Uncle Grandpa

Uncle Grandpa
Genre Fantasy
Comedy[1]
Created by Peter Browngardt
Directed by
  • Bill Flores and Mark Bodnar (art)
  • Robert Alvarez and Randy Myers (animation)
  • Supervising: Audie Harrison (S01, E01–26), and Casey Alexander (S02–present)
Creative director(s) Casey Alexander
Voices of
Composer(s) Mike Conte
Tommy Meehan
Country of origin United States
Original language(s) English
No. of seasons 4
No. of episodes 112 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s) Peter Browngardt
Producer(s)
  • Rossitza Likomanova
  • Audie Harrison (Season 1, E27–present)
Editor(s) Tom Browngardt
Running time 11 minutes
Production company(s) Cartoon Network Studios
Release
Original network Cartoon Network
First shown in 2008 (Pilot)
Original release September 2, 2013 (2013-09-02) – present
Chronology
Related shows Secret Mountain Fort Awesome

Uncle Grandpa is an American animated television series created by Peter Browngardt for Cartoon Network that premiered on the network on September 2, 2013. The series is based on Browngardt's animated short of the same name from The Cartoonstitute. Uncle Grandpa is also a spin-off of Secret Mountain Fort Awesome, which was in turn a spin-off of the Cartoonstitute short. It is produced by Cartoon Network Studios.[2]

The show is a surreal action-adventure comedy that relies extensively on visual gags and catchphrases. Creator Pete Browngardt has cited the work of cartoonists Don Martin, Gary Larson and Robert Crumb, as well as Golden Age-era animators such as Tex Avery when it came to developing the style of the show. Each 11-minute episode is presented in a unique format, consisting of a main seven- to nine-minute story, some short bumpers typically composed of a quick visual joke, and an original short that focuses on the show's side-characters.

With a ploy, Cartoon Network renewed the series for the fourth and fifth seasons:[3] first splitting the second season[4] (of 52 episodes) into two halves, which respectively became the second and third season, then also dividing in half the already announced third season.[5][6] With both the fourth and fifth season composed of 26 episodes, these new seasons will be the final.[7]

History

The Uncle Grandpa pilot was created by former Chowder storyboard artist Peter Browngardt in 2008, but aired online in 2009 on Cartoon Network Video as part of The Cartoonstitute.[8] Akin to the Regular Show pilot, the Uncle Grandpa pilot was successful, but it had yet to have been green-lit into its own series.[8]

In 2011, the TV series Secret Mountain Fort Awesome (based on the creatures that appear in the original short) aired on Cartoon Network, but was not as well-received as the other Cartoon Network series at the time, and was eventually put on hiatus in February 2012.[9] Despite the failure, Secret Mountain Fort Awesome went on to win several awards, including the coveted Crystal Award for "Best Television Production" at Annecy International Animated Film Festival, the first US-based production to do so.[9] This helped boost Browngardt's profile in getting Uncle Grandpa greenlit as a series.[9] Finally, another factor that has contributed to the launch of the show was the redesign of the character by John Kricfalusi, The Ren & Stimpy Show's creator.[10]

On July 27 and 28, 2013, Cartoon Network aired a sneak peek of the series as part of Big Fan Weekend, along with Clarence and Steven Universe.[11]

Plot

Uncle Grandpa, the babysitter who is the uncle-grandpa and brother-dad of every child and adult in the world, stops by children's houses every day to see how they are doing. The children he visits have a problem of their own and Uncle Grandpa tries to help them through a series of chaotic and surreal misadventures. He lives in a recreational vehicle (RV) and is accompanied by a red talking fanny pack named Belly Bag, an anthropomorphic dinosaur named Mr. Gus, a photo cutout of a tiger named Giant Realistic Flying Tiger, and a talking pizza slice named Pizza Steve.

Characters

Main characters from the series; from left to right: Uncle Grandpa and Belly Bag, Pizza Steve, Mr. Gus, and Giant Realistic Flying Tiger (bottom)

Main

Shorts/recurring

Human children and adults

Pilot

Episodes

SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
Pilot32008March 15, 2012 (2012-03-15)
152September 2, 2013 (2013-09-02)February 26, 2015 (2015-02-26)
226March 5, 2015 (2015-03-05)December 15, 2015 (2015-12-15)
326December 16, 2015 (2015-12-16)July 1, 2016 (2016-07-01)
426July 1, 2016 (2016-07-01)[13]December 15, 2016 (2016-12-15)[14]
526December 16, 2016 (2016-12-16)[15]TBA
SpecialApril 2, 2015 (2015-04-02)

Specials

Christmas Special

The first-season episode "Christmas Special" was aired in December 2014. A double-length Christmas special, it centers on Uncle Grandpa who reluctantly agrees to disguise himself as his brother Santa Claus, after the latter character injures a leg. The episode received mostly praise in international publications,[16][17][18] and in the United States it was viewed by 1.5 million.[19] Cartoon Network developed a browser game adaptation named Sneakin' Santa to promote the episode.[20] The episode was well received by the critics during its respective Christmas season.

Say Uncle

A crossover special between Uncle Grandpa and Steven Universe was aired as an episode of the latter series' second season in April 2015.[21] Conceived of by the creator of the latter series, Rebecca Sugar,[22] the episode has Uncle Grandpa teach Steven how to bear a shield from his gemstone. Nearly two million viewed the episode,[23] which received acclaim from critics.[24][25]

Guest Directed Shorts

The second-season episode "Guest Directed Shorts" was aired in June 2015 and consists of three animated shorts. The first short, directed by M. Wartella, has Uncle Grandpa using time travel in order to find the best hamburger; the second, by Pendleton Ward, has Pizza Steve beatboxing with Uncle Grandpa in the park; and the third, by Max Winston, has the RV gang getting trapped in Uncle Grandpa's claymation mind after their television set breaks down. Wartella is known for his work on the animated series Superjail! and Mad, while Ward is the creator of Adventure Time; Winston is a professional stop-motion artist.[26][27] The episode was viewed by 1.3 million.[28] The episode was very well received by the critics, while Winston's short was nominated for best television production at the 2015 edition of the Annecy Film Festival.[29]

Uncle Grandpa Babies

Uncle Grandpa Babies first appeared as a short in the 2014 episode "Grounded" as a faux Cartoon Network ad that presents a series called "Uncle Grandpa Babies" and claims to be made by the same creators of Adventure Time (Pendleton Ward) and Steven Universe (Rebecca Sugar). One year later, a full episode based on the babies saving America from a missile launch from a foreign country aired on August 20, 2015.

In light of the special premiering, reruns of Baby Looney Tunes returned to Cartoon Network

International broadcast

In Canada, it premiered on September 2, 2013 on Cartoon Network.[30] It also premiered on Cartoon Network channels in the United Kingdom and Ireland on April 14, 2014[31] and in Australia on May 5, 2014.[32]

Related media

On April 30, 2014, Kaboom! announced that Uncle Grandpa comics were in the works. Issue 1 was released on October 15, 2014.[33]

Home media

DVD releases

Region 1
DVD title Season(s) Aspect ratio Episode count Total running time Release dates
Tiger Trails 1 16:9 12 132 minutes December 16, 2014
Good Mornin'[34] 1 16:9 12 132 minutes April 7, 2015

Accolades

Year Award Category Nominee(s) Result
2010 Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Short-format Animated Program[35] Peter Browngardt, Janet Dimon, Robert Alvarez, Rob Renzetti, Craig McCracken, Brian A. Miller, Jennifer Pelphrey, and Rob Sorcher (for the "Uncle Grandpa" pilot from The Cartoonstitute) Nominated
2014 Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Individual in Animation[35] Nick Edwards (for episode "Afraid of the Dark") Won
2015 Annecy International Animated Film Festival TV series Max Winston and Peter Browngardt (for "Total Reality" from Guest Directed Shorts)[36] Nominated
2016 Annie Awards Voice Acting in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production Kevin Michael Richardson (as Mr. Gus, for episode "Uncle Grandpa at the Movies")[37] Nominated

See also

References

  1. "Amazon.com: Uncle Grandpa Season 1: Amazon Video". Retrieved March 31, 2015.
  2. McLean, Thomas (September 11, 2012). "CN Greenlights 'Steven Universe,' 'Uncle Grandpa' Series". Animation Magazine. Retrieved February 8, 2013.
  3. "Exclusive: Cartoon Network renews 'Steven Universe' and 'Uncle Grandpa' through season 5". ew.com.
  4. Goldberg, Lesley (July 25, 2014). "Comic-Con Exclusive: Cartoon Network Renews 'Adventure Time,' 'Regular Show,' 3 More". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 1, 2015.
  5. "Pete Browngardt on Twitter". twitter.com.
  6. "'Adventure Time,' 'Regular Show,' 3 More Renewed at Cartoon Network". The Hollywood Reporter. July 7, 2015.
  7. "Cartoon Network Lied To Us: 'Uncle Grandpa' Is Ending Production". cartoonbrew.com. April 5, 2016.
  8. 1 2 Amidi, Amid (June 15, 2010). "Uncle Grandpa by Peter Browngardt". Cartoon Brew. Retrieved August 8, 2013.
  9. 1 2 3 Amidi, Amid (October 3, 2011). ""Secret Mountain Fort Awesome" Talkback". Cartoon Brew. Retrieved August 8, 2013.
  10. "John K. Draws Uncle Grandpa – Cartoon Brew". Cartoon Brew. Retrieved October 17, 2014.
  11. Arrant, Chris (July 12, 2011). "Cartoon Network's Series Panels and Events Lineup for Comic-Con International in San Diego". Cartoon Brew. Retrieved August 8, 2013.
  12. "The Last American". vimeo.com.
  13. http://www.cartoonnetwork.com/shows/uncle-grandpa/characters/index.html
  14. http://tvlistings.zap2it.com/tv/uncle-grandpa/upcoming-episodes/EP01616430?aid=zap2it
  15. http://tvlistings.zap2it.com/tv/uncle-grandpa/upcoming-episodes/EP01616430?aid=zap2it
  16. "The world's magical Uncle and Grandpa returns to save Christmas". The Malaysian Insider. December 5, 2014. Archived from the original on January 24, 2015.
  17. Chaw, Kenneth; Yee, Chiang Kah (December 25, 2014). "What to watch: Christmas and Boxing Day TV highlights". The Star.
  18. Ritchie, Ruth (December 20, 2014). Zuel, Bernard, ed. "A critics' Christmas: the best of Yuletide music, TV and film". The Sydney Morning Herald. Fairfax Media. Archived from the original on December 21, 2014.
  19. Kondolojy, Amanda (December 5, 2014). "Thursday Cable Ratings: Thursday Night Football Tops Night + NBA Basketball, Pawn Stars, Undrafted, Liga MX & More". TV by the Numbers. Tribune Media. Archived from the original on December 18, 2014.
  20. "Play the New Uncle Grandpa Game, Sneakin' Santa". Turner Broadcasting System. December 1, 2014. Archived from the original on January 24, 2015.
  21. Milligan, Mercedes (April 1, 2015). "Uncle Grandpa and Steven Universe Crossover Premieres April 2". Animation. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015.
  22. Amidi, Amid (April 2, 2015). "Steven Universe and Uncle Grandpa Crossover Special Airs Today". Cartoon Brew. Archived from the original on April 3, 2015.
  23. Metcalf, Mitch (April 3, 2015). "Top 25 Thursday Cable Originals: April 2, 2015". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on April 8, 2015.
  24. Thurm, Eric (April 1, 2015). "Exclusive Steven Universe Clip: Uncle Grandpa Comes to Town". The A.V. Club. Onion. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015.
  25. Kaiser, Vrai (April 3, 2015). "Steven Universe Recap: 'Say Uncle'". The Mary Sue. Abrams Media.
  26. Mercedes, Milligan (May 20, 2015). "Uncle Grandpa Welcomes Guest Directors". Animation. Archived from the original on May 22, 2015.
  27. Amidi, Amid (May 20, 2015). "Pen Ward, Max Winston, and Others Guest-Direct Uncle Grandpa". Cartoon Brew. Archived from the original on May 21, 2015.
  28. Metcalf, Mitch (May 22, 2015). "Top 100 Thursday Cable Originals (& Network Update): May 21, 2015". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on June 6, 2015.
  29. "Uncle Grandpa – 'Total Reality'". Annecy International Animated Film Festival. Archived from the original on June 6, 2015.
  30. Wolfe, Jennifer (August 15, 2013). "TELETOON Announces Fall Lineup". Animation World Network. Retrieved November 17, 2014.
  31. Munn, Patrick (March 10, 2014). "Turner UK Unveils 2014 Programming Slate: 4 New Shows For Cartoon Network, New 'Tom & Jerry' Series & More". TV Wise. Retrieved November 17, 2014.
  32. Higgins, D. (May 5, 2014). "New this week: Continuum, Secret Meat Business, House of Cards finale & Powerpuff Girls 15th anniversary". The Green Room. Foxtel. Archived from the original on May 6, 2014. Retrieved May 6, 2014.
  33. "Preview: Uncle Grandpa #1 - Comic Book Resources". comicbookresources.com. Retrieved June 1, 2015.
  34. http://amazon.com/Cartoon-Network-Uncle-Grandpa-Mornin/dp/B00SJFV746/ref=pd_bxgy_74_text_y
  35. 1 2 "Uncle Grandpa: Academy of Television Arts & Sciences – Emmy". Emmys.com. Retrieved December 9, 2013.
  36. © CITIA. "Annecy > Programme > Index". annecy.org.
  37. "Annie Awards Nominees". annieawards.org.

External links

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