Happy Happy Joy Joy: The Ren & Stimpy Story (2020)

A documentary that explores the rise and fall of The Ren & Stimpy Show (1991) and its controversial creator, John Kricfalusi.

Directors:

Ron Cicero, Kimo Easterwood

Writer:

Ron Cicero

Stars:

Jim Ballantine, Ed Bell, Jack Black

Cast

Credited cast:
Jim Ballantine	...	Self
Ed Bell	...	Self
Jack Black	...	Self
Robyn Byrd	...	Self
Bob Camp	...	Self
Vanessa Coffey	...	Self
Christine Danzo	...	Self
Stephen DeStefano	...	Self
Eddie Fitzgerald	...	Self
Billy Gibbons	...	Self
Jim Gomez	...	Self
Bob Jaques	...	Self (as Bob Jacques)
David Koenigsberg	...	Self
John Kricfalusi	...	Self
Mr. Lawrence	...	Self

Storyline

HAPPY HAPPY JOY JOY is a feature documentary exploring the rise and fall of one of the most influential animated series in the history of television. It's the story of a group of talented and dedicated artists whose incredible work brought to life two of the most beloved characters of all time - Ren and Stimpy. It's also a cautionary tale of artistic genius gone awry. The controversial creator of the groundbreaking show, John Kricfalusi, both caused and experienced trauma that deeply affected his work and relationships. Through archival footage, show artwork and interviews with the artists, actors and executives behind the show, co-directors Ron Cicero and Kimo Easterwood artfully illuminate the joy, beauty and lasting impact of Ren and Stimpy, as well as the dual sides of the show's creator, a man who is both a brilliant animator and storyteller as well as a deeply flawed person.

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Plot Keywords:

repetition in title | animator | reference to andy warhol | reference to walt disney | cartoonist | 

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Genres:

Documentary

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Did You Know?

Connections

References The Flintstones (1960)

User Reviews

The Surreal World of Ren and Stimpy is Much More Than Just Boogers

Happy Happy Joy Joy: The Ren and Stimpy Story is a huge love letter to everyone, and everything involved with The Ren and Stimpy Show. The movie starts off slow in the beginning but speeds up when it starts talking about the production of the show. It gets a little slow again when they interview fans and celebrities like Jack Black, or Bobby Lee, a Weird Al interview was also recorded but didn't make the cut, the celeb interviews seem a little forced for runtime, but I get why they were added in. There is many controversies or other news involved with John K. (like his relationship with Billy West, his kickstarter cartoon, and suing the South Park creators for their poop character) that didn't make the cut due to the documentary already being almost 2 hours long, and I get why, they are only focusing on stuff related to Ren and Stimpy, and they only go for the major controversies. The main focus of the movie is the legacy Ren and Stimpy created, if we didn't have Ren and Stimpy, we wouldn't have Spongebob, The Simpsons, Adventure Time, Gravity Falls, almost every current show is influenced by Ren and Stimpy, and that's the message the movie signs off with. If Ren and Stimpy didn't exist, I wouldn't be a cartoonist and draw as much as I do daily. This whole movie is perfect for any fan of animation, tv, or comedy, I absolutely adore this movie, and everyone who just thinks about John K.'s terrible life decisions when Ren and Stimpy is mentioned, give this a watch and learn that John K. isn't the only person who worked on this show. So please give this a watch, it's $0.99 to rent and it's arriving on DVD and Blu-Ray later this year.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 August 2020 (USA)

Also Known As:

Happy Happy Joy Joy: The Ren & Stimpy Story

Filming Locations:

Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,264

Company Credits

Production Co:

Ladies & Gentlemen, Inc

Technical Specs

Runtime:

104 min

Sound Mix:

D-Cinema 96kHz 5.1 (RCA Sound Recording)

Color:

Color