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Clarence (American TV series)

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Clarence
Created bySkyler Page
Directed by
Creative directorsNelson Boles (2014–15)
David Ochs (2015)
Voices of
Theme music composerSimon Panrucker
Opening theme"King of the World"
Ending theme"Good Habits", performed by Saba Lou
ComposersJames L. Venable
Simon Panrucker
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of seasons2
No. of episodes78 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producers
  • Skyler Page (2014–15)
  • Curtis Lelash
  • Jennifer Pelphrey
  • Brian A. Miller
  • Rob Sorcher
Producers
  • Keith Mack
  • Supervising producers:
    Bob Boyle (Season 1)
  • Yvette Kaplan (2014)
  • Nelson Boles (2015–16)
  • Stephen P. Neary (Season 2)
Running time11 minutes
Production companyCartoon Network Studios
Original release
NetworkCartoon Network
ReleaseApril 14, 2014 (2014-04-14) –
August 8, 2016

Clarence is an American animated television series created by Skyler Page for Cartoon Network. The series revolves around a young boy named Clarence and his two best friends Jeff and Sumo. Page, a former storyboard artist for Adventure Time and revisionist for Secret Mountain Fort Awesome, developed the series at Cartoon Network Studios as part of their shorts development program in 2012.

The pilot aired after the 2014 Hall of Game Awards show on February 17, 2014. The series officially premiered on April 14, 2014 and was seen by approximately 2.3 million viewers, outperforming shows in its same demographic in the time slot. The series' pilot was nominated for a Creative Arts Emmy Award. In July 2015, Clarence was renewed for a second and final season consisting of 20 episodes, which began January 18, 2016 and ended on August 8, 2016.

Premise

The show focuses on the daily life of Clarence Wendell, a fun-loving and spirited 9(later 10)-year-old boy, and his best friends: Jeff, who is the more intellectual sort and Sumo, who often uses drastic measures when solving problems.

Clarence lives with his mother Mary and her boyfriend (and later husband) Chad in the fictional city of Aberdale, Arizona. Each episode focuses on the daily-life situations and problems that Clarence and his friends encounter, and their everyday adventures and life experiences as kids.

Other characters include students and faculty at Aberdale Elementary, Clarence's school. Certain episodes focus on the life of supporting characters, like the citizens of Aberdale and Clarence's classmates.

Characters

Main characters

The main characters, from left to right: Sumo, Jeff and Clarence
  • Clarence Wendell (voiced by Skyler Page (episodes 1-32 and 35-36) and Spencer Rothbell (episodes 33-34 and 37-present)) - a fun-loving, spirited, fat 8-year-old[1] boy who sees good in everything and everyone and wants to try it all. Clarence values his friends, Jeff and Sumo, more than material possessions.
  • Jeffrey "Jeff" Randell (voiced by Sean Giambrone) - One of Clarence's best friends who is more the intellectual type, and has a cube-shaped head representing his "square" personality. His mannerisms are calculated while his mind is teeming in knowledge (of mostly trivial facts).
  • Ryan "Sumo" Sumozski (voiced by Tom Kenny) - Clarence's other best friend who is the most instinctual of their group and often takes drastic and crude measures when trying to solve problems. Though he is unpredictable, Sumo is loyal to Jeff and Clarence and available when they need support. Jeff and Sumo constantly butt heads and are not as popular as Clarence is among the other children, but Clarence mends the gap between them.

Recurring characters

  • Mary Wendell (voiced by Katie Crown) - Clarence's mother who is always there to support her son no matter the difficulty. She lives with her boyfriend Chad.
  • Chad (voiced by Eric Edelstein) - Mary's boyfriend who works at various odd-jobs and acts as Clarence's father figure.
  • Belson Noles (voiced by Roger Craig Smith) is the school bully that more often than not hurls insults rather than fists. He is spoiled and seems to have no friends, even his own posse seems to dislike him. Clarence is the only one that likes him, though the same can't be said for Belson.
  • Ms. Melanie Baker (voiced by Katie Crown) - the children's teacher who is shown to be kind and caring.
  • Percy (voiced by Roger Craig Smith) - a short, wimpy boy who speaks in a weak voice and is friends with Clarence.
  • Nathan (voiced by Skyler Page and Damien Haas) is one of Belson's friends. He's a big guy who is considered dim-witted.
  • Dustin (voiced by Kyle Arem) - another one of Clarence's classmates and Belson's friends. He is an avid fan of martial arts and sports.
  • Mr. Reese (voiced by Skyler Page and Donovan Patton) is the gruff yet dim-witted school secretary with a voracious appetite.
  • Ms. Shoop (voiced by Katie Crown) - is an inattentive and irresponsible teacher who cares less about the students an more about the rules.
  • Chelsea Keezheekoni (voiced by Grace Kaufman) is a plucky and forthright girl who insists that she is superior to any boy, mainly Sumo.
  • Breehn (voiced by Joshua Rush) - is more of Jeff's friend than Clarence's. He's one of the intellect kids in the class and keeps himself well grounded at time.
  • Emilio (voiced by Alberto Gonzales) - is more of Sumo's friend than Clarence's. He often assists Sumo with his crazy pranks.
  • Brady (voiced by Daniel DiMaggio) - is a friend of Clarence's.
  • Gilben - is a silent and statuesque boy who communicates with an eerie wind sound instead of a voice. Everyone can seemingly understand this.
  • Kimby (voiced by Isabella Niems) is another one of Clarence's classmates, a shy girly girl who speaks with a valley girl accent.
  • Malessica (voiced by Ivy Bishop) is one of Kimberly's friends. She used to have a crush on Jeff, but not anymore.
  • Courtlin (voiced by Tayler Buck) is another of Kimberly's friends. She has a confident personality and isn't afraid to speak her mind.
  • Joshua "Josh" Maverick (voiced by Brent Popolizio) is an angry and hapless teenager who doesn't like children, especially Sumo. He is shown to be really accident prone and constantly gets severe injuries during every one of his appearances.
  • Mavis (voiced by Spencer Rothbell) is a squat, red-haired girl who speaks in unintelligible grunts an has a fear of fire hydrants.
  • Camden (voiced by Spencer Rothbell) is a red-headed boy with droopy cheeks and has a deep, nasally voice.
  • Guyler - is a silent boy with a big round nose and a long neck with a green turtle neck covering it and his mouth.

Production

At their 2011 upfront, Clarence was announced along with various other series.[2] The show was created by Page, a former storyboard artist for Adventure Time and revisionist for Secret Mountain Fort Awesome.[3] He is the fourth creator on the network who graduated from the California Institute of the Arts,[4] and at age 24, he is also the youngest.[5] As part of their shorts development program in 2012, the show was developed at Cartoon Network Studios; four others, Steven Universe, Over the Garden Wall, We Bare Bears and Long Live the Royals also came from this initiative.[6]

Page, together with creative director Nelson Boles, conceived the show at CalArts. It was further considered when Page became hired at Cartoon Network Studios. A crew of two or three polished the pilot episode; after it had been picked up, a crew of 30 to 35 writers, storyboard artists, revisionists, colorists and designers were employed. Meanwhile, animation is outsourced to South Korea through the Saerom Animation.[7]: 20  Page explained that the hardest part of production was keeping pace, especially where once an episode is completed, one must start over. He called this "exciting", but "very challenging".[7]: 21 

According to writer Spencer Rothbell, the show was created with a naturalistic tone, similar to cartoons of the 1990s, combined with a more modern feeling. Given this naturalism, writers can reference works that have inspired for them or fit the genre of an episode. He ultimately felt that it was about "empowering kids and having fun".[8] Rothbell also avoids "pigeonholing" into one type of story, and that while some plots are mostly character-driven, others are "based on one idea that we think is really funny".[9] Inspiration also came from the shows Page watched as a child, which invoked more poignant and relatable situations. Despite this, elements of fantasy are allowed, and that conveying both incongruous to one another was one technique he particularly enjoyed. Boles noted that the art direction called for inconsistent character design to avoid having to fit model sheet with the universe perfectly—a result of what he dubs the Simpsons effect.[7]: 20  Attention is also paid to background characters in order to expand variety in its plot and universe.[7]: 20–21 

Crossover

Clarence, Jeff, Sumo, and Belson had a cameo appearance on the Uncle Grandpa episode "Pizza Eve", along with other Cartoon Network characters from currently running and ended cartoons.[10]

Page's firing

In July 2014, it was reported that Skyler Page was fired from the show and Cartoon Network Studios.[11][12][13] A Cartoon Network spokesperson confirmed that the series will continue despite his absence.[14] Spencer Rothbell later became head of story and the voice of Clarence[15] and creative director Nelson Boles became supervising producer and showrunner.

Episodes

Main article: List of Clarence episodes
SeasonEpisodesOriginally aired
First airedLast aired
PilotMay 21, 2013 (2013-05-21) (online)
February 17, 2014 (2014-02-17) (TV)
151April 14, 2014 (2014-04-14)October 27, 2015 (2015-10-27)
239January 18, 2016 (2016-01-18)February 3, 2017 (2017-02-03)
340February 10, 2017 (2017-02-10)June 24, 2018 (2018-06-24)
Shorts14July 6, 2015 (2015-07-06)June 24, 2018 (2018-06-24)

Broadcast and reception

Clarence was originally previewed at the 2013 San Diego Comic-Con International.[16] Cartoon Network had commissioned twelve quarter-hour episodes, with the pilot episode airing after the Hall of Game Awards show on February 17, 2014.[6] The pilot was nominated for an "Outstanding Short-format Animated Program" at the 65th Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards in 2013.[17][a] The first episode, broadcast April 14, 2014, was met with an estimated 2.3 million viewers, outperforming shows in its same demographic in the time slot by double and triple digit percentages. Meanwhile, preliminary data identified it as the most watched series premiere for the network that year.[18]

In Canada, Clarence premiered on Cartoon Network on April 14[19] and on Teletoon on September 4, but it was later moved exclusively to Cartoon Network.[20][21] The series premiered on October 6 on Cartoon Network in Australia and New Zealand[22][23] and on November 3 on Cartoon Network in the United Kingdom and Ireland.[24] In India, the series debuted on June 1, 2015 on Cartoon Network.[25]

In a three-star review, Emily Ashby of Common Sense Media alerted parents of "a similar brand of absurdity and crudeness" as Adventure Time—though less severe—but praised the cast as "oddly likable".[26] Nancy Basile of About.com applauded the dialogue for its lengthiness, and considered the relationships between the characters to be dynamic and genuine, with some comedy thrown in.[27] Whitney Matheson of USA Today found Clarence to blend optimism and surreal humor in "just the right amount", and encouraged children and parents alike to watch its premiere.[28] In Animation Magazine, Mercedes Milligan described it as "a breath of fresh suburban air" and a celebration of childhood.[7]: 20  Nivea Serrao of TV Guide contrasted the show with most fantasy animated series.[8] Brian Lowry of Variety called it "so quirky and idiosyncratic as to feel fresh", although it sometimes tread in "well-worn territory", but found the character designs unattractive.[29]

The show gained considerable press after featuring a gay couple in the episode "Neighborhood Grill", with coverage in various tabloid and entertainment news sites,[b] and in LGBT-oriented sites as well.[c] The scene involves two male characters greeting each other with kisses on the cheek while at a restaurant. Rothbell originally had the couple kiss on the lips after receiving flowers from the other, but this went unapproved by the network. He added that the scene was a "minor throwaway moment", albeit "better than nothing", and anticipated that "one day the main character can be gay and it won't be a big deal".[33] Joe Morgan of Gay Star News called the buildup to the scene "an old joke",[38] a notion shared by Dan Tracer of Queerty, although he praised their portrayal "just as normal people".[39]

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Nominee Result
2013 Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards Outstanding Short-Format Animated Program "Clarence" (Pilot) Nominated
2015 British Academy Children's Awards International Clarence Nominated
2016 Annie Awards Best Animated TV/Broadcast Production For Children’s Audience "Turtle Hats" Nominated

Home media

DVD releases

Region 1
DVD title Season(s) Aspect ratio Episode count Total running time Release dates
Mystery Piñata[40] 1 16:9 12 (plus pilot) 132 minutes February 10, 2015
Dust Buddies[41] 1 16:9 12 132 minutes September 15, 2015

Explanatory notes

  1. ^ Page, Peter Browngardt, Robert Alvarez, Brian A. Miller, Jennifer Pelphrey, Curtis Lelash and Rob Sorcher were the recipients.[17]
  2. ^ Coverage in these sites include the Daily Mail,[30] E! Online,[31] El Universal,[32] the Huffington Post (both in their UK[33] and US editions[34]), MTV News[35] and Refinery29.[36]
  3. ^ Coverage in these sites include Pink News,[37] Gay Star News[38] and Queerty.[39]

References

  1. ^ Cartoon Network Asia (February 16, 2015). "NEW EPISODES of Clarence on Laughternoons Starts February 16, Weekdays @ 5.30pm". Facebook. Retrieved March 15, 2015.
  2. ^ Anderson, James; Swaney, Joe; D'Amato, Adrienne; Palaski, Courtenay (January 28, 2013). "Cartoon Network Gets in Front of the Upfront". Business Wire. Archived from the original on June 14, 2014. Retrieved February 16, 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ Milligan, Mercedes (December 13, 2012). "Cartoon Network Greenlights Clarence". Animation Magazine. ISSN 1041-617X. Archived from the original on June 14, 2014. Retrieved June 14, 2014. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ Amidi, Amid (December 15, 2012). "Cartoon Network Orders Clarence". Cartoon Brew. Archived from the original on June 14, 2014. Retrieved June 14, 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ Rusak, Gary (March 10, 2014). "Cartoon Network US & UK announce 2014 slates". Kidscreen. Brunico Communications. Archived from the original on June 14, 2014. Retrieved June 14, 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  6. ^ a b Andreeva, Nellie (December 12, 2012). "Cartoon Network Orders 1/4-Hour Animated Series Clarence". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on June 14, 2014. Retrieved June 14, 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  7. ^ a b c d e Milligan, Mercedes (April–May 2014). "CN's New Bundle of Joy". Animation Magazine. 28 (4): 20–21. ISSN 1041-617X. Archived from the original on June 14, 2014. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  8. ^ a b Serrao, Nivea (April 14, 2014). "Cartoon Network's Clarence Finds Joy in the Ordinary". TV Guide. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on June 14, 2014. Retrieved June 14, 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  9. ^ "Behind the Scenes of Clarence". Cartoon Network. Turner Broadcasting System. April 4, 2014. See video. Archived from the original on June 14, 2014. Retrieved June 14, 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  10. ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jm3DB-mfEuo
  11. ^ http://variety.com/2014/tv/news/cartoon-network-fires-creator-of-cartoon-networks-clarence-amid-assault-allegations-1201257951/
  12. ^ http://deadline.com/2014/07/clarence-skyler-page-cartoon-network-fired-sexual-assault-allegations-emily-partridge-799524/
  13. ^ http://www.buzzfeed.com/kateaurthur/clarence-creator-fired#.phD2pwVe3
  14. ^ Aurthur, Kate (July 3, 2014). "Exclusive: The Creator of Clarence on Cartoon Network Has Been Fired After Allegations of Sexual Assault". BuzzFeed. Archived from the original on July 5, 2014. Retrieved July 3, 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  15. ^ Milligan, Mercedes (September 22, 2014). "Cartoon Network Plans Surprise-Packed NYCC Panel". Animation Magazine. ISSN 1041-617X. Archived from the original on October 13, 2014. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  16. ^ Wolfe, Jennifer (July 22, 2013). "CN Sneak Peeks Rebecca Sugar's Steven Universe". Animation World Network. Archived from the original on June 14, 2014. Retrieved June 14, 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  17. ^ a b "Clarence". Television Academy. Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. September 15, 2013. Archived from the original on June 14, 2014. Retrieved February 16, 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  18. ^ Bibel, Sara (April 16, 2014). "Clarence Is Cartoon Network's Most-Watched Series Premiere to Date in 2014". TV by the Numbers. Tribune Digital Ventures. Archived from the original on June 14, 2014. Retrieved June 14, 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  19. ^ Cartoon Network Canada (April 4, 2015). "There's a new kid coming to @CartoonCAN & he's SUPER EXCITED to be your friend! Meet #Clarence April 14 at 8pm ET/PT!". Twitter. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
  20. ^ "Gotta Gotta See It: TELETOON Launches 2014 Fall Slate" (Press release). Corus Entertainment. August 27, 2014. Retrieved November 17, 2014.
  21. ^ "FAQ". Teletoon. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
  22. ^ "CARTOON NETWORK TOON MACHINE COMING TO AUSTRALIA". Turner Pressroom (Press release). Melbourne: Turner Broadcasting System Asia-Pacific. August 21, 2014. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
  23. ^ "See the world through the eyes of Clarence, a boy excited by life". Eckfactor. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
  24. ^ "Everyone's new best friend is coming to Cartoon Network!". Turner Media Innovations (Press release). Turner Broadcasting System Europe. October 8, 2014. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
  25. ^ "Cartoon Network launches new show 'Clarence'". The Times of India. May 27, 2015. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
  26. ^ Ashby, Emily. "Clarence". Common Sense Media. Archived from the original on June 14, 2014. Retrieved June 14, 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  27. ^ Basile, Nancy (May 6, 2014). "Clarence". About.com. IAC. Archived from the original on June 14, 2014. Retrieved June 14, 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  28. ^ Matheson, Whitney (April 14, 2014). "Clarence: Preview Cartoon Network's fun new series". USA Today. Gannett Company. Archived from the original on June 14, 2014. Retrieved June 14, 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  29. ^ Lowry, Brian (April 8, 2014). "TV Review: Cartoon Network's Clarence, The Tom and Jerry Show". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on June 14, 2014. Retrieved June 14, 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  30. ^ McCormack, David (October 28, 2014). "Cartoon Network backs down from showing its first ever gay kiss". Daily Mail. DMG Media. Archived from the original on October 29, 2014. Retrieved October 29, 2014.
  31. ^ Harrison, Lily (October 28, 2014). "Cartoon Network Censors Its First Gay Kiss on New Show Clarence". E! Online. NBCUniversal. Archived from the original on October 28, 2014. Retrieved October 29, 2014.
  32. ^ "Cartoon Network censuró un beso de la serie animada Clarence". El Universal. Epalisticia S.L. October 28, 2014. Archived from the original on October 29, 2014. Retrieved October 29, 2014. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |trans_title= ignored (|trans-title= suggested) (help)
  33. ^ a b Bagwell, Matt (October 28, 2014). "Cartoon Network Feature First Ever Gay Characters In Clarence, but Kiss Is Censored". Huffington Post (United Kingdom ed.). AOL Inc. Archived from the original on October 29, 2014. Retrieved October 29, 2014.
  34. ^ Nichols, James (October 28, 2014). "Cartoon Network Allegedly Censors First On-Screen Gay Kiss". United Kingdom. AOL Inc. Archived from the original on October 28, 2014. Retrieved October 29, 2014.
  35. ^ Bobb, Maurice (October 29, 2014). "Clarence Almost Featured Cartoon Network's First Gay Kiss". MTV News. Viacom International. Archived from the original on October 29, 2014. Retrieved October 29, 2014.
  36. ^ Barna, Daniel (October 28, 2014). "The Cartoon Network's First-Ever Gay Kiss Was Censored". Refinery29. Archived from the original on October 29, 2014. Retrieved October 29, 2014.
  37. ^ Day, Aaron (October 28, 2014). "Cartoon Network debuts first ever gay characters—but censors the kiss". Pink News. Archived from the original on October 28, 2014. Retrieved October 29, 2014.
  38. ^ a b Morgan, Joe (October 28, 2014). "Cartoon Network feature first gay characters in new show, but they were banned from kissing on the mouth". Gay Star News. Archived from the original on October 29, 2014. Retrieved October 29, 2014.
  39. ^ a b Tracer, Dan (October 27, 2014). "Cartoon Network Airs First Gay Characters Only After Making Sure They Aren't Too Gay". Queerty. Archived from the original on October 28, 2014. Retrieved October 29, 2014. {{cite web}}: |archive-date= / |archive-url= timestamp mismatch; October 27, 2014 suggested (help)
  40. ^ http://www.amazon.com/Cartoon-Network-Clarence-Mystery-Piñata/dp/B00OQRUAJ4/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1428456301&sr=8-2&keywords=clarence
  41. ^ http://amazon.com/Clarence-Dust-Buddies-Skyler-Page/dp/B00WUI3KAM/ref=sr_1_4?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1434206039&sr=1-4&K
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