Guest Directed Shorts

"Guest Directed Shorts"
Uncle Grandpa episode
Episode no. Season 2
Episode 37
Directed by
Original air date May 21, 2015 (2015-05-21)
Running time 11 minutes

"Guest Directed Shorts" is the thirty-seventh episode of the second season of American animated television series Uncle Grandpa. The episode is presented as a series of three animated short films. In the first short, which M. Wartella directed, the eponymous character of the show travels through time to find the best hamburger. In the second, which Pendleton Ward directed, Pizza Steve meets Uncle Grandpa at the park. In the third, which Max Winston directed, Uncle Grandpa enters his mind through the use of the power of his imagination. The episode was originally aired on May 21, 2015, on Cartoon Network.

Plot

Three animated short films were written and directed by M. Wartella, Pendleton Ward and Max Winston.

"Time Burgers"

Plot

At a gas station, a creature asks Uncle Grandpa to watch his time machine. Hungry, Uncle Grandpa uses it to find the best hamburger in the world. He goes to the construction of the Leaning Tower of Pisa, and later to Ancient Egypt, where Uncle Grandpa eats the burger of—and later mummifies—a pharaoh. He then asks Benjamin Franklin, while he works on his kite experiment, where soda may be found. He finds some in the 1960s, with no help from a group of confused hippies. He spills some on the machine, however, causing a distortion in time. He becomes the creature at the start of the short, to which the Uncle Grandpa of the past questions the implications by quoting to the audience "The implications are truly mind-boggling."

"For Pete, Love Pen"

Plot

Pizza Steve goes to the park to ask a bird, who he thinks is Uncle Grandpa, what he is doing. As he questions him some more, Uncle Grandpa comes from out of the bird and tells Pizza Steve to leave, saying that he is hiding. He later apologizes to a confused Pizza Steve, saying that "I'm sorry I got mad at you". Pizza Steve responds with a "What?". The two repeat these phrases several times, and an old lady on a bench starts to beatbox over them. At the end, all three reveal themselves to be Uncle Grandpa in disguise agreeing to not to tell Pizza Steve that they did what they did.

"Total Reality"

Plot

Uncle Grandpa gets trapped in his imagination after his television set breaks. He enters the "lobby room" area of his mind, where he meets Pizza Steve and Mr. Gus. The three start to appreciate the world in three dimensions before they meet Giant Realistic Flying Tiger, who shows them a mysterious portal. Pizza Steve goes through it, leaving Uncle Grandpa and Mr. Gus to themselves. They start to shapeshift, however, and Mr. Gus informs Uncle Grandpa must leave his mind for them to go back to normal. As he looks for an escape, Uncle Grandpa reaches for the screen of his television set on the roof. He comes to appreciate imagination more and promptly destroys the set by punching it in the center.

Production

Cartoon Network renewed Uncle Grandpa for a second season in July 2014.[1] "Guest Directed Shorts" is the thirty-seventh episode of it, and, as the title specifies, three animated short films comprise the episode. "Time Burgers" was directed by M. Wartella, known for his work on Mad and Superjail!—both of which premiered on Cartoon Network and its late-night programming block, Adult Swim, respectively. "For Pete, Love Pen" was directed by Pendleton "Pen" Ward, creator of Cartoon Network show Adventure Time.[2] For the short, Ward provided the voice of Pizza Steve and Uncle Grandpa.[3]

"Total Reality" was directed by Max Winston, known for his short film I Live in the Woods!, as well as being "one of the go-to animators nowadays for projects requiring funny stop-motion animation", according to Amid Amidi of Cartoon Brew.[3] This short is animated in multiple mediums,[2] including stop motion. Outside of the show, Winston is a drummer for The Manx. The band also has Uncle Grandpa crew members Myke Chilian, a storyboard artist, and Tommy Meehan, an animatic timer and music composer, as members.[3] All three shorts are separated by bumpers animated by Nick Cross, art director for Over the Garden Wall.[2]

Broadcast and reception

"Guest Directed Shorts" originally aired on Cartoon Network on May 21, 2015.[4] It was watched by 1.3 million viewers, receiving a 0.3 in the 18- to 49-year-old demographic. According to Showbuzz Daily, it was the 29th most-watched cable television episode of its air date for this demographic.[5]

Francesca Camerino of Blogo said that viewers of Italy would be "rewarded" with the episode once Uncle Grandpa returned with new episodes on the Italian Cartoon Network on June 8, 2015.[6] For Animation Magazine, Mercedes Milligan named "For Pete, Love Pen" a "minimalist take", while calling the bumpers "charming".[2] Amidi said that all three shorts—as well as the bumpers by Cross—were "unique in their own way, with plenty of unabashed cartoon fun on display". He called the short by Ward perhaps the "quirkiest of the bunch", but said that "Total Reality" was the "stand-out piece". According to Amidi, Winston was finally given capacity to "to let loose and direct a mainstream project of his own", in comparison to the commercial projects Winston has directed, but found that the short "more than delivers, creating a satisfyingly wild and ridiculous short that doesn't let up".[3] Rondal Scott of Strange Kids Club called "Total Reality" the "standout piece" of the episodes, reminding him "exactly" why he loves "cartoons so much".[7]

Winston submitted "Total Reality" to the Annecy International Animated Film Festival, which was accepted for their 2015 edition.[8] The short was later promoted to a Stack Pick on Vimeo.[9]

References

  1. ↑ Staff writers (July 25, 2014). "Cartoon Network Renews 5 Series Including Emmy-Winning Adventure Time, Regular Show & Uncle Grandpa". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Archived from the original on June 6, 2015. Retrieved June 6, 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Mercedes, Milligan (May 20, 2015). "Uncle Grandpa Welcomes Guest Directors". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on May 22, 2015. Retrieved June 6, 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Amidi, Amid (May 20, 2014). "Pen Ward, Max Winston, and Others Guest-Direct Uncle Grandpa". Cartoon Brew. Cartoon Brew, Inc. Archived from the original on May 21, 2015. Retrieved June 6, 2015.
  4. ↑ "Uncle Grandpa—Episodes". Zap2it. Tribune Media Services. Archived from the original on June 6, 2015. Retrieved June 6, 2015.
  5. ↑ Metcalf, Mitch (May 22, 2015). "Top 100 Thursday Cable Originals (& Network Update): May 21, 2015". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on June 6, 2015. Retrieved June 6, 2015.
  6. ↑ Camerino, Francesca (May 26, 2015). "Uncle Grandpa, i Nuovi Episodi in Arrivo su Cartoon Network" [Uncle Grandpa, New Episodes Arriving on Cartoon Network]. Blogo (in Italian). Blogo Entertainment. Archived from the original on June 6, 2015. Retrieved June 6, 2015.
  7. ↑ Scott, Rondal (June 8, 2015). "Monday Morning Videomania No. 131". Strange Kids Club. Archived from the original on June 9, 2015. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
  8. ↑ "Uncle Grandpa—'Total Reality'". Annecy International Animated Film Festival. International Animated Film Association. Archived from the original on June 6, 2015. Retrieved June 6, 2015.
  9. ↑ "Uncle Grandpa—Total Reality in Vimeo Staff Picks". Vimeo. June 7, 2015. Archived from the original on June 9, 2015. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
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