Animation Feature: “Powerpuff Girls”

TV’s newest superheroes are sugar, spice and everything nice
By Helen Lee, syndicated Nov. 15, 1998

America’s newest superheroes may be the only crime fighters with a 7 p.m. bedtime. ”The Powerpuff Girls,” airing at 8 p.m. ET Wednesdays starting Nov. 18 on the Cartoon Network, are three adorable little kindergarteners who have to ask their teacher’s permission to go save the world.

Animation Feature: “Pokemon”

Gotta catch ’em all—”Pokemon” is taking TV by storm
By Helen Lee, syndicated April 4, 1999

”I knew we had a hit. I knew we had something very magical and special because my son, my nephews and anybody he would show ‘Pokemon’ to would sit there and just watch entire episodes — in Japanese –- jumping up and down and getting excited,” says Norman Grossfeld, president of production company 4Kids Entertainment, about his discovery of the animated show ”Pokemon.” It airs weekdays in syndication (check local listings) and on the WB Saturday morning at 10 a.m.

Animation Feature: “Pepper Ann”

Normal tween-ager ”Pepper Ann” proves that girls rule
By Helen Lee, syndicated March 14, 1999

Think of her as ”Ally McBeal” for the pre-teen set — ”Pepper Ann,” airing at 9 a.m. ET Saturdays on ABC, may not be perfect, but her delightful neuroses are helping to prove that an animated show starring a girl can be a hit with all types of kids.

Animation Feature: “The PJs”

“The PJs”: Urban wit done with foamation
By Helen Lee, syndicated Jan. 24, 1999

Life in an urban housing unit may be gritty. But on Fox’s new animated comedy ”The PJs” (Tuesdays at 8:30 p.m. ET), created with a new process called ”foamation,” it’s also lively, colorful and fun.

”It’s about this crazy community that lives in this building. Just like ‘All in the Family,’ it’s the friction that comes from these disparate personalities with different philosophies of life which really makes it interesting week in and week out,” explains Tom Turpin, one of the show’s eight executive producers.

”The PJs” takes place at the Hilton Jacobs Projects with a cast that includes Mrs. Avery, a 73-year-old woman who shoots from the hip; precocious 10-year-old Calvin; the Haiti Lady, a resident voodoo goddess; Muriel, Thurgood’s wife and better half; Bebe, Muriel’s sex-crazed older sister; and Jimmy Ho, Bebe’s Korean husband and borderline Black militant. The entire group is headed by the irascible old super, Thurgood Stubbs (voiced by Eddie Murphy).

”Thurgood loves ‘Wheel of Fortune,”’ says Turpin. ”He’s addicted to it. When he loves you, he’s got something to say about you. And you know you’re in trouble if he doesn’t have anything to say and he’s nice.”

The show mixes up all these characters and a few more to look at a realistic topic — low-income life in the inner city — in an edgy, satirical way. But critics, including the group Project Islamic H.O.P.E., blasted the program before it ever aired (on Jan. 10) for what the group calls an offensive portrayal of inner city poverty and depictions of drug and alcohol use by black characters.

In response, Turpin notes, ”Anytime you do something different, people will at the beginning not be sure whether it’s okay to laugh — particularly when you’re talking about topics where there’s a lot of pent-up anxiety…which are exactly the kind of issues that people need to be able to laugh at and blow off a little steam about.

”But at the same time, the goal was to make it completely obvious that the show is not serious, which is one of the wonderful aspects of using puppets and animation. You couldn’t do this show in live action because it just feels too real in a lot of ways. The nice thing about animation is that everything visually tells you, ‘hey, this isn’t real, don’t take this seriously.”’

Turpin is also the chief executive of Will Vinton Studios, the company that created the California Raisins, those talking candies on the M&M commercials, and the Barbie and G.I. Joe-like characters that turned a Nissan commercial into one of the most popular ads of 1996. When fellow executive producers Eddie Murphy, Ron Howard and Brian Grazer came to them with Murphy’s concept for ”The PJs,” Turpin and his co-workers created a new type of animation they call ”foamation.”

Unlike “Claymation,” a term Will Vinton Studios invented for the Raisins, ”The PJs” uses puppet characters created with metal armatures under a foam latex coating. Turpin estimates that each 10-inch puppet has 50 internal ”joints” which allow animators to position it in a number of ways. And each puppet’s joints are different, so that old Mrs. Avery moves very differently than elementary school student Calvin.

During the animation process, these puppets are placed in one of around 40 sets that make up the world of the Hilton Jacobs Projects. It takes an average animator an entire week to do just 25 seconds of the program. An entire episode takes six months to finish from beginning concept to end product.

The extra production time is worth it, says Turpin. A live action show would never be able to afford or handle the sets ”The PJs” uses.

”The complexity of the lighting is much more akin to what you’ll see in feature films with real lighting contrast, use of light and shadow to create a richer visual environment. Those are all things we wanted to bring to it because a lot of shows still use relatively flat lighting and don’t have the budgets and the ability to do the things we’ve been able to do.” The visual magic includes panoramic vistas of the city skyline and a ”Spike Lee”-inspired shot or two.

Despite all the neat animation, Turpin acknowledges that the scripts might have more to do with the show’s future success than the way he and his crew animate a flushing toilet. Steve Tompkins and Larry Wilmore, also executive producers along with Ron Howard and Brian Glazer, are in charge of the stories. ”The writing is smart,” Turpin says. ”Because of that, it’s a little bit like ‘The Simpsons.’ You have to watch it more closely to get all the jokes.”

Animation Feature: “PB&J Otter”

“PB&J Otter” tackles “kid issues”
By Helen Lee, syndicated July 1, 1998

Like all brothers and sisters, Peanut, Jelly and Baby Butter laugh, play and fight. But these animated otter siblings, seen every Sunday at 7:30 a.m. ET on Disney, do more than just entertain. “PB&J Otter” addresses what creator Jim Jinkins calls “kid issues.” “Obviously we want (the shows) to be funny and entertaining for families, but beneath all that we want them to have a moral center.”

Animation Feature: “Oh Yeah! Cartoons!”

“Oh Yeah! Cartoons!” gives new animators a chance
By Helen Lee, syndicated December 20, 1998

Back in the days when Bugs Bunny could be seen on the big screen, cartoons were presented to the public much differently than they are now. Today, ”Oh Yeah! Cartoons!” airing Sundays at noon on Nickelodeon, returns to a theatrical tradition to give new talent in the industry a chance at stardom.

Animation Feature: “Mythic Warriors”

”Mythic Warriors” is education with an edge
By Helen Lee, syndicated November 29, 1998

It’s notoriously hard to get kids to enjoy educational TV — but CBS’ newest cartoon, ”Mythic Warriors: Guardians of the Legend,” airing at 11:30 a.m. Saturday mornings on CBS, has found a unique way to keep kids’ attention and teach them as well.

Animation Feature: “Disney’s Mickey Mouseworks”

The world’s most famous mouse returns to TV in “Disney’s Mickey Mouseworks”
By Helen Lee, syndicated May 2, 1999

What’s it like to be Mickey Mouse? Wayne Allwine, who has done the voice for the beloved cartoon character since 1977, knows. And in a new animated series, ”Disney’s Mickey MouseWorks” (Saturdays at noon ET on ABC), he gets to stretch those mouth muscles for that famous falsetto.

Animation Column: “Maisy”

”Maisy” brings kids into a world of fun
By Helen Lee, syndicated February 21, 1999

Kids, adults and anyone else with a sense of adventure will relate to Nickelodeon’s ”Maisy,” Airing on Nick Jr. Thursdays and Fridays at 9 a.m., the new series is based on a series of books created by Lucy Cousins that has been translated into 14 languages.

Animation Column: “Kipper”

Nickelodeon’s “Kipper” is more complex than he looks
By Helen Lee, syndicated May 31, 1999

The world of Kipper the dog may look simple, but that’s just an illusion. ”Kipper,” which airs every Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday at 9 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. ET on Nickelodeon, is actually an unusually sophisticated U.K.-produced series with a childlike appearance.