The Ren and Stimpy Story we bring you our Happy Happy Joy Joy review.
HAPPY HAPPY JOY JOY is the journey of the rise and fall of one of the most influential animated series in the history of television.
It’s the story of a group of talented and dedicated artists whose incredible work brought to life two of the most beloved characters of all time – Ren & Stimpy.
It’s also a cautionary tale of artistic genius gone awry.
The controversial creator of the groundbreaking show, John Kricfalusi, both caused and experienced trauma that deeply affected his work and relationships.
Through archival footage, show artwork, and interviews with the artists, actors, and executives behind the show, co-directors Ron Cicero and Kimo Easterwood artfully illuminate the joy, beauty, and lasting impact of Ren & Stimpy, as well as the dual sides of the show’s creator, a man who is both a brilliant animator and storyteller as well as a deeply flawed person.
A documentary showing those who worked on and were associated with the iconic animated series The Ren and Stimpy Show.
This feature shows how Ren and Stimpy came to be and how it managed to get onto TV as part of Nickelodeon’s teen-targeted programming.
What strikes me about this particular documentary is just how much time John Kricfalusi is given on-screen.
Not shying away from the controversies the documentary puts us front and centre with John to hear his side of the story and it’s equally appalling and eye-opening at the same time.
Hats off to the producers for going in this direction with the documentary as many would shy away from such approaches to their productions.
Kricfalusi was held in such high esteem with colleagues and executives around him believing he could very well be the next Walt Disney but fate had some cruel plans to intervene.
A smart and intelligent man who self-destructed and compromised not only his show but his legacy, reputation and future.
From background artists to friends of John we get an inside into the animation process, the dictatorship of John behind the scenes with scatterings of Ren and Stimpy clips that never provide a comedic relief but more a mere distraction from the more sinister events at hand brought to light by the infamous Buzzfeed article.
For me growing up, I was never a big Ren and Stimpy fan.
Something about it just didn’t sit well with me as a child and watching it back within this documentary something doesn’t sit right with me as an adult either and this was before I found out about John and all the rest of it.
Some episodes went into such dark subject matter almost projecting John’s desires and past experiences and in the end, it’s quite a sickening and eye-opening revelation.
Even worse, throughout the documentary as John is front and centre on camera there comes a certain segment where he requests a woman who at the time was 13 years old when he was accused of having a sexual relationship with her, to ‘call him’.
The filmmakers push John for this apology on camera and in return, we get this open sickening invite on camera to send chills down your spine.
Papering over any behind the scenes incidents the documentary brings it to our attention and then sends it to the back of the classroom as interviewees share their stories with no reference to their own personal feelings.
It all feels rather staged and there’s a giant elephant in the room that needs to be discussed but everyone is ignoring it.
The documentary goes as far as making Ren and Stimpy become the side piece of a much bigger and more criminal picture.
If you like Ren and Stimpy then hats off to you, but just think of the foundations on which that show was built.
If you can appreciate it as a separate artform then more power to you but there’s just no shying away from the bigger picture at hand here and this documentary whilst intriguing, leaves a sour lingering taste for years to come.
The film launches worldwide on January 22nd.
Happy Happy Joy Joy review by Sean Evans
Our Rating
Summary
What begins as an exploration of a cult classic slowly transforms into something much darker as the cartoon facade is lifted and we take a brief but fleeting glimpse of the more sinister arts at work behind the scenes.
