ANIMATED SHORTS: SAMURAI JACK IS BACK, RATATOOIE REVIEW

[MattBrady]

JACK IS BACK! – TARTAKOVSKY TO DO SAMURAI MOVIE
RATATOOIE REVIEW, ADULT SWIM NEWS & MORE

by Steve Fritz

Variety reports Genndy Tartakovsky has returned to his most famous incomplete tale, Samurai Jack. He will be writing and directing a feature length movie the marks the return of one of the most original characters in the world of animation.

Making its debut in 2001, Samurai Jack was the second series created by Tartakovsky, who was riding quite high on the success of his first, Dexter’s Laboratory. It was a very different beast from the madcap kids comedy of a young inventor and his force-of-nature sister.

The series basically takes place in a future where it seems about all of the universe was taken over by an avatar of evil named Aku (voiced by the late Mako). Before he took over, Aku had captured and destroyed the world of the Emperor of pre-Shogunate Japan. This brought about a blood oath from the Emperor’s son, who not only promises to avenge his family, but reset the world to the way it was before Aku took over. In the process of his preparations, the son is given a magic sword by his parents that defeated Aku once before. The son nearly manages to defeat Aku, but in a last ditch effort the malevolent force manages to fling the young man into the far future, where it now rules.

For the next four seasons, the samurai, who the natives have named Jack, travels this incredible futuristic landscape trying to find the way back to his own time and defeat Aku. As for his adversary? He keeps on hatching schemes that nearly, but never quite, stop Jack.

Even though there was one episode where Jack caught a glimpse of the future and it showed him triumphant, the series never was truly completed. After four seasons and 52 episodes, Tartakovsky stopped production as he was also working his third series, Star Wars: Clone Wars, and claimed the demands were too much. There were also inside sources saying the ratings of Jack had taken a severe dip in the last two seasons. In a last interview granted to Animated Shorts, Tartakovsky stated he wanted to go on to full-length feature films.

What is known is after completing the Star Wars series, Tartakovsky left Cartoon Network. At first it was stated he was working at a studio founded by ex-George Lucas animators called The Orphanage on a revamping of Tezuka’s immortal Astro Boy. His name was also attached to one or two other films. Nothing has come of those projects.

Anyway, according to Variety, the new Jack is being produced by an up-and-coming legend in the animation world, Fred Seibert. The former president of Hanna-Barbera has opened up a new division of his highly successful TV studio, which has previously produced such highly successful series as The Fairly OddParents among many others. Seibert and Tartakovsky have a long history together as the former produced the first Dexter’s short for the latter.

The new division is going under the name Frederator Films. Joining Seibert as producers are former Spumco/John Kricfalusi exec Kevin Kolde and talent management exec Eric Gardner, who’s roster includes Donny Osmond, Richard Belzer, Paul Shaffer, the Sex Pistols, Elvira and members of the Rolling Stones.

“Fred is the master at identifying voids in the marketplace and filling them with paradigm-shifting content," Gardner told Variety. "There has been a dearth of both 2-D and genre animated feature product, which Frederator Films will be rectifying.”

Besides Jack, Frederator Films announced two other films: The Neverhood, a stop motion feature based on the DreamWorks videogame of the same name. Doug TenNapel, who created the game, is aboard to write and direct and The Seven Deadly Sins, a hip-hop project with Don King hired as the first voice actor.

No announcements have been made regarding when the film is slated for release, who will be in the voice cast or if the film will go on TV or theater.

For more info, check out the URL: http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117967622.html

BIRD & DISNEY REALLY COOK WITH RATATOUILLE

Remy (as voiced by comic Patton Oswalt) is an unusual rat.

At first a country mouse, both his blessing and his curse is an incredibly sensitive nose. On the plus side, his family accepts him because he can sniff out the most insidious poisons. On the other side, this leads to conflict with Remy’s father, Django (Brian Dennehy), who is also leader of the clan of rodents our hero belongs to.

You see, when one has such refined and sophisticated nostrils as Remy, food isn’t just any old garbage left in the trash bins. As far as Remy is concerned, the quest for the best of food is as important as whether it’s been rotting in the sun for the last week or so.

“Food is just fuel,” says the more pragmatic Django. “So shut up and eat the garbage.”

Remy is willing to put up with this initially, until he’s hit with a revelation. Always a keen observer of humanity, Remy learns to read and discovers a cook book by one of the greatest chefs of all time, Gusteau (Brad Garrett, in one of his greatest voice performances ever). In this book Gusteau, who was world renown for his inventive ability to create innovative new dishes at the drop of his chef’s hat, insulted the world of high cuisine by always saying anyone could cook. This put Gusteau in direct conflict with the top food critic of all Paris, Anton Ego (Peter O’Toole in one of his most arch and sobering roles). Ego does such damage to Gusteau’s restaurant that it actually loses a star in its rating, and the gigantic gourmand then dies of a broken heart.

But fate is a funny thing. Remy’s quest for the best of the best will end up with him being chased out of his country home by shotgun, through the legendary sewers of Paris and into the arms of the garbage boy at Gusteau’s restaurant, Linguini (Lou Romano, who’s background is mainly as an animator). Aided and abetted by one of the side chefs, Collette (Jeanine Garofalo), Linguini and Remy will set the world of haute cuisine on its ear…as long as the head chef Skinner (Ian Holm) and the rest of the world in general and Collette in particular, don’t realize there’s a rat now residing in Gusteau’s kitchen.

As perceptive and delicate as a song by Edith Piaf and as sensitive yet ribald as a Chuck Jones short, only a director like Brad Bird could take an idea like Ratatouille and make it work. In fact, what is really scary is even though this is only Bird’s third feature film (the other two being the truly underappreciated Iron Giant and the ever-incredible The Incredibles).

It’s only the only time I’ve gone to an ANIMATED feature film screening and at the end saw the film get a standing ovation.

From “film critics” no less.

At the core of Ratatouille is a very unusual and quite unique film. It’s not like Paris hasn’t been a favorite subject of animators before. Past films have included one of Chuck Jones’ very rare forays into feature films with Gay Purr-ee as well as Disney’s charming The Aristocats and horrendous Hunchback of Notre Dame. And please! This isn’t the first animated film to feature a rodent as its lead.

In fact, what Bird takes as his basic subject matter, of a total outsider figuring out a way to break through and succeed in a world so petrified by tradition it’s about to collapse on itself, and give it a remarkably fresh and witty look.

“Part of the joy of Ratatouille is simply that it is so unpredictable,” Bird notes. “If we’ve done our job right, when you think it’s going left it goes right, and vice versa, hopefully all in a way that’s not only humorous but from the heart.”

“The story has such a great and relate-able hero because in order for Remy to do the one thing he loves, he has to go into a world that’s completely hostile to him. He wants to express himself in a way the world doesn’t expect him to, and I think a lot of people know that feeling. The question is: just how bold and clever can this little guy be in pursuing the thing that matters most to him, and what will he discover along the way? The story is in the tradition of that kind of timeless physical comedy that spans all languages and cultures, but it’s been given a fresh twist.”

The simple truth is, as strong a character-based film this movie is, Bird pulls out all the stops when it comes to his action sequences. He takes full advantage of the incredibly bizarre way Linguini utilizes Remy’s skills when they become the kitchen’s new master chefs. He also turns the kitchen into a battle zone where every nook and cranny, every cooking instrument, could slice, dice and mutilate our four-legged hero.

Still, it’s Bird’s skill at piloting a crew of extraordinary character animators that really set the table. Remy himself and his “family” are probably the most expressive mice since Don Bluth’s Mrs. Frisbee and the rats of NIMH. They all have remarkable sets of super-expressive eyes and hands and an ability to easy shift from two-legged “human” mode to his more natural rodent mode.

It’s also fun to compare the incredibly fun and, well let’s kindly say “robust,” Gusteau to the ascetic and totally angular Ego and the tiny but manipulative Skinner. Skinner, who’s supposed to only be 3’6” tall, runs through the set like a pumped up chimpanzee on a perpetual rampage. The very rigidity of Ego’s movements do so much to define his character that coupled with O’Toole’s incredibly sonorous bass one can’t help but feel threatened by his every appearance.

As for Gusteau? In the press notes Bird says that Garrett is probably the only person who’s a bigger animation geek than he is, and it certainly shows in this performance. Now seriously typecast for his Emmy Award-winning years as Robert in Everyone Loves Raymond, Garrett supplies a voice that’s just a ton of fun and wisdom into this tremendous body that moves as deftly as Tinkerbell.

These aren’t the only great vocal performances. Garofalo shows what an underappreciated talent she also is in her portrayal of Collette, but the real revelation is Romano.

Until I saw the casting notes, I could have sworn Linguini was being voiced by John Heder, who was shaking his Napoleon Dynamite character for something that was a cross between Bob Denver and Tim Conway. Then again, I should have remembered that animators are often very good actors in their own right. Obviously, Bird didn’t forget.

“He’s studied for years and he’s a terrific actor,” says Bird. “Knowing the whole process so well frees him up to be very inventive. The film wouldn’t work without him. Lou has a certain shy hesitancy but he also has this reserve of passion where he can become very assertive and powerful, just like Linguini. And Lou acted Linguini just crazy enough to make it believable that he’d let himself be controlled by this little rat.”

When you manage to mix all these incredible elements together, and then have them properly prepared by what we must now consider a true master of the animated form, what one comes up with is probably one of the best animated feature films of the year, if not the decade. The only crying shame is Ratatouille is going head to head with the actually pretty darn good Live Free or Die Hard (and to give the devil it’s due, it’s the best one since the first film) and the equally incredible Sicko. On the plus side, it looks like a number of film critics are rallying to the cause of this latest confection from Bird.

Let’s look at it this way. This weekend I’m planning to see this film a second time. Like any good meal Ratatouille is a movie that should be savored again and again.

ADULT SWIM ADDS FRIDAYS

In a move that personally I think is absolutely about time, Adult Swim will start airing seven days a week starting next Friday, July 6. It will kick it all off with a special Family Guy marathon starting at 11:00 p.m.

In fact, there is a slightly revamped schedule for the rest of the week, too. Adult Swim will kick it into gear Monday through Saturday at 11:00 p.m starting July 2. Sundays will be the exception, with the network replacing Cartoon Network at 10:00 p.m. As always, it will then shut down with the rising of the sun at 6:00 a.m. every night of the week.

“The rapid growth of Adult Swim’s schedule can be attributed to consistently high ratings,” says the CN press release on the subject. “Adult Swim’s first quarter 2007 ratings performance set a record by delivering the most adults 18-34 in all of ad-supported cable history. Since receiving its own Nielsen ratings reports in March 2005 and being considered a separate network from Cartoon Network, with which it currently shares channel space, Adult Swim has been #1 for the year with adults 18-34 in 2005, 2006 and 2007 to date.”

Hard to argue with that, even if the network insists on still airing Saul and the Mole Men.

In related news, [AS] also announced it has started airing the last ever Harvey Birdman: Attorney At Law episodes, ever. Airing on Sundays, it kicked off last weekend with the death of Harvey’s old boss, Phil Sebben. From the looks of things, Sebben isn’t the only character creator Mike Ouleween is going to terminate along with the series.

In fact, it will all come to an apparently rousing conclusion with the last ever new episode on July 22, with an episode simply entitled “The Death of Harvey.” Does this mean that X will finally get the crest? Will it go to everyone’s favorite psychopathic sidekick Peanut? How will Birdgirl take to it all? Will anyone ever get that thing Peter Potomus sent?

We’ll have to wait until that Sunday to find out kids.

NICK SLIMING AMERICA THIS SUMMER

Never one to sit too long in the background, Nickelodeon announced it’s hitting the road with over a thousand gallons of its patented gooey green stuff this summer starting July 2.

Sponsored by Chrysler, who’s kind of mired in its own slime these days, Nickelodeon’s Slime Across America national tour on July 2, along with new slime-themed summer on-air weekday packaging throughout July and August.

“We are extremely excited to celebrate one of our brand’s greatest icons – slime – all summer long with an enhanced interactive tour and brand new summer packaging,” said Pam Kaufman, Chief Marketing Officer, Nickelodeon/MTVN Kids and Family Group. “Kids love slime and want more of it. With the souped up Slime Mobile, including new virtual slime pods, karaoke and a user-generated content area, the Slime Across America Tour will be a big hit with kids this summer.”

Viewers can go on the road with Slime Across America and participate in the messiness by tuning in to Nickelodeon’s Slime Across America summer on-air packaging, airing weekdays beginning July 6 through August 17, from 5 to 7 p.m. ET/PT. Nick will visit a different place each week for two months as the 18-wheel Slime Mobile makes its way across the country, bringing the ultimate Nick experience to kids everywhere.

“We are really looking forward to showcasing all the messy fun kids are having with the Slime Across America tour on our air this summer," said Tom Ascheim, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Nickelodeon Television. “Slime represents what a kid's summer should be all about –
fun, play and a little mess. Slime Across America on TV will allow every kid to have an interactive slime experience. What could be better than that?”

Viewers can play along at home at www.nick.com/slime with their favorite Nick celebrity and rack up Nick Points. The player with the most points at the end of the summer will be crowned the virtual SlimeBall! champion. In addition, Nick.com will offer a new game called 3D Nicktoons SlimeBall. Users can create a team of two Nicktoon characters such as Aang, SpongeBob SquarePants, Jimmy Neutron or Danny Phantom, and pit the players against two other characters in the ultimate slime throw down. Exclusive hints and tips from TEENick stars to help in the games will be featured as part of the on-air packaging.

Nickelodeon’s Slime Across America summer mobile tour experience will feature a fully interactive, enhanced 18-wheel Slime Mobile with virtual slimings, games, a Nick Live! Slime Edition stage show, and much more. A user-generated content station will be available for kids to submit their original creations for possible air on Nickelodeon or Nick.com. Newly added virtual sliming pods will allow for up to five kids to be slimed at once, and to digitally capture the moment as they receive Nickelodeon’s highest honor. Music-themed activities, such as Nickelodeon karaoke, will be part of the experience as well, along with Nickelodeon costume character appearances, and product giveaways.

The Slime Across America Tour will travel to 20 cities this summer including:

• Los Angeles, CA (July 2)
• Milwaukee, WI (July 7)
• Cincinnati, OH (July 14)
• Charlotte, NC (July 21)
• New York, NY (July 24)
• Richmond, VA (August 4)
• Los Angeles, CA (August 11)
• Sacramento, CA (August 17- 18)
• Detroit, MI (August 22)
• Atlanta, GA (August 25)
• Orlando, FL (August 31)
• Seattle, WA (September 8)
• Cleveland, OH (September 16)
• Baltimore (September 22)
• Washington, D.C. (September 29)

Additional stops and locations of where the truck will make appearances will be continuously updated on www.nick.com/slime.

Nicktoons also announced the second season of its series The Secret Show will debut this Sunday, July 1, at 4:00 p.m.

The network will unveil 13 new half-hour episodes along with the new on-air game entitled “Summer Marathon Mission.” Additionally, viewers can catch up on the first season with a four-hour marathon airing from 4:00 – 8:00 p.m. (ET). New episodes of The Secret Show, a fast-paced, animated secret agent series from the BBC and Collingwood O’Hare Entertainment, will air Sundays at 8:00 p.m. (ET) with encores Fridays and Saturdays at 8:00 p.m. (ET) during the “Three Headed Monster” programming block.

GONZO UNVEILS ROMEO X JULIET AT AX

Romeo X Juliet, the latest anime produced by cutting-edge anime studio Gonzo (Last Exile, Samurai 7, Witchblade, Afro Samurai) will hit the 2007 Anime Expo on July 1st for a special screening!

Two whole episodes fresh from broadcast in Japan will be screened with English subtitles. Also, Gonzo has a special fan event being planned. As can be expected, this series is based William Shakespeare's classic play. For more info, the official website is: http://romejuli.jp/english/

VIZ TAKING DEATH NOTE TO TOTAL VID

Viz announced fans of the hot anime series Death Note will be able to start downloading-to-own the series on TotalVid.com beginning today. The first 16 subtitled episodes will be available at launch, with one new episode added each week thereafter. Individual episodes will also be available on a download-to-own basis for $1.99 each.

ADV ACQUIRES TOKYO MAJIN

ADV announced it has acquired the U.S. rights to Tokyo Majin. The series is based on the hit Japanese game series for PlayStation, but fans of Bleach will feel right at home with this supernatural shounen show, which pits high school rivals against weird monsters determined to take down Tokyo.
Tokyo Majin is a 26 episode series presented over six DVDs, the first release of which has yet to be scheduled.

NEXT COLUMN: My interview with Marcia Wallace about her 20 year gig with The Simpsons.

[Grendel Prime]

More Samurai Jack?!? It's about #$%^ time!
Go Genndy Go!

[B|ackPanther]

I'm really happy to hear Samurai Jack is finally coming back and can't wait for the movie.

[durkadurka]

Yes!! SAMURAI JACK IS BACK!!!
That is friggin badASS!!
The animation was so friggin cool. Loved that show.

[abnormal_13]

Samurai Jack- The best original toon series to come out the 21st century.

[Spaz_Monkey]

Oh, i can not wait for the Samurai Jack movie! I was such a fan of the show, and I always hated that there was never a real resolution. Great to see Tartakovsky coming back for one last blast!

[vbartilucci]

One wonders who will voice Aku. They could keep him silent, or just use stock dialogue (better than they did in South Park with Chef, obviously), but they'll probably have to get someone. Sonny Chiba, maybe?

[Vyper]

Best news I've heard all week. I was just saying to my girlfriend (also a big SJ fan) how sad I was that after the fourth season is (finally) released on DVD, there won't be any more Jack.

Sweeeeeeet

[MadBandit]

Great news, though the obvious passing of Mako, who voiced Aku, is an important fact that hangs upon us. Sonny Chiba would be a cool replacement as the voice of The demon shogun of Earth.

Also, I wish Warner Bros included the "Jack and The Spartans" episode on the "300" Special Edition DVD (July 31). Still, great news. Thank, Steve.

[Uchiha_Prodigy]

A samurai isnt exactly the most original character in animation. I liked the show, I just cant stand Tartakovsky's art style.

[Hoopertoon]

The days when Cartoon Network aired shows like "Samurai Jack"! It seems like a whole 'nother network now.

[MadBandit]

Originally Posted by Hoopertoon

The days when Cartoon Network aired shows like "Samurai Jack"! It seems like a whole 'nother network now.

Yup.

BTW (For Steve), Astro Boy: The Movie is in the works by Imagi Animation (TMNT) for a 2009 release. www.imagi.com.hk. Sony Pictures (since they had this project in development hell since 2001) is rumored to be the film's distributor.

[Livewire2nd]

VIZ TAKING DEATH NOTE TO TOTAL VID

Viz announced fans of the hot anime series Death Note will be able to start downloading-to-own the series on TotalVid.com beginning today. The first 16 subtitled episodes will be available at launch, with one new episode added each week thereafter. Individual episodes will also be available on a download-to-own basis for $1.99 each.

That's Awesome. I really Hope Viz ends up picking up One Peice from 4kids and Undoing all the damage they did to it.

Also New Jack Movies Is awesome.

[Uchiha_Prodigy]

Originally Posted by Livewire2nd

That's Awesome. I really Hope Viz ends up picking up One Peice from 4kids and Undoing all the damage they did to it.

Also New Jack Movies Is awesome.

Funimation already picked it up. Theyre finishing where 4kids left off and then going back and re-doing it

[wraith]

I am so glad SAMURAI JACK is back. This GREAT news.

OMT, am I the only one who thinks that Genndy Tartakkovsky would be the PERFECT person to produce,direct,and desighn an animated AVENGERS tv series? Genndy is an admitted huge AVENGERS fan (and a huge fan of the Marvel superheroes in general) and has said in interviews that he learned how to speak english by watching reruns of the 60's MARVEL SUPERR HEROES cartoon. He even did a tribute to the AVENGERS (and the JLA) with the JUSTICE FRIENDS shorts. He also did a tribute to the MARVEL SUPER HEROES cartoon in an episode of DEXTER'S LABORATORY.

[MadBandit]

Originally Posted by Uchiha_Prodigy

A samurai isnt exactly the most original character in animation. I liked the show, I just cant stand Tartakovsky's art style.

Maybe not in Japan, but we (USA) never had a US-produced animation series with a samurai as the lead hero.

[Steve Magnum]

Originally Posted by vbartilucci

One wonders who will voice Aku. They could keep him silent, or just use stock dialogue (better than they did in South Park with Chef, obviously), but they'll probably have to get someone. Sonny Chiba, maybe?

Oooh! Sonny Chiba would be freaking Awesome!

But whoever they get, Mako will be missed (may he Rest in Peace).

[thatguytm]

what? no shout-out for patton oswalt? he's the reason i'm going to see the movie...

[EmeraldGuy32]

Jack's BACK!!?!?! Sa-WEET! My first inclination is GOD YES!!!! My second is "How can they do this without Makoto Iwamatsu?" My third thought was "sweet jesus I don't care".

[Wellness]

Originally Posted by abnormal_13

Samurai Jack- The best original toon series to come out the 21st century.

Quoted for Truth

Best news I've heard all day.

[Ben Strasser]

YAY!!! I thought the final dvd release of episodes would be it for Jack, and I'm so glad we get more. I'll miss Mako (can't wait to hear him again on the TMNT dvd), but this is fantastic.

[sfritz]

Originally Posted by thatguytm

what? no shout-out for patton oswalt? he's the reason i'm going to see the movie...

The only problem with Ratatouille is it's incredible quality from beginning to end. You're right, I didn't give Patton Oswalt his proper due, but I couldn't ignore Romano either. Just see the darn thing. Between this and the Simpsons movie, I'm truly stoked about animated feature films for this month. -s

[Perephal]

I hope in the Samurai Jack movie, when he finally puts an end to Aku, they really explore the ramifications of Jack's actions in returning to the past, I mean he is basically putting every friend he has made in the future at risk in doing so, and perhaps he doesn't deserve to exercise so much power.

[Charlie Hustle]

They should portray aku as a giant cloud in the movie.

can't wait to see the rat flick. i'm personally sort of boycotting adult swim (other than venture bros.) until they stop showing crap like saul and the molemen.

[Toneloak]

Originally Posted by Uchiha_Prodigy

Funimation already picked it up. Theyre finishing where 4kids left off and then going back and re-doing it

Now where the hell did you hear that? You better not be pulling that out of your a$$ because that would my news of the week.