My Dad the Rock Star (2003– )

The son of an famous and eccentric heavy metal rock star tries to lead a normal life.

Stars:

Joanne Vannicola, Lawrence Bayne, Kathleen Laskey

1 nomination.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Joanne Vannicola	...	Willy Zilla (3 episodes, 2003)
Lawrence Bayne	...	Rock Zilla (3 episodes, 2003)
Kathleen Laskey	...	Crystal Zilla (3 episodes, 2003)
Stephanie Mills	...	Serenity Zilla (3 episodes, 2003)
Don Francks	...	Skunk (3 episodes, 2003)
Sarah Gadon	...	Alyssa (3 episodes, 2003)
Martin Villafana	...	Quincy (3 episodes, 2003)
Rob Stefaniuk	...	Bobby "Buzz" Sawchuck (3 episodes, 2003)
James Millington	...	Mr. Malfactor (3 episodes, 2003)

Storyline

Being the son of the world famous rock star, Rock Zilla, may sound wonderful for most people, but Willy has a different opinion. All he wants is a normal life and friends who accept him for himself and not because of his parents. When the Zilla family moves to Silent Springs in semi-retirement, Willy sees his chance. However, that normal life will not be easy to find with his wealthy family stirring things up in their own eccentric ways. Regardless, with the help of two newfound true friends, Willy is ready to deal with his unique challenges in a world that is remarkably new to him.

---

Plot Keywords:

rock star | heavy metal | father son relationship | school | teen | 

---

Genres:

Animation | Family | Comedy | Music

---

Certificate:

TV-Y7

Details

Official Sites:

Nelvana

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 September 2003 (Canada)

Also Known As:

Moi Willy, fils de rockstar

Company Credits

Production Co:

Carrère Groupe, Nelvana

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min 30 min (24 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This series is based on Gene Simmons of KISS' book: My Dad the Rockstar: Rebel without a Nose Ring.

---

Quotes

Crystal Zilla: [checking her Mood Ring] Uh-oh. Melancholy Blue. Someone's experiencing a plunge in their emotional biorhythm.

User Reviews

A son lives with his rock star dad, a New Age mom and a spoiled sister while trying to live as a normal teenager and at the same time, maintaining his sanity.

In the beginning, like everybody else, I was skeptical about this show at first. A cartoon is the last thing I would expect from Gene Simmons, but then again, the man is a merchandising juggernaut. From KISS action figures, to comics to movies, to condoms to candy, it wasn't surprising that Gene will create another KISS product, but with a twist.

This show is unique because we see a different side to Gene Simmons. But this show had mixed reviews. When you first look at it, you either love it or hate it. I am one of those people who actually like this show. One of the things I first noticed is that this sitcom is original. Most sitcoms tend to lack originality as of lately, yet this show follows the lifestyle of a famous rock star while his son tried to coop up with the insanity and the unwanted attention. He is definitely a fish out of water with his tongue-wagging dad, New Age mom and spoiled sister, but he struggles to try and fit in a quiet, suburban town called Silent Springs.

The show talks a lot about not judging a book by it's cover. That just because a family looks different and has different traditions, doesn't mean that they are just like everybody else. This is a lesson that we learn from the Addam's Family, and we can learn a lot from the Zillas too.

The characters are interesting to look at and dare I say it, the Zillas are the wisest family I ever came across. Yes, they're different, but they're far more open-minded then other parents. They have a lot of common sense and won't force the kids to do something they don't want to be doing. Yes, they make mistakes, all families do but they're close-knit despite the mix personalities.

I also want to talk about Quincy's character. Yes, he is supposed to be a gangster, but he doesn't fit the stereotype. The genre of clothes he wears are reference to hip hop and gangster rap which is part of the pop culture these kids live in. Yes, he does speak the occasional slang but he does speak English too. The clothes he wears are part of the genre so please stop accusing Quincy of being a stereotype.

But this show is not perfect. Most of the stuff Gene uses in this show has been overused; a kid struggling to fit in, but there is an interesting twist to this tale. The reason why Willie wants to fit in is because he wanted to be liked for himself and not because of a famous dad. Understandable.

While the animation is by the wonderful and talented, Nelvana Studios, this show is just average so it is no wander why they didn't produce anymore episodes. Mostly because it is predictable for Gene to create a cartoon series (unexpected, maybe, not predictable).