LTV21

I’m a bit fan of Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim lineup.  They have some great comedies, action series and I’m not an anime purist, so I’m even a fan of that offering (some of the time, at least.. some series don’t do anything for me, but some are just excellent!).  Of course, being an animation oriented channel, and “adult” in the rated PG-13 to hard “R” variety, they’re bound to have some good fodder for fans of Liquid TV.

This will be the first of a handful of shows I plan on featuring just because of their sheer oddness.

Superjail! is basically what would happen if you took Willy Wonka’s candy factory and turned it into a prison.  The animation style is chaotic and surreal in a way that only chemical mind alteration or a naturally occurring brain dysfunction can produce.  You’ve heard of places for the “criminally insane” and you’ve heard “insanely creative” used to describe some people.  The artists responsible for Superjail are nothing short of “criminally creative.”  I can’t wait to check out their other works on their website.

To get a feel for the show, each episode starts out with a criminal doing his criminal stuff.  Usually it’s this one generic criminal, but they switch it off when there’s a certain new inmate coming along for that episode.

In no time flat, Jailbot shows up to haul the criminal off (back?) to Superjail for the happy little opening sequence, flying through a number of odd scenes.  That’s almost my favorite part of ever episode, just enjoying the weirdness of the opening sequence.  But there’s plenty more weirdness in the episodes themselves.

Two examples of the pre-opening:

AdultSwim.com

AdultSwim.com

And an example of the opening theme and randomness, including the theme song “Comin’ Home” by a band called Cheeseburger:

YouTube

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3fSgixGbY0[/youtube]

The show featuers the Willy Wonka-esque Warden, his assistant, Jailbot and a well endowed “female” (note the quotes) security guard.  And of course all the prisoners.  It’s VERY violent and very strange, but has a genius about it that I appreciate.

Superjail! current plays on Cartoon Network’s “Adult Swim” lineup.  You can find videos online here:

AdultSwim.com – SuperJail!

Superjail! is made by Augenblick Studios, Inc. – Some of their other works are: Wonder Showzen, Golden Age, The Ten, Shorties, Stickman Exodus, Drunky, Plugs McGinniss, Ramblin’ Man, Midnight Carnival,

AugenblickStudios.com

Wikipedia’s Entry for Superjail!

When I saw Tyger a few years ago, I really started thinking seriously about setting up an LTV tribute site.  It combines everything that was brilliant about the best of the old Liquid TV animations.  There’s beauty, amazing music, creativity, immense quantities of pure “style” and it’s story could be appreciated by anyone due to the lack of dialog.  Simply hypnotic.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LsMoUtBlDk

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6LsMoUtBlDk[/youtube]

From the YouTube description:

An absolutely magical short by Guilherme Marcondes of Brazil, based on a William Blake poem.
Tyger blends puppetry, illustration, photography and CGI. Dreamy, mesmerizing, brilliant. Wow.

2006 winner, Best in Show, Amsterdam Film eXperience (AFX) ( wikipedia )

2007 winner, Best Animated Film, Zlín International Film Festival for Children and Youth ( wikipedia )

Guilherme Marcondes’ website

Created by the cartoonist, Charles Burns.  Apparently Burns’ “Black Hole” may be in the process of being made into a movie by Neil Gaiman and Roger Avary (co-writer, Pulp Fiction) and produced by David Fincher (Se7en, Fight Club).  Might be kind of interesting.

Anyway, on to Dog Boy…

What if Dick Tracy had a dog?  Or a son?  Or a son who was a dog?  It might look something like this…

Episode 1: Pilot – Dog Boy’s origin story.

YouTube

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imhHooV2zJ8[/youtube]

Episode 2: Disastrous Date – Dog Boy acts doggy, goes on a failed date with Nurse Betty and somehow attracts the attention of Rondy.

YouTube

(alternate: YouTube )

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DxmIIFjIJys[/youtube]

Episode 3:Nauseating Next Door Neighbors – Dog Boy takes Rondy on a date to Club Robo and his stuck up neighbors spy on him.  Preacher Jerry makes his first apperance.

YouTube

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vHLSywNk_g[/youtube]

Episode 4: Red Hot Robot Romance – The date with Rondy at Club Robo continues, then back to his..err.. her place.

YouTube

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BEaw1VIZoEQ[/youtube]

Episode 5: Carnal Chaos – Dog Boy sleeps with Rondy.. sort of, and Rondy gets jealous of the new girl, Cindy

YouTube

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZ8-MjtfbiA[/youtube]

Episode 6: Passion Pit -Cindy and Dog Boy play in the park, until she notices his true nature.  Then off to the drive-in with Rondy.

YouTube

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PzVywjn2BT0[/youtube]

Episode 7:Long Arm of the Law – The neighbors suspect Dog Boy of being a mass murderer. Cindy has some issues with her coworkers, that clumsy bitch!

YouTube

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEgoewe5wcU[/youtube]

Episode 8:The Psycho Shrink – Dog Boy goes to a shrink and spreads his dog cooties!

YouTube

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EnFH2XiRKh4[/youtube]

Episode 9: House of Half-Wits – Time to visit Preacher Jerry and then wind up in the clink!

YouTube

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RPigxY6-Sk[/youtube]

Episode 10: Calling All Cons – Dog Boy plays with his new friends in jail before getting bailed out by Rondy.

YouTube

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ooCJrbOIoJA[/youtube]

Thanks to ZappVid and digloid for posting the videos.

A quaint little short by John Dilworth, who went on to create Courage the Cowardly Dog (and you were wondering why the dog looked familiar, eh?).  Odd, but not quite as brilliantly strange as “Courage” was.

YouTube

(alt: YouTube )

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tQu-Sq_sAS8[/youtube]

Thanks to nunlover and ZappVid for posting this video.

The Art School Girls of Doom is one of those LTV items that didn’t really stick with me very well, but now that I’m watching it again, I do remember it.  Not the cream of the crop, but LTV wasn’t always about “great” or “mass appeal”, but more about showing a wide variety of videos so there’s a little bit for everyone.  I hope I can capture some of these more esoteric choices when posting new videos and not just choose things I personally like.

Before you get too excited, boys. Those are dudes.

Oh.. and apparently Gina is a fan.

The Beat Down

YouTube

(alt: YouTube )

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lAFpBmNKJs[/youtube]

The Beach

YouTube

(alt: YouTube )

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=11CyMbhOVVU[/youtube]

The Bra

YouTube

(alt: YouTube )

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eWGSU_0G8AI[/youtube]

Thanks to ZapVidd and scythrop for posting the videos.

Not so tough without THAT are ya?…  Just a badge and a mustache!

A double feature, with “To Officer with Love” and “Fast, Loud, Dumb and Proud” from Season 3!

YouTube

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1v94b6nWQTo[/youtube]

The overall feel of this animation reminds me of Edward Gorey’s dark, start black and white ink drawings, but there are many other themes/feels within this piece.  The music is haunting, some of the animation is reminiscent of Monty Python’s cutout animation while some is rotoscoped and there’s a nice little Rube Goldberg bit in the beginning.  I love a good macabre theme, especially when it’s pulled off so excellently as this one is, but I love even more the detail put into not just the artwork, but the design of all the incidental objects, devices and backgrounds. All in all, a masterful job.

YouTube

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NRHVzbJVx8I[/youtube]

From YouTube description:

Now Formerly Playing in the YouTube Screening Room:

YouTube YTScreenRoom (account now closed)

Craig Welch takes viewers inside a surreal, meticulously crafted world to meet a mysterious protagonist and his otherworldly visitor.

In this surreal exposition, we meet a man, obsessed with control. His intricate gadgets manipulate yet insulate, as his science dissects and reduces. How exactly are wings attached to the back of angels? In this invented world drained of emotion, where everything goes through the motions, he is brushed by indefinite longings. Whether he can transcend his obsessions and fears is the heart of the matter. A film without words.

Directed by : Craig Welch. Produced in 1996

Posted by:  nfb (National Film Board of Canada)

More links:

IMDB

Viral Video Chart