The Groovenians

The Grooveniansis an Americanadultanimatedtelevision pilotcreated byKenny Scharfand produced byCartoon Network Studios.It was aired onCartoon Network's late night programming blockAdult Swimon November 10, 2002,but was also re-aired on the network itself during the block "Cartoon Cartoon Fridays" on February 21, 2003. The pilot was panned by critics and audiences, resulting in the series not being picked up by the network.

The Groovenians
Created by	Kenny Scharf
Written by	Jordan Reichek Michael Ryanand Scott Redman(additional writing)
Story by	Jordan Reichek Kenny Scharf
Directed by	Jordan Reichek
Voices of	Paul Reubens Drena De Niro Dennis Hopper Vincent Gallo Ann Magnuson Debi Mazar RuPaul Jeff Bennett Floyd Peterson
Theme music composer	Pat Irwin,Kate Pierson,Fred Schneider,Cindy Wilson,and Kenny Scharf
Opening theme	"The Groovenians" byThe B-52's
Ending theme	"The Groovenians"(Instrumental)
Composers	Mark Mothersbaugh Bob Casale,Albert Fox,Josh Mancell,Al Mothersbaugh,Bob Mothersbaugh,Andrew Todd,and Pat Irwin(additional music)
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
Production
Executive producers	Kenny Scharf Linda Simensky Mike Lazzo Khaki Jones
Producer	Jordan Reichek
Editor	Paul D. Calder
Running time	23 minutes approx.
Production companies	Cartoon Network Studios Perky Pickle Studios S4 Studios
Original release
Network	Cartoon Network
Release	November 10, 2002(2002-11-10)

Plot

The Grooveniansfollows an adolescent couple named Jet and Glindy from a planet named Jeepers. On Jeepers, society is uniform and artistic qualities are shunned. Jet and Glindy, however, are artists and performers who often perform on their front lawns. Their parents do not approve, and they tell Jet and Glindy that art is not everything in life. As Glindy talks to Jet about wanting to leave Jeepers, a boy named Nixon is dropped next door from a spaceship. He had been evicted from a planet called Groovenia, which he tells Jet and Glindy is a paradise for artists. He gives them his key before he is dragged into his house by his grandmother.

After being presented with options for their future, Jet and Glindy decide to leave Jeepers behind and go to Groovenia, however, Glindy's father stops them. He, along with Glindy's mother, dictates their future; Glindy is to work at an office job and Jet is to marry Glindy's sister, Yalda. Glindy manages to stop the wedding, and the two, along with Jet's dog, Looki, are run out by the parents and Glindy's sister, Yalda.

The three escape to the "jetport" where they board a jet to Groovenia. Upon the plane, they are greeted by the flight attendant who has a short sequence creating hype for the planet. Upon landing, Jet and Glindy meet Zazzy the Jizzerino Tree that proclaims in rhyme that a key is needed to gain entry to Groovenia, which was earlier given to them by Nixon. They insert the key into the tree's keyhole, and she takes them to their apartment. There they meet the former roommates of Nixon, Swirly, Lalasha, and Suavo, and introduce themselves. They proceed to spend the day partying, but as Glindy proclaims aloud if Groovenia could possibly get any better, they are attacked by a group of robots called "Normals", and their king, Norman. The Normals and King Norman force them to pay taxes, where Suavo tells Jet and Glindy the reason why Nixon was evicted. It turns out, Nixon didn't pay his taxes, and because of this, Jet and Glindy have to pay them for him. The two are attacked by King Norman, scaring Jet. This causes Glindy to become angry, and she expels Norman and the Normals with colored paint and disco music, and the pilot ends with King Norman swearing revenge as the main characters dance.

Voice cast

• Paul Reubens– Jet, the Bubbie
• Drena De Niro– Glindy
• Vincent Gallo– Nixon
• Dennis Hopper– King Norman, Bori (Glindy's Dad)
• Ann Magnuson– Zazzy, Lalasha, Dully (Glindy's Mom)
• Debi Mazar– Swirly, Yalda, Cuckoo Bird
• RuPaul– Champagne Courvoisier
• Floyd Peterson – Funbus Captain
• Jeff Bennett– Suavo

Development

The Grooveniansbecame the first television pilot created byKenny Scharf,a surrealist painter fromBrooklyn, New York.The art, animation, and concepts were the result of his long work experience paintingpop culturein ascience fictionalsetting; Scharf drew inspiration fromHanna-Barbera'sanimated sitcomThe Jetsons.

The pilot was produced withcomputer-generated imageryviaS4 Studiosrather than entirely byCartoon Network Studios.Scharf wrote the story with Jordan Reichek, the director of the pilot forInvader Zim,who also held the roles of director, producer, and storyboard artist. Several prominent artists ofnew wave musiccontributed as composers for the pilot's music: three members ofThe B-52's(Kate Pierson,Fred Schneider,andCindy Wilson) for the soundtrack,Mark Mothersbaughfor the background, and finallyBob CasalefromDevoworking with some musicians ofMutato Muzika(Crash Bandicoot's first games), working on background and additional music. After the pilot was rejected by Cartoon Network, Scharf tried to pitch it toMTVorVH1but it never materialized.

Reception

The Grooveniansnever picked up as the full series due to the negative reviews received by critics and audiences.Despite this, it was nominated at30th Annie Awardsas "Best Animated Short Subject".

External links

• The GrooveniansatIMDb