ANIMATED SHORTS: THE GRIM ADVENTURES OF THE KIDS NEXT DOOR

[MattBrady]

GRIM ADVENTURES OF KIDS NEXT DOOR
INTERVIEW WITH MIS-TAH WARBURTON

by Steve Fritz

This is barely the first three minutes:

Billy’s father Harold walks up to his admittedly retarded hell spawn. The elder states he’s going shopping for underwear, making Billy “the man of the house.” No matter what, Billy should never, absolutely never ever never, put on pop’s lucky pants.

Now anyone with even the slightest bit of common sense wouldn’t go within a half-mile of these bright orange and plaid eyesores. Then again, when was Billy known for even a modicum of that? After all, if he was the man of the house, shouldn’t he be the one who wears pants of the house?

It isn’t long before wearing said pants brings about more problems than he can handle. Then it gets worse when Grim’s scythe to escape ends up well, um, wedged in the most inappropriate place it could possibly be and still air on Cartoon Network. He’s panicked, and wrecking just about anything that is within a radius of six feet from him.

So Billy calls for help. Ed, Edd and Eddy refuse his pleas when they realize Billy doesn’t have a quarter. They tell him to call some other kids who will work for nothing.

Shortly thereafter, the Kids Next Door appear. When Billy says he asked for the PowerPuff Girls, Nigel Uno states that the Girls won’t come to Endsville. Too many weird things happen here.

A more prophetic thing couldn’t have been said. Before this 30 minute special is over, Mandy will be in charge of the KND, a monster called The Delightful Reaper Down The Lane will be terrorizing the world and Uno will be tortured by no less than Fred Fredburger. Yes, it’s the end of the world as we know it and you WILL feel fine. If not, you’ll have to contend with Mandy.

As co-creator Maxwell Atoms went screaming out the door when he heard we were interested in interviewing him again, we at Newsarama felt it was time to give “Mis-Tah” (Tom) Warburton his moment of glory. This is what he had to say:

Newsarama: What you guys got against The Borg? I mean "assimi-lactate?"

Tom Warburton: Aw c'mon... the Delightful Reaper is eleventy hundred times scarier
than those Borg clowns.

NRAMA: How did the collaboration get off the ground?

TB: Well, few people know it, but being a show creator for Cartoon Network is kinda like being in that movie Highlander. So me, Craig McCracken (Fosters Home For Imaginary Friends), Danny Antonucci (Ed, Edd and Eddy) and the others are always battling it out and shouting, 'There can be only ONE!' and stuff. but I think Mr. Atoms and I were the only ones smart enough to realize that the only REAL way to destroy each other was to work together!

NRAMA: Who wore the pants in this team up?

TB: Pants? We were supposed to be wearing PANTS?

NRAMA: Er, yeah. How did you come up with the basic story line?

TB: We had stufisticated computers do that for us while we were hitting each other with rubber chickens. Every once and while we'd stop and add in a joke or two when we were tired.

NRAMA: More seriously, was it difficult to get the permission from all the other animators to use their characters ranging anywhere from Ed, Edd & Eddie on through the final credits?

TB: If you consider having to use a variety of painful, acrobatic wrestling moves, giant robot samurai attack squads, and good old fashioned begging and pleading difficult... Then yes. It was difficult.

NRAMA: Did they come up with their bits or did you have definite ideas on what to do with them?

TB: Mr. Atoms and I came up with the bits, but the other creators tweaked them to add 643% more awesomeness.

NRAMA: Was there any CN characters that you wanted to use and couldn't? If so, why?

TB: Have you seen pictures of me and Maxwell? We're dreamy- no one could say no to us!

NRAMA: Think there will ever be a shot of you two working together again? If the opportunity came up, would you?

TB: You tell Mr. Atoms that if he wants to work with me again, it's gonna cost him a very, very LARGE bag of chocolate covered pretzels. and a hug.

NRAMA: Now that the special is over and done, how do you feel about it?

TB: Itchy. I mean, I'm always kind of itchy (my sooper power is the ability to make myself itchy at will... which is pretty lame). but now I'm really itchy to get the crossover on the air. I think fans of both if the shows are gonna jump up and down and shout 'yay!' when they see it.

NRAMA: When I last interviewed Max, he said the project went pretty smoothly. Do you agree?

TB: Smoother than the smoothest creamy peanut butter in the world- that has gravel, broken glass, and bits of sandpaper in it. but funner!

NRAMA: If there was an opportunity to do another KND special or similar project, would you?

TB: Absotively posolutely! We've already got a bunch of ideas we're dying to do, including a sooper triple giant spin-off movie that would explain some of the cool stuff that happens after the gihoogic KND finale airs in January! Speaking of which- do NOT miss the finale! KND intelligence reports that the adults are already planning ways to keep kids from watching it- so you KNOW it has to be good!

NRAMA: Any word on what you're working on next?

TB: I'm currently doing a children’s book for Harper Collins called A Thousand Times No and pitching around a sooper-double-ninjas-hiding-under-the-bed-secret new show idea that I'm pretty excited about. and coming up with a new plan to be THE ONE Cartoon Network show creator.

The Grim Adventures of the Kids Next Door will air on November 11. It will be proceeded by a block of both shows before it airs and include all their past specials.

Next Column: We interview Cookie Jar’s President Topher Taylor on his shows and how KidsWB becoming 4Kids will affect him.

[Chris]

Awesome. Simply awesome. I love crossovers. I remember when sitcoms used to cross over all the time (there was a Golden Girls/Empty Nest/Nurses crossover).

Hope this is just the beginning. Let's see Dexter and Dee Dee get mixed in there too.



Chris

[Steve J.]

The Grim Adventures of the Kids Next Door will air on November 11.

We'll be watching this one at our house. My 9-yr-old son loves these kinds of crossovers, and Billy & Mandy is a family favorite.

[Black Beetle]

Badass. My little brother got me into both and I think I'll enjoy this. I know he will.

[punjeb]

I was so jazzed when I first heard about this, but now with the Eds in the mix this can become my must-see show of the TV season. Why not get Mac, Bloo & the gang in there also? I mean Mandy did have a cameo in a Foster's episode...so we know they're in the same universe. And the Justice Friends connects Dexter's Lab with the Powerpuffs, and there was somthing (I can't remember what offhand) that connected Dexter's with Cow and Chicken, so there's the proof that Cartoon Network is one coheasive universe.

BUT wait a minute! If that is the case, you can extropolate Johnny Bravo into the mix...and as Johnny has met Scooby & the gang, and Scooby knows everybody in the Hanna-Barbara reality including Fred and Barney, who have met the Jetson who are connected to Space Ghost through Astro in Astro & The Space-Mutts, Space Ghost has met the Herculoids, etc.

AND if you expand the H-B universe to include the Super Friends, with Superman and Wonder Woman, who have met the Brady Kids (on their own cartoon show), which brings in the Filmation universe including the Archies and He-Man (oh and Star Trek). Of course, also in the comics Superman & the JLA has met Bugs Bunny & the Looney Tunes, who as shown in Who Framed Roger Rabbit know Mickey and Donald (connecting Disney into the mix), Betty Boop (who is connected to Popeye), Woody Woodpecker, Droopy, etc.

IT boggles the mind!!

[GohanWinner]

I was never a big fan of KND, but I love Billy & Mandy, so I'm looking forward to it. The descrpiton of the first couple minutes (with the Eds!) sounds really funny. I'll be sure to watch it.

[Xysmurf]

Chris, what you're referring to aren't really crossovers, but rather spinoffs. Nurses was a spinoff of Empty Nest, which was a spinoff from the Golden Girls. They all shared the same creator. A crossover would be more like if the Cosby family visited with the Girls in Miami.

[PaxHouse]

I've been waiting for this to come, ever since the conclusion of GAOB&M Movie - BIG BOOGEY ADVENTURE; where one of the best scenes {IMHO} was where "Numbuh Three" was made to be one of the replacements for the Grim Reaper...!!

[coolmvm]

I'm gamed for this show, seeing as I"m a fan of both shows.

I also enjoy animated crossovers, so that is just a bounus that they are adding in more of Cartoon Network shows.

I just can't wait for this to come out.

[sfritz]

Originally Posted by PaxHouse

I've been waiting for this to come, ever since the conclusion of GAOB&M Movie - BIG BOOGEY ADVENTURE; where one of the best scenes {IMHO} was where "Numbuh Four" was made to be one of the replacements for the Grim Reaper...!!

For the record, twas sweet little Kuki (aka Numbah three) who became the Reaper. She apparently was very good at it and was last seen in Big Boogey wearing a sign saying she'd reap for food.

oh...and the scene where Mandy tortures Nigel by making him watch Fred Fredburger on TV is absolutely incredible.

-s

[PaxHouse]

Originally Posted by sfritz

For the record, twas sweet little Kuki (aka Numbah three) who became the Reaper. She apparently was very good at it and was last seen in Big Boogey wearing a sign saying she'd reap for food.

oh...and the scene where Mandy tortures Nigel by making him watch Fred Fredburger on TV is absolutely incredible.

-s

You're correct.....I was tired and didn't pay attention to the "numbahs".....

[beta-ray]

Wow I can't believe it was Warburton in the interview. Sounds like Fritz was interviewing Billy.

This sounds like fun.

[waterdragon]

As long as it is essentially an Elseworld's KND tale I'm all for it.

[Hobowatcher]

Originally Posted by waterdragon

As long as it is essentially an Elseworld's KND tale I'm all for it.

You just took all the fun out of KND.

[Megagents]

Can't wait to see it!