Chowder (TV series)
| Chowder | |
|---|---|
| File:Chowder Logo.jpg Chowder logo | |
| Created by | C. H. Greenblatt |
| Written by | C.H Greenblatt / William Reiss / Alex Almaguer |
| Directed by | Juli Hashiguchi / Kris Sherwood / Eddie Houchins/ Shaun Cashman |
| Country of origin | United States |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 14 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | C. H. Greenblatt |
| Producer | Louis J. Cuck |
| Running time | 22 minutes approx. (2x11 min. episodes) |
| Production companies | Cartoon Network Studios, Hong Ying Animation Entertainment (animation production), Screen Novelties, LLC (stop motion segments) |
| Original release | |
| Network | Cartoon Network |
| Release | November 2, 2007 – Present |
Chowder is an American animated television series that debuted on Cartoon Network on November 2, 2007. The show was created by C.H. Greenblatt, a former storyboard artist on SpongeBob SquarePants and The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy. The title character is a young child named Chowder, who is an apprentice to chef Mung Daal. The show combines traditional animation, marked by an effect where characters move over the patterns of their clothes,[1][2][3] with stop motion animation and puppetry.
While creating the project, Greenblatt originally based the premise on the idea of the sorcerer's apprentice style of story, such as The Sword in the Stone. The plot devices were modified so that the story revolves around a master chef who teaches his young apprentice how to cook.[1][2]
So I tried to think of an alternate way of having a magical feeling in the cartoon without actually using magic and that's how I came upon the idea of having the characters cook. It's pretty magical if you think about it...
— CH Greenblatt[1]
Production
Since his days on SpongeBob SquarePants, Greenblatt had been sketching various characters for his own animation series concept. The sketches were worked on until a solid concept appeared, ultimately evolving into the Chowder characters.[2] Chowder himself was developed with no specific species in mind,[4] but rather with the intentions of invoking the image of a child's soft squeeze toy.[3] Some of the inspiration comes from Richard Scarry,[1] with other inspiration from Saturday morning cartoons.[3] Shnitzel was created originally as a personal character design exercise in the late 90s.
I was even going to try and animate him in Flash, so I did alternate pieces of him. Back then he was called "Tapiocaca." He was supposed to be sort of like a big rock tiki monster that was always on fire. I even made a cool logo for him. Well I didn't really do anything with him after that, but I still liked the design. So when I was forming the world of Chowder, he seemed like a good fit. I like to think of him as a living menhir from the Asterix comics.
— CH Greenblatt[5]
Once Greenblatt pitched the concept to Cartoon Network, it was about two years before the series was greenlit for production with another year in production before the pilot episode aired. Greenblatt estimates he spent about seven years working on Chowder before the show made it to air.[1][2]
Episodes are produced in seasons which consist of 20 half-hour episodes.[6] Each episode is produced with a 30 second puppet sequence that is meant to run over the ending credits. Cartoon Network chooses not to air these credit sequences for first-run episodes, but starting on June 5, 2008, rerun episodes will begin airing the puppet segments.[6] Episodes can be purchased from the iTunes store in the United States which are delivered with the sequences as are episodes which are available on Cartoon Network's VOD website also within the United States.[3][7]
One of the unique design features of the show is the patterns used on the characters’ clothing. The patterns are developed as a full screen image and then sent to the production house where the characters are modified to fill the patterns in over the character clothing[3][8]
Using this technique, when a character moves, their patterns do not follow, but display as a "static" background. A similar technique was used in several Japanese anime, such as Sayonara Zetsubō Sensei and Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo.[1].
Setting
Chowder is set in the fictional Marzipan City, based loosely on New York City, where varying cultural differences coexist with each other, and where the populace takes unusual occurrences in stride. The city is vast and never-ending, with wildly different geographic locations appearing side-by-side without breaking the overall harmony of the city's image. For the architectural style of the city, examples from Moroccan and Indian architecture were referenced.[1]
The inhabitants of Marzipan City, including the show's primary cast, are composed of various strange non-human creatures, ranging from anthropomorphic animals to more abstract and surreal beings. A joke is even made of this in one episode where a teddy bear-like citizen wins a game at a street fair, and is rewarded with an ordinary human in modern western clothing.[9] Occasionally, parodies of characters from other media appear, such as Doozers[10].
Within the universe of Chowder, characters and locations are named after or are alterations of various dishes or foods. The currency is the dollop rather than dollar and "sments" rather than cents. Other examples include a type of candy "grubble gum" (bubble gum), "cinnamini" (cinnamon), "shmeg" (egg) and "blutter" (butter). The show is filled with puns and meta-references which are integrated with a high degree of sophistication. One example is when Chowder is learning to write and scribbles on the screen. Gazpacho erases this, and Chowder points out the Cartoon Network screen bug. Gazpacho comments "That one doesn't come off. I've tried."[11]
Characters
- Chowder (voiced by Nicky Jones) - Chowder is a small, eccentric child who is serving as a chef's apprentice under Mung Daal. Chowder lives with Mung Daal and Mung's wife, Truffles, in a room at the top of the catering business. Chowder wants to become a great chef, but he is very impulsive, and often gives in to his urges. He is always hungry and eats anything, even a customer's order. Chowder can also regurgitate objects and is often used as a storage container by the other characters. According to C.H. Greenblatt, Chowder is a composite of a cat, a bear and a rabbit.[4] He is named for Chowder, as in Clam Chowder or Corn Chowder.
- Mung Daal (voiced by Dwight Schultz) - According to his Cartoon Network bio, Mung Daal is the greatest chef in the world.[12]Whilst it is not known exactly how old he is, he has mentioned that he has cooked for 386 years, and he also celebrated 450 years of marriage.[13] Mung owns a catering business where he invents rare food like the "Not fruit" (pronounced No Fruit) and has a personal, eccentric cooking style, often refusing to resort to traditional methods. Mung is very prideful to the point of being his downfall. He has a high opinion of himself, and considers himself to be quite the ladies man, despite his marriage to Truffles. Mung has a mustache and claims it is what makes him a 'real chef' and when Chowder grows old enough to grow one, he will be a real chef too. His name comes from Mung Dal, an Indian dish comprised of split Mung beans.
- Shnitzel (voiced by John DiMaggio) - A rock monster and professional chef who works at Mung Daal's Catering Company. His vocabulary consists almost only of one word, "Radda", repeated over and over, though he sometimes says other simple words such as "Ok" or "Oh!".[5] Despite this, none of the characters have difficulty understanding him. Shnitzel is the "straight man" to the other more excitable characters, and is frequently agitated. He often gets stuck with menial labor or cleanup duty, and is easily angered by Chowder's antics (even to the point where he suggested chucking him into the furnace). Despite his remark, Shnitzel really has a soft spot for Chowder, as he cries when it was thought that Chowder has vanished forever.[14][5] Kevin Michael Richardson voiced Shnitzel for one episode, "The Froggy Apple Crumple Thumpkin" " and was replaced at the last moment by DiMaggio due to Richardson being unavailable during that period due to work on other projects.[1]
- Truffles (voiced by Tara Strong) - Truffles is Mung Daal's wife, who handles the business side of Mung's catering business. She is a mushroom pixie, and like Mung, is quite old (having been married for 450 years), though her true age is also never revealed. She is usually practical, but has a foul temper and easily loses patience with her husband, his staff and their customers which is a source of intense fear and terror amongst the rest of the show's cast. She speaks with a slight Yiddish accent, and sometime uses associated words.
- Gazpacho (voiced by Dana Snyder) - A mammoth-like storekeeper, who sells strange [l[produce]] and ingredients. He does his best to offer advice to Chowder when needed. He lives with his overbearing, unseen mother, who is apparently very controlling of him, posing a very negative infuence. Gazpacho shows no interest in moving out and improving his own life, once even exclaiming "I had so much to almost live for" when he thought he had been fatally shot (but he was ony hit in the chest with a tomato). He often makes puns and became a one-time comedian, only to fail horribly.
- Panini (voiced by Liliana Mumy) - A girl who has a crush on Chowder, and lets him know this at every opportunity. Chowder does not return the feelings, and responds with "I'm not your boyfriend!" whenever she greets him. However, when Chowder announces that he wishes to get married to save her reputation, she turns him away, although she has evidently since resumed her crush in subsequent episodes. She is Ms. Endive's apprentice, notably making better progress than Mung Daal with Chowder. According to the creator, she is of the same species as Chowder.
- Ms. Endive (voiced by Mindy Sterling) - A tall and pudgy chef who teaches cooking to Panini with strict discipline. She is the thorn in Mung Daal's side, berating his cooking style at every turn. A meticulous mountain of a woman who insists on perfection in everything she does, her cooking style is the complete opposite of Mung's; precise and textbook-perfect. She is often unkind, and considers Mung Daal to be her inferior rival. However, she once cried and told Panini he was "a good man" when she had thought Mung Daal died. In the episode "Chowder's Girlfriend", it is revealed she despises boys and boyfriends because her fiancé did not show up on their wedding day. The creator describes her as Martha Stewart with Oompa-Loompa colors.[15]
- Kimchi (voiced by C.H. Greenblatt) - Chowder's pet and best friend, who lives in a bird cage next to his bed. Kimchi is a stink cloud with tiny eyes (an anthropomorphized fart). He likes things that smell bad, and "talks" by blowing raspberries.[2]
- Gorgonzola (voiced by Will Shadley) - An apprentice candle holder with a surly attitude. He resents Chowder due to him having a better job. He is an anthropomorphic mouse with a candle "sprouting" from his head.[16]
Episodes
Season 1: 2007-2008
The episodes which are listed on the official Chowder website are not in order of air dates. This list of episodes is the actual air dates given.[17]
On January 15, 2008, C.H. Greenblatt commented that the first season has been extended to 20 half-hours, adding 7 episodes to the first season.[18].
| # | Title | Airdate | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Froggy Apple Crumble Thumpkin / Chowder's Girlfriend" | November 2, 2007 | |
|
The Froggy Apple Crumble Thumpkin - Mung, Chowder, and Shnitzel try to make the Froggy Apple Crumple Thumpkin, an advanced-level dish, for the customer, but before selling it Chowder needs to beat it in a thumb wrestling match.
Chowder's Girlfriend - After leading her on, Chowder tries every trick in the book to convince Panini, the apprentice of Mung's rival Ms. Endive, that he is not her boyfriend, but Panini does not seem to get the hint. | |||
| 2 | "Burple Nurples / Shnitzel Makes a Deposit" | November 2, 2007 | |
|
Burple Nurples - Mung goes on poison control after Chowder accidentally poisons a dish and tries to sell it. Shnitzel Makes a Deposit - Shnitzel tries to deposit a paycheck, but Chowder causes them to take a long time to do so. | |||
| 3 | "Grubble Gum / The Cinnamini Monster" | November 9, 2007 | |
|
Grubble Gum - Chowder makes the big mistake of not sharing his gum with Truffles, and soon all of Marzipan City ends up in a very sticky situation, in which the entire planet is pulled off, parody of Katamari Damacy. [19] The Cinnamini Monster - When Chowder bumps against a cinnamini tree, he is shrunk and is captured by a lonely cinnamini monster in the forest, and the whole gang soon has to find a way to escape from their emotionally needy new friend. | |||
| 4 | "Certifrycation Class / The Sing Beans" | November 16, 2007 | |
|
Certifrycation Class - When Mung is forced to spend a day in Chef Certifrycation school, he butts heads with the instructor. Mung must decide to stay true to his instincts or swallow his pride in order to pass.
The Sing Beans - In order to cook the performing food Sing Beans, the gang has to stay up all night as the dish cooks. But Chowder takes it upon himself to finish the process with wildly musical results. | |||
| 5 | "The Wrong Address / The Wrong Customer" | November 23, 2007 | |
|
The Wrong Address - Chowder and Mung go through an unfamiliar part of Marzipan City to find and give an order, a Roast Most, to the customer. The Wrong Customer - While Chowder and Mung are away to deliver the customer his own order, an unexpected outlaw (who is just an innocent man that has extremely poor sight and hearing as well.) unwittingly uses the catering company as a hideout and drags Shnitzel and Truffles into a world of trouble. | |||
| 6 | "Majhongg Night / Stinky Love" | November 30, 2007 | |
|
Majhongg Night - Chowder tries to get Truffles' Mevilled Eggs, no matter what it takes, even if it means destroying her game night. Stinky Love - Mung makes a Clabbage Cobbler, but Kimchi falls in love with it because of its stinky smell, and takes it to the top of a building for the night, so Chowder goes up there and keeps him company. | |||
| 7 | "The Thrice Cream Man / The Flibber-Flabber Diet" | December 7, 2007 | |
|
The Thrice Cream Man - Mung tries to break Chowder's Thrice Cream obsession with a living Thrice Cream man but deep down, Chowder thinks that his dream-come-true turns into a nightmare.[20] The Flibber-Flabber Diet - When Truffles thinks she is overweight, she puts the whole company on a strict Flibber-Flabber-only diet for a month, but nobody likes it except Chowder. | |||
| 8 | "Gazpacho Stands Up / A Taste of Marzipan" | December 14, 2007 | |
|
Gazpacho Stands Up - Gazpacho has a stand-up comedy gig, but no material. He asks Chowder to write down his jokes in a book called "Comedy Gold", but things go wrong when Chowder's handwriting is unreadable. A Taste of Marzipan - An all-out war ensues when Mung Daal and Endive clash after they realize they made the same dish at the city's annual street fair. | |||
| 9 | "The Puckerberry Overlords / The Elemelons" | January 18, 2008 | |
|
Puckerberry Overlords - Chowder eats a sour fruit and ends up having a bizarre quest in his mouth, with his wisdom tooth narrating the story. The Elemelons - When Truffles' behavior cause the Elemelons to go on strike, Mung Daal forces her to solve the problem. | |||
| 10 | "Sniffleball / Mung on the Rocks" | March 6, 2008 | |
|
Sniffleball - Feeling that Chowder has been spending too much time in the kitchen, Mung forces him to play sports with the other kids. Upset by Panini's kisses and Gorgonzola's taunts, Chowder has to figure out a way to escape the game and get back home. Mung on the Rocks - After Mung forgets his and Truffles' anniversary, Truffles starts to give him the cold shoulder which affects his cooking, leaving Chowder to help them out. | |||
| 11 | "The Moldy Touch / The Heavy Sleeper" | April 3, 2008 | |
|
The Moldy Touch - After accidentally letting a mold creature out of it's bottle, everything Chowder touches turns to mold. After realizing what has happened, Mung Daal tries to stop Chowder before the entire city becomes moldy. The Heavy Sleeper - Chowder goes to great lengths to wake Mung up after he falls into a very deep sleep. | |||
| 12 | "At Your Service / Chowder and Mr. Fugu" | May 1, 2008 | |
|
At Your Sevice - Mung and Chowder work for Ms. Endive in order to get a rare fruit from her. Chowder and Mr. Fugu - Chowder meets a customer who can eat more than him and isn't fond of sharing food. This episode makes a homage to Mario & Luigi at the crown-rib market. George Takei makes a guest appearance as Foie Gras, the "Lucky Cat". | |||
| 13 | "The Vacation / The Sleep Eater" | June 5, 2008 | |
|
The Vacation - Chowder, Mung and Shnitzel accidentally lock themselves in the restroom when they are about to go on a vacation. The Sleep Eater - Chowder must stay a full food-free night to realign his internal clock. | |||
| 14 | "The Bruised Bluenana / Shnitzel and the Lead Flarfel" | June 12, 2008 | |
|
The Bruised Bluenana - Chowder nurses an injured bluenana back to good health to avoid a clingy Panini. Shnitzel and the Lead Flarfel - Shnitzel trains to revive his muscles and lift the heaviest object around, The Lead Farfel. | |||
| 15 | "The Thousand Pound Cake / Rat Sandwich" | June 19, 2008 | |
|
The Thousand Pound Cake - Chowder and Shnitzel race against the clock when delivering an order to a heavy giant. Rat Sandwich - The gang tries to get rid of Reuben, who is extorting the company. | |||
| 16 | "Chowder Loses His Hat / Brain Grub" | June 26, 2008 | |
|
Chowder Loses His Hat - Chowder chases his lost hat. Brain Grub - Chowder becomes smarter after Mung tries to change his scatterbrained nature. | |||
17. Shnitzel Quits July 3,2008
Shnitzel leaves the company to work for Endive.
DVD release
Greenblatt has posted that work is in progress for a Chowder DVD.[6]
Crew
- Supervising Director - Eddy Houchins
- Production Coordinators - Megan Brain and Pietro "Pappy" Piumetti
- Production Assistant - Leilah Behrmann
- Character Designers - Serapio Calm and Phil Rynda
- Model Clean-Up - Frank Homiski and Laura A. Dalesandro
- Prop Designers - Mark Bachand and Tara N. Whitaker
- Storyboard Revisionist - Peter Browngardt
- Background Designers - Bill Flores and Rebecca Ramos
- Color Stylists - Brian Smith and Roger Webb
- Background Painters - Joe Binggeli and Anna Chambers
- Casting/Recording Director - Collette Sunderman
- Recording Studio Manager - Karie Gima Pham
- Recording Engineer - Robert Serda
- Animation Checking - Sandy Benenati
- Track Reading - Slightly-Off Track
- Stop Motion/Puppet Sequences - Screen Novelties
- Picture Editor/On-Line Editor - John Barbera
- Dialog Editor - Jim Hearn
- Digital Effects - Chris Staples
- Animatic Editor - Suzie Vleck
- Animatic Scanner - Erick Aragon
- Direction Production Technology - Antonio Gonella
- Music - Dan Boer and Zac Pike
- Storyboards - William Reiss, Alex Almaguer, Tom King, Clayton Morrow, Maxwell Atoms(Guest Artist) and C.H Greenblatt
- Art Director - Dan Krall
- Directors-Kris Sherwood, Eddie Houchins, Juli Hashiguchi, Shaun Cashman
Reviews
After its premiere, the show was given mixed reviews by most newspapers and online animation websites.
Is Chowder an acquired taste? If so, it will not take long to acquire it. Try it. You will like it.
— Barry Garron, The Hollywood Reporter[21]
... Chowder is the equivalent to a freshly made gourmet burger done to a perfect medium-rare, with fresh, crisp lettuce, a juicy, sweet tomato, and hot, crispy fries on the side. It may look like familiar territory -- the kind of thing you can get anywhere -- but it sets itself apart from the forgettable fast food through its excellence of execution. It is both comforting and quite satisfying, and a strong and encouraging start to what one hopes will be the next hit show for Cartoon Network.
— Ed Liu, Toon Zone[22]
Featuring brightly colored environments, stylishly matted/fixed background artwork and humorously designed characters with unique personalities to boot, Chowder is one of the networks largest creative accomplishments in recent years.
— Aaron H. Bynum, Animation Insider[23]
Can "Chowder" hook children with its manic, gross-out humor while appealing to their parents with its winking cultural references and slightly psychedelic look? ... Still, it’s no "SpongeBob." The writing lacks bite and resonance; instead of possessing antic charm, it’s merely antic. And it's a little distressing — or perhaps inevitable — that a children's show with a food theme would devote so much of its time to vomit, spit and gas.
— Mike Hale, The New York Times[24]
All in all, 'Chowder' is pretty much a throwaway series in an endless string of mediocre cartoons. The animation is nothing special - although the colors are a little trippy - , the dialogue is cliché kids show speak save for a few adult references, and the stories are the same contrived ones we've seen over and over again. It is cute, however, which is more than can be said for a lot of today's cartoons. It might interest your nieces and nephews, but until Chowder gets embroiled in controversy via a sex tape or a crack addiction, very few others will care.
— Robert Rich, The Daily Texan[25]
Nominations
Nominated for two categories in the 35th Annie Awards:[26]
- Best Animated Television Production for Children
- Writing in an Animated Television Production, C.H. Greenblatt and William Reiss for the episode Burple Nurples
See also
C.H. Greenblatt has also worked on the following cartoons as a writer and story-board artist.
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h Steve Fritz. "Meet the Master Chef – C.H Greenblatt". Animated Shorts. Retrieved 2007-12-19.
- ^ a b c d e Ed Liu (2007-10-30). "Toon Zone Interviews C.H. Greenblatt on Crafting "Chowder"". Toon Zone. Retrieved 2008-03-04.
- ^ a b c d e Joe Meyer (08-02-2008). "Interview: C.H. Greenblatt". Kitty Sneezes.com. Retrieved 2008-03-04.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - ^ a b ""What is Chowder?"". Nerd Armada. C.H Greenblatt. 2007-11-12.
- ^ a b c "Nerd Armada: Shnitzel FAQ". Nerd Armada. C.H. Greenblatt. 2008-01-01. Retrieved 2008-04-07.
{{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|1=(help) - ^ a b c "Nerd Armada:Let the New Chowders Begin!!". Nerd Armada. C.H Greenblatt. 2008-06-03. Retrieved 2008-06-04.
- ^ "Nerd Armada: More Puppets". Nerd Armada. C.H Greenblatt. 2008-02-07. Retrieved 2008-03-04.
- ^ "Nerd Armada: Chowder Patterns". Nerd Armada. C.H Greenblatt. 2008-01-29. Retrieved 2008-03-04.
- ^ "A Taste of Marzipan". Chowder. 2007-12-14.
- ^ "Certifrycation Class". Chowder. 2007-11-16.
- ^ "Gazpacho Stands Up". Chowder. 2007-12-14.
- ^ "Chowder". Cartoon Network.
- ^ "Mung On The Rocks". Chowder. 2008-03-06.
- ^ "Nerd Armada: Just Two Weeks Until Chowder Premiere". Nerd Armada. C.H. Greenblatt. 2007-07-18. Retrieved 2007-11-09.
- ^ "Nerd Armada: Ms. Endive". Nerd Armada. C.H Greenblatt. 2007-04-19. Retrieved 2007-11-09.
- ^ "Nerd Armada: Gorgonzola". Nerd Armada. C.H Greenblatt. 2007-07-18. Retrieved 2007-11-09.
- ^ "Chowder". Cartoon Network. Retrieved 2008-03-04.
- ^ "Nerd Armada: New Chowder This Week". Nerd Armada. C.H Greenblatt. 2008-01-15. Retrieved 2008-03-04.
- ^ "Nerd Armada: I Got Red Ringed!". Nerd Armada. C.H Greenblatt. 2007-11-06. Retrieved 2007-11-09.
- ^ "Nerd Armada: Thrice Cream Man". Nerd Armada. C.H Greenblatt. 2008-02-07. Retrieved 2008-03-04.
- ^ Barry Garron. "Chowder" (PDF). The Hollywood Reporter.
- ^ Ed Liu (2007-11-02). ""Chowder" is Satisfying Comfort Food". Toon Zone.
- ^ Aaron H. Bynum (2007-10-24). "New 'Chowder' Animation Ready to Serve". Animation Insider.
- ^ Mike Hale (2007-11-02). "In the Kitchen With Blobs and a Cloud". The New York Times.
- ^ Robert Rich (2007-11-05). "'Chowder' debuts on TV". The Daily Texan.
- ^ "35th Annual Annie Award Nominees and Winners (2007)". The Annie Awards. 2008-02-08. Retrieved 2008-03-04.