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Adam "MadMan" Martinez writes...
While I know you weren't involved in "The Shnookums & Meat Funny Cartoon Show" creatively speaking, you were a development executive at Disney when was being produced, so I figured I could ask to see if you could answer a couple of questions about it.
1. There's a story circulating on the internet (and even immortalized on the TV Tropes page) that the series was meant to just be a Pith Possum/Tex Tinstar series until, when creator Bill Kopp was pitching it to Disney executives, somebody suggested the addition of a cat and dog based on the success of Ren & Stimpy. I have my doubts about this story, though, due to the fact that Shnookums and Meat debuted as a segment on the Marsupilami series, not headlining their own series, not to mention there's an interview with DAF Radio where Bill Kopp implies that he came up with Tex Tinstar when he was asked to make the full series, not when he was pitching it. At any rate, do you remember if that story has any truth to it?
2. From what I've been able to gather from info I've seen, Shnookums and Meat seemed to perform decently enough in the ratings, but Disney never bothered giving it a merchandising push, not to mention there were apparently plans for theme park costumes that were scrapped before it was even on the air. Given what you've said in the past about how Gargoyles suffered from the domino effect caused by Frank Wells' death and Jeffery Katzenberg subsequently leaving for DreamWorks (and taking several high-ranking Disney TV execs with him), do you think the turmoil led to Shnookums and Meat being cancelled, or do you think it was just doomed either way?
Greg responds...
1. I pitched the cat and dog to Bill and Jeff DeGrandis. They ran with it and filled out the series with Pith and Tex. At some point, I'm sure they had to pitch Pith and Tex to myself and Bruce Cranston and Gary Krisel, but that was after the show was greenlit. Which doesn't mean they might not have already had those characters in their back pockets. That I don't know. But the dog and cat (not yet named Scnookums or Meat) came first from Disney's standpoint.
2. I honestly don't know and/or remember. Keep in mind, by that time, I was no longer an executive myself. I'd moved to the other side of the desk, so to speak, to produce Gargoyles. So I was no longer had the inside track on executive decisions.
CJ writes...
Does the Disney Company exist in the Gargoyles universe? I know for example that Elisa has dressed as Belle and Jasmine for Halloween and that the gargoyles saw Bambie in a movie theater.
Greg responds...
Yes. Clearly. In fact, the Disney Company clearly exists in every universe. ;)
My Long Beach Comic Con Schedule
Stop #6 on the Gargoyles Twentieth Anniversary Tour is LONG BEACH COMIC CON: http://longbeachcomiccon.com/
The full schedule can be found here: http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=55700
But here's MY schedule. I'll only be there the one day - Saturday, September 27, 2014 - but as you can see, I'm certainly keeping busy, with five panels and three signings!
LONG BEACH COMIC CON
Saturday, September 27, 2014
11:30am - 12:20pm - Room 102B/C
GARGOYLES TWENTIETH ANNIVERSARY
Moderator: Greg Weisman (Creator, Producer, Writer)
1. Thom Adcox-Hernandez (Voice of Lexington, Brentwood)
2. Vic Cook (Storyboard Artist)
3. Elisa Gabrielli (Voice of Obsidiana & Maria Chavez)
4. Frank Paur (Producer, Director)
5. Dave Schwartz (Development Art Director)
12:30pm - 01:30pm - Signing Area
GARGOYLES SIGNING
I won't be attending this signing (because I have to rush off to another panel), but the rest of the Gargoyles panelists will probably be there.
12:30pm - 01:50pm - Hero Complex Theater, Room 104A
WARNER ARCHIVE COLLECTION PRESENTS YOUNG JUSTICE
Moderator: Jevon Phillips (Los Angeles Times)
1. Phil Bourassa (Emmy Winning Character Designer)
2. Cameron Bowen (Voice of Robin/Tim Drake)
3. Kris Carter (Composer)
4. Nicole Dubuc (Writer, Voice of Iris West-Allen)
5. Oded Fehr (Voice of Ra's al Ghul)
6. Kevin Grevioux (Voice of Black Beetle)
7. Kevin Hopps (Writer)
8. Bryton James (Voice of Virgil Hawkins/Static)
9. Josh Keaton (Voice of Black Spider)
10. Curtis Koller (Talent Coordinator)
11. Eric Lopez (Voice of Blue Beetle/Jaime Reyes, Scarab)
12. Michael McCuistion (Composer)
13. Jay Oliva (Director)
14. Mark Rolston (Voice of Lex Luthor, Jonathan Kent)
15. Jason Spisak (Voice of Kid Flash/Wally West)
16. James Arnold Taylor (Voice of Flash, Neutron, Topo, Burton Thompson)
17. Brandon Vietti (Producer, Writer)
18. Greg Weisman (Producer, Writer, Voice of Lucas Carr)
19. David Wilcox (Line Producer)
02:00pm - 03:00pm - Signing Area
YOUNG JUSTICE SIGNING
I plan on being here for only the first twenty minutes or so - before I have to run off to yet another panel. But for as long as I can stay, I will sign for free, anything you put in front of me. I will also be signing and selling copies of my animation teleplays for $20 cash. Among the series you'll have to choose from are Gargoyles, Men In Black, Team Atlantis, W.I.T.C.H., The Batman, The Spectacular Spider-Man, DC Showcase/Green Arrow, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Young Justice, Beware the Batman and two radio-plays: The Spectacular Spider-Man Meets Gargoyles and Gargoyles Meets The Spectacular Spider-Man Meets Young Justice. All while supplies last, and for as long as I can stay. So show up promptly at 2pm.
02:30pm - 03:20pm - Room 102B/C
THE SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN
Moderator: Greg Weisman (Supervising Producer, Writer, Voice of Donald Menken)
1. Kevin Altieri (Director)
2. Kris Carter (Composer)
3. Victor Cook (Supervising Producer, Supervising Director)
4. Nicole Dubuc (Writer)
5. Elisa Gabrielli (Voice of Ashley Kafka)
6. Sean "Cheeks" Galloway (Lead Character Designer)
7. Kevin Hopps (Writer)
8. Josh Keaton (Voice of Peter Parker/The Spectacular Spider-Man)
9. Andrew Kishino (Voice of Kenny Kong, Ned Lee)
10. Phil LaMarr (Voice of Fancy Dan/Ricochet, Joe "Robbie" Robertson, Rand Robertson, Homunculus)
11. Joshua LeBar (Voice of Flash Thompson)
12. Eric Lopez (Voice of Mark Allen/Molten Man)
13. Michael McCuistion (Composer)
14. Daran Norris (Voice of J. Jonah Jameson, John Jameson/Colonel Jupiter)
15. Deborah Strang (Voice of Aunt May Parker)
16. James Arnold Taylor (Voice of Harry Osborn, Frederick Foswell/Patch, Alan O'Neil, Homunculus)
17. Wade Wisinski (Line Producer)
03:30pm - 04:20pm - Room 102B/C
DISNEY AFTERNOON: THE CONTINUING LEGACY
Moderator: Aaron Sparrow (Writer of Darkwing Duck: The Duck Knight Returns)
1. Jim Cummings (Voice of Darkwing Duck, Bonkers, etc.)
2. Jymn Magon (Creator/Producer Talespin)
3. Greg Weisman (Creator/Producer Gargoyles)
4. Mark Zaslove (Story Editor/Producer Talespin)
04:00pm - 05:00pm - Signing Area
SPECTACULAR SPIDER-MAN SIGNING
I'll have to miss this one too, as I'll be in the Disney Afternoon Panel, followed by the Disney Afternoon signing.
04:30pm - 05:20pm - Disney Afternoon Reunion Booth/Signing Area
DISNEY AFTERNOON SIGNING
I'll be at this one for the entire signing. Again, I'll sign anything you bring along for free. And I'll also be signing and selling my teleplays.
05:30pm - 06:20pm - Room 102B/C
RAIN OF THE GHOSTS
Greg Weisman (Author)
06:30pm - 7:30pm - Booth 104 on Show Floor
MYSTERIOUS GALAXY SIGNING
I'll be selling and signing copies of my two novels, RAIN OF THE GHOSTS and SPIRITS OF ASH AND FOAM.
(Whew!)
LONG BEACH COMIC CON - The Full Schedule
The Full Schedule for Long Beach Comic Con can be found here:
http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=55700
Note the Gargoyles, Young Justice, Spectacular Spider-Man, Disney Afternoon and Rain of the Ghost panels. More details coming soon. Because as many panelists are already listed at the above CBR website, that's NOT everyone!
More LBCC NEWS!!
I'll put up a big master-ramble on Long Beach Comic Con soon. (Monday at the latest.) But there's more information on the FIVE panels I'm doing on Saturday, September 27th, 2014 at the convention here:
http://13thdimension.com/animation-maven-greg-weisman-talks-young-justice-spidey-more-at-lbcc/
and here:
Grant writes...
In several episodes of Disney's Aladdin there featured a winged serpent character from a Mesoamerican rainforest who served the role of an antagonist to the characters. Though there are only surface similarities to the character of Zafiro in Gargoyles, both of them were voiced by Hector Elizondo. Were you aware of this? Was the casting a coincidence?
Greg responds...
I was not aware of it. I don't know if the casting was a coincidence: did Jamie Thomason cast Aladdin too? I can't remember.
John Pannozzi writes...
Tad Stones has said in several interviews and podcast and stuff, that now that Disney has stopped making "cheapquels" to their animated movies, that should instead make direct-to-video movies continuing the old Disney Afternoon shows, which the people who watched the shows as children could watch with their own children. I wonder if such films would commercially viable, and if Disney Animation big shots (like Roy Disney, John Lasseter, Don Hahn, and others) would even want to continue the legacy of the Disney Afternoon. What do you think?
Greg responds...
I think it would be great, but I have no idea if Disney is interested.