Napoleon Dynamite (TV series)

''Napoleon Dynamite'' is an American animated satirical slapstick comedy television series created by Jared and Jerusha Hess for Fox, based on the 2004 film of the same name, which both Hesses co-wrote. Veteran TV writer Mike Scully helped develop the series, while the original cast reprised their roles. Set in the small town of Preston, Idaho, it follows the adventures of the titular 16-year-old boy who thinks he is skilled at everything.

The series premiered on January 15, 2012, as part of the Animation Domination block on Fox. It earned polarizing reviews, with criticism aimed at the slow pacing and humor, while its faithfulness to the source material, voice acting, and animation earned the most praise. The series' premiere was seen by over 9.5 million viewers, but the ratings later dropped as the show progressed, with the last four episodes averaging 4 million viewers; it ranked sixth in viewership among teenagers according to the Nielsen Media Research.

On May 15, 2012, the series was cancelled after one season.

History

Jared and Jerusha Hess, the co-writers of the 2004 film ''Napoleon Dynamite'', had expressed interested in doing an animated version since the film's release, believing that animation was the best way to continue the world of ''Napoleon Dynamite'' as the original actors had grown too old to play teenage characters. Following the film's success, Fox Searchlight Pictures wanted a sequel, but the Hesses delayed due to commitments to other projects and fear that audiences would tire of the ''Napoleon Dynamite'' characters.

Development of the show began in 2009 when the Hesses met with writer-producer Mike Scully, who was a fan of the film, to propose an animated TV series based on the film and the two presented a nine-minute pilot episode to Fox in 2010. That May, Fox officially confirmed that an animated television miniseries with the original cast was in development with close involvement from the Hesses. Fox placed an order for six episodes as a trial run, and ordered seven additional scripts in July 2011 to be put into production if it was renewed for a second season. The Hesses and Scully all served as showrunner.

The miniseries premiered on January 15, 2012, as a mid-season replacement for the animated television series ''Allen Gregory''. During its six-episode run, ''Napoleon Dynamite'' had no consistent schedule; it was constantly shifted on the Fox schedule in favor of football and award shows. On May 15, 2012, Fox cancelled the series after one season.

Premise

The series towards the end of the ''Napoleon Dynamite'' film; Scully said they transferred the characters and premise, but not the events of the film.

In the film, set in the small town of Preston, Idaho, Napoleon (Jon Heder) is an awkward 16-year-old boy who loves practicing ninja moves, dancing, and drawing pictures of a liger, an animal he says is bred for its skills in magic. He also invents stories about himself: hunting wolverines in Alaska, having an Oklahoman girlfriend, and that a gang wants him to join because of his skill with a bo staff. His brother Kip ( Aaron Ruell) is an unemployed 32-year-old; flimsy and gawky, he is the target of Napoleon's outlashes, although he often brags of his wrestling abilities and overall coolness; he spends his days in an internet chat room talking to a woman named Lafawnduh. The two live with their grandmother, Carlinda ( Sandy Martin), who enjoys riding all-terrain vehicles.

Deborah "Deb" Bradshaw ( Tina Majorino) is a shy, quiet, sweet, and artistically inclined girl who is infatuated with Napoleon upon first meeting him. Napoleon's uncle Rico ( Jon Gries) is a middle-aged man and former high-school athlete who lives in a camper van and is obsessed with his failed football career. He frequently performs get rich quick schemes, believing riches will help him get over his crushed dreams of NFL stardom. Rex Kwon Do ( Diedrich Bader) is a self-declared martial-arts master who runs a dojo in town.

Napoleon also becomes friends with a Mexican exchange student named Pedro Sánchez ( Efren Ramirez) who rarely conveys emotion or speaks. Pedro runs for class president after seeing a poster at the school dance. On the election day, he gives a mediocre speech in front of the student body. Napoleon does a dance routine as Pedro's skit for the election and receives a standing ovation, saving the campaign and winning Pedro the election. Two months later, Kip and Lafawnduh are married.

Jared Hess, who directed the film, stated that the series takes place after Pedro's election, but before the marriage, and several new characters are introduced.

Cast

* Jon Heder as Napoleon Dynamite
* Aaron Ruell as Kipland Dynamite
* Sandy Martin as Grandma Carlinda Dynamite
* Efren Ramirez as Pedro Sánchez
* Tina Majorino as Deborah Bradshaw
* Jon Gries as Uncle Rico
* Diedrich Bader as Rex / Shasta / Male Judge
* Jared Hess as Don / Felipe / Starla
* Phil Hendrie as Old Owl Judge / Art Doodle / Mr. Masthead / Counselor Critchlow / Coach Pratt / Doctor Jeff
* Tara Strong as Egg Queen / Candy / Shaylene / Dody / Kangaroo / Scantronica
* Haylie Duff as Summer
* Phil LaMarr as Technician / Mailman / Gorilla Lead Singer / Silver Mime
* Jennifer Coolidge as Mrs. Moser
* Tom Kenny as Curtis
* Lauren Tom as Girl / Tokiko
* Sam Rockwell as Filson
* Jemaine Clement as Professor Koontz
* Amy Poehler as Misty
* Alan Tudyk as Officer Elwood

Episodes

Release

Adult Swim Canada premiere

''Napoleon Dynamite'' premiered on Adult Swim Canada in September 2015.

International broadcasting

DVD release

''Napoleon Dynamite: The Complete Animated Series'', containing all 6 episodes, was released on DVD in Region 1 on 4 November 2014 by Olive Films. The miniseries was also released on DVD on 1 October 2015 in Canada.

Reception

Viewership

Fox touted in a press release that it had an averaged 2.8/7 Nielsen share and 5.8 million viewers for the six episodes, and that it ranked sixth in teenage viewership against other television networks. The miniseries ranked #56 in the adults 18–49 ratings and #103 in the total viewership rankings for the 2011–12 television season.

Critical response

Reviews for the miniseries' premiere episode were mixed. Linda Stasi of the ''New York Post'' praised its humor as almost as funny as the film, and Nancy Smith of ''The Wall Street Journal'' called it "a dream come true" for fans of the film. Ed Bark of ''UncleBarky.com'' enjoyed the miniseries and said it was "far funnier" than the Fox animated comedies ''Bob's Burgers'' and ''Allen Gregory''. Simon Moore of ''Flickering Myth'' compared the miniseries' "left-field laughs" favorably to the humor in ''The Simpsons'' and ''Futurama''. On Rotten Tomatoes, ''Napoleon Dynamite'' has an aggregate score of 32% based on 9 positive and 19 negative critic reviews. The website's consensus reads: "Unfunny and hackneyed, ''Napoleon Dynamite'' doesn't understand what made the movie popular in the first place."

David Wiegand of the ''San Francisco Chronicle'' found the writing not funny, writing that he could not see "Jon Heder's expressionless face" as he talked in the animation. The ''Staten Island Advance'' said the change to animation freed ''Napoleon'' from real-world limitations, but thought it "lessen dthe overall appeal of the character and setting". Lori Rackl of the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' did not like the movie and liked the animated television miniseries even less; she thought the emotions and physical humor were lost in the change to animation.

Brian Lowry of '' Variety'' gave the miniseries a neutral review: "To say the show represents an improvement over ''Allen Gregory'' is not much of an endorsement, but there is something amusing about Heder's monotonic voice and Napoleon's utter lack of self-awareness, along with fast-paced gags like a miniature golf course where hitting the ball into Hitler's mouth wins a free round." Robert Bianco of ''USA Today'' called the first episode a "vulgarized premiere" that detracted from the film's qualities, but called the second one a "sweeter, funnier improvement". Mary McNamara of the ''Los Angeles Times'' wrote of the pacing that the "satirical silence or non-sequitur scenes slowly compiled to establish tone" in the film, but were sacrificed for the faster pace of a network TV miniseries.

Simon Moore of ''Flickering Myth'' disagreed the faster pace was to the miniseries' detriment, calling the film's "snail-like pace ... its biggest flaw".

References

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