October 15, 2004

DREW CAREY'S GREEN SCREEN

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We are overdue in mentioning Drew Carey's Green Screen Show. It's been on for two weeks now (Thursday nights at 8:30pm on The WB Network) and I've really enjoyed both episodes that have aired. In addition to the improv comedy provided by Drew and his talented crew, the animated embellishments from Ron Diamond's ACME Filmworks are delightful, funny and visually arresting. This is a must-watch show for cartoon fans - the greatest collection of animated styles collected in a half hour since Pee-Wee's Playhouse.

That's fitting as Prudence Fenton (of Pee Wee's Playhouse, Liquid Television, etc.) is producing the animation with Diamond - and they have assembled an incredible array of talent to back up the comics: Eric Goldberg, Bill Plympton, Scott Ingalls, Mark Cabellero & Shamus Walsh, Bill Kroyer, Chris Prynowski, Paul Vester, Janet Perlman, Marv Newland, John Dilworth and Cordell Barker (to name but a few).

The animated bits are outstanding. You can never tell what style of animation is coming up next - cartoon cel, stop motion puppets, rotoscope, CG - and that's part of the fun of watching the show. Each segment has merit - and the show on the whole is an outstanding achievement (especially considering the short schedules the animators had to work within). I highly recommend you check it out.

Posted by at October 15, 2004 09:00 AM