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3rd Tier Director
*Ren's Bitter Half*Magical Golden Singing CheesesDouble HeaderWho's Stupid Now?
Introduction
I almost put Mike Kim's cartoons on the Games Ren and Stimpy page, but it would be an injustice not give him his own. Kim is probably the modern equivalent to Jim Tyer – he was stuck in one of the most stagnant, creativity-stifling environments in animation history (that is, the history of serious, professional cartoonists-driven animation; I’m not counting Nelvana or anything like that), yet he rebelled against his surroundings and delivered a handful of high-quality cartoons unlike anything being produced at Games. His cartoons have imaginative gags, good timing, and real character development; in other words everything the rest of the Games cartoons didn’t have.
Kim’s directing mini-career started when he was given the opportunity to write for the new Games cartoons. He asked if he could direct one of his own stories and Ren’s Bitter Half, the best Games Ren and Stimpy cartoon, was the result. He drew every layout for the cartoon, so even though it was sent overseas he left little to the animators’ imagination, and should be respected for that. Even though he followed up with Magical Golden Singing Cheeses, which was way more typical of the cartoons being done at the time, he rebounded with Double Header, another imminently watchable cartoon and a minor classic.
I haven’t heard anything about Kim since the Games debacle, but I hope he shows up again someday.
Rating: 5/7
The most amazing thing about Ren’s Bitter Half is how it broke from the chains of mediocrity as imposed by the work habits of Games. Kim put lots and lots of actual care into this film, even doing all the layouts himself (I don't know how often that happens, but I'm impressed anyway). He really took this thing seriously: There is an actual plot, gags that go with the plot, characterization, and a structure that makes sense.
In the cartoon, Stimpy splits Ren into “Evil Ren” and “Indifferent Ren”. I suppose this kind of twist is typical of Games humor (think “Old Husband’s Tale), but this is not merely another stupid Games pun – the twist is actually imaginative and the cartoon never shoves its cleverness in your face (because that would make it un-clever). If Stimpy’s Invention was entirely character-based drama, with flabbergastingly-animated funny actions, Ren’s Bitter Half taps into the science-fiction theme and uses it for silly gags. It does rely more on what you’re seeing than how it happens, but the direction never falls off track and every scene is delivered with enough taste to make this film a pleasure, if not the best animated experience of your life.
Let me get to the gags before I digress further – Stimpy, in a very over-dramatic fashion, announces what has happened to Ren after his transformation, then suddenly gets happy that he has two Rens to play with. If that personality influx weren’t funny enough, Evil Ren demonstrates his nature by hitting Indifferent Ren, all while Stimpy gleefully cuddles them both. It’s a hilarious scene, I can tell you.
Ren’s actual transformation is really well-done. It’s not up to the sequence from Stimpy’s Invention (and this cartoon should be flattered that I’m comparing it to Stimpy's Invention!), but the way he splits in half is a riot, what with the brooding manner which he grasps either side of his head and appears to be pulling his separate halves apart, and then the extra eyes pop up from a hole forming between the halves of his face. Even the sequence leading up to the transformation is killer – Stimpy’s combination of passion and carelessness about his craft creates a funny interaction between him and Ren, and what Stimpy does to himself with his chemistry set is a killer visual gag (way funnier than the similar Southpark gag three years later, in fact).
The cartoon doesn’t bombard you with one classic moment after another like Stimpy’s Invention, but the remainder of the scenes don’t get any worse, even if they lack the sting of Ren splitting in half. There are some more gags that build off the main premise quite nicely, the conclusion that comes is unexpected, and the plot twists at the end are absurd, yet progress logically, never coming off as meandering or contrived like most Games episodes.
Ren's Bitter Half is still marred by some of the flaws that every Games cartoon is marred by– it’s somewhat childish, the art is stiff (better than most Games episodes, but still stiff), and while they certainly worked hard, the material doesn’t reek of primal, genius inspiration like Stimpy’s Invention. Still, if you stopped watching Ren and Stimpy right when Spumco got the can, find this cartoon and marvel at what the Games artists were capable of given the chance.
MAGICAL GOLDEN SINGING CHEESES
Rating: 1/7
What happened? Mike Kim rose above the other Games directors, who were all interchangable, but going by this, one of the most bland, faceless R&S episodes, you'd think he was just another one of them.
I don’t know about you, but I can’t stand it when Stimpy hands Ren the cheese (that was used as a giant’s pair of shoes), it’s grotesqueness illustrated in such graphic detail, only to have Ren gleefully eat the cheese after puking from the sight of it. And not just because he’s starving – he really does like the cheese that way! That kind of masochism-for-masochism’s sake is not humorous! Or the threatening giant who suddenly becomes friendly with Stimpy and bargains for the cheeses with Stimpy’s SPLEEN, which really looks out of place with the general appearance of the cartoon. I feel like I’m gonna kill off a lot of my brain cells if I name off anymore happenings, so I’ll just close by saying I like the exchange between Stimpy and the Village Idiot a little bit – A LITTLE BIT. The scene progressions are still awkward, and the game they play to prove their stupidity is still stupid, but at least there’s some good dialogue gags between the two.
Rating: 5/7
Double Header continues in the vein of Ren’s Bitter Half - A plot with a tinge of science fiction grafted to Ren and Stimpy's personalities with some solid characterization added in, plus bizarre gags. This isn’t as good as Ren’s Bitter Half - the storyline isn't as tight as that minor masterpiece and I wonder if some of the elements in here weren’t forced to fit the concept, but this is all nitpicking. It’s just that it feels good to be able to nitpick a Games Ren and Stimpy cartoon, instead of naming off all of its bone-shattering problems while half-comatose. But really, it’s a Games cartoon I can take seriously, which doesn't come on often.
Stand-out scenes include Stimpy waking up at 4:30 a.m. for his favorite Sunday Morning Children’s show, “Stomp-a-roo” (love his child-like demeanor) and Ren’s boss after the nuclear explosion – he looks like a mutant yet he calls Ren and Stimpy freaks – and Ren’s insane outburst in the freak show tent is one the best in a Games episode. He looks like an evil puppet/doll thing. Good animation there too.
So if it doesn’t have as many good points as Ren’s Bitter Half, it doesn’t have any bad points. I’m even okay with them sampling clips from Spumco episodes (to demonstrate why Ren hates Stimpy at the beginning – they even show a clip from Bitter Half). Any cartoon that uses a camera angle like Stimpy looking up at Ren while kneeling down (from Ren's view-point) has to have had some care put into it. BTW – I think Kim did one of the voices here. Was it the boss, or was it the doctor…?
Rating: 4/7
Here's a testament to Mike Kim's directing: I don't laugh while watching this cartoon and I'm not even moved by it, really, but somehow it's fun to watch. None of the scenes bore me nor repulse me, not even the "Tasty Milkshake" sequence (which isn't a stellar gag, but a cool visual in its own oddball manner).
As you may know, this is loosely based on an unused Ren and Stimpy plot called "The Big Switch", which you can guess the premise of by its title alone. I doubt John K. planned to have the switch occur like it did here, but there's enough competence that I care what's happening. At least it wasn't directed by Steve Loter or Arthur Filloy.
The most enjoyable sequence must be the one that reveals Ren and Stimpy's new look - with close-ups of their distinguishing features, each one to Ren's newfound horror. The rest are sort of predictable and neutrally acted but watchable nonetheless. If there's any negative I can think of it's that the boss telegraphs his tantrums a mile away, and they ain't much in the way of comedy (he does have a cool voice, though).
It doesn't bore me, really, but aside from the switch no aspects really grab me. Still, it is so tolerable all the way through I don't really have the heart to give it a lower rating. If they had to do this story I'm glad they got Michael Kim to do it - He turned out to be the best director of the bunch.