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"Naked Beach Frenzy," "Stimpy's Pregnant," "Altruists," "Ren Seeks Help," "Fire Dogs, Part 2," "Onward and Upward"
by Travis Mackenzie Hoover There are, believe it or not, those who miss the days of the Production Code as a tool for making writers try harder to suggest things instead of spelling them out. I never really bought into the argument, but it seems almost sensible to me now that I've seen Ren and Stimpy unleashed and uncensored. To be sure, no loyalist can be without the six adventures contained on Paramount's new-to-DVD "Ren & Stimpy: The Lost Episodes" (only half of which ever reached the airwaves, under the banner "Ren & Stimpy 'Adult Party Cartoon'"), whose scripts were suppressed by Nickelodeon for being too raunchy for kids; and when they're on, they take the formula out of the cage of decency so that it might run around free and unfettered. Alas, the introduction of naked women and actual foul language somehow dampens the charm of the Nickelodeon run. The thrill of "Ren & Stimpy" lies in its childish, anal-stage irresponsibility, with its suppression of the sexual in favour of the scatological–to say nothing of the florid insults ("You bloated sack of protoplasm!") with which mere expletives can't possibly compete.
Not all of the new clips have this problem: two of the most satisfying episodes are like the originals, only more so. "Ren Gets Help" ratchets up Ren's misanthropy as he confesses his crimes to one Dr. Mr. Horse. As that most irascible of Chihuahuas recounts his childhood torturing of insects and frogs (with one poor amphibian kept alive for extended abuse), the head-shrinker grows increasingly alarmed. It's often hard to watch, but that's the beauty–as it is with "Onward and Upward." Egged on by viewers to be more disgusting, the lads and ladies at Spumco concocted a scenario whereby our heroes live in the mouth of a comatose derelict until they pool their resources to move uptown–into a bar spittoon. As the snot/puke/tobacco juice gets embroiled in their new "refined" cuisine, the audience finally receives its due as the rest of humanity pitches over to retch.
But these episodes don't stray very far from the preteen narcissism that made classic "Ren & Stimpy" so beguiling. As soon as sex is introduced, as it is in the opener, "Naked Beach Frenzy," the tone is upset, and something is lost. Ren and Stimpy can of course be found at the titular beach, the former frustratedly ogling some half-clad maidens and the latter being petted mercilessly by these selfsame women. The booger-flicking kiddie romping is replaced with something a tad more adult–and adult is not what we want from Ren and Stimpy. Though the episode eventually finds its grounding, once our heroes become towel boys (and approach the shaving of female legs as window washers on a rope and pulley), the supreme disrespect for women proves a bit much, the boyish hostility vented in the wrong place.
The rest of the segments ping-pong between untrammelled brilliance and this revisionist element. "Altruists," the most ambitious of the lot, has our heroes selflessly aiding a homeless mother and her born-without-a-head son through the theft of other people's stuff. The aggressively-sexualized mother (complete with anthropomorphized nipples) makes her scenes a bit uncomfortable, but the main event is a heist in which a ritzy home's "angry duck" is first distracted by Stimpy in unconvincing duck drag, then used as a pole when the lump on his bumped head gets way out of control. The free-associative deforming of already whacked-out cartoon conventions is what makes the episode work, so much so that the return of the easy sex humour is a nuisance. Similarly, "Stimpy's Pregnant" would play a lot better without the genuine and obvious expletives ("bitch" and whatnot) with which Ren assails the apparently-knocked-up Stimpy. It's not just hostile, it's uncreative, too, though all is forgiven after Dr. Horse realizes that Stimpy's not pregnant but constipated–and can't bring himself to tell the gruesome twosome.
I don't mean to come off like a prude: constant readers know that I'm all for smutty jokes and smutty language in the right aesthetic context. Ren and Stimpy, however, staked out a territory that was somehow beyond both of those–and the switch from Nickelodeon to SpikeTV means that what was brilliantly defined in the former has gone a little slack in the latter. As the tension created by the need to write for kids made the whole thing kick, the split-second thrill of obvious gratification is nothing compared to the baroque lunacy that defined the greatness of the original series. These are entertaining cartoons, but they're nothing compared to the "Ren & Stimpy" of old, and they perhaps offer a view of what happens when someone values total creative control over what they actually achieved in the first place.
Paramount shows these 'Adult Party Cartoon's loving care in a 2-disc set. The full-frame image sports beautiful, crisp colours and sharp definition without oversaturation or ringing. The Dolby 2.0 stereo sound is equally impressive, delivering every repulsive noise with total clarity. Extras are as follows:
DISC ONE
Introduction with "Weird Al" Yankovic and John Kricfalusi (9 mins.)
In what looks like someone's faux-wood-panelled den, "Weird Al" Yankovic tries to bring us up to speed on Ren & Stimpy's rise in the '90s and the madness it caused. (He also adds that these cartoons are not for everyone, stressing that his wife hates them with a passion.) After his halting preface (clearly truncated by edits), creator John Kricfalusi explains in greater detail the vast wasteland in 1980s animation his brainchildren singlehandedly swept away, and the censorship that kept these particular cartoons on ice until now.
The remaining supplements are anchored to individual episodes.
Naked Beach Frenzy
Intro (5 mins.)
John K. speaks alongside a largely silent Katie Rice, the latter of whom is responsible for the episode's sexy girl drawings. Kricfalusi recounts how although the "dykes" at the networks wouldn't normally air this stuff, the people at SpikeTV nearly did show it–until Janet Jackson's wardrobe malfunction scotched that.
Interviews (7 mins.)
Two clips: one featuring animation staffers Dave Feiss, Luke Cormican, and Rice discussing their contributions, the other Stephen Worth and Eddie Fitzgerald extolling the virtues of the male lifeguard and his appalling hairiness. The first clip is notable for the offscreen John K. constantly harassing Rice with remarks like "How does it feel to sell out your own kind?" and "All the girls at Spumco are hot, right?"
Animatics (11 mins.)
Early drawings of episode highlights, set to the dialogue. There are probably revelations for animation fans, but my eyes mostly glazed over it.
Pencil Tests (2 mins.)
Pencil-outline animations sans backgrounds or colours.
Storyboards and Episode Side-By-Side (2 mins.)
Thumbnail sketches of the episode opener (with Ren leering at a buxom blonde while Stimpy is oblivious) run, you guessed it, side-by-side with the finished product.
Character Drawings
Use your chapter buttons to access full drawings of the characters–as well as Ren and Stimpy in unconventional poses.
Stimpy's Pregnant
Intro (7 mins.)
John K. speaks in the presence of a fellow Flash animation pioneer, identified only as "Ann-Marie" and whose adventures in childbearing inspired the piece. He goes on to mention a passage that never made it into the episode that is, without saying too much, quite funny.
Interviews (12 mins.)
Rice, Cormican, and Eric Bauza discuss the vagaries of crafting "Stimpy's Pregnant," which everyone appears to like (and which appears to have been produced late in the game, when everyone was hitting their stride). The poo-baby scenes and Nurse Sheep are singled out for praise, whereupon the clip descends (or ascends, depending on who you talk to) into gross discussion about fish sphincters. Finally, Eddie Fitzgerald pops up to praise the understatement of Mr. Horse and the unusual structure of the episode.
Altruists
Intro (3 mins.)
John K. solo, explaining the short's Three Stooges influence in addition to weighing on the subject of whether Ren and Stimpy are, in fact, gay.
Interviews (5 mins.)
Fitzgerald runs the show on this one, praising John K. for his "sustained gag-oriented cartoon," in which a thin plot is used as springboard for riffing. Bauza and Vincent Waller offer a little praise for various staffers, but this is mainly Fitzgerald's show.
Trailers for "South Park: Season 7", "Drawn Together: Season 1", prior "Ren & Stimpy" collections, and "Wonder Showzen: Season 1" launch automatically on startup.
DISC TWO
Ren Seeks Help
Intro (5 mins.)
John K. expounds on the dark ages of animation (the '80s) and his determination to buck the then-prevalent assumption that there are only seven plots. Upshot: psychodrama worms it into the Ren & Stimpy canon in the form of this sociopathic short.
Pencil Test and Episode Side-By-Side
What it sounds like: the whole episode next to its pencil test. Animation buffs take note.
"Frog Torture" Animatic (2 mins.)
The animatic of Ren tormenting a frog hooked up to a car battery. You'll thrill to the surprising detail of each agonizing motion.
Interview (18 mins.)
Waller, Bauza and Fitzgerald again, mostly the latter praising the "tour-de-force of acting" in the voices, the subtle and difficult movements on which John K. insisted, and the use of source music. Also, Stephen Worth sticks his head in to reveal a childhood frog-napping that wound up as part of the episode.
Character Drawings
Another gallery of pictures. Man, does that frog get it.
Fire Dogs, Part 2
Intro (9 mins.)
John K. tells of his experiences with Ralph Bakshi, who is respectfully disrespected in the episode–specifically, his intimidating presence and how he single-handedly sowed the seeds of animation's renaissance with "The New Adventures of Mighty Mouse" in 1987. The creator also mentions that the "Fire Dogs, Part 2" is a documentary: all from Bakshi's mouth, apparently.
Interview (16 mins.)
Worth, Waller, and Fitzgerald this time, weighing in on the magic of Bakshi. Fitzgerald, in particular, tells a hilarious story about the master and a lost set of keys.
Onward and Upward
Intro (4 mins.)
Waller and Fitzgerald accompany a largely silent John K.. The impetus behind this episode: a tidal wave of mail asking for gross and/or gay jokes.
Interview (5 mins.)
Finally, Fitzgerald once again expounds on the Three Stooges influence and the rare incursion of non-suburbia in a cartoon; the clip ends with Waller pointing out that the Curly doll in his lap looks like it's fellating him. Nyuk-nyuk-nyuk!
28 minutes/episodes; NR; 1.33:1; English DD 2.0 (Stereo); CC; 2 DVD-9s; Region One; Paramount
