Ren and Stimpy reboot on Comedy Central

[Petey Pate]

https://comicbook.com/tv-shows/news/ren-and-stimpy-show-reboot-comedy-central

Well this was unexpected.  It's hard to think of any other series with a more tumultuous production history or tainted legacy (you can't get much worse than the series creator being exposed as a paedophile), so I'm very surprised that this is a revival that any network would seriously consider.  I also thought that John K still had the rights to the characters in some form, and I'd be equally surprised if he approved this or is creatively involved.

If the latter, I'd be surprised if any episodes are actually finished.

[13 schoolyards]

I seriously doubt John K has any rights at all to Ren & Stimpy themselves - the (first) big Ren & Stimpy controversy came when he was sacked and a new bunch of animators were brought in to keep it going beyond the second season. He did keep the rights to side character George Liquor (and Jimmy the Idiot Boy), so presumably he won't be back to shout at R&S.

The way that article keeps referring to a "new creative team" definitely makes it sound like the old creative team isn't in the running.

[Petey Pate]

The way that article keeps referring to a "new creative team" definitely makes it sound like the old creative team isn't in the running.

I follow Bob Camp on Facebook and reading the above article was the first time he'd heard anything about this.  Similarly, no one who worked on the original Animaniacs (apart from the voice actors) is involved with that show's upcoming revival.

[Blumf]

On every level, it's such a weird thing to reboot. The obvious and numerous problems with the show's creator, the Adult Party Cartoons, and the style of humour (50s/60s pastiche) surely wouldn't connect with a modern audience. Everything screams 'bad idea!'

[magval]

The latest Mickey Mouse ongoing series looks a lot like Ren and Stimpy  - a pastiche of something that it originally inspired, sort of - so I reckon visually this'll appeal just fine.

[wooders1978]

Wow - I didn't know that about John K - always wondered why it wasn't as revered as it should be

[dissolute ocelot]

I started to post "They're probably only doing this for the merchandising opportunities", thinking about the money to be made selling logs. But a large part of it probably is to do with t-shirts and monetising the original episodes. (The allegations against John K came a month after the big DVD box set was released in 2018, which must really annoy the execs.)

[Hand Solo]

https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/happy_happy_joy_joy_the_ren_and_stimpy_story

[Petey Pate]

The filmmakers of that documentary have had both the best and worst timing.  Originally they wrapped it two weeks before the Buzzfeed article on John K came out.  Now it's become available just after a revival of the show has been announced.

The documentary itself is okay but it bites off far more than it can chew. It particularly struggles with the sordid details of John K's abuse, with this segment feeling tacked on and not given adequate sensitivity.  This review from Sick Little Monkeys author Thad Kommorowski is spot on.

https://www.forcesofgeek.com/2020/08/happy-happy-joy-joy-the-ren-stimpy-story-review.html

[SavageHedgehog]

I assumed the documentary was made by a couple of superfans, but it seems they barely knew about the show and just wanted to make a film, and someone suggested the topic to them. They sure picked a doozy!