Arthur - Where is the Show Going?

[D'Snowth]

Seth MacFarline wants to end it. No kidding. But Fox has dollar signs in their eyes. he even wrote a pretty sizable complaint that appears at the beginning of the third Star Wars parody episode.

See, this is why you should NOT sell the rights to your own stuff to anyone else. If Seth owned the rights himself, he could end it whenever he wants to.

Wow... they sound awful. The one about Francine being a web video... that's TOTALLY pilfered from an episode of Fosters Home for Imaginary Friends.

Dude, how many times have I said it? They're OUT OF IDEAS!

 

[Drtooth]

See, this is why you should NOT sell the rights to your own stuff to anyone else. If Seth owned the rights himself, he could end it whenever he wants to.

Then he can sit on his ideas when he's living with his parents, like everyone on the internet that's creative does.

Actually, Fox pretty much bought the rights to it when it was Cartoon Network short. They were going to put that cartoon as shorts for MadTV.

Dude, how many times have I said it? They're OUT OF IDEAS!

At least they don't have the disease or disorder of the week episode yet. Still... these episodes sound right for their"this might as well be a reboot" changes.

 

[D'Snowth]

Then he can sit on his ideas when he's living with his parents, like everyone on the internet that's creative does.

Not necessarily, he can just be independent. How do you think Sid & Marty Krofft got to be so successful?

 

[Mo Frackle]

You know what? Just end Arthur already. You're already making things worse by switching from hand drawn animation to flash. And as much as I'd like to rant on this new character, I really can't, as we haven't been able to see her yet. Anyways, please, just end it already! Take us out of our misery!

 

[Drtooth]

They're the exception, not the rule. The only time I've ever seen an independently produced idea become a TV cartoon series is if someone comes to the creator, and even then, said creators usually have a sliding scale of slim to quite a bit actually of say in the show. Fox (and they didn't even own the show) almost made Max of Sam and Max a girl to get a female demographic they thought they deserved. So Steve Purcell had to create The Geek to fill that requirement. And all the animated series exclusive characters in The Tick were owned by Saban and couldn't be integrated into the comics. Even ones Ben Edlund created himself. So no Sewer Urchin, no Die Fledermaus, no American Maid. Why do you think they had those pathetic expys of the last 2 in the live action series?

The Kroffts probably wisely used whatever money they got from prior jobs to build a small production company. They probably got paid more than anyone that works in animation... they usually don't do too well.

 

[Drtooth]

You know what? Just end Arthur already. You're already making things worse by switching from hand drawn animation to flash. And as much as I'd like to rant on this new character, I really can't, as we haven't been able to see her yet. Anyways, please, just end it already! Take us out of our misery!

I agree. They're clearly cheaping out getting another studio to do budget animation. Nothing says "we clearly don't care" like downgrading animation THAT much. I don't mean streamlining (like the Kids WB Batman TAS episodes), I'm not saying slightly cheaper overseas studio (heck, most animated programs do that all the time)... I'm saying going from full digital traditional to motion tween cheating flash means you clearly don't want to produce the show anymore.

It's not making merchandise, the ratings must be sinking... my PBS station airs it once at 11:30, and it's the bloody production company. I don't even see the books in stores anymore. End it. You can go on forever with the reruns (they've done it with Clifford, and it hasn't had a new episode since John Ritter died). Downgrading the animation and swiping plots from other shows is insulting intelligence now. And the sad thing is, there were a couple very good, turn the show around, episodes this season. This is just going to feel like a new show entirely.

 

[D'Snowth]

They're the exception, not the rule. The only time I've ever seen an independently produced idea become a TV cartoon series is if someone comes to the creator

That's basically how they ended up on television: Hanna-Barbera commissioned them to build the characters and sets for the Banana Splits, and NBC was so impressed with how they put all this stuff together, they asked them to make their own show for them, hence H.R. Pufnstuf.

 

[Drtooth]

I'm looking at the episodes yet again (I really hope they're mostly fake fan creations), and the more I look at them, the more they should change the show's title to "Everyone BUT Arthur." There's 2 about Muffy and Francine. That's par... but out of 9 episodes (the first one's a 2 part one for some reason), 5 of them are about D.W. and/or her friends... and 4 of which are paired together in the same episode.

Okay... I can take the fact they tried to force Jenna and her freaking human nose down everyone's throats as a main character, like we're supposed to care about her. George as a main character was no problem for me, since they did that early enough in the show. But MUST they turn it into the James show? The completely minor character that D.W. kissed in that one episode? He IS no character. He HAS no personality. Why do I have to care about him? And Mei Lin.... UGH.... hopefully her episode doesn't have her talk much. She's so freaking abrasive, she makes Scrappy-Doo look lovable.

Mark my words... if this show continues another 2 years, we're going to have full episodes of Ladonna Compson's cousin's friend's little brother's friends.

 

[D'Snowth]

Yeah, the show hasn't focused on Arthur in a long time... heck, there's been episodes where he's not even IN the story AT ALL.

But I know what you mean, I've been trying to find any actual official information on this supposedly 4th Chipmunks movie where they go into outer space, but all that's available is a Wiki for a obviously fanfic-esque 4th movie that claims Charlene the Chipette is going to be in it, as well as Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez, and Demi Lovato voicing a trio of evil Chipette clones called the "Darkettes". You know how I can tell it's fake? The whole "Darkette" idea they stole from an RPG I was involved with a few years ago where we did indeed invent an evil trio of Chipettes known as "The Darkettes".

 

[CaseytheMuppet]

Jeez, why does everyone have to steal stuff from you Snowth?!