Ren & Stimpy's documentary attempts to separate the art from the struggling artist

Polgon's entertainment team is on the ground 2020 Sundance Film Museum, bringing you first a look at what are some of the best blockbuster offerings of the year. Here is what you need to know before these indie films make their theater, streaming services, and cinematic zeitgeist.

Logline: Happy Happy Joy Joy – The Story of Ren & Stimpy he looks back on the influential cartoon and work of composer John Kricfalusi, who officially launched many women's sexual misconduct in 2018.

Longerline: According to former CEO Vanessa Coffey, Ren & Stimpy it was all that Nickelodeon needed to fight the difficulties of night & # 39; 80s / early & # 39; 90s, and the complete opposite of what the network wanted without its friendly content. But the concept of "Nicktoons" was simple: Visionary artists hire to bring on-screen concepts. As close collaborators testified to Ron Cicero and the Kimo Easterwood program, no one was as visionary or idiosyncratic as John Kricfalusi.

The last decade has seen the rise of "fan" fan fiction, celebrating everything from movies (2015). Back to Tomorrow-Crafting Back to Time) to music (by Taylor Swift Miss Americanana payback) for comics (Hi Mr Watterson, ode for recycling Calvin and the Hobbes Composer Bill Watterson). Happy Happy Joy Joy joins the crowd, chatting with animators who remember the thrill of working with rebellious, and respectful tones, like Jack Black and Mad TV

& # 39; & # 39; It's Bobby Lee, for whom messages were made Ren & StimpyWe saved the proximity of the nipples. Stacked with visual clips and historical footage of performers, including Kricfalusi introducing toxic drums in a tone that would make him a potential rapper for Ren, the documentary extends the genius of the vocalist with the voices they know. The numbers take back the mood of what happened: Nick only orders six episodes in the remainder of Kricfalusi, but at the height of the series, one of the giants believes the show was generating nearly $ 4 billion in sales.

The ren ear has a line on it in the ren & amp; stimpy

Presented as something of a surprise, Kricfalusi also sits down for an interview. The animator walks Cicero and Easterwood with his childhood allegations, early fantasy shows, character violations of his dog and cat ("Simpimp was a good-natured corpse"), and his artistic philosophies, surpassed by the caricature's time-consuming work of poetic fragments done when the frames were self-contained. they catch them. Happy Happy Joy Joy launches an explosion Ren & Stimpy roll down Kricfalusi's eyes, and look at what that meaning meant to him. But only for an hour and a half do we find young Robyn Byrd Ren & Stimpy The person who volunteered to interview him for the film who tells the news by sending a letter to Kricfalusi and actually getting a response, is the man who accused him of torture after 20 years.

Earlier, one of the giants described Kricfalitha as "the most efficient sergeant you've ever met, and the outgoing servers need to be aggressive." The full extent of this action has a final note on the Happy Happy Joy Joy. Resolving broad strokes of BuzzFeed News & # 39; s report from 2018, Cicero and Easterwood heard both about Byrd and Kricfalusi that Ren & Stimpy

The designer lowered his standing in the industry to establish romantic relationships. Kricfalusi does not deny that he had an argument with a 15-year-old at the age of 41, but his reasoning is more focused on mistakes made than requested. Cicero and Easterwood leave details of Bester's story, and the stories of his other accuser Katie Rice, out of the picture.

Average rating: Confronted with Kricfalusi's influence and abusive behavior, Robyn Byrd tells the book's writers, "Pain creates great art, but it will not continue to hurt to create beautiful art."

What is it trying to do? Cicero and Easterwood's chart is always on the Ren & Stimpy A saga in a way that assures fans that this gnarled, magnificent cartoon was as masterful as they could remember. The script spends a good amount of time growing weeds in the animation process, showing how Kricfalusi and his team at Spumco Studios are moving boundaries across sectors. It's not all good; Coffy gives a strong insight into how Kricfalusi's perfectionism and tenacity led to the shooting and presentation of the show.

But the way the documentary looks at Kricfalusi's own life, and how he crosses the line with so many young women, plays like an add-on. Was this the only result of being a master in his genius for so many years? What should people think about Ren & Stimpy

now? By allowing Byrd to narrate his story, asking Kricfalus to respond, and allowing other artists involved in the exhibition to understand all of this, Happy Happy Joy Joy It gets the answer that we have to separate the art from the artist.

Does it get there? The structure of Happy Happy Joy Joy It makes enough assessment for Ren & StimpyInheritance The show was one of the first cartoons to carry the "Created card" card, meaning that the story of Kricfalusi's torture is also the story of a respected Nicktoon. Although one cartoonist admits in broad terms that the show is now "covered in paint," none of Kricfalusi's colleagues are questioned about his abuse or behavior than his tendency to be a "superhero." including teenage girls, she is known in the industry. " They are not written on this subject Happy Happy Joy Joy, save for just one emotionally charged conversation with Coffy. (What to do: The film was produced and funded by Indiegogo in 2017, and may have been shot before BuzzFeed published the report on Kricfalusi.)

What does that mean for us? Happy Happy Joy Joy It is not necessary to make a decision in an art debate, but a more successful artist may seek conclusions in their studies. Cicero and Easterwood seem to have an idea, or one that coincides with the first 90 minutes of the movie; even after Byrd's emotional story, the film returns to animator conversations that remind us Ren & StimpyThe power to change. That unanswered, authoritative commentary sounds like a simple answer, and ultimately prevents the film from getting a bigger picture.

When can we see it? Happy Happy Joy Joy it is a private product paid for at Sundance, and is currently seeking distribution.