John Kricfalusi

Active - 2020 - 2020  |   Born - Sep 9, 1955 in Chicoutimi, Québec, Canada  |   Genres - Children's/Family, Comedy, Science Fiction

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Biography by AllMovie

Known as John K. after his truncated signature, Canadian-born animator John Kricfalusi has a definitively warped visual style and sense of humor that matches the intensity of his opinions against most modern animation techniques. Though his main influences are classic animators like Bob Clampett and Tex Avery, his visual style is more in keeping with Ed "Big Daddy" Roth. In the early '80s, he worked as a hack animator drawing remakes of cartoons like The Jetsons for Filmation studios. Ralph Bakshi took him under his wing to work on The New Adventures of Mighty Mouse, where he got to inject a little of his trademark sick humor. The next year he founded the production company Spumco and began work on his magnum opus: Ren & Stimpy. Using strange still images, jarring character inconsistencies, and ridiculously rude sound effects, Ren & Stimpy became a early '90s cartoon phenomenon . Eventually, John K.'s highly opinionated nature caused him to split the show and Nickelodeon retained the rights. He then sequestered his talents on the Internet with the web cartoons "The Goddamn George Liquor Show" and "Weekend Pussy Hunt." He also directed the Björk video for "I Miss You" and made a few Cartoon Network specials like the blasphemous Hanna-Barbara deconstructive shorts Boo Boo Runs Wild and Day in the Life of Ranger Smith. In 2001, he presented the show The Ripping Friends, a cartoon about four outrageously muscled men, on Fox Kids and eventually Adult Swim. In 2003, Spike TV (the New TNN) broadcast a Ren & Stimpy revival series, this time with adult viewers in mind.