Review: Happy Happy Joy Joy: The Ren and Stimpy Story

 

 

Overview:

There is no argument from anybody that the original Ren and Stimpy Show was a masterpiece. 

The short-lived series blew everyone’s mind while simultaneously changing the direction of animation progressing forward. 

This documentary highlights the amazing talents that brought us a magical series in the early nineties.

However, it is also a message about not meeting your heroes. As the temperament and behaviour of show creator, John Kricfalusi, takes centre stage in the downfall of this iconic cartoon.

 

Our Take:

When The Ren and Stimpy show premiered I would have been the ripe, influential age of 7. The target age group of a series that featured sentient farts and nipple obsessed horses. And there is no doubt that Ren and Stimpy were a gamechanger from your typical Saturday morning cartoons.  

This was the first show that wasn’t trying to sell you toys, and if they were it was a glorified piece of wood. And the gratuitous images of some grotesque elbow have remained etched in our brains nearly three decades later.  Ren and Stimpy was the first cartoon of the ’90s that showed what animation was capable of, and it didn’t hurt that it pissed off our parents.

For the animation industry, Spumco was a bunch of rebellious cowboys breaking the mould. Miles away from corporate cartoons like Transformers or G.I. Joe, Ren and Stimpy was reinvigorating the art form. 

And there is evidence that they had some influence on nearly every cartoon series to ever come after it.

Unfortunately, there is a black spot that has tainted the series ever since its abrupt changing of guard and demise so many years ago.

Series creator, John Kricfalusi, was as influential as they came. And during his rise, he was being touted as the “next Disney” or the “Andy Warhol of animation”. But behind the scenes, life at Spumco was not the non-stop party that we all imagined. 

Kricfalusi has no one to blame other than himself for the downfall of this magical television show. And his temper has left a stain in the minds of the amazingly talented people that he helped establish themselves.

The story of Kricfalusi doesn’t get much better and the documentary doesn’t shy away from the more disturbing information. Though, to his credit, Kricfalusi openly discusses his failures, as unapologetic and disgusting as he may be.

The story of Ren and Stimpy hits a lot of notes. The nostalgic excitement, innovation, and inspiration are intermixed with a scary tale of meeting your heroes. So, instead of being a showcase of one of the greatest cartoons of all time, Happy Happy Joy Joy is more of an analysis of our feelings toward pulling a piece of our childhood out of our hearts because of the actions of its creator.

This is a thought-provoking topic in our time of cancel culture, the #MeToo movement, and BLM. Should we so easily dismiss the art that we love because we no longer align ourselves with the artist?

Unfortunately, this documentary offers no answer. Probably because there is no answer.

Though, considering the efforts and talents of so many other people went into bringing us happiness and joy, we should not forget to give credit where it is due.  The Ren and Stimpy Show will always be a masterpiece, and that is thanks to a collaborative effort by a whole slew of creators. Kricfaluci can stand on his own as the black sheep of the Ren and Stimpy history.