Fanboy and Chum Chum
Fanboy and Chum Chum is an American CGI animated television series produced by Frederator Studios. It is based on a first episode/short from Frederator's Random! Cartoons called Fanboy. The series was created by Eric Robles and was directed by Brian Sheesley, Jim Schumann, and Russell Calabrese in Season One and Eddie Trigueros, Brandon Kruse, Tom King, and Ken Mitchroney in Season Two. It premiered on November 6, 2009 on Nickelodeon. A sneak peek of the show was shown on October 12, 2009.
The series premiere drew 5.8 million viewers.[1] The second episode was watched by 5.4 million viewers.[1]
The theme song was written by Brad Joseph Breeck and performed by experimental punk band The Mae Shi.[2]
Plot
Nickelodeon's first original computer-animated Nicktoon is about Fanboy and Chum Chum, two energetic super fans of science fiction and fantasy, who live in the Fanlair, a water tower in the sleepy, colorful town of Galaxy Hills. Their indomitable zeal for life is rewarded with comic adventures and misadventures fueled by their fertile imaginations, short attention spans, and madcap worldview. They wear their underwear on the outside of their costumes the way many superheroes do, including their idol Man-Arctica.
Characters
Main characters
- Fanboy is an enthusiastic fan of comic books, fantasy, science fiction and action figures. Fanboy, the show's main protagonist, wears a green unitard with his logo on the chest, purple cowl, cape and gloves, black high-top sneakers, and his trusty underwear on the outside of his costume. In the pilot from Random! Cartoons, Fanboy wears a grey unitard. Fanboy has an active imagination, a zeal for fun, frolic, and adventure, and he enjoys spending all of his time with his best pal, Chum Chum. His unique and simple life perspective tends to cause him trouble, but he usually finds a way to weasel out of any consequences. Voiced by David Hornsby.
- Chum Chum is the show's deuteragonist as Fanboy's best friend and sidekick. Although he is younger than the other main characters, he is still in the same class as them. Show creator Eric Robles explained on the Nickelodeon message board that this is because Fanboy snuck him into his class and the teacher never noticed the age difference. Chum Chum is extremely energetic and high-spirited, and possesses an indomitable enthusiasm and childlike jocularity. Chum Chum has brown hair, wears a black eye mask and gloves, an orange and yellow uniform with his logo on the chest, a yellow cape, black high-top sneakers, and his underwear on the outside of his costume. In the pilot from Random! Cartoons, Chum Chum wears an orange collared shirt with yellow buttons on the chest instead of his logo. Chum Chum seems to be incapable of achieving more than 3 points on Boog's "Chimp Chomp" video game, although Chum Chum is ecstatic even when he loses. Voiced by Nika Futterman. In the pilot from Random! Cartoons, he was voiced by Nancy Cartwright.
- Kyle Bloodworth-Thomason is a classmate of Fanboy and Chum Chum's. He's an insecure pre-teen wizard who loathes Fanboy and Chum Chum for their lack of intelligence, but secretly yearns for their friendship. He appears to be one of only two children with actual powers in the show; the other would be his arch-rival, Sigmund the Sorcerer. Kyle was expelled from his wizarding school, Milkweed Academy, for turning his teacher Professor Flan into a raspberry flan, calling him a "Delicious old fool". Kyle is now reluctantly enrolled in Fanboy and Chum Chum's regular public school, where he seems to have very few friends. Fanboy and Chum Chum typically forget that Kyle has wizardly powers, and the effort of reminding them usually infuriates Kyle. He wears a scarlet and yellow striped shirt with jeans, red high-top sneakers, and a black cape. He has red hair and very large front teeth with braces and he speaks in a British accent. As Kyle struggles to be re-admitted to Milkweed, he often suffers painful indignities, often a result of Fanboy and Chum Chum's shenanigans, but Kyle never seems to be any worse for the wear. Voiced by Jamie Kennedy.
Supporting characters
- Ozwald "Oz" Harmounian[3] is the owner of the local comic shop, Oz Comix. The boys consider Oz a friend and "the most knowledgeable human being ever," though he is a nerdish know-it-all who lives with his elderly mother. Voiced by Josh Duhamel.
- Boogregard "Boog" Shlizetti[4] is a short-tempered bop-happy bully who is obsessed with the video game Chimp Chomp (a parody of Donkey Kong), which he plays at the Frosty Mart, often instead of working. Boog's voice a parody of John Travolta. Voiced by Jeff Bennett
- Leonard "Lenny" Flynn-Boyle is the accident-prone junior manager of the Frosty Mart. He finds Fanboy and Chum Chum irritating and sometimes gets a "stress twitch" when annoyed by them. His first appearance was in "Dollar Day." Voiced by Wyatt Cenac; in the pilot, he was voiced by Jeff Bennett.
- Mr. Hank Mufflin is Fanboy and Chum Chum's grouchy yet often playful teacher. Voiced by Jeff Bennett.
- Yo is another of Fanboy and Chum Chum's classmates. She is a happy-go-lucky gadget fangirl who loves her Yamaguchi digital pets. She has a rather insane crush on Chum Chum. One of her pets is a cat named Scampers. Yo has black hair, wears a yellow shirt, a plaid skirt, and a frog--shaped backpack. She is shown to be a talented prankster, dominating Fanboy on Prank Day. Though she is normally villainous, she can be nice toward him. Voiced by Dyana Liu.
Minor characters
- Dollar-nator is a sophisticated computerized intelligence system built by Fanboy in the future, and sent back in time by Fanboy to bail Fanboy and Chum Chum out of a jam in 'Dollar Day'. He also has many surprise skills and talents and is a parody on The Terminator. Voiced by Jeff Bennett.
- Janitor Russ Poopatine is a janitor at Fanboy and Chum Chum's school]. He is a parody of Emperor Palpatine from Star Wars. He is a pale, skinny, gnarled old man who wears a dark hooded shirt. Poopatine rides around in a cart named Brenda, which communicates by beeping. Poopatine has a strong hatred of gum and saltwater taffy. Voiced by Steve Tompkins.
- Man-Arctica is the sub-zero superhero who scours the cosmos looking for scofflaws to "put on ice." Man-Arctica balances a mild disdain for humanity against his duty to save them from harm. He often refers to children as "earth larvae". Voiced by Jeff Bennett.
- Agent Johnson is the do-it-all authority figure in Galaxy Hills. Voiced by Jeff Bennett.
- Fedora Man is one of the delivery people in Galaxy Hills. Voiced by Jeff Bennett.
- Secret Shopper first appeared to evaluate Frosty Mart product quality and customer service in the episode "The Secret Shopper". Voiced by Jeff Bennett.
- Fankylechum is a nerdish, good-spirited classmate of the boys. Voiced by Jamie Kennedy.
- Dirty Bird is a seagull who makes cameos throughout the show.
- Chris Chuggy is a classmate of Fanboy and Chum Chum's who communicates only through saying "Wah." Voiced by Eric Robles.
- Scrivener Elf is an elf Kyle creates in "The Janitor Strikes Back" to do his homework and other tasks. Voiced by Jeff Bennett.
- Lupe is a kind-spirited girl in Fanboy and Chum Chum's class. Voiced by Candi Milo.
- Necronomicon is a talking book of spells who is a companion to Kyle, and nags him about the moral implications of his choices. Voiced by Jeff Bennett.
- Sigmund The Sorcerer is Kyle's more successful and skillful German wizard rival from Kyle's former school for wizards, Milkweed Academy. Voiced by Jeff Bennett.
- Lunch Lady Cram is the new strict lunch lady who replaced the former strict lunch lady. Voiced by Candi Milo.
- Thorvald the Red is a Viking who debuted in "Norse-ing Around". Voiced by Nolan North.
- The Global Warmer is an super-villain and archenemy of Man-Arctica who first appears in "Stan-Arctica" and then, "Man-Arctica the Ride". Voiced by Jeff Bennett.
- Oz's Mom is a single mother committed to teaching her adult son that the only way to run a successful business is by selling. Voiced by Estelle Harris.
- Professor Flan is a professor from Milkweed Academy whose permission Kyle has to grant to re-admit to Milkweed. Also the one who Kyle turned into a raspberry flan. Voiced by Jim Cummings.
- Brizwald is Oz's money-loving, scheming cousin. Voiced by Amir Talai.
- Chimp Chomp is a Donkey Kong parody video game featuring a monkey who is trying to take an ape's bananas.
- Precious is Mr. Mufflin's class pig. Voiced by Dee Bradley Baker.
- Berry the Ice Monster is a small pink creature who lives inside the Frosty Freezy Freeze machine at the Frosty Mart. Voiced by Kevin Michael Richardson.
- The Ice Monster is a frighteningly large beast created from the combination of Frosty Freezy Freeze and Ice-Monster Bun Bun, a snack food. The Ice Monster debuted in the pilot episode from Random! Cartoons.
- Michael Johnson is a classmate of Fanboy and Chum Chum's, and is an obvious parody of Michael Jackson. Voiced by Wyatt Cenac.
- Duke is a classmate of Fanboy and Chum Chum's. Voiced by Jeff Bennett.
- Nancy Pancy Is a girl nerd in Mr Mufflin's class. Voiced by Kari Wahlgren; in "Fanboy A'hoy!", she was voiced by Nika Futterman.
- Francine is a brown-haired diva in Mr. Mufflin's class. Voiced by Candi Milo.
- Cher Leader is a cheerleader (or a group of them) in Mr. Mufflin's class. Voiced by Kari Wahlgren in "Fanboy Stinks" and Candi Milo in all other appearances.
- Dr. Acula is a vampire plastic surgeon who gives Chum Chum a neck so vampire Fanboy can bite Chum Chum and turn him into a vampire too. Voiced by Jeff Bennett.
- Ms. Olive is a preschool teacher who appears in "Marsha Marsha Marsha". She also appears as a French teacher named Madame LaVache in "Excuse Me" with a French accent.
- Marsha was a sweet, successful student until Fanboy ruined her life by sneezing on her placement test, rendering it illegible. As a result, she received a failing grade and was sentenced to repeat kindergarten. Voiced by Candi Milo.
- Cheech is a classmate in Mr. Muflin's classroom.
- Fanbot is a robotic version of Fanboy that appears in "I, Fanbot".
- Mechatech is a dancing, robotic action figure. Voiced by Dee Bradley Baker.
- Monster in the Mist is a figment of Boog's imagination. Voiced by Jeff Bennett.
- Scampers is one of Yo's Yamaguchi digital cats. Voiced by Dee Bradley Baker.
- Yum Yum is a cycloptic bubble gum creature created by Fanboy and Chum Chum in "The Janitor Strikes Back". Voiced by John DiMaggio.
- Fanman is a superhero who appeared in the Random! Cartoons 8-minute short "Fanboy". He was voiced by Scott Grimes.
- Sprinkles is the class bear. Voiced by Dee Bradley Baker.
- Muk Muk is a female, semi-feral cousin of Chum Chum. Voiced by Nika Futterman.
- Crabulous: Destroyer of Worlds is an action figure who is a crab in "The Hard Sell". Voiced by Jeff Bennett.
- Moppy is a mop that Fanboy assembled as a date for his school dance in "Moppy Dearest".
- Agent 8 Is a dangerous collectible octopus toy which Oz owned with acidic ink.
- The Burgle Brats are three kindergartners with a propensity for crime.
- Stinks was formed from dirt who takes over Fanboy's right glove and forces him to commit crimes.
Locations
- The Fanlair is Fanboy and Chum Chum's water tower home. It is located above a nondescript apartment building in the heart of Galaxy Hills.
- Kyle's Apartment is Kyle's supernatural refuge from the subnatural indignity of public school. Fanboy and Chum Chum occasionally sneak in through the mail slot in the door.
- Oz Comix is Oz's private comic book library and collectibles museum disguised as a normal comic book store.
- Galaxy Hills Elementary School is the elementary school that the characters attend, located at the end of Fanboy's street.
- Galaxy Hills Theater is the town's movie theater, located at the end of the street, on the curb across from the school.
- The Frosty Mart is Fanboy and Chum Chum's favorite conveniently located convenience store hangout.
Reception and achievements
Reviews
Critical reception was generally mixed. Aaron H. Bynum of Animation Insider called Fanboy and Chum Chum "a fun show that deserves a good look. The quality animation helps counterbalance the immense amount of dialogue from the series' chatty characters, and the sheer comedy of marginally competent comic-loving kids helps outweigh what might otherwise be a binge of geeky annoyance. But overall, Fanboy and Chum Chum is a lot of fun."[5] Variety praised the series' "bright, energetic look and even an appealing premise in theory".[6] David Hinckley of NY Daily News gave the series three stars out of five, and said that "it's good [but] might not be the next SpongeBob".[7]
A negative review came from KJ Dell'Antonia of Slate, who found the main characters irritating, and thought the whole concept was unoriginal, with "many tired jokes and not enough of that kind of mild satire to make this play in our house".[8]
Ratings
The series premiered on November 6, 2009, after the SpongeBob SquarePants film Truth or Square.[1] The broadcast ranked number three of cable programs that week and number two of the night.[1][9] The premiere was watched by a total of 5.8 million viewers. The second episode was broadcast on November 7, 2009 and garnered 5.4 million viewers, ranking fifth of all cable broadcasts that week.[9]
The third episode was broadcast a week later, on November 14, 2009, with 3.8 million viewers.[10] A broadcast on November 28, 2009 was viewed by 3.9 million viewers.[11] In February 2010, the episode "Moppy Dearest" was viewed by 4.27 million viewers, an improvement over the last few episodes.[12]
Worldwide release
| Country |
Network |
Premiere Date |
| United States |
Nickelodeon
Nick Two |
October 12, 2009 (Sneak Peek)
November 7, 2009 (Premiere) |
| Nicktoons |
October 23, 2009 |
| Canada |
Nickelodeon |
November 2, 2009 |
United Kingdom
Ireland |
Nickelodeon, TG4 and CITV |
February 16, 2010 (Sneak Peek)
April 2, 2010 (Premiere) |
Philippines
Singapore
Malaysia
Hong Kong
Macau
Thailand
Vietnam
Cambodia
Laos
Brunei |
Nickelodeon |
March 12, 2010 (Sneak Peek)
April 17, 2010 (Premiere) |
| Brazil |
Nickelodeon |
April 4, 2010 |
| Netherlands |
Nickelodeon |
April 5, 2010 |
Argentina
Bolivia
Colombia
Ecuador
Mexico
Chile
Uruguay
Venezuela
Costa Rica
Paraguay
Peru |
Nickelodeon |
April 10, 2010 |
| Turkey |
Nickelodeon |
April 15, 2010 |
| Spain |
Nickelodeon (Spain)
TV3 |
Germany
Austria
Switzerland |
Nickelodeon |
April 17, 2010 |
| Israel |
Nickelodeon |
April 25, 2010 |
| Bulgaria |
Nickelodeon |
April 30, 2010 |
| Croatia |
Nickelodeon |
June 5, 2010 |
| Russia |
Nickelodeon |
June 14, 2010 |
| Poland |
Nickelodeon |
New Zealand
Australia
Vanuatu |
Nickelodeon |
June 26, 2010 |
| South Africa |
Nickelodeon |
July 2010 |
| South Korea |
Nickelodeon South Korea |
July 12, 2010 |
| France |
Canal+family |
August 23, 2010 |
| Indonesia |
Global TV |
September 22, 2010 |
| Greece |
Nickelodeon |
October 11, 2010 |
| Pakistan |
Nickelodeon Pakistan |
October 23, 2010 |
| Denmark |
Nickelodeon |
November 11, 2010 |
| France |
Nickelodeon |
November 17, 2010 |
| Ukraine |
Nickelodeon |
February 5, 2011 |
Awards
| Award |
Category |
Nominee |
Result |
| 2010 Daytime Emmy Awards |
Outstanding Directing in an Animated Program[13] |
Jim Schumann
Brian Sheesley
Ginny McSwain |
Won |
| Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation[13] |
Caesar Martinez
For "Chimp Chomp Chumps" |
Won |
| Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation[13] |
Steve Lambe
For "The Janitor Strikes Back" |
Won |
| Outstanding Achievement in Main Title and Graphic Design[13] |
|
Nominated |
| 2010 Annie Awards |
Best Animated Television Production for Children[14] |
|
Nominated |
| Character Design in a Television Production[14] |
Steve Lambe |
Nominated |
| Voice Acting in a Television Production[14] |
Jeff Bennett
For "Necronomicon" |
Nominated |
| 2011 Daytime Emmy Awards |
Outstanding Special Class Animated Program [15] |
Eric Robles Executive Producer
Steve Tompkins Executive Producer
Fred Seibert Executive Producer
Shaun Cashman Supervising Producer
Jason Meier Supervising Producer
Therese Trujillo Producer
Dean Hoff Producer
MacGregor Middleton Line Producer |
Won |
| Outstanding Directing in an Animated Program [15] |
Jim Schumann
Brian Sheesley
Russell Calabrese
Ginny McSwain |
Won |
| Outstanding Casting in an Animated Program [16] |
Meredith Layne |
Nominated |
References
- ^ a b c d Gorman, Bill (2009-11-10). "Nickelodeon’s SpongeBob SquarePants "Truth or Square" Grabs 7.7 Million Viewers, Tops Basic Cable". TV by the Numbers. http://tvbythenumbers.com/2009/11/10/nickelodeons-spongebob-squarepants-truth-or-square-grabs-7-7-million-viewers-tops-basic-cable/33252. Retrieved 2010-03-04.
- ^ "Brad Breeck and Fan vs Wild Music". http://frederatorblogs.com/fan_boy/2010/04/29/brad-breeck-and-fan-vs-wild-music/. Retrieved 2011-01-17.
- ^ http://www.scribd.com/doc/15699304/FB-107The-Hard-Sell
- ^ http://www.scribd.com/doc/18241802/A-Bopwork-Orange-Storyboard
- ^ Bynum, Aaron H. (2009-10-21). "Fanboy & Chum Chum Review". Animation Insider. http://www.animationinsider.net/article.php?articleID=2230&document=1. Retrieved 2010-05-30.
- ^ Lowry, Brian (October 30, 2009). "Fanboy and Chum Chum Review". Variety. http://www.variety.com/review/VE1117941450.html?cs=1&query=fanboy+and+chum+chum+review. Retrieved 2010-05-30.
- ^ Hinckley, David (2009-11-06). "Fanboy and Chum Chum Review". NY Daily News (New York). http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/tv/2009/11/06/2009-11-06_fanboy_and_chum_chum_new_nickelodeon_show_might_not_be_next_spongebob_but_its_go.html. Retrieved 2010-05-30.
- ^ Dell'Antonia, KJ (2009-11-09). "Boys Will Be Boys". Double X. http://www.doublex.com/section/kids-parenting/xxtra-small/television/boys-will-be-boys. Retrieved 2010-05-30.
- ^ a b Seidman, Robert (2009-11-10). "Cable ratings: NFL Football, SpongeBob and Fanboy & Chum Chum top weekly cable charts". TV by the Numbers. http://tvbythenumbers.com/2009/11/10/cable-ratings-nfl-football-spongebob-and-fanboy-chum-chum-top-weekly-cable-charts/33129. Retrieved 2010-03-04.
- ^ Seidman, Robert (2009-11-18). "Nickelodeon’s "iCarly" Ranks as Basic Cable’s Number-One Entertainment Show with Total Viewers for the Week". TV by the Numbers. http://tvbythenumbers.com/2009/11/18/nickelodeons-icarly-ranks-as-basic-cables-number-one-entertainment-show-with-total-viewers-for-the-week/33988. Retrieved 2010-03-04.
- ^ Seidman, Robert (2010-12-02). "Cable ratings: NFL & College Football, Monk and iCarly top weekly cable charts". TV by the Numbers. http://tvbythenumbers.com/2009/12/02/cable-ratings-nfl-college-football-monk-and-icarly-top-weekly-cable-charts/34996. Retrieved 2010-03-04.
- ^ Seidman, Robert (2010-02-09). "Cable ratings: WWE RAW, SpongeBob, Penguins of Madagascar and iCarly Top Weekly Cable Charts". TV by the Numbers. http://tvbythenumbers.com/2010/02/09/cable-ratings-wwe-raw-spongebob-penguins-of-madagascar-and-icarly-top-weekly-cable-charts/41534. Retrieved 2010-03-04.
- ^ a b c d "Daytime Emmy Awards: 37th Annual Winners". Emmy Online. http://www.emmyonline.tv/mediacenter/daytime_37th_creative_winners.html. Retrieved 2010-07-06.
- ^ a b c "2010 Annie Awards: 38th Annual Annie Nominations". Annie Online. http://www.annieawards.org/consideration.html. Retrieved 2010-12-08.
- ^ a b "Daytime Emmy Awards: 38th Annual Winners". Emmy Online. http://www.emmyonline.org/mediacenter/daytime_38th_creative_winners.html. Retrieved 2011-06-22.
- ^ "Daytime Emmy Awards: 38th Annual Nominees". Emmy Online. http://www.emmyonline.org/mediacenter/daytime_38th_nominations.html. Retrieved 2011-07-23.
External links
|
Nickelodeon portal |
|
Animation portal |
|
Television portal |
|
|
|
| 1991-1995 |
|
|
| 1996-2000 |
|
|
| 2001-2005 |
|
|
| 2006-2011 |
|
|
| Currently running |
|
|
| Upcoming series |
|
|
| Nicktoons channel |
|
|
|
Book · Category · Animation portal / Television portal / Nickelodeon portal
|
|
|
|
|
| Productions |
|
1997–2008
|
|
|
|
2009–present
|
|
|
|
|
The Meth Minute 39 (2007–2008) · Nite Fite (2008–2009)
|
|
|
| Related |
|
|