Most Nominations

January 14, 2004

Most Nominations

Happy Relatively New Year! Hopefully, 2004 will bring you many breathtaking and awe-inspiring moments, not the least of which could be the occasional receipt of our Frederator Studios eLetter, bringing you the latest and greatest in Frederator news on a schedule that can best be termed sporadic and patchy. Or spotty.

So, here’s what’s new with us.

Frederator Show Nabs Most Annie Noms We’re celebrating in Burbank as word is in that My Life as a Teenage Robot is up for five (5!) Annie Awards, more than for any other TV show. Better still, our studio has grabbed a total of nine nominations for this year’s awards (the animation industry’s Oscars). You can find Frederator nods at the end of this email, and the complete list of nominees is at ASIFA Hollywood’s site. The big ceremony is on Saturday, February 7.

Frederator Plows Ahead With Tons Of New Programming. The Annies are the perfect way to kick off 2004. And the perfect way to cap 2003 was Nickelodeon’s December order of more than twenty-six hours of Frederator programming. So, sincere congratulations to all the talented men and women who make these cartoons so wonderful. Now get to work.

The Fairly OddParents – 30 new episodes

ChalkZone – 10 new episodes

My Life as a Teenage Robot – 13 new episodes

Nick’s press release on the new show order is here.

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Item! Fan fiction continues to fill up a large chunk of the Teenage Robot message board (itself at more than 550 topics) on Nick.com. While fan fiction – or ‘fan-fic’ for those linguistically savvy (or those just in a rush) – remains a favorite of fans who enjoy the opportunity to show off their story-telling chops, the board’s most popular topic remains the question whether Jenny looks better as a red or green robot.

Thanks for making it this far. As a reward, here’s a page from Enrique’s Annie-nominated ChalkZone storyboard:


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Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Television Production – The Fairly OddParents

Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Television Production Produced For
Children – ChalkZone

Directing in an Animated Television Production
Rob Renzetti – My Life as a Teenage Robot – “Raggedy Android”

Production Design in an Animated Television Production
Seonna Hong – My Life as a Teenage Robot
Joseph Holt – My Life as a Teenage Robot

Storyboarding in an Animated Television Production
Enrique Braxton May – ChalkZone – “Pumpkin Love”
Dave Thomas – The Fairly OddParents – “Pipe Down”

Voice Acting in an Animated Television Production
Janice Kawaye as the voice of Jenny – My Life as a Teenage Robot
Candi Milo as the voice of Mrs. Wakeman – My Life as a Teenage Robot

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Frederator Studios
Original Cartoons Since 1998
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Questions, comments, complaints? Or you just don’t want our Frederator updates? Let us know at hype@frederator.kz.

Original Premiere >My Life as a Teenage Robot

June 23, 2003

METALLIC TEEN STUCK WITH “SAVING THE PLANET” HANKERS TO BE HUMAN IN ORIGINAL NEW NICKTOON SERIES MY LIFE AS A TEENAGE ROBOT PREMIERING FRIDAY, AUGUST 1

Metal on the Outside, Teenager on the Inside, Super-Powered Jenny/XJ-9 Just Wants to Hang with High School Pals in Action-Adventure Comedy

Eartha Kitt Recurs as Villainous Vexus

Los Angeles, Calif. – June 24, 2003 – Girls just want to have fun, but protecting planet earth must come first to six-foot, super-powered robot XJ-9. Jenny (voiced by Janice Kawaye) – who’s metal on the outside and a sensitive teenager on the inside, in the original new Nicktoon action-adventure comedy series My Life as a Teenage Robot, premiering Friday, August 1 at 8:30 p.m. (ET/PT). Spun off from Nickelodeon’s hit Oh Yeah! Cartoons, the series was created by Rob Renzetti (Dexter’s Laboratory, The Powerpuff Girls) who serves as executive producer with Oh Yeah!’s creator Fred Seibert (The Fairly OddParents, ChalkZone). Repeat airings Saturday, August 2 at 10:30 a.m. and 8:30 p.m. and Sunday, August 3 at 5:00 p.m. (ET/PT).

Displeased by her hard body, which features a limitless set of futuristic tools, Jenny prefers to mingle with non-metallic kids like her pals next door, easy-going, popular Brad (Chad Doreck) and his frenetic tag-along brother Tuck (Audrey Wasilewski). Fitting in at high school is sometimes a circuit-blowing experience to the wannabe cheerleader. Born to be a hero, though, as she saves the earth for the billionth time, she daydreams of boy bands, best friends and trips to the mall – all to the dismay of the human mom who invented her to rid the world of evil: mad scientist Mrs. Wakeman (Candi Milo), a woman of action who’s flummoxed by Jenny’s social life.

“My Life as a Teenage Robot gives kids lots of cool action and gadgets along with a surprisingly relatable hero who not only deals with teen angst, but who also saves the world every day,” says Cyma Zarghami, Executive Vice-President and General Manager, Nickelodeon.

Says Seibert, “Oh Yeah! Cartoons has proven to be a phenomenal talent pipeline. We’ve discovered many gifted creators whose animated shorts for that show have been spun off into hit series for Nickelodeon, and now, we’re excited again that Rob Renzetti’s My Life as a Teenage Robot can join the ranks of The Fairly OddParents and ChalkZone."

Above all else Jenny strives to defeat her enemies with a minimum of harm, and villains in her life, like Vexus, (Eartha Kitt) consider it beneath their dignity to resort to violence, preferring to terrorize with the ingenuity of their evil. While laser battle may be appropriate for the Cluster, a secret society of robots bent on usurping mankind’s position on earth, Jenny eschews it against human criminals.

All the super-villain plots for world domination pale in comparison to the power wielded by the cruel Crust cousins Brittany (Moira Quirk) and Tiffany (Cree Summer), Jenny’s classmates who hold the ultimate clout in their hands: high school popularity. Jenny’s arrival on campus throws them for a loop. It staggers comic book geek/inventor Sheldon (Quinton Flynn), too, who’s
instantly weak-kneed and sets out to woo his dream girl with super-hero gadgets. In fact, donning a cybernetic suit, Sheldon wins Jenny’s heart by masquerading as a metallic man of mystery and crime-fighting hunk, The Silver Shell.

The series premiere featuring “It Came from Next Door” and “Pest Control” devotes equal time to Jenny’s personal life and to her professional calling as a superhero. In the former Brad and Tuck discover there’s something very special about the girl next door. She is the super-powered Global Robotic Response Unit model#XJ9 but she likes her friends to call her “Jenny”. In the beginning of the episode Jenny wants to make friends with the neighbor boys, but when Jenny ignores her superhero duties the whole world may suffer the consequences.

In the latter, while Jenny is in sleep mode, a ruthless band of mutant rats from Wakeman’s lab break into her body and take over all its functions. The robot awakens and tries to regain control but soon finds that her head is not screwed on tight enough. The leader of the rats pops his head into the now devoid space and the rebellious rodents have a powerful tool with which they can take their revenge on Wakeman. Jenny can only watch in horror as her body heads for the door.

My Life as a Teenage Robot is Frederator Studios’ first in-house production.

Nickelodeon, now in its 24th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books, magazines and feature films. Nickelodeon’s U.S. television network is seen in more than 86 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for more than seven consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom International Inc.

First-ever TV movie from The Fairly OddParents

June 10, 2003


WITH THE WAVE OF A WAND FIRST-EVER TV MOVIE FROM NICKELODEON'S HIT ANIMATED SERIES THE FAIRLY ODDPARENTS DEBUTS FULFILLING KIDS' SUMMER WISHES OF MAGIC AND MAYHEM.

World Premiere of The Fairly OddParents TV Movie "Abra-Catastrophe" Marks Timmy Turner's One-Year Anniversary with Fairy Godparents Cosmo and Wanda on Saturday, July 12 at 8 PM

Los Angeles, CA – June 10, 2003 – Nickelodeon’s hit animated comedy series The Fairly OddParents, delivers kids' wishes of summertime fun with the world premiere of a TV movie based on the series. Timmy Turner celebrates his one-year anniversary with fairy godparents Cosmo and Wanda in "Abra-Catastrophe," airing Saturday, July 12, 2003, at 8: p.m. (ET/PT). The movie repeats on Nickelodeon, Sunday, July 13 at 4:00 p.m. (ET/PT).

In “Abra-Catastrophe,” it’s Timmy Turner’s one-year anniversary of enjoying Cosmo and Wanda as his fairy godparents, which is a huge cause for celebration in fairydom! As a special anniversary gift, Timmy receives a Magic Muffin, which allows him a rule-free wish. In the spirit of the credo, "Be Careful What You Wish For," his wish goes awry, he loses the magic muffin, and the world changes completely! Timmy forfeits his right to his Fairy Godparents and the right goes to the next species down the evolutionary chain– Monkeys! Then when his teacher, Mr. Crocker, gets his hands on the surprisingly foul-tasting baked good, he uses it to obtain his goal and finally capture a fairy! Now, all-powerful and crazier than ever, Crocker's taken over the planet and is using magic to rule the world! Only a certain ten year-old kid with a pink hat can save the Earth from the total, magical chaos unleashed by the muffin...TIMMY TURNER!

“This story of a magic muffin that turns the world upside down and inside out is easily one of the most action packed adventures in Nicktoons history. I can’t wait for kids to see this. It will make them love The Fairly OddParents more than they already do,” said Cyma Zarghami, Executive Vice President and General Manager, Nickelodeon.

“Abra-Catastrophe is just the latest in a string of successes for Butch Hartman. I'm honored to have worked with Butch for 11 years now, and to have nurtured his great talent on the original Fairly OddParents shorts on the Nickelodeon series, Oh Yeah! Cartoons,” said Fred Seibert, executive producer of The Fairly OddParents and president, Frederator Studios.

The Fairly OddParents’ popularity has soared among kids and adults since making its debut in March 2001. Second only to SpongeBob SquarePants in popularity on all kids’ broadcast and basic cable television, the show also is a solid hit among teens and adults, who make up a third of its 3.7 million-viewer audience each week

From Oh Yeah! Cartoons creator Butch Hartman, The Fairly OddParents follows husband-and-wife sprites Cosmo and Wanda wreak mayhem as they help Timmy conquer typical kid obstacles by granting him wishes and magically fixing his problems ranging from a tough homework assignment to a bothersome babysitter. Despite the wizardry, though, these overly eager oddballs manage to mess things up every time.

Once a powerless kid at the mercy of every adult in his life, Timmy (Tara Strong) figures he finally has the upper hand when Cosmo (Daran Norris) and Wanda (Susan Blakeslee) appear unexpectedly on the scene. Fairy godparents help kids in need, and the Fairy Council saw Timmy as a client who fits their criteria and so they assigned him to Cosmo and Wanda. They constantly practice their craft on him and delight in playfully punishing his babysitting nemesis, 16-year-old Vicky (Grey Delisle), who turns mean as a snake the second Timmy’s parents leave.

Series creator Butch Hartman began his animation career as an assistant animator on An American Tail. He directed cartoons and created his own shorts for What a Cartoon!, and also wrote and directed episodes of Dexter’s Laboratory, Cow & Chicken and Johnny Bravo. Hartman joined Nickelodeon in 1998 where he created and produced several cartoon shorts for the Oh Yeah! Cartoons series, including The Fairly OddParents.

Nickelodeon, now in its 24th year, is the number-one entertainment brand for kids. It has built a diverse, global business by putting kids first in everything it does. The company includes television programming and production in the United States and around the world, plus consumer products, online, recreation, books, magazines and feature films. Nickelodeon’s U.S. television network is seen in more than 86 million households and has been the number-one-rated basic cable network for more than seven consecutive years. Nickelodeon and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom International Inc.

We're proud of our first movie.

December 13, 2002


We're proud of our first movie.

We’re happy to announce the showing of the first Frederator animated film: Globehunters: An Around the World in 80 Days Adventure. This picture was superbly directed by John Eng. (In a totally unbiased moment, I think it's the best looking animated film for television I've seen.) And we’re very proud and pleased that Nickelodeon is featuring it in their ‘Sunday Movie Toons’ slot. We hope you and your family enjoy the movie.

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Globehunters: An Around the World in 80 Days Adventure

Directed by John Eng

Written by Danny Hartigan and Tim Wade

Songs by John Kavanaugh and Barbara Epstein

Score by Don Grady

Executive Producers: Sherry Gunther, Barbara Epstein, Fred Seibert

'Odd' over 'SpongeBob'

November 13, 2002

'Odd' over 'SpongeBob'

The Frederator Studios update:

Our production of Butch Hartman's "The Fairly Oddparents" has been getting a lot of attention with it's steady ratings growth towards the top of Nickelodeon.

Oh Yeah! Cartoons continues its run in the top 10 on Saturday mornings; series production is moving on ChalkZone and My Life as a Teenage Robot.

And the studio's starting two series pilots at the new TNN.

Frederator is also starting three huge projects. Two animated feature slates: five PG13 pictures for adults, and five G-rated family films. And we'll be announcing our first international pre-school project shortly.

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KIDS CHOOSE "ODD" OVER "SPONGEBOB"

Sibling skein hands 'Squarepants' his first Sat ayem upset

By LILY OEI, Variety

NEW YORK -- Has "SpongeBob" got his pants in a twist?

Last week, sibling skein "The Fairly OddParents," handed the porous hero his first Saturday ayem upset in 23 weeks, registering a 6.2 rating and nearly 2.5 million kid viewers. "SpongeBob" had to settle for a 6.0 rating and 2.4 million kids 2-11.

With no hoopla from Nick, numbers for "Fairly Odd" has been steadily climbing. Launched in March 2001, series follows the adventures of little Timmy Turner and his well meaning, but ineffective fairy godparents.

For the month, it will finish second overall in kids 2-11, behind "SpongeBob," but in front of Nick's other hits, "Jimmy Neutron" and the well established "Rugrats."

"Fairly Odd" has also settled into the basic cable top 15. To date, nearly 2.9 million households have tuned in this month. Compared with last year, its Saturday ayem ratings are up 30% in both kids 2-11 and total viewers; delivery is up 29% in kids (to 2.2 million) and 38% in total viewers (to 3.6 million).

"It's been working its way to this performance," said Nickelodeon's exec VP and GM Cyma Zarghami.

Created by Butch Hartman, show is produced inhouse. Series began as part of channel's "Oh Yeah Cartoons" lineup and was spun off with a six-episode order for Friday night broadcasts. A steady performer, series was moved into the prime Saturday 10 a.m. slot.

There are 21 completed episodes of "Fairly Odd," 19 more are in production, and Nick has greenlighted another 13. With increased episodes comes increased frequency. Next fall, Nick plans to be more aggressive with its skedding -- and licensing deals ("SpongeBob" has a $600,000 licensing purse).

"We put the machine to work after we know we've got a hit," said Zarghami. "We've been tracking it really carefully, so it's not a surprise -- that it's happened so quickly is very exciting to us."

'Oh Yeah!' Brand new cartoons coming to Nickelodeon

July 17, 1998


'Oh Yeah!' Brand new cartoons coming to Nickelodeon
By Jefferson Graham, USA Today

Abstract:
While president of the Hanna-Barbera studio, Fred Seibert hatched the idea to produce 48 original shorts for the Cartoon Network.
His goals were to revive classic, Looney Tunes-type animation and to find new characters that could be spun off into their own series. That's how Dexter's Laboratory and Johnny Bravo came to life.

Nickelodeon executives aren't bothered by comparisons between The Cartoon Network's What a Cartoon Show! and Oh Yeah! "Fred's a Nick person first. The Cartoon Network enlisted him to bring some of that same sensibility to them,"says Nickelodeon entertainment chief Albie Hecht.

Full Text:

Once is not enough for cartoon king Fred Seibert.

While president of the Hanna-Barbera studio, he hatched the idea to produce 48 original shorts for the Cartoon Network.

His goals were to revive classic, Looney Tunes-type animation and to find new characters that could be spun off into their own series. That's how Dexter's Laboratory and Johnny Bravo came to life.

In October 1996, Seibert returned to Nickelodeon, where he had worked earlier, and the network asked him to perform his animation magic again.

The result is Oh Yeah! Cartoons!, premiering Sunday at noon ET/PT. The half-hour show will introduce three new cartoon characters a week.

"The Cartoon Network started doing original cartoons because of the competition from Nickelodeon with series like Rugrats and Doug," he says. "We were reacting to them, so this is just coming back full circle."

Nickelodeon executives aren't bothered by comparisons between The Cartoon Network's What a Cartoon Show! and Oh Yeah! "Fred's a Nick person first. The Cartoon Network enlisted him to bring some of that same sensibility to them,"says Nickelodeon entertainment chief Albie Hecht.

And there are no hard feelings at the Cartoon Network. "Cartoons began as shorts," says Linda Simensky, a former Nick exec who now serves as vice president of original animation for the Cartoon Network. "No one can say they stole it from anyone -- except (pioneering animator) Windsor McKay."

At Nickelodeon, 17 young animators have come up with 36 original characters for Oh Yeah! -- characters they hope will be as wild, wacky and popular as Bugs, Porky and Daffy were in their heyday.

"The difference between Looney Tunes and everything else is that they tried things out before they went to series," says Seibert. "Bugs Bunny evolved for years until he became the character we love."

Oh Yeah!'s premiere episode features these shorts:

Chalkzone, about a boy who discovers a magic stick of chalk that allows him to enter a world where all erased chalk drawings come to life.

What Is Funny?, with Slap T. Pooch, who investigates the mystery of humor.

Jelly's Day, with a girl who hangs out with her monster cousin from Entransylvania.