Seth Green

Take a look at Seth Green’s filmography and you will begin to understand the extent to which this guy has been leaving his mark on popular culture. Since the mid eighties, he has been party to a wide assortment of television and film productions, not the least of which include voice acting roles for animation. Especially notable is his voice work on Family Guy, as the dimwitted son Chris, and a satellite character on Batman Beyond. But Robot Chicken is a slightly different story as it represents Seth Green’s first foray into production and it has given us a glimpse of the devastatingly funny impact that popular culture has had on him.

Alongside Seth Green in the toils of creating and producing television magic is the less visible, though no less instrumental editor of Toyfare Magazine, Matthew Senreich. A mutual interest in action figures prompted this oscillation of minds that eventually bore the existence of Robot Chicken. Apart from Seth Green’s involvement, the forefather of Robot Chicken is a long-standing, popular feature that was initially published in Wizard and later moved to Toyfare, where, in its present incarnation, it is called “Twisted Toyfare Theater.” The regular feature related the misadventures of a cast of toys in comic book fashion. Tom Root, a former Toyfare Theater writer, jumped along on the project as one of the head writers for Robot Chicken. In a sense, the legacy of “Twisted Toyfare Theater” is carried by Robot Chicken with the involvement of Senreich and Root.

Actually, there was one more stage in between the aforementioned Toyfare feature and the manifestation of the Robot Chicken series. While Senreich and Green were developing their idea, Sony approached them with an offer to produce several segments of animation as promotional material for their Screenblasts.com website and software suite. Twelve miniature episodes were created under the “Sweet J Presents” moniker. The experience acquired during this phase allowed the two to adeptly pitch their idea to Cartoon Network and the [adult swim] line-up has never been the same. In fact, a record number of viewers have been pulled in, decimating previous viewer ratings for original programming on [adult swim].

Just what is Robot Chicken anyway? Well for one, it is a menu item from a Chinese restaurant. Oddly enough, that is actually where the idea for the title originated. But with regard to the show, it is a stop-motion extravaganza in a sketch comedy format filmed with a constantly changing cast of classic toys as well as original action figure creations. Stated in another way, Robot Chicken is the rampant id of a force that has become obese with popular culture as it explodes, releasing the delightful nuggets for our amusement. Action figure enthusiasts and children of the 80s will get a kick out of the fast-paced showcase of nostalgic toys that are featured, enacting wild and crazy skits. And this being an [adult swim] program, you should know what to expect. The show is replete with moments of plastic violence, rude behavior, gross-out humor, and even some vulgarity so please watch responsibly.

The quality of the stop-motion animation is actually quite high, especially when you consider the time and budget constraints imposed on a television production. The ornate sets and many of the figures are made entirely from scratch. In addition to the action figures, claymation and some computer aids are used to streamline the process, thereby cutting some time saving corners. Most notable are the methods used to modify facial expressions. Potentially costly lip-assignment is simplified by using tiny adhesive paper mouths, which retain the garden variety charm of the animation, or digitally inserted quadrilaterals. Dabs of clay are often used to convey other transformations, such as the common blink of an eye. The polished trappings of CGI are intentionally forsaken in favor of old school stop-motion but certain digital embellishments are relied upon. For instance, wires and armature supports are often necessary to achieve the desired motion and they can be removed from the picture using computers-poof. Of course, Robot Chicken is not on the same caliber as Wallace and Gromit but they have done a wonderful job nonetheless.

Each episode is a mere 11 minutes long but they are packed with fun and there are ten whole episodes on each disc. There are usually two or three longer segments in each episode mixed in with a number of fairly short, channel surfing clips. These longer segments typically use old toys to parody a more contemporary facet of popular culture. Imagine, if you will, the plot of the movie Seven taking place in the Smurf village. “What’s in the box, Jokey? What’s in the box?” Or envision the I, Robot scenario transpiring in Orbit City. And what if Cobra headquarters was used as the setting for NBC’s hit comedy, The Office? That’s the kind of outlandish sketch comedy that you can expect from Robot Chicken.

Video : 9 out of 10 9

The picture is great. Nothing short of a freshly produced Grade ‘AA’ video presentation dispatched from the Robot Chicken coop to your local DVD retail outlet. This batch of episodes from the 2005 season are presented in their original full screen aspect ratio. Subtitles are available in English, French, and Spanish. Unfortunately there are no chapter breaks but, like the episodes themselves, the introductory theme song is short so this omission is not a big concern.

Audio : 7 out of 10 7

Cartoon Network has provided a standard yet solid 2.0 channel Dolby omelet of sound for this release. The pleasant mix is complemented by a hint of bass to keep the auditory palette intrigued. It just might be a requirement that they be attentive to the crunchy bass grooves given that Les Claypool of Primus fame has composed and performed the show’s opening theme song. But the star talent doesn’t end at the beginning. A lengthy string of actors and actresses have submitted their voices to Robot Chicken, enriching the elements of parody with an air of authenticity. It would be a foolhardy endeavor to list them all but some of the more legendary contributors include Dom DeLuise, Phyllis Diller, Mark Hamill, Pat Morita, Rob Paulson, Burt Reynolds, and Don Knotts. And it was nice to hear Seth Green’s fellow Family Guy cast members Seth MacFarlane, Alex Borstein, and Mila Kunis offer their support to the show too.

Bonus Material : 8 out of 10 8

Much like the dapper peacock, this Robot Chicken is not without a respectable number of feathers, which are divided between both discs. Audio commentaries are a staple feature and they are included on every single episode. Few but the most hardy and devoted of fans will endure this superfluous gesture but it is respectfully acknowledged as a sign of appreciation to the supporting consumer. Besides, in this case we hear not only from Seth Green and his fellow creators and writers, but a number of the special guest voices join in the fun as well. These special commentators include (but are not limited to) Mila Kunis, Macaulay Culkin, and Sarah Michelle Gellar.

Among the extra material on the first disc, my personal favorite has got to be the deleted scenes, which accumulates unused footage that essentially amounts to a bonus episode. These scenes can be viewed individually or collectively using the handy “play all” feature. That is super. There is also a collection of deleted animatics but the still images failed to convey the primarily visual humor in most of these. The photo gallery presents a series of photographs taken behind-the-scenes, complete with captions for your own personal edification. The final item on the first disc, labeled animation meetings, includes three video correspondences that Seth Green sent to the staff while he was working on another project in a remote location. Mr. Green can be seen pantomiming and gesticulating wildly in a crazed attempt to express his intentions for a particular scene (otherwise known as directing).

The second disc is loaded with great material. Three episodes of the Robot Chicken precursor Sweet J Presents are included. Senreich and Green provide brief introductions to each of these four minute segments, which are similar in format to their successor but with slightly less sophisticated animation. The behind the scenes documentary, clocking in at over 12 minutes, is an excellent feature. It covers the development of the show, from conception to production, and includes a number of technical details along the way. Also of interest to animation enthusiasts are the wire comparisons, which illustrate the effect of digital gadgetry to insert special effects and remove wires and other unsavory elements from the final product. Nearly five minutes of clips showing these side-by-side comparisons give the viewer a better idea of how they accomplish some of these amazing sequences. Employing a similar format but of less interest is the animatic to episode comparison, juxtaposing over five minutes of animatic drawings with the end result. The alternate audio outtakes feature compiles some outrageously humorous recording booth material that didn’t make it into the show. Rounding things off are a collection of promos and bumps used over the course of the first season. Not that you need to be convinced but this appeals to the completist in us all. The promos are your standard, short promotional clips that offer a free taste of Robot Chicken, leaving you hungry for more. The bumps (short for bumpers I presume) are those peculiar blank screens with the odd messages that pertain to the current program and are accentuated by hip music. All in all, I’m inclined to say that the bonus material does well to make this a viable product.

Packaging

Elegantly sinister. That is how I would describe this carton of DVDs, with its haunting depiction of mechanized poultry experimentation on the front of the slipcase. Further diabolical machinations are revealed on the inside of the three panel digi-pack. Episode contents are visually conveyed by the artwork beneath the discs and a more comprehensive content listing is provided on the backside of the rightmost panel. There is a single page advertisement included bearing the likes of Stoopid Monkey apparel on one side and other [adult swim] DVD sets on the reverse.

Wrap Up

This show reminds me of those toy commercials that I grew up watching where the kids would launch a projectile from the champion’s vehicle, destroying some improvised wall to reveal the villains whereabouts. That’s about the time one of them would triumphantly declare, “You’re evil schemes are finished so-and-so!” Television always made the act of playing with toys look so dramatic and significant. Robot Chicken captures a similar spirit minus the intervention of godlike hands and chubby little faces in a television event that I would dare say represents the ultimate expression of playtime fun. At any rate, Seth Green and Matt Senreich have created their own pop culture success that relies upon an admixture of pop culture and a cornucopia of toys in a manner that is both nostalgic and fresh. Moreover, the DVD is top-notch so if you are already a fan of Robot Chicken or this artistic medium appeals to you, then don’t hesitate to purchase this set. “Happy ending.”