"You're serious? You really want to do this?"
That's what Chris Prynoski remembers saying to Mouse House executives
when they had their very first conversations with Chris about he and his Robin
Red Breast, Inc. team possibly producing
a brand-new animated series for Disney XD.
Copyright Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. A Time Warner Company. All rights reserved
Why the trepidation on Prynoski's part? Because Chris and
his crew are probably best known for that Adult Swim favorite, "Metalocalypse."
You know? That darkly comic show (which — FYI — just began its fourth season
on Cartoon Network last night) about Dethklok, the hugely-popular death metal
group whose members aren't exactly long on smarts and/or social skills.
Given that virtually every episode of "Metalocalypse"
ends in an black-humored cataclysm of violence, rock music & explosions, it
was initially hard for Chris to see how that sensibility was ever going to fit in
over at Disney XD.
"But over the past few years, Disney's gotten far more
serious about embracing & encouraging creator-driven shows. I mean, look at
Dan Povenmire and Jeff 'Swampy' Marsh have done with 'Phineas & Ferb.'
Disney let Dan & Jeff make just the sort of show that they wanted to do for
the Channel. And 'Phineas' wound up being a huge hit for the Company," Prynoski
explained.
Dan Povenmire (L) and Jeff "Swampy" Marsh pose with the creators that they created
during a recent visit to Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park.
Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved
So given that Disney XD was now seriously chasing after the
13 year-old boy audience … Well, that's why they then turned to Chris &
his team at Robin Red Breast, Inc. They were looking for a show that had all of
"Metalocalypse" 's virtues (i.e. memorable characters, great design, witty
/ tightly-written scripts, beautifully staged action sequences) without quite
so much bloodletting & beheading. Family-friendly anarchy, if you will.
So Prynoski and his creative partners put their heads
together and then came up with "Motorcity," that turbo-charged
animated racing series which debuts on Disney XD tonight at 9 p.m. ET / PT.
Mind you, based on the first two episodes of this show, it's
pretty clear that there's a lot of "Metalocalypse" 's DNA in
"Motorcity." This animated series is set in a futuristic version of
Detroit right after Motown has been bought outright by evil billionaire Abraham
Kane. Who then turns this rusted-out old hulk into a bright shiny
city-of-the-future called Detroit Deluxe.
A massive holographic version of Abraham Kane looms over Detroit Deluxe.
Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved
The only problem with Kane's plan is that Detroit Deluxe is
literally built right on top of the old city of Detroit. And the folks who
still live down there in the depths of what's now known as Motorcity don't take
too kindly to Abraham's plan to wipe out their homes & businesses and then
replace them all with sleek, squeaky-clean, ultra-modern homes and apartments.
Where the residents can live in relative peace & comfort except for the
fact that — thanks to Abraham Kane's iron-handed rule — they no longer have
any personal freedoms.
So who's going to stand up to this evil billionaire and his
plans? An unlikely group of rebels called the Burners who are led by
17-year-old Milton Chilton.
Now where this gets interesting is — not too long ago — Chilton
used to be one of Kane's most trusted lieutenants. Until, that is, Mike learned
of Abraham's nefarious plan to flatten what was left of Old Detroit by using an
army of hi-tech SafeTBots.
(L to R) Mike Chilton, Texas, Dutch, Julie and Chuck from Disney XD's new "Motorcity"
animated series. Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved
That's when Chilton retreated to the subterranean world of Motorcity
and formed a resistance group, the Burners.
One where Mike and his four friends — Chuck, Julie, Texas and Dutch — use souped-up hot rods to regularly do battle
with Abraham Kane and his robotic army.
That standing-up-to-authority storyline which runs through
most "Motorcity" episodes will be very familiar to most "Metalocalypse"
fans. Asis this show's driving music
score.
"And as for this show's vocal cast … Well, I've
always wanted to work with Andrea Romano, who's voice cast & directed many great
Warner Bros. Television Animation projects like 'Batman: The Animated Series,'
" Prynoski said. "Andrea had
never worked for Disney before. But I heard that Ms. Romano was the very best
at what she does. So I fought for Andrea and got her. And she in turn assembled
this amazing vocal cast for 'Motorcity.' We've got Mark Hamill as the voice
of Abraham Kane, our villain, and Reid Scott of 'My Boys' as Mike Chilton. It's a
great, great vocal cast."
Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved
And then when you factor in the animation veterans that
Chris lured over to Robin Red Breast, Inc. to help make "Motorcity" a
reality — people like Craig Lewis (formerly of "Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends") as story editor and George Krstic ("Star Wars: The Clone Wars") & John O'Bryan ("Avatar: The Last Airbender")
as writers … Well, it's no wonder that this new animated series for Disney XD
is already firing on all four cylinders.
And the best part is — if you're really paying attention —
you'll notice that some "Metalocalypse" -like social satire is
already bleeding through into "Motorcity."
How so? Well, you know how Abraham Kane is determined to
build a city-of-the-future which is all sleek & modern, filled with people
who are neat, well-dressed and well-behaved? Doesn't that sound an awful lot
like what Walt Disney was trying to do with Epcot-the-city back in the 1960s?
Copyright Disney Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved
When I asked Prynoski about this aspect of
"Motorcity," all Chris could do in response was laugh and then say
"I don't think I'm allowed to comment on that. But I will say that you're
a very perceptive fellow."
NOTE TO ALL YOU DISNEY DIEHARDS OUT THERE: As far as satirical swipes at Kindly Old Uncle Walt go, this one is relatively mild. If you want to see some really biting Disney-related humor, be sure and check out "The Incredible Mr. Brisby." That episode of Adult Swim's "The Venture Bros." TV series features lots of razor-sharp pokes at Disney, including the Brisby-dome, a giant bee-hive shaped structure which looks an awful lot like that Epcot icon, Spaceship Earth.
So if you're in the mood for some family-friendly anarchy
(not to mention some brilliantly staged action & racing sequences), then be
sure to tune in tonight for the premiere of "Motorcity." Which debuts
on Disney XD at 9 p.m. ET / PT.