Happy Happy Joy Joy: The Ren and Stimpy Story

Director(s) - Ron Cicero and Kimo Easterwood

Starring - Bob Camp (Tiny Toon Adventures, Attack of the Killer Tomatoes), John Kricfalusi (The Simpsons, The Smurfs), and Jim Ballantine (The Little Mermaid, 100% Wolf)

Release Date - 2020

Genre - Documentary

Format - Bluray (Personal Collection)

Rating (out of 5):

     If you grew up through the late 80s and early 90s then you lived through some of the most controversial animated shows in history.  The Simpson, Beavis and Butthead, South Park, Family Guy and Ren and Stimpy.  Ren and Stimpy stood out among the others because it was on Nickelodeon and was aimed to children while the others were meant for adult audiences and typically came on late at night.  Ren and Stimpy was not only controversial on the screen but behind the screen as well.  I was a huge Ren and Stimpy fan but now I struggle with separating the art from the artist.  A few weeks ago I saw that Happy Happy Joy Joy: The Ren and Stimpy Story received a blu release.  I was already picking up The Orange Years so I went ahead and added this to the cart to have a double feature.  

     The documentary follows the company the creation of the animation studio Spumco, which was co-founded by artist John Kricfalusi, who would respond to an ad looking for animation properties to air on Nickelodeon.  We then follow them through their rise to stardom before egos clashed resulting in John K's firing from Nickelodeon.  

     A few years ago a video was floating around, from Buzzfeed I believe, discussing Ren and Stimpy creator John K's sexual abuse and grooming of underage women.  He admitted to it and gave a half-hearted apology but the whole situation really tainted the legacy of Ren and Stimpy.  I want to separate the art from the artist so to speak especially where there is other amazing artists attached to the show.  What John K did was inexcusable but the show was such a huge part of my childhood and this documentary does a phenomenal job at giving fans a look inside of what happened to one of the most icons yet short lived shows to ever exist.  The interviews in this one are exactly how I love to see a documentary done.  We have people from all sides of the subject and not everything is sugar coated.  We have people, including John K and one of his victims, who go in depth on the beginnings of Spumco, the creation of Ren and Stimpy and how Nickelodeon acquired them, the success, and then the ego of John K taking over forcing Nickelodeon to fire him.  I love seeing the fans talk about the shore while others are discussing the destructive nature of John K.  The interviews are very thorough and you really do get a great glimpse of what it was like.  The topics discussed in this one move in a chronological order and it works for the subject.  I wish the portion about John K and his victims was included during the time it was happening instead of at the end but I'm glad it was included regardless.  Finally, the editing and transitions in this one is great.  The transitions are smooth and we get a lot of fun animation and old pictures scattered throughout to really add to the stories being told.  Overall, Happy Happy Joy Joy is for fans of early 90s Nickelodeon or fans of Ren and Stimpy in general.  I hate that John K did that to those women and justice was never served but I'd be lying if I didn't admit that this show was a huge part of my childhood.  John K being a piece of shit aside, I highly recommend checking out this doc.  It was well worth the time.