"Onward & Upward" is the first episode of Ren & Stimpy "Adult Party Cartoon". It first aired on June 26, 2003.
Plot[]
Tired of living inside a homeless man's mouth, Ren and Stimpy move to classy new digs: the inside of a spittoon after Stimpy pools his secret stash of money into it.
Characters[]
- Ren Höek
- Stimpy
- Hobo (debut)
- Rat (debut)
- Bartender (debut)
- Bar customers (debut)
- Potatoes (debut)
- Chicken (debut)
Trivia[]
- This episode's storyboard was completed by the end of July 2002, and was the only episode to have made it to the animation phase by the start of 2003.[1]
- This is the first Ren & Stimpy cartoon to have Stimpy voiced by Eric Bauza, due to the fact that the original voice of Stimpy, Billy West, refused to take part in Adult Party Cartoon because he believed that working with John K. again would damage his career.
- This is also the first cartoon since "The Royal Canadian Kilted Yaksmen" to have Ren voiced by John.
- This is the first Ren & Stimpy cartoon in 6½ years, since "Sammy and Me" and "The Last Temptation", which aired on MTV on October 20, 1996.
- When this episode aired on MTV, Stimpy kissing the mouse's butt (which looks awfully poisonous) is cut off.
- This episode was a discarded episode plot for the original show.
- This episode was made because fans asked John K. to make an entire episode with many gross-out jokes according to John Kricfalusi.
- The title card, drawn by the episode's writer Vincent Waller, was going to be different than the final one that ended up in the episode.
- Vincent Waller was originally supposed to direct this episode, while John K. worked as supervising director, but plans during production changed, and John K. directed this episode entirely.
Reception[]
The episode was poorly received by critics and fans of the original series for its excessive use of gross out humor, poor pacing and the lack of a cohesive story, Well-known cartoon devotee Thad Komorowski gave this episode a "Bomb" rating on his Sick Little Monkeys: The Unauthorized Ren & Stimpy Story book. He wrote in regards to it: "Onward and Upward inflates an eleven-minute story idea into a nearly twenty-minute academic exercise. It crosses the line from humorous scatology to unforgivable abhorrence, journeying to the point of no return".
Production Music[]
- Drama Sting 1 – Sidney Torch (title card)
- Flower Display – Jack Shaindlin (opening)
- Weird Bridge – Roger Roger (Ren and Stimpy inside bum’s mouth)
- Little Puck – Arthur Wilkinson (“What a dump!”)
- Dramatic Impact 3 – Ivor Slaney (Ren swats a bug)
- Little Puck – Arthur Wilkinson (“I’m sorry, Stimpy.”)
- Catfish Row (Link) – Benny Carter (Stimpy puckers up)
- Graveyard – Johnny Pearson (rat’s ass)
- Crime on the Streets – Robert Busby (poop on Stimpy’s lips)
- Mists of Illusion – Gilbert Vinter (Ren kept awake by bum’s snoring)
- Fishy Story – Jack Shaindlin (bum’s uvula dangles over Ren’s butt)
- Frantic Pursuit – Roger Roger (Ren wakes up)
- Flare-Up – Bobby Pagan (“What did I just tell you?!”)
- Fun on Ice – Jack Shaindlin (“You’re the pitcher, I’m the catcher!”)
- Orchestrated Devices E – Raymond Jones (pan over to chalkboard)
- Fishy Story – Jack Shaindlin (Ren ties up the bum’s uvula)
- Graveyard – Johnny Pearson (inside view of bum’s stomach)
- Terror by Night – Hubert Clifford (loud burp)
- Crazy Goof – Jack Shaindlin (Stimpy without fur)
- Drama Link (e) – Hubert Clifford (“AAAHH!!! I’ve had it living like this!”)
- Conflict – Jack Shaindlin (“I can’t stand being poor!”)
- Dramatic Impact 6 – Ivor Slaney (“Hey, idiot…”)
- Little Puck – Arthur Wilkinson (“Uh-uh-uh… look away now.”)
- Weird Bridge – Roger Roger (Stimpy reaches into his “secret spot”)
- Little Puck – Arthur Wilkinson (five bucks)
- Whimsical Episode No 1 – Jack Shaindlin (Ren kicks the bum’s testicle)
- Orchestrated Devices E – Raymond Jones (Stimpy does the same)
- Fashion House – Peter Dennis (“Our new house!”)
- Nostalgic Melody – Jack Beaver (shot of spittoon)
- Swoon – Arthur Wilkinson; Nostalgic Melody – Jack Beaver (guy chewing tobacco)
- Asinine – Jack Shaindlin (“A house with a doorbell!”)
- Lambs in Clover – Jack Strachey (start of dinner scene)
- Arizona Fanfare – Jack Shaindlin (Stimpy about to try the soup)
- Lambs in Clover – Jack Strachey (“Does that look like a soup spoon to you?!”)
- UFO Landscape – Roger Roger (Stimpy thinking)
- Fun on Ice – Jack Shaindlin (zipping up their flies)
- Lambs in Clover – Jack Strachey (row of utensils)
- Little Puck – Arthur Wilkinson (Stimpy smiles)
- Domestic Fun (b) – Ernest Tomlinson (Ren rings a bell)
- Comedy Suspense – Jack Shaindlin (man spits)
- Dramatic Impact 2 – Ivor Slaney (soup bubbles)
- Hippo Bird – Arthur Wilkinson (Stimpy stirs soup)
- House Mouse – Arthur Wilkinson (Stimpy eats the soup)
- Turkey Trot – John Longmire (Ren sighs contently)
- Drama Link (k) – Hubert Clifford (Stimpy chokes on the snot ball)
- Hide and Seek – Harry Bluestone, Emil Cadkin [CPM] (Ren cuts the snot)
- Turkey Trot – John Longmire (right before fade out)
- Hide and Seek – Harry Bluestone, Emil Cadkin [CPM] (Ren asks what kind of potatoes they should have)
- Drama Link (n) – Hubert Clifford (Stimpy suggests whipped potatoes)
- Introduction, Theme and Finale (b) – D G Dolf Van Der Linden (“Always thinking of me, aren’t you, Stimpy?”)
- Inferno – Fredric Bayco (Ren whips potatoes)
- Drama Link (e) – Hubert Clifford (potatoes are naked)
- March of Industry – Wilfred Burns (potatoes walk up to Ren and Stimpy)
- Dramatic Impact 1 – Ivor Slaney (after Stimpy asks for the gravy)
- Little Puck – Arthur Wilkinson (“Oh, I forgot to make the gravy.”)
- Fun on Ice – Jack Shaindlin (Ren rings a bell)
- Frantic Pursuit – Roger Roger (bum is about to barf)
- Drama Sting 6 – Sidney Torch (bum is about to barf)
- Clown in Town – Philippe Pares (Ren pours gravy)
- Crepe Suzette – Cyril Watters (Ren puts on monocle)
- Crazy Goof – Jack Shaindlin (Ren points remote at TV)
- Finger of Fear – Fredric Bayco; Drama Link (d) – Hubert Clifford (cuts to Dr. Stupid)
- Turkey Trot – John Longmire (Dr. Stupid segment)
- New York Fanfare (Fast) – Jack Shaindlin (picture of Ren and Stimpy with holes)
- King Conga – Dennis Farnon (Stimpy wiping himself with a towel)
- Drama Link (d) – Hubert Clifford; Dramatic Cue (h) – Ronald Hanmer (Stimpy gets shocked look)
- Drama Link (d) – Hubert Clifford (Stimpy slaps the shampoo away from Ren)
- Take a Peek – Jack Shaindlin (“Why?”)
- House Mouse – Arthur Wilkinson (Stimpy offers alternative shampoo)
- Cock & Bull Story – Jack Shaindlin (Stimpy puts shampoo on Ren’s head)
- Clown in Town – Philippe Pares (Stimpy lathers it)
- Domestic Fun (b) – Ernest Tomlinson (Stimpy swaying Ren around)
- Flower Display – Jack Shaindlin (in the bedroom)
- Drama Link (o) – Hubert Clifford (“Oh poo poo.”)
- Drama Sting 2 – Sidney Torch (“Oh, Stimpy…”)
- Catfish Row – Benny Carter (Ren in baseball outfit)
- American Ball Game – Ronald Hanmer (Stimpy is shot into bed)
- Hippo Bird – Arthur Wilkinson (man spits)
- Dramatic Cue (a) – Ronald Hanmer (“Oh my God!”)
- Dramatic Impact 6 – Ivor Slaney (man retracts spit)
- Climatic Change – Clive Richardson (“That’s disgusting!”)
- Bits and Pieces – Ronald Hanmer (man’s booger retracting)
- Drama Sting 7 – Sidney Torch (eggs going back into a chicken)
- Bits and Pieces – Ronald Hanmer (man with one small eye and one big eye)
- Cat Duel – Harry Bluestone, Emil Cadkin [CPM] (“Holy crap!”)
- Listen to the Mockingbird [arrangement by John Kricfalusi] (Ren and Stimpy run back to the bum)
- Domestic Fun (b) – Ernest Tomlinson (ending)
References[]
- ↑ Sick Little Monkeys: The Unauthorized Ren & Stimpy Story (Thad Komorowski)