House of Bloo's
| "House of Bloo's" | |
|---|---|
| Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends episode | |
|
Bloo and Mac arriving at Foster's for the first time | |
| Episode no. |
Season 1 Episode 1-3 |
| Directed by | Craig McCracken |
| Written by | Craig McCracken |
| Story by |
Craig McCracken Lauren Faust Craig Lewis Amy Keating Rogers |
| Original air date | August 13, 2004 |
| Running time | 90 minutes |
House of Bloo's is the first episode of the American animated television series Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends. The episode's plot follows Mac, an eight-year-old boy who is pressured by his mother to abandon his imaginary friend Bloo, on the grounds that he is too old for him. Upon seeing an ad on television for Foster's Home, Bloo convinces Mac to let him reside in the house so that Mac can visit him everyday. Various intrigues and troubles arise with Mac's brother Terrence and imaginary friend Duchess.
It premiered on August 13, 2004, at 7:30 pm E/P on Cartoon Network as a 90-minute special. The episode was written and directed by the show's creator Craig McCracken, with further story work by his fiancée Lauren Faust and screenwriters Craig Lewis and Amy Keating Rogers. The episode debuted to positive reviews and high ratings.[1][2]
Plot
Mac sends Bloo to live at Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends after being told by his mother that he is too old to have an imaginary friend. There, they meet Mr. Herriman, Frankie, Wilt, Coco, and Eduardo, who all announce that eventually, Bloo will be adopted by another kid. Mac is promised that Bloo will not get adopted if he visits Bloo every day, but they face problems when Mac's brother Terrence and a fiendish imaginary friend named Duchess want to get rid of Bloo. Now it is up to Mac and his new best friends to join forces and rescue Bloo. They fight an imaginary monster called an Extremosaurus (which resembles a giant spider). The Extremosaurus chases Bloo around the junkyard, like in Pac-Man, but with the help of Eduardo's bravery, Coco's eggs, Wilt's basketball skills, and Mac's intelligence, they rescue Bloo.
Production
Craig McCracken created the series and the episode, serving as writer and director. McCracken conceived the series upon adopting two dogs from an animal shelter with his then-fiancée Lauren Faust; he wondered what their life was like before adoption and applied the concept to that of imaginary friends.[2] Animation for the show was done on Adobe Flash after hand-drawn artwork was processed on Illustrator. Character composition was done on After Effects.[3]
Reception
Anita Gates of The New York Times praised the episode and stated that the series would promise to be an "admirable tale of loyalty and adventure-based learning with a contagious sense of fun".[2]
Awards
McCracken and Mike Moon won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Animation in 2005 for their work in the episode.[4][5] The show also received an Annie Award nomination for Best Character Design in an Animated Television Production.[6]
References
- ↑ Baisley, Sarah. "McCracken’s Imaginary Friends Premieres Aug. 13". AWN.com. Animation World Network. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
- 1 2 3 Gates, Anitas. "TELEVISION REVIEW; Where Imaginary Friends Wait for Real Love". NYTimes.com. The New York Times. Retrieved 13 December 2015.
- ↑ "Imagine That! The Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends Fanlisting". Imaginary-friends.net. Thefanlistings.org. Archived from the original on 6 November 2007. Retrieved 15 December 2015.
- ↑ Baisley, Sarah (17 August 2005). "TV Academy Announces Individual Achievement in Animation Emmy Award Winners". Animation World Network. Retrieved 5 October 2009.
- ↑ Baisley, Sarah (12 September 2009). "South Park, Clone Wars and Lost Win Animation and VFX Primetime Emmy Awards". Animation World Network. Retrieved 5 October 2009.
- ↑ International Animated Film Society. "Legacy: 32nd Annual Annie Award Nominees and Winners (2004)". AnnieAwards.org. Retrieved 2009-03-04.