Cartoon Wars
There's a growing trend in the cartoon industry. Brought to the forefront again in last week's "South Park" episode "Cartoon Wars", it appears cartoons are no longer afraid to publicly attack their competition. While the jabbing may appear uniformly directed throughout the various cartoons, the manner in which a cartoon is ridiculed sheds light into the industry's relationship. In a broad sense, "The Simpsons" is still the Godfather of the cartoon business, and accordingly, no cartoon has been fearless enough to attack the show at its weakest points. When "South Park" more or less began the trend in the 2002 episode "The Simpsons Did It", they chose not to satire "The Simpson's" fall from grace, but rather paid homage to the cartoon legend that helped make "South Park" possible. They could have commented on the show's seemingly infinite run on television, but instead they discussed their personal problem of brainstorming new episode ideas when "The Simpsons" has covered nearly every storyline imaginable. As a nod back to South Park, "The Simpsons" responded with Bart and Lisa watching an episode of "South Park" to which Bart ironically adds "I wonder how they keep South Park fresh after 43 episodes". In another episode, Milhouse expresses his complaints about adults voicing kids in South Park. Both of these jabs can be considered tame compared to the abuse that has ensued since. In both references, "The Simpsons" highlight a "South Park" problem that is more directed at themselves than their cartoon counterpart. What does this mean? Clearly there is a mutual respect between the two cartoons, but even further, there is little feeling of competition between the two programs. "South Park", though unlikely to admit it in an episode, knows that "The Simpsons" is no longer the cartoon giant they were throughout the 90's. Both current products target relatively different audiences, so there is no reason for "South Park" to feel threatened by Springfield's famous fivesome. Now enter Family Guy into the equation. Members from "South Park" and "The Simpson's" writing team have verbally expressed their distaste for "Family Guy" - a show that doesn't necessarily compete for ratings, but certainly for the viewer's vote as the "in-show". "Family Guy" afterall, is a success story. Cancelled after three seasons, they proved to Fox that their audience greatly exceeds the 2-3 million viewers who were tuning into new episodes, and as a result, Fox renewed the series two years after it was officially dismissed. The triumphant return alone deflects the spotlight off of "South Park" and "The Simpsons", so when the revived cartoon becomes the cartoon to watch, a certain level of animosity is generated. Why doesn't "South Park" and "The Simpsons" respect "Family Guy" in the manner they present to one another? Is it jealousy? To a degree that may be correct, but it is the method that "Family Guy" writes episodes that lies closer to the truth. "Family Guy" is renowned for their cutaway jokes - they are often remembered more than the plot itself, partially because the entourage of irrelevant gags disrupts the show's flow. Whereas "The Simpsons" and "South Park" incorperate humour into events in accordance with the plot, "Family Guy" spruces up each episode by consulting a bank of cutaway gags, which can be inserted anywhere into the episode with a short prelude. These jokes are the reason viewers continue to tune in, but they are also why its competitors despise the cartoon. They see it as a "cheap" way of writing, and it can be hard to argue otherwise. What angers them is that fans don't care how the cartoon makes them laugh, as long as it succeeds in that goal. In last week's "Cartoon Wars", Cartman rages at Kyle for comparing his sense of humour to "Family Guy" - a reference to the ongoing comparison between the two cartoons. "I am nothing like Family Guy!" blisters Cartman. "When I make jokes they are apparent to a story - deep, situational, and emotional jokes based on what is relevant and has a point. Not just one random interchangeable joke after another!" The direct attack, to date the most demoralizing (and least subtle) jab at a cartoon, comes just months after "The Simpsons" and "Family Guy" traded shots. After "Family Guy" spoofed "The Simpson's" opening theme, "The Simpsons" responded rather harshly considering their recent good-nature. Homer finds Peter Griffin in a 'Most Wanted' book, guilty of plagiarism, closely followed by a picture of "American Dad's" (cartoon from the creators of "Family Guy") lead character, guilty of plagiarising plagiarism. "The Simpsons" has been successful in ragging its competitors dating back to Hank Hill's appearance at Bart's football game in "Bart Star" in which Hank quips "We drove 2000 miles for this?" South Park's "Cartoon Wars" took closer aim at a competitor's target, and what might hurt the "Family Guy" staff the most is "South Park's" success in riffing on their 'more primitive' format. Where will the feud go from here? One of "South Park's" noted benefits is the short degree of time in which they can create an episode (6 days, as opposed to 9 months for "The Simpsons" and "Family Guy") If "Family Guy" does decide to retaliate, they won't get their say for another nine months or more, and even if they do manage to swipe back at Colorado's fowl-mouthed 8-year olds, the "South Park" crew could respond with their very next episode. The brawl may turn into a fight for 'final-say', but what remains most disconcerting in the 'Cartoon Wars' battle, is that we may only be in round one. By Jason LevyLegal Notice and Disclaimer: "The Simpsons" TM and FOX and its related companies. All rights reserved. This site, its operators, and any content on this site relating to The Simpsons are not authorized by FOX.
