creator of the original Ren & Stimpy Show, is back at the helm with new adventures of Ren Höek and Stimpson J...

Plot Keywords:

Gross Out | Anthropomorphic Animal | Controversy | Talking Animal | Crude Humor

Cast

John Kricfalusi	...	Dr. Mr. Horse / ... (8 episodes, 2003)
Eric Bauza	...	Stimpson J. "Stimpy" Cat / ... (8 episodes, 2003)

Also Known As:

Ren and Stimpy: The Lost Episodes (USA) (DVD title)

Runtime:

USA:30 min

Country:

Canada | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Certification:

Australia:M | USA:TV-MA | Canada:13+ (Quebec)

Company:

Spümcø

Quotes:

[inside the homeless man's mouth, his uvula goes into Ren's ass five times. Ren wakes up, shocked, and jumps up and yells at Stimpy]
Ren Höek: Hey! WHO'S THE PITCHER, AND WHO'S THE CATCHER?
Stimpson J. "Stimpy" Cat: You're the pitcher, I'm the catcher! You're the pitcher, I'm the catcher! See?
[Stimpy points to a blackboard hanging on the side of the mouth, which reads "You're The pitcher, I'm the catcher" over and over again]

Movie Connections:

Follows Big House Blues (1990)

Sorry, The Party is Over!

I hate to be a party pooper, but this resurrection of Ren & Stimpy is HORRIBLE! As a fan of the classic Nickelodeon series, this is NOT what I've been anticipating.

I've heard all about how Spumco was fired in 1992, and how R & S fell afterwards. I always liked both the Spumco and Games episodes, but it was the way Nickelodeon was treating the series that had me grinding my teeth.

After being removed from Snick in 1996 (back when the Snick line-up was still cool), it came to a point where Ren & Stimpy was hardly seen anymore, often suffering pre-emptions from other Nick specials, and finally being pulled off the air altogether in 1999. The show also aired on MTV up until 1997. By 2000, the Viacom kin had tried to keep Ren & Stimpy fresh on viewers' minds. The show returned on Nick, and later VH1.

Finally, there came the day when it was announced that Ren & Stimpy was not only coming back, but they were bringing back the show's original producers back as well! This seemed like a dream that was far out of reach in 1998, when the series was hardly being shown at all.

So, TNN (now Spike TV) gave us a new version of Ren & Stimpy, one of which is no longer tethered by child-friendly restrictions. Unfortunately, Spumco has spent so much time withdrawing from TV, that the studio's own material became unpolished over the years. That was proven in their not-so-good Ripping Friends cartoon. The many Internet cartoons and TV specials they've made in the past 10 years are easily forgettable. The problem is, despite being committed to reviving the feel of the classic cartoons (mostly Warner Bros.), they try so hard to be funny, that it costs their presentations a good story, and the jokes in themselves are WAY overcooked. That gives one every reason to question their philosophy about contemporary animation, especially since they take it out on even the best of today's cartoons.

The main problem with Ren & Stimpy is that it finally gets to be an adult cartoon, but the creators seem to have trouble making a decent effort for an "adult" cartoon. The stories have been stretched over a 30-minute period (all of which easily could've been presented in just 15 minutes). The characters' personalities seem to lack depth, as they're mostly trying THAT HARD to be funny, so much so that it's not. And we've got endless jokes about boogers, farts, and secretions. Unlike the old show (and many other shows that copied it), these sick jokes are NOT funny, but just plain sick. Some of these episodes are quite annoying, because they try so hard to be funny, that they don't really go anywhere, except to Hades.

In fact, Ren & Stimpy Adult Party Cartoon feels more like Spumco is blowing off its anger at how Nick kicked them off their own show before, rather than just trying to make a fresh start with its fans. It also seems like the only reason ANYONE would like this resurrection is because Spumco fans sympathize with how much Spumco has been struggling in the past decade, and they just support them no matter how lousy their cartoons are. Ironically, despite the bad blood on the old show, it turns out that Nickelodeon's actions were semi-justified (despite their terrible sense of good programming).

Over the years, many artists who worked on the old Ren & Stimpy went to pursue other projects (most of which are at Cartoon Network). So, it was a given that this new Ren & Stimpy would be different. But what we were given is far from impressive.

The thing Spumco needs to learn is that not EVERYTHING about contemporary animation is bad. But even with some of the bad things about it, that doesn't mean Spumco is the savior of animation. All of their projects since the original Ren & Stimpy prove it. As for their style of humor, I don't have anything against sick humor, but there's a time and a place for those kinds of jokes. Some cartoons have made the terrible mistake of using sick jokes carelessly (many of which take the cue from the original R & S). Heaven forbid any cartoon that tries to imitate this version of Ren & Stimpy.

Again, it's sad that Ren & Stimpy fans have waited so long for the show's return, just to be given THIS disaster. I just hope that as the show goes along, Spumco learns to polish its material. As of now, The Ren & Stimpy Adult Party Cartoon is just a malfunction in Spumco's philosophy, and a showcase of their sophomoric sense of style.