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The Ripping Friends (Vols. 1 & 2)

The Ripping Friends (Vols. 1 & 2)

List Price: $14.98
Your Price: $13.48
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Four first are good, can't wait for the others...
Review: I was hugely disappointed when Fox decided to replace The Ripping Friends with more Pokemon-esque cartoons. I'm relieved though, that they at least released these episodes on video/dvd. Unfortunately, this collection only has the first four episodes out of thirteen or so (The Ripping Friends were aired for only one season).

Extras on the DVD include a preview and some storyboards with the animation sequence they illustrated. I wish they had an interview with the genius behind the madness, John K., who is also the creator of Ren and Stimpy.

I think kids won't find the show as entertaining as kitsch/nostalga loving teens and adults. Some of the jokes are actually pretty "mature" ... .

Wish I could give the collection 5 stars, but the lack of special features and being only 4 episodes (total of 80 minutes) is a definite minus.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: The creator of the megahit "Ren and Stimpy" ten years later
Review: If you are a teenager, you probabley grew into a pre-teen with Ren and Stimpy. I was a pre-schooler at the time Ren and Stimpy was popular, and to this day I watch the Spumco episodes of it religiously.
Fast foward ten years.
The original creators of Ren and Stimpy, John Kricfalusi and Spumco, have decided to come back on TV with a sucessful show after the diasater relationship they had with Nickeldeon a decade ago. Now they are with Fox Kids, with The Ripping Friends. I saw most of the first season, and is it as good as any Spumco product they made from R&S to present?
Close.
The animation: Now this is my least favorite part of the show. It really feels flat and two dimentional, almost like a 60s Hanna Barbera show, but slightly cleaner. There are still some good drawings, and based on the budget and the fact that it's a Saturday Morning Cartoon (which normal have limited animation), it's still OK. But check out the designs and the storyboards by Jim Smith, they look excellent, as always. I just wish they'd hire some close-up animators from Ren and Stimpy. ***/*****

The plot: Intresting. According to Kricfalusi, it's supposed to be a spoof on manly men, any type of men before political correctness or the 70s. Their mission: to rip, or destroy anyone or thing that stands in the way of justice. ****/*****

The humor: Hilarious. A couple jokes are a little flat, but you'll forgive those jokes instantly when other jokes come in the line. Ren and Stimpy-ish, and politically satire-ish most of the time. I won't spoil any here. See for yourself. ****1/2/*****.

Bottom line: It's no Ren and Stimpy, and the animation needs a bit of clean-up, but watch it for the humor, and how unusual it is. ****/*****. I will review the DVD when I purchase it.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Its good
Review: If you like John K., get it!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Four first are good, can't wait for the others...
Review: It is one of the great injustices of popular culture that what is good is not always popular. Only about 13 Ripping Friend episodes were made before Fox TV decided to program their entire Saturday morning lineup with generic, derivative, cross-marketed junk. And alas, the Ripping Friends were no more.

What is it like? The 3 Stooges meets the Justice League with lots of fart jokes. It carries a lot of the vibe that went through the Ren and Stimpy cartoons (same creative team) gleefully and unabashedly revelling in excretion and odor based humor while poking fun at cultural and genre cliches. What makes this stuff great is that it manages to do it in a genuinely entertaining and endearing way. Kind of like when a toddler farts, says "toot", and laughs about it.

The DVD has the first 4 aired episodes, my only complaint would be that if this is the only DVD released I would've picked some other episodes. Hopefully, more of the series will be released.

Give it a shot, where else can you find a badguy built out of foot callouses and corns?

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Ah Ripping Friends, we hardly knew you.
Review: It is one of the great injustices of popular culture that what is good is not always popular. Only about 13 Ripping Friend episodes were made before Fox TV decided to program their entire Saturday morning lineup with generic, derivative, cross-marketed junk. And alas, the Ripping Friends were no more.

What is it like? The 3 Stooges meets the Justice League with lots of fart jokes. It carries a lot of the vibe that went through the Ren and Stimpy cartoons (same creative team) gleefully and unabashedly revelling in excretion and odor based humor while poking fun at cultural and genre cliches. What makes this stuff great is that it manages to do it in a genuinely entertaining and endearing way. Kind of like when a toddler farts, says "toot", and laughs about it.

The DVD has the first 4 aired episodes, my only complaint would be that if this is the only DVD released I would've picked some other episodes. Hopefully, more of the series will be released.

Give it a shot, where else can you find a badguy built out of foot callouses and corns?

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: SPUMCO RULES!!!
Review: JOHN K AND SPUMCO DELIVER THE GOODS ONCE AGAIN! BUT AT THE SAME TIME IT'S A DAMN SHAME THAT THEY JUST CAN'T CATCH A MUCH NEEDED BREAK INTO MAINSTREAM TELEVISION. HELL, THEY AREN'T EVEN ON ADULT SWIM! AND WHY IS THIS?! SPUMCO (ESPECIALLY JOHN K IN PARTICULAR) HAS NEVER BEEN THE ANIMATION HOUSE THAT PLAYED BY THE RULES (SEE REN AND STIMPY DEBACLE). AND I GUESS WE CAN THANK GOD FOR THAT. FOR IF THEY DID THEY'D BE A LOT LESS MEMORABLE AND MORE OF THE SAME BLAND UNIMAGINATIVE TOONS THAT HAVE COME AND GONE AND COME AGAIN.
WITH THAT BEING SAID I HAVE TO PRAISE JOHN K'S SOPHOMORE EFFORT INTO TV. IT DELIVERS ALL THE CLASSIC SPUMCO HUMOR ALTHOUGH JUST A LITTLE SOFTENED BUT NOT ENOUGH TO WHINE ABOUT (AND THAT'S TO YOU ALL YOU BLOWHARD TOON CRITICS!). THE FIRST EPISODE "THE INDIGESTIBLE WAD" IS MASTERFUL AND I COULDN'T HELP BUT LAUGH NEARLY UNCONTROLLABLY. THE ANIMATION IS AS SMOOTH AS IT COULD BE WITH THE TRADEMARK PANS THAT SPUMCO HAS BEEN KNOWN FOR.
HOWEVER THE EPISODE ANIMATION QUALITY DOES SLINK AS THE EPISODES GO ON. BY THE LAST ONE "THE FRICTOR" IT'S ALMOST WARNER BROS (NEW SCHOOL WB) QUALITY AND IT'S A TAD DISTRACTING. THE STORY LINES HOWEVER ARE STILL GREAT I JUST WISH THAT THEY KEPT UP WITH THE "WAD". ALL IN ALL A GREAT BUY AND A MUST HAVE FOR ANY TOON FAN. HOWEVER ONLY 4 EPISODES IS A CRIME ESPECIALLY SINCE THEIR ARE LIKE 10 OR SO MORE! STOP TORTURING US AND RELEASE THEM. WHAT ARE YOU AFRAID OF? MAKING MONEY???!!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: SPUMCO RULES!!!
Review: JOHN K AND SPUMCO DELIVER THE GOODS ONCE AGAIN! BUT AT THE SAME TIME IT'S A DAMN SHAME THAT THEY JUST CAN'T CATCH A MUCH NEEDED BREAK INTO MAINSTREAM TELEVISION. HELL, THEY AREN'T EVEN ON ADULT SWIM! AND WHY IS THIS?! SPUMCO (ESPECIALLY JOHN K IN PARTICULAR) HAS NEVER BEEN THE ANIMATION HOUSE THAT PLAYED BY THE RULES (SEE REN AND STIMPY DEBACLE). AND I GUESS WE CAN THANK GOD FOR THAT. FOR IF THEY DID THEY'D BE A LOT LESS MEMORABLE AND MORE OF THE SAME BLAND UNIMAGINATIVE TOONS THAT HAVE COME AND GONE AND COME AGAIN.
WITH THAT BEING SAID I HAVE TO PRAISE JOHN K'S SOPHOMORE EFFORT INTO TV. IT DELIVERS ALL THE CLASSIC SPUMCO HUMOR ALTHOUGH JUST A LITTLE SOFTENED BUT NOT ENOUGH TO WHINE ABOUT (AND THAT'S TO YOU ALL YOU BLOWHARD TOON CRITICS!). THE FIRST EPISODE "THE INDIGESTIBLE WAD" IS MASTERFUL AND I COULDN'T HELP BUT LAUGH NEARLY UNCONTROLLABLY. THE ANIMATION IS AS SMOOTH AS IT COULD BE WITH THE TRADEMARK PANS THAT SPUMCO HAS BEEN KNOWN FOR.
HOWEVER THE EPISODE ANIMATION QUALITY DOES SLINK AS THE EPISODES GO ON. BY THE LAST ONE "THE FRICTOR" IT'S ALMOST WARNER BROS (NEW SCHOOL WB) QUALITY AND IT'S A TAD DISTRACTING. THE STORY LINES HOWEVER ARE STILL GREAT I JUST WISH THAT THEY KEPT UP WITH THE "WAD". ALL IN ALL A GREAT BUY AND A MUST HAVE FOR ANY TOON FAN. HOWEVER ONLY 4 EPISODES IS A CRIME ESPECIALLY SINCE THEIR ARE LIKE 10 OR SO MORE! STOP TORTURING US AND RELEASE THEM. WHAT ARE YOU AFRAID OF? MAKING MONEY???!!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Only four episodes
Review: Ripping friends is great but with the only 4 episodes I would have to give it 4 stars. Last week I saw a DVD with all 13 episodes and bought it, but Im not sure whether you can get it in the USA. Worth looking out for though.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Providing a Service to All Mankind...
Review: Thank God for Spumco! After stupid Nickelodeon fired the creator of one of the most innovative shows ever made for TV, ( The Ren and Stimpy Show ) and replaced him with corporate yes-monkeys who promptly destroyed everything, John K. and his Spumco Big Shots bring us the wonderful "Ripping Friends." The character designs are incredibly well done. Maybe the best ever for a childrens' television cartoon. This show just got better and better, and I must admit that the later episodes are funnier than these early ones. But second-echelon Spumco is still better than first-rate almost anything else. The best episodes have yet to be released on DVD; but until they do, these will do just fine. Hail, Spumco!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: is there more coming?
Review: the first time i saw ripping friends on tv i was in shock that they were even getting away with showing this stuff
and pretending it was a kid's show
fantastic
over the top
ridiculous
and all the weird sexual stuff
i hated ren and stimpy - much too slow and stonerish for me
but ripping friends is possibly one of the best things to ever hit the living room screen
i hope we get more


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