Thursday, October 25, 2007

In the Future DVDs Will Fly


I'm feeling a bit melancholy today. I think it's partially the weather. The sky is slate grey, but it's still in the 90's. I can taste the ashes of Malibu in the air, and everything smells like burnt plastic. I learned a few days ago that Disney really is making a movie out of Edgar Rice Burroughs' "A Princess of Mars", which has always been on my mental back-burner as something I'd like to work on someday when I had enough clout. I can only hope Disney doesn't butcher it, but it's weird to think that it's totally off the menu. Stranger still, today I got my copy of the Billy & Mandy Season 1 DVD and that made me really realize that Billy & Mandy is over.

I know the DVD's been out a while, but I hadn't seen the finished product until now. Despite the fact that I was blocked from working on any of the packaging and someone misspelled the name of Big Boogey Adventure on the insert ad, the whole thing came out pretty well.

I can actually see when the show got cancelled, but the wavering art quality of the early years doesn't bother me as much as it used to. And some of the stories I used to hate aren't quite as hate-able as I remember. And, of course, some still are. But all-in-all, it's the real deal. Even with all the rough edges it's still a really weird, funny show that beat the odds, got made, and stayed alive for 78 half hours and a DVD movie. They're not all gems, but there's some great stuff in there and I'm pretty proud of it.

If any of you have watched the extras... yeah, I really am that much of a dork. It's true. I still really dig the Virtual Mr. Snuggles. If only we could've gotten him to sit still so we could put a little party hat on him.

I can't say I'll miss the cancellations or the inexplicable dramas or the late nights working on two or three massive projects at one time, but I will miss the crew. Billy & Mandy was a very collaborative show, and a lot of great people cut their teeth on it. I can only hope they go on to make something of their own that they can be proud of. Hopefully I will too, though I have no idea what it might be. That's actually sort of exciting. And hopefully whenever I do do whatever it is i'm going to do, you'll be there to join me for a few laughs.


Now for the answers to some questions I've been getting:

There is no such episode as "Billy & Mandy Ends". In fact, CN gave me explicit instructions not to "end" the series. Which also doesn't mean it'll be coming back.

I have no idea if CN plans to release Season 2 or beyond. Buying Season 1 and/or writing letters might increase the chances.

Underfist does indeed air next Halloween. It's coming out even better than I'd hoped. you will like it. YOU WILL.

Finally, here is a photo of a stairwell at CN Atlanta:



Thursday, October 18, 2007

Trick-or-Treat!


Hey everybody!

I just got back from a whirlwind trip to Atlanta where I got to hang with some of the finest Southern folk in the cartoon biz'. I was there to show off something brand new (Shh! It's a secret!) and Underfist as well. And now that Atlanta's had a taste of Underfist, I thought I'd pass the savings on to you.

It's nothing you haven't seen before, but it's at least a little bit prettier. This'll probably be the last Underfist you get until next Halloween when it premiers, so eat it up!







Don't forget to check out Chowder on November 2nd! It's yummy!