Father of the Pride

Father of the Pride
The series' logo from the opening credits
Genre	Adult animation Animated sitcom Black comedy Off-color humor Social satire
Created by	Jeffrey Katzenberg
Developed by	Jonathan Groff
Directed by	Mark Risley
Creative director(s)	Felix Ip
Voices of	John Goodman Cheryl Hines Danielle Harris Daryl Sabara Janet Varney Carl Reiner Orlando Jones Julian Holloway David Herman
Opening theme	"Viva Las Vegas" performed by John Goodman
Ending theme	Various
Composer(s)	Eban Schletter Harry Gregson-Williams Mark Rivers John Dragonetti
Country of origin	United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of seasons	1
No. of episodes	15 (2 unaired and 1 unfinished) (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Jeffrey Katzenberg
Running time	22 minutes
Production company(s)	DreamWorks Animation DreamWorks Television
Release
Original network	NBC
Picture format	480i 4:3 (SDTV) 1080i 16:9 (HDTV)
Original release	August 31, 2004 – May 27, 2005
External links
Website

Father of the Pride is an American animated television series that began broadcasting on NBC on August 31, 2004 and was part of a short-lived trend of CGI series in prime-time network TV (after Game Over).

The series, which was produced by Jeffrey Katzenberg and his company DreamWorks Animation, revolves around a family of white lions, the patriarch of which stars in a Siegfried & Roy show in Las Vegas. Despite heavy promotion, the series was unsuccessful and was cancelled after one season. Transmission and production were also delayed by the real-life on-stage injury of Roy Horn in October 2003.

Production

In 2002, Jeffrey Katzenberg came up with the idea for the series when he visited Siegfried & Roy's show in Las Vegas: "I thought, I wonder what it's like for those lions. What must life be like from their point of view? [They're] living in Las Vegas, trying to raise a family and earn a living. In animation, we look for those things — a way to look at our lives through a fantasy world. It allows us to take on subjects that are too difficult to do with real people. It allows us to be more controversial. Edgier. There can be parody and innuendo and satire. Things can be sophisticated in a way that even our feature films can't be."^[1]

According to Katzenberg, the series was created for "an 18- to 49-year-old. It's not about checking to make sure you don't leave the 6-, 7- and 8-year-olds behind. This is purely an adult show."^[1]

Each episode cost an estimated $2 million to $2.5 million to produce,^[2] making it at the time of its release one of the most expensive half-hour television comedies ever.^[2][3]

It took more than 200 animators two years to make the series.^[1] Computer animation was produced at Imagi Animation Studios,^[4] in Hong Kong.^[5] Father of the Pride employed a small group of seasoned directors which included Mark Risley, Bret Haaland, Steve Hickner, John Holmquist, John Stevenson, and Mark Baldo. Felix Ip served as creative director for Imagi.

Long before its broadcast, the series was nearly cancelled, following the near-death of Roy Horn in October 2003; but after his condition improved, both Siegfried and Roy urged NBC to continue production. Katzenberg recalled, "There was a short period of time where we all just rocked out on our heels and couldn't be particularly creative and certainly not very funny. But Siegfried kept saying, every step of the way, that this show meant so much to them. So much to Roy. Then, even more than it ever did."^[1]

Opening sequence

The opening sequence starts off with a red sports car, with the Nevada license plate "MAGIC1," being driven by Siegfried and Roy past many of the attractions in Las Vegas. Cast names are presented on the marquees of the Strip hotels that, along with the Mirage, belonged to the MGM / Mirage Group at the time, before the car swerves into the Mirage Hotel. The scene then changes to the lions' house. Larry wakes up, late for his performance, on the couch before dashing towards the stage (but not before having a beer given to him by Snack). Larry (voiced by John Goodman) sings a rendition of Elvis Presley's "Viva Las Vegas" as the background music throughout the title sequence.

Release

The series' debut on NBC on August 31, 2004^[6] attracted 12.3 million viewers, making it the most-watched series of the week on the American television.^[7] However, the series was expected to do better,^[8] especially considering heavy promotion during NBC's coverage of the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece.^[9][10] Its opening ranked only the 13th of 16 fall comedies that NBC introduced since 1999.^[8]

The series' ratings began to decline. By November 2004, it was pulled from NBC's sweeps line-up.^[11] In early December, Jeffrey Katzenberg announced that Father of the Pride was cancelled, a few months after it was initially aired; as well, Katzenberg added that he did not believe the series would be picked up for a second season.^[12]

Father of the Pride received a negative response from TV critics, who considered it to be little more than a gimmick and a shill for other NBC and DreamWorks properties (two early episodes extensively featured The Today Show's Matt Lauer and another featured Donkey from the Shrek franchise). Also, many TV critics noticed that the series' humor was very similar to South Park (one episode had a character say, "Screw you guys, I'm goin' home!").

According to Katzenberg, Siegfried and Roy's reactions were more positive: "They laughed. A lot. They kept asking us to create more contradiction. Literally, one's blond and one's dark, and every aspect of their life is as black and white as that. They are always playful with one another, always playing tricks on one another. They encouraged us to have fun with that."^[1]

Home media

Father of the Pride was released on DVD on June 7, 2005, containing the original pilot, an alternate pilot (which draws heavily on the original), an un-aired episode, and one episode that was voice-recorded and not animated (and therefore, remains at the storyboard stage).^[13]

Voice cast

Major characters

Character	Voice actor	Profile
Larry	John Goodman	The main protagonist. Larry is a middle-aged, overweight white lion who, through a bizarre series of events, becomes star of Siegfried and Roy's world famous magic show (replacing his less-than-delighted father-in-law, Sarmoti). He tends to speak before he thinks. Larry can also be a bit overprotective of his family, especially his children (this is also hinted when he threatened to harm anyone who tries to harm Sierra in "Catnip and Trust").
Kate	Cheryl Hines	Kate is Sarmoti's daughter, Larry's wife and Sierra, Kiki and Hunter's mother. Primarily known for her relation to Larry and Sarmoti, Kate is constantly attempting to establish her own individuality. Kate is very loving and close with her father, but her relationship with her mother is unknown.
Sierra	Danielle Harris	Sierra is Larry and Kate's rebellious, outgoing 16-year-old daughter and Hunter's older sister. She is an activist with left-wing views. Sierra can be somewhat antagonistic and sassy at times (even teasing Hunter), but she genuinely loves and cares about her family. In "And the Revolution Continues," it is revealed that she used to practice killing her prey as a young cub on an old home video, but Sierra was annoyed and told Larry not to watch it since she no longer commits "rodent hate crimes".
Hunter	Daryl Sabara	Hunter is Larry and Kate's friendly, sensitive, somewhat immature 10-year-old son and Sierra's younger brother. He is always shown wearing a plastic Elizabethan collar to stop him from biting himself and is portrayed as slightly mentally deficient. He is a diehard fan of Lord of the Rings as he has action figures of the characters, and in "Possession," he quoted Gollum's "My Precious" line. Hunter is the most rarely used main character, being entirely absent from a few episodes. Sarmoti suspects that Hunter might be gay, though he most likely might not be.
Sarmoti	Carl Reiner	Sarmoti is Sierra and Hunter's grandfather, Kate's father, Larry's father-in-law, and the former star attraction of Siegfried and Roy's show. Sarmoti has a dislike for and is jealous of Larry and is disappointed with Kate for marrying him, thinking she could have done better. He fancies himself the feline member of the Rat Pack. The name "Sarmoti" is an acronym of "Siegfried And Roy, Masters Of The Impossible."
Snack	Orlando Jones	Snack is a gopher and Larry's best friend. He is sneaky, manipulative, and constantly getting into trouble with the other residents of the park. In one episode, Snack had a girlfriend named Candy, but she ended up dumping him.
Siegfried Fischbacher	Julian Holloway	Siegfried is the more magically inclined of the duo and constantly argues with Roy, but still loves and respects him as his best friend.
Roy Horn	David Herman	Roy is the animal trainer of the Siegfried and Roy duo and frequently has to defend his animals from the criticisms of Siegfried. Despite he and Siegfried's arguments, they still respect and love each other.

Supporting characters

Character	Voice actor	Profile
Foo-Lin	Lisa Kudrow	A female giant panda who is very jealous of her younger, pregnant sister. Foo-Lin is very prone to becoming depressed because she has almost given up on finding a man. She constantly looks to Kate for comfort and finds Sarmoti's jokes about her mental state humorous instead of insulting as they are meant to be. At the end, Foo-Lin finally becomes Nelson's girlfriend.
Donkey	Eddie Murphy	Donkey, co-star of the Shrek films, visits the compound and he is known as a massive star by all of the animals. Larry tries to get him to go to Hunter's school.
Emerson	Danny DeVito	Emerson is an activist lobster who befriends Sierra, much to Larry's dismay. Emerson was later thrown into the sewers by Sierra after he insulted her father Larry, even though Larry saved him twice.
Blake	John O'Hurley	Blake is a white tiger and the main adversary of the white lions. The two groups constantly compete to be the stars of the show. Blake is a self-professed "whore for applause".
Chimmi & Changa	Tress MacNeille as Changa, Chimmi uncredited	A pair of lesbian or possibly bisexual "fiesta babe" gophers Snack hires to promote "Larry's Debut All-Night Fiesta". Snack catches them making out and excitedly photographs them as a gag before a cut to commercial and they again passionately kiss when Chimmi is impressed with Changa's 'intellect'.
Victoria	Wendie Malick	Victoria is Blake's wife. She also competes with the lions to act with her husband in Siegfried and Roy's show. She has a drinking problem, and has already had 2 liver transplants from baboons.
Nelson	Andy Richter	Nelson, nicknamed "Bong Bong," is a giant panda whom Larry and Kate try and introduce to Foo-Lin. He is extremely nervous about meeting other women as he had never seen other women because he was isolated before brought into captivity by Siegfried and Roy.
Bernie	Garry Marshall	Bernie is Sarmoti's poker buddy and friend. He is a bit of a suck up and acts like Sarmoti's assistant and yesman, constantly calling him "Boss" and agreeing with every single thing he says.
Tommy	David Spade	Tommy is a wise-cracking coyote who "guides" Larry and Sarmoti when they first meet him in "Road Trip." Eventually, Larry and Sarmoti realize that Tommy manages to get them lost and becomes a bit of an annoyance to them. In the end, Tommy gets invited by Roy as his temporary rescued pet at his doorstep.
Kelsey Grammer	Kelsey Grammer	Kelsey Grammer is a stand-up comedian and actor whom Siegfried and Roy take Larry to see in the revised pilot. Siegfried and Roy believe that Grammer is a real psychologist and Roy explains his lifelong problems and hard relationship with his father.
Roger	Greg Cipes	Roger the orangutan is a local at the Watering Hole pub. He has something of a short temper as he gets angry easily many times, being happy and cheerful one moment and then angry and disgruntled when he gets offended.
Hi Larious	Seth MacFarlane	Hi Larious is a snail comedian who is not very funny (though he tries to be). He features in a plot against the lions with the tigers.
Vincent	Don Stark	Vincent is a flamingo with a sexual interest in sombreros and a New Yorker's accent. He acts tough because he is self-conscious about being pink.
Snout Brothers	John DiMaggio	The Snout Brothers are a pair of steroid abusing, exercise enthusiast warthogs who are old friends of Sarmoti. They are right winged characters who are homophobic. When Sarmoti advises them to be careful with the steroids as "They cause shrinkage down there.", the two exclaim "Worth it!" before running off.
Lily	Amanda Peet	Although Lily is a lioness, she is a "cougar". Lily is the leader of a women's empowerment group, who encourages the compound's women to find the goddess within themselves.
Tom	John DiMaggio	Tom is an antelope who is an alcoholic, verbally abusive adulterer, who often tries to pick fights after he has had a few drinks.
Duke	Dom DeLuise	An exceedingly effeminate leopard, Duke is one of Sarmoti's poker buddies. He makes subtle but obvious allusions to his homosexuality, to which his buddies are oblivious.
Chaz	Denis Leary	Chaz is a panther and one of Sarmoti's poker buddies.
Edna Falvey	Kathryn Joosten	Edna is a lioness with a lisp who is the teacher of the "Gifted And Talented Class" of the compound's school.
Brittany	Julia Sweeney	Brittany is a warthog sow.
Chutney	Brian George	Chutney is an Indian elephant and one of Larry's friends. In one episode, it is revealed that he (rather than Lucy Vodden) is Lucy from "Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds". Through the series, the implication that he is in a gay relationship with his turkey "roommate" and that he is otherwise closeted is a running gag.
Justin	Pauly Shore	Justin is a Jewish[14] adolescent lion with a mop-top haircut. He is Sierra's boyfriend and an aggressive (but unskilled) poker player.

Episodes

No.	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date[15][16]
1	"Original Pilot"	John Stevenson	Jonathan Groff	Unaired
When Sarmoti accidentally makes a mistake on the show while trying to improve his act, Siegfried and Roy decide it is time for him to retire. Larry and Kate do not know how to tell Sarmoti that he has been replaced. Larry asks Snack to help him and the two visit Siegfried and Roy to try and convince them to keep Sarmoti in the show. However things go wrong and Larry becomes the lead lion. Later, after Larry finally tells Sarmoti he got fired, the two start fighting with each other, Siegfried and Roy decide to move him in with Larry and Kate as they mistake Larry and Sarmoti's fighting as love, much to Larry and Sarmoti's dismay. Note: This episode wasn't aired on U.S. television.
2	"Sarmoti Moves In"	Mark Risley	Cheryl Holliday	December 28, 2004
Sarmoti is moving in to Larry and Kate's place, and he brings his stuffed zebra from Africa. After a while, they both get annoyed and frustrated with him. Finally, Kate snaps and tears up her father's zebra rug without thinking in a furious rage. When she realizes what she has done, she and Larry go to the Watering Hole in order to find a new zebra. Meanwhile, Snack throws a party at Chutney's place and he finds out and wants Snack to pay for the damages. Snack makes a behind the scenes movie of Vegas in order to make money. Larry and Kate invite the zebra back to their place, but they couldn't go through with Larry's plan of killing him.
3	"Catnip And Trust"	John Holmquist	Robert Cohen	September 14, 2004
Larry and Kate are concerned about Sierra's education and want to get her into a private school. They find catnip in Sierra's bedroom and confront her about it, Sierra rejects that it is hers. In spite she sneaks out of the house and goes to the rave, Larry and Kate attempt to find her and go to the rave where they eat some "catnip" sausages. Returning home they soon feel the effects of the catnip. An interviewer from the private school comes to the house.
4	"What's Black, White And Depressed All Over?"	Bret Haaland	Peter Mehlman	August 31, 2004
In a quest to make a new panda breeding program Siegfried and Roy import a male panda, Nelson. Larry and Kate try to set him up with Kate's romantically challenged friend Foo-Lin. Things go wrong when Kate comforts Nelson and he falls in love with her. Sick of it all, Sarmoti sets them straight.
5	"Larry's Debut And Sweet Darryl Hannah Too"	Bret Haaland	Ron Weiner	September 7, 2004
Larry is looking forward for his debut on the show but when he finds out that he will be performing on live TV he gets nervous. Sarmoti tries to help him out because ever since he made a mistake on TV, Siegfried and Roy have used Blake on their TV spots. Larry fails to perform the trick Siegfried and Roy have prepared. Siegfried and Roy decide to use Blake instead. Sarmoti continues to watch his mistake on the tape he has. He notices that Blake tripped him. He then investigates and finds out the Blake foiled Larry's attempt earlier. Sarmoti and Larry plan their revenge on Blake.
6	"And the Revolution Continues"	Mark Baldo Mark Risley	Vanessa McCarthy	September 28, 2004
Larry, Kate and Sierra go with Siegfried and Roy to a restaurant. There, Sierra meets a Lobster named Emerson who is political and an environmentalist like her. Larry takes Emerson and brings him home in order to make Sierra like him again and they start making protest signs and whatnot. Siegfried and Roy are looking forward to the arrival of Barbra Streisand. Emerson starts a rally and one night the chanting they're making in the house wakes Larry up he says enough and decides to throw Emerson out. Meanwhile, Kate is making Sarmoti hang out with Hunter (who has been tasked with watching his broken legged sister Kiki after an accident involving cleaning her room with Foo lins help), but he doesn't really want to. When his girlfriend is about to leave him, he makes up a lie that he takes care of Hunter and that Hunter's parents ran off. Larry and Sierra throw Emerson in the Mirage aquarium, but when Barbra Streisand sees him in there, she demands to have him for dinner. Larry and Snack make a plan to save Emerson seen as Siegfried and Roy are bringing Larry to meet Barbra. He saves Emerson after a fight with Barbra and they quickly leave. On their way home, when Emerson won't thank Larry, Sierra realizes how arrogant and selfish he really is and throws him down a drain in anger. The next morning, Sarmoti is forced to be Gandalf during one of Hunter's Lord of the Rings play scenes.
7	"The Thanksgiving Episode"	John Puglisi	David R. Goodman Glasgow Phillips	December 28, 2004
Kate wants to become PTA president but when she accidentally says that all the turkeys look alike, everyone thinks she's a racist. Larry decides to invite the turkeys over for dinner for their anti-thanksgiving feast that they have. Sarmoti has no respect for the turkeys and when his grandfather's pocket watch goes missing he blames them. Meanwhile Snack is caught sneaking around Siegfried and Roy's place and Roy makes him his new pet. The dinner is going good until Victoria, who is running opposite Kate for PTA president throws a big party. All the turkeys leave their place and go to the party. Snack is enjoying being Roy's new pet but when he finds a rabbit eating in the kitchen who says he's Roy's new pet Snack gets upset. When election day comes Kate and Larry find out that a turkey actually did take Sarmoti's watch. Kate goes on with the election but can't take it anymore and tells everyone that Stan the turkey stole her father's watch. The turkeys are actually happy that Kate said something because Stan has being ripping people off for years; so everyone votes for Kate as president.
8	"One Man's Meat Is Another Man's Girlfriend"	Steve Hickner Mike deSeve	Mike Barker Matt Weitzman	October 26, 2004
Siegfried and Roy put Larry on a diet, no meat. Larry starts to hallucinate, people and items turn into food - including Snacks new girlfriend, candy. Candy dumps Snack without telling him, instead she tells Larry. Snack returns and believes that due to Larry had eaten her, Larry does the honorable thing and tells Snack that he had eaten her in order to spare his feelings. Sarmoti and Sierra play a game of poker.
9	"Donkey"	John Holmquist	Vanessa McCarthy	September 21, 2004
This episode is a cross-over episode with Shrek. The character "Donkey" is in town filming a commercial and all the animals in the enclosure come out to see him. Career day is coming up and Hunter doesn't want his dad to come to school however he comes into school and says that he knows Donkey in order to make himself sound cool. Larry confronts Donkey and asks him to visits Hunter's school however his manager says no. Larry and Sarmoti kidnap Donkey's stunt double, mistaking him for Donkey. Larry takes Donkey's stunt double to the school, which turns out to be a disaster once the kids find out. Donkey makes an appearance saving the day and reputation of Larry and Hunter. Siegfried and Roy file a complaint with the Bed and Breakfast that has replaced the Applebees. They stage a protest against the Bed and Breakfast, which leads to Siegfried having sex with the owner. They take it over the and turn it into a casino, "saving" Las Vegas.
10	"Possession"	John Wayne Stevenson	Ron Weiner	October 12, 2004
Larry is against going to the Tiger's party, however Kate convinces him to go after she talks about the relationship. Hunter is listening to "suicidal" music. Kate and Larry arrive at the party only to have the Tigers brag about their home. Kate gets upset after Larry refuses to try new things. Sarmoti sees Hunter being picked on by an antelope, so he teaches Hunter how to be a Lion. Larry steals the Tiger's television in order to surprise Kate, which pleases her after the Tiger visits the house. Hunter and the Antelope fight with help from Sarmotti's training. Hunter becomes trance-like and begins to attack other animals. The Tigers hold a neighborhood watch meeting and make Larry the head of the council. Kate and Larry continue to steal more items. Siegfried and Roy leave Kate and Larry a gift and the neighborhood watch team find the television.
11	"Road Trip"	Steve Hickner Mark Risley	Jon Pollack	December 28, 2004
The episode opens with the caption "Kate and Larry's Anniversary One Year Ago". Larry brings home a Jimi Hendrix wig as he had forgotten about the anniversary, he promises that he would never forget the anniversary again. One year later, Larry holds a party in honour of Jimi Hendrix and leaves Kate a note asking her to meet him at the watering hole, where the party is taking place. Larry soon remembers about the anniversary and gets home quickly to apologize. Kate leaves with Siegfried and Roy and goes to Little Bavaria and Larry attempts to escape the compound. Sarmoti shows Larry an escape hole and they both leave the compound. Meanwhile, Siegfried and Roy host a party for both Lions, Tigers and Cheetahs. Kate talks to a Jaguar and parties with him. Larry hires a Coyote to help find the way to Little Bavaria, which turns out to be a disaster as the Coyote loses the way. The three accidental stumble across a poisonous snake nest, Sarmoti is bitten and Larry has to suck out the poison. The three find their way to Little Bavaria and Kate and Larry make up.
12	"Rehabilitation"	Mark Risley	Jon Ross	December 21, 2004
After a show Larry complains that he is not spending enough time with Kate and the family, Siegfried and Roy push Larry too hard and he injures himself during practice. Larry confesses to Snack that he has been faking his injuries. Sarmoti eats Larry's pain killers and it changes his mood for the better. Snack eats the rest of the painkillers and Sarmoti's mood returns to bad. Larry returns to the medical centre and steals more of the medicated meatballs, Sarmoti discovers what Larry is doing and fights with him in the medical centre. Siegfried and Roy think that the two Lions have a problems with drugs so they take the Lions to a rehab centre. In the centre, Siegfried and Roy open a bottle of wine, which attracts the attention of recovering alcoholics. Larry and Sarmoti return home and Larry apologizes for what he said during their time in rehab and Sarmoti is finally able to forgive him.
13	"Stage Fright"	John Holmquist John Wayne Stevenson	Jonathan Groff	May 22, 2005 (UK) May 27, 2005 (US)
When Sarmoti accidentally makes a mistake on the show while trying to improve his act, Siegfried and Roy decide it is time for him to retire. Larry and Kate do not know how to tell Sarmoti that he has been replaced. Larry asks Snack to help him and the two visit Siegfried and Roy to try and convince them to keep Sarmoti in the show. However things go wrong and Larry becomes the lead lion. Later, after Larry finally tells Sarmoti he got fired, Siegfried and Roy decide to move him in with Larry and Kate. Note: This was the last episode broadcast on US television.
14	"The Siegfried and Roy Fantasy Experience Movie"	Bret Haaland John Wayne Stevenson	David R. Goodman Glasgow Phillips	May 29, 2005 (UK) Unaired (US)
Siegfried and Roy declare a code red emergency as a bulb has gone out on one of their billboards. The two discover that there is another magician in Vegas. Larry hosts a party with his friend to watch a movie. Kate goes out. Siegfried and Roy make a plan to watch these new magicians and go undercover. Kate and Foo-Lin go out to a woman's group. Meanwhile, Larry has his own emergency when he cannot find the remote control for the TV. Siegfried and Roy re-invent themselves by making a movie and hire the director, Martin Scorsese. The next night Kate re-visits the group in order to become more in contact with her hunting skills. Siegfried and Roy are filming their movie and fire the director due to creative differences, Roy decides to direct the movie. Kate's class continues and she is learning more and more about being an individual. Siegfried begins to find fault with the new director and costumes. He leaves the set and Roy must find a new actor to play the role. Kate can't spend time with Larry and laughs at him when he tells Kate that she cannot go. Siegfried auditions for the role Siegfried in the movie. Larry confronts the women's group and tells the women to give his wife back. Kate ensures Larry that she still loves him although she is growing as a person. Note: This episode wasn't aired on U.S. television.
15	"The Lost Tale"	John Holmquist John Wayne Stevenson	Jonathan Groff	Unaired
Siegfried and Roy are having a sculpture made of them out of cheese. Siegfried and Roy are sad that they cannot remember if they had done the show or not, so they decide to change it. It is Hunter's 10th birthday party and Kate is displeased by Larry's efforts at planning the party. Larry buys the children rum cake. Jessica Simpson agrees to appear in Siegfried and Roy's show with her own film crew M.T.V., B.E.T. and Shanghai Live. Siegfried and Roy decide to build a 100ft robot of Jessica Simpson and make it the centre of their show. Sarmoti's date complains about paying the bill and she is confronted by the leader of Kate's woman group. Larry gives Hunter a special birthday gift. Jessica questions Siegfried and Roy's "secret" garden, and they question keeping her in the act. Snack gets Larry a "Dog" which he refuses as it is a rat. Siegfried and Roy confront a helicopter driver when he trespasses on their property. Hunter is practicing for when he gets a puppy, Larry returns home with Jessica Simpson's dog. Jessica Simpson finds out that her dog is missing and blames the Lions. Siegfried and Roy are discouraged after Jessica Simpson drops out of the show however still have time to get her back. Larry tells Hunter that his dog is stolen and that it has to go back. Jessica allows the statue to be used. Note: This episode was never broadcast on U.S. television nor animated. It appears on the DVD as story-boarded with sound.

Protest from the Parents Television Council

In October 2004, the Parents Television Council's launched a campaign against Father of the Pride. Reasons cited for their opposition were the aforementioned use of anthropomorphic animals and the use of "from the creators of Shrek" in their promotions. The film in question was seen by the Council as much more family-friendly than this series, which the PTC stated could inadvertently draw the wrong audience based on the way it was promoted by NBC. Their campaign led to over 11,000 complaints to the Federal Communications Commission.^[17] In March 2006, the FCC ruled that the show was not indecent.^[18]

Awards and nominations

Father of the Pride won an Annie Award in 2005 for Character Design in an Animated Television Production.^[19] It was also nominated for a 2005 People's Choice Award in the category Favorite New TV Comedy Series.^[20]

References

1. Rammairone, Nerina (August 31, 2004). "Siegfried and Roy's Troubled Toon". TV Guide. Retrieved September 9, 2013.
2. Winraub, Bernard (April 12, 2004). "DreamWorks and NBC Gamble on a Lion Act". The New York Times. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
3. James, Meg (August 27, 2004). "With 'Pride' Problems, NBC Finds It's a Jungle Out There". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
4. Wolff, Ellen (September 1, 2004). "Father of the Pride: Trans-Pacific CGI". Animation World Network. Retrieved September 9, 2013.
5. "24 Hours with Raman Hui". South China Morning Post. October 31, 2004. Retrieved December 8, 2013.
6. Shales, Tom (August 31, 2004). "Rhymes With 'Shrek'". The Washington Post. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
7. Taylor, Jonathan (September 10, 2004). "'Father' can take pride as pack leader". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
8. Taylor, Jonathan (September 2, 2004). "NBC's 'Pride' takes Tuesday". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
9. Wallenstein, Andrew (August 10, 2012). "Can NBC Get Its Fall Shows Into The Olympic Spotlight?". NPR. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
10. Bianculli, David (July 12, 2004). "DRAWING THE KIDS IN PARENTS SHOULD BE WARY OF 'PRIDE'". New York Daily News. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
11. Adalian, Josef (November 1, 2004). "NBC swallows its toon ‘Pride’". Variety. Retrieved September 9, 2013.
12. M. Holson, Laura (December 9, 2004). "Market Place; Two big animation studios postpone top offerings to avoid fighting a crowded field.". The New York Times. Retrieved August 28, 2014. Mr. Katzenberg said he did not believe the comedy would be picked up for a second season.
13. Rizzo III, Francis (June 10, 2005). "Father of the Pride - The Complete Series". DVD Talk. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
14. He played poker with his leftover bar mitzvah money.
15. "Father of the Pride: Season 1". IGN. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
16. "Father of the Pride Season 1". TV Guide. Retrieved March 8, 2015.
17. Halonen, Doug (2004-10-18). "PTC E-Mails Generate Results". Television Week. Parents Television Council. Archived from the original on 2007-12-06. Retrieved 2007-07-18.
18. Martin, Kevin; et al. "Notices of Apparent Liability and Memorandum Opinion and Order" (PDF). FCC 06-17. Federal Communications Commission.
19. Baisley, Sarah (January 30, 2005). "The Incredibles & Brad Bird Soar at Annie Awards". Animation World Network. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
20. "Eminem, Kidman Get People's Choice Nods". Fox News. Associated Press. October 27, 2004. Retrieved August 28, 2014.

External links

• Father of the Pride at the Internet Movie Database
• Father of the Pride at TV.com