TVSquad

As I said when Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters was released in April, the film is essentially review proof, which is why I loved it and a lot of critics hated it. I was drawn to the series since it first appeared in 2000, because it fed my love for the absurd and nonsensical. Quite honestly, if the feature film had been a critical favorite I might have considered that a failure in many ways. Aqua Teen Hunger Force gained popularity precisely because it was a weird little show buried in the late night schedule of Cartoon Network, a diamond in the rough fans had to discover on their own. Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters, and the aptly titled Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters for DVD are for those who are already in on the joke . . . or really high.

Save for Super Mario Kart on the N64, I haven't had much interest in video games since my old Nintendo Entertainment System. My brain and motor functions can't deal with the first person point of view and controllers with six hundred buttons. Give me a nice simple left to right scroller and I'm a happy man.

Here's some animation news:

Aardman Animation, the studio behind various Wallace and Gromit projects and the new CBS series Creature Comforts, is bringing its Shaun the Sheep series to the Disney Channel starting July 8. The series, aimed towards younger kids, focuses on a barnyard sheep who gets into crazy adventures with his animal pals.

Nahnatchka Kahn, a writer and producer on FOX's recently-renewed series American Dad, has been bumped up to executive producer on the series and will also be developing new projects for the studio.

Kahn previously wrote for such series as Recess, Unfabulous and Malcolm in the Middle.

Here's some cool animation news from the past week or so:

First, if you dig the heavy metal sounds of Dethklok, the brutal (but rather stupid) band from the Adult Swim series Metalocalypse, you'll be happy to know the band is doing a tour of some college campuses, according to Toon Zone and Adult Swim HQ. I'll keep you posted as more information becomes available. Other yet-to-be-announced bands will also be touring to promote Adult Swim.

TV Guide's report that 24 writers are "seriously considering" moving Jack Bauer to a new city for his next very bad day -- otherwise known as season 7 -- got me to thinking.

If I were to pick a city in which to unleash America's intrepid terrorist fighter, which one would it be?

My first thought was Boston. During the great siege of the Aqua Teen Hunger Force Lite-Bright boards that prompted a shut-down of large parts of the city earlier this year, Boston certainly could've used Jack Bauer to beat back those nefarious cartoon characters. Plus, I could definitely see a scene with Jack using Fenway Park as a place to rendezvous with a terrorist, who would, of course, be wearing a Yankees cap.

Hey kids, I've gathered up some cool animation news. Here's what's a-goin' on:

First, the second season of Ed, Edd n Eddy will be released on DVD April 24. The set doesn't include much in the way of extras, save for a behind-the-scenes segment with show creator Danny Antonucci and a "How to Draw Ed" segment. The younger kids this cartoon is geared toward probably won't care much about extras though, they'll just be happy with the thirteen full episodes.

If you live in the Boston area and were afraid you might miss out on the premiere of Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters, you can rest easy. Despite Mayor Thomas M. Menino asking theaters not to screen the movie after the publicity stunt turned "bomb" scare that resulted in Turner paying two million in damages to the city, and the resignation of the head of Cartoon Network, local theaters have decided to go ahead and show the movie anyway.

Interesting things in the world of animation have happened. I will now tell you about them:

First of all, if you're a fan of The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, or you have kids who love the show, the recently-released DVD Billy and Mandy's Big Boogey Adventure is definitely worth the purchase. In this made-for-TV movie --which originally aired on Cartoon Network-- Billy, Mandy and Grim must race against Boogey (a.k.a. "the Boogeyman") to retrieve Horror's Hand, an ancient artifact that give its possessor the power to conjure up everyone's deepest fears, but only if one conquers their own fears first. Kids will enjoy the silly characters and booger jokes, and there are plenty of pop cultural references for adults: within the first five minutes of the movie we're treated to homages to Terminator 2, Stargate, Star Wars and Fractured Fairy Tales, just to name a few. Also, there's a nice lesson about facing your fears that ties all the random insanity together.

If you weren't watching Adult Swim last night at 10:00 p.m., then you really missed out. I didn't believe it when Adult Swim said they'd be premiering Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters on television, but there it was, right on my TV screen. Anyway, here's my review for those of you who missed it:

I never imagined that an eleven-minute cartoon could be stretched out into a four-hour movie, but that's exactly what they did, and I think most of the credit should go to screenwriters Charlie Kaufman and Paul Schrader, who actually worked pro bono. As Schrader told Variety:

Guess what? Batfink is coming out on DVD in June. The set will include all one hundred episodes of the series.

Actually, screw Batfink. Here's even better news: every episode of The Ant and the Aardvark on DVD next month.

I'm going to make a confession: I actually like A Pup Named Scooby Doo better than the original Scooby Doo. I found the original rote and unimaginative, and while A Pup Named Scooby Doo wasn't exactly the greatest cartoon either, it had funky animation and a self-awareness I could really dig. As far as Scrappy Doo, the spunky little scamp many fans believe ruined the Scooby Doo series (I never thought he was that bad), you can read about his origins over on Mark Evanier's site.

Hello, people who like Adult Swim. Here's some news and random coolness for you:

First of all, Adult Swim has updated its schedule, and as you can see, Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters is on the schedule for April 1, which is most likely a gag, considering it's not even scheduled for theatrical release until April 13.

Speaking of Aqua Teen, check out some more alternate endings to the movie here.

We were so ready to greet Master Shake, Frylock and Meatwad on the big screen come March 23, but now we have to wait until April 13.

However, that's not such a terrible thing, because Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters is also getting a much wider release, opening in almost 2,000 theaters. Rumors have it that the new wide release is to cash in on increased awareness of the oddball series brought on by the recent marketing misfire in Boston. So yeah, it sucks that we have to wait, but at least now more people will have a chance to see it. I'm lucky enough to live in a major city, so I was pretty much guaranteed to see it anyway, but I feel for those who live places where limited release movies are harder to come by. I think the small town where I grew up just recently got the first Beethoven movie. Sad, really.

I posted it before, but here's the trailer again. It's hysterical. Enjoy:

If I had any doubts about whether or not the Aqua Teen Hunger Force movie would be absolutely brilliant and hysterical (and I didn't), those doubts I never had in the first place were laid to rest when I saw the new trailer for the upcoming film Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film For Theaters. If I laughed my kneecaps off at the trailer alone, I can only imagine how many other body parts will fall off when I actually see the movie. I predicted I'll be nothing more than a bloody, limbless mass of skin and organs they'll have to scrape from the floor of the theater with a snow shovel.

If the idea of a flaming chicken doesn't make you want to see this film, then perhaps the fact that it's coming to you from the "1st Assistant Director of the 2nd Unit of Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth" will change your mind. Watch the trailer here, The movie releases March 23.

So there I was poking around this blog when I came across this post I did back in April where I relayed the news to all of you that the Aqua Teen Hunger Force movie would be out in September. 'Wait a second,' thought I, 'we're already halfway through September and I haven't heard or seen anything about this movie at all.' I had to do a lot of digging, because Adult Swim makes it nearly impossible to find any information on their shows, but I finally found this posting on the AS messageboards from BrandMerrill, who I think might be Andy Merrill, who provides the voice of Oglethorpe on the series, and apparently in the movie, too. Anyway, he's listed as a "Swim Insider" so let's assume this missive he left is true:

The movie is actually almost done. I've seen part of it. The stuff I saw was really good. But the people who distribute movies said we should put it out in February, so since they do movies all the time and we do not, we are going to listen to them.

So there you go, the movie will be out in February, or so I shall assume. Oh yeah, and if this was mentioned on any of the bumps during the AS block you'll have to forgive me. Since I watch everything on Tivo I tend to skip over those.