HOW TO FORMAT CARTOONS AND WORK WITH SPONSORS
If I had total control over not only my cartoons, but also the business and packaging, here is how I would air them.Ralph hired me as the supervising director on Mighty Mouse and then I hired most of crew. It all came together really fast, but Ralph was the one who made sure that we were basically left alone by the network people to do our thing. It was the first cartoon series in at least 20 years that was actually made by cartoonists. We wrote, designed and directed it. I even changed the whole production system. I brought back the old "Unit- system" to replace the horrible anti-creative assembly line process that the other studios had been using on TV.
Everyone worked really hard because it was the first chance any of us had to actually have fun making cartoons. It launched many careers and revolutionized cartoons for awhile.
This system and process should come back. If it doesn't, talented cartoonists in animation are doomed to be replaced by computer geeks who can't draw but can use programs.
I always thought Superheroes were funny, because the whole concept is so preposterous. Especially Batman and Robin who don't even have superpowers. They just have fancy underwear. This was my first spoof of the Dark Knight. I did another in the Ripping Friends, years later.
The story was forged in a funny way. I had the concept and the rough plot basically worked out. I had just hired Jim Reardon out of the infamous Cal Arts. He was a funny cartoonist so I said, "you'll be a writer." The kinds of gags he specialized in were "one-liners", gags that at the time seemed dated to me but funny none the less. Bob Hope style throwaway lines. Jim came up with so many that I actually got sort of mad at one point. I said "Can't you come up with more action or personality gags? This is a cartoon for Christ's sake - not a @#%*@#** sitcom! "
Then it dawned on me that I could make the one liners part of the plot and Jim and I reworked the story to make fun of Bob Hope type gags. Little did I expect that in a couple years one-liner cartoons would become all the rage in prime time, and here I was thinking they were dated!
I think this is also the first male cow who stands on 2 legs that ever appeared in cartoons. I wanted to have his teats sticking out,
but that was too risque for Saturday Morning cartoons at the time so I kept them stuffed in his shorts.
SOME STARS WHO WORKED ON THIS EPISODE:
RALPHEveryone worked really hard because it was the first chance any of us had to actually have fun making cartoons. It launched many careers and revolutionized cartoons for awhile.
This system and process should come back. If it doesn't, talented cartoonists in animation are doomed to be replaced by computer geeks who can't draw but can use programs.
NIGHT OF THE BAT BAT
STORY BY JOHN K. AND JIM REARDON
DIRECTED BY JOHN K.
DIRECTED BY JOHN K.
I always thought Superheroes were funny, because the whole concept is so preposterous. Especially Batman and Robin who don't even have superpowers. They just have fancy underwear. This was my first spoof of the Dark Knight. I did another in the Ripping Friends, years later.
The story was forged in a funny way. I had the concept and the rough plot basically worked out. I had just hired Jim Reardon out of the infamous Cal Arts. He was a funny cartoonist so I said, "you'll be a writer." The kinds of gags he specialized in were "one-liners", gags that at the time seemed dated to me but funny none the less. Bob Hope style throwaway lines. Jim came up with so many that I actually got sort of mad at one point. I said "Can't you come up with more action or personality gags? This is a cartoon for Christ's sake - not a @#%*@#** sitcom! "
Then it dawned on me that I could make the one liners part of the plot and Jim and I reworked the story to make fun of Bob Hope type gags. Little did I expect that in a couple years one-liner cartoons would become all the rage in prime time, and here I was thinking they were dated!
I think this is also the first male cow who stands on 2 legs that ever appeared in cartoons. I wanted to have his teats sticking out,
but that was too risque for Saturday Morning cartoons at the time so I kept them stuffed in his shorts.SOME STARS WHO WORKED ON THIS EPISODE:
LYNNE NAYLOR
BRUCE TIMM
KEN BOYER
JIM SMITH
BOB JAQUES
EDDIE?
VICKY JENSEN
LIBBY SIMON
ISTVAN
JIM GOMEZ
MIKE KAZALEH
ANDREW STANTON
JEFF PIGEON
DAVE MARSHALL
BIN
MIKE PATAKI (AS the Cow)
PATRICK PINNEY (MIGHTY MOUSE)
CHARLIE ADLER (BAT BAT)
If I left anyone out, let me know and I'll add you! It was a long time ago and I don't remember every detail of who did what.
WHO WOULD PAY HARD CASH FOR A SHOW LIKE THIS TODAY?
GO SEE MY FAVORITE EPISODE!
http://johnkstuff.blogspot.com/2007/09/mighty-mouse-show-episode-2-mightys.html
