LS Mark: Chris Savino's Critically Hated Cartoon Network Career

Chris Savino's Critically Hated Cartoon Network Career is an upcoming 2024 video by LS Mark discussing how Chris Savino's time at Cartoon Network was not very well liked. This video also contained special guest from D'Angelo Edwards from Hats Off Media.

Prologue
LS Mark: As much as I don't wanna talk about him, let's talk about Chris Savino. Chris Savino was an animator, producer, director, writer, and artist, who used to have his name all over cartoons people enjoy, such as My Life as a Teenage Robot and Samurai Jack. In 2016, he created the Loud House for Nickelodeon, which I never watched, but judging from the movie I saw back in 2021, I don't want to. He was also influenced by the Sunday funnies and classic cartoons. Oh, and he was also a sexual abuser.

But before he made the Loud House, there was a time where he was already hated back in the 2000s. Besides creating the comic strip the Complex Adventures of Eddie Puss, which is an unpleasant comic about an anthropomorphic cat boy who has the hots for his own mother, which may as well been cancelled due to its use of incest, he was known for his career at Cartoon Network during the early to mid 2000s. And a lot of people still hate his time at CN today. I know he also produced Johnny Test, but that's for another video. No, today we're gonna take a look at his critically hated Cartoon Network career.

While he has worked on many shows on Cartoon Network, he was known for creating the failed pilot "Foe Paws", the TV movie "the Flintstones: On the Rocks", and was labeled as the man who ruined Dexter's Laboratory and the Powerpuff Girls; all for Cartoon Network during the early-to-mid 2000s. Now that I mention it, why doesn't the Loud House get the same treatment? I've also been getting requests to do this, because apparently, even D'Angelo Edwards of Hats Off Media hated literally every aspect in the Chris Savino era of Dexter's Laboratory. So, let's talk about how wonderful his career is, and maybe actually find some good in them.

Foe Paws
LS Mark: First up we have is Foe Paws, an animated pilot pitched to Cartoon Network by Chris Savino. It was given to Cartoon Network as part of the 2000 Annual Cartoon Cartoon Fridays Big Pick Weekend, where viewers have to go to Cartoon Network's website, and vote for which show had the most potential. And of course, it lost to the Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy by Maxwell Atoms. I was actually curious to find out what's the issue with this pilot, and after finally watching it... yeah, Cartoon Network actually made the right decision NOT to green light Foe Paws.

All Foe Paws is is just your generic comedy about a stuck up cat and a stupid dog, like we've seen so many times over the years. They were apparently adopted by an Italian stereotype named "Mama Mia", because of course she adopted them. And she dresses the cat up like a girl, and named him "Vivian", and the dog like a boy, and named him "Rolo". I'll be honest, and say that I did not like this pilot at all. There's literally nothing funny I have for it, and it really is just as bad as people say. The writing is just absolutely incoherent, and doesn't know what it wants to do. Nearly every aspect in this failed pilot is just god awful, and it's no wonder why it never got picked up.

None of these characters are any interesting or likable, especially Mama Mia, who is definitely an Italian stereotype, as you would've guessed. She's the worst character in the cartoon, and while it's understandable she's upset about her family members leaving her, her character is just unpleasant. She's an Italian stereotype who only wants to live with smaller characters.

Mama Mia: But-a you two! You make-a me very happy! You stay nice and-a small-a forever!

LS Mark: Her portrayal in this cartoon is just awkward. And despite Chris Savino being Italian himself, how is he able to get away with this. Not even Danny Antonucci would receive the same treatment. I really do feel bad for the main cat, except that even he has no character or motivation. And the show can be an obvious attempt to rip-off CatDog, down to having the cheerful stupid dog voiced by Tom Kenny.

Dog (eventually named Rolo): Look on the bright side, it's buy one get one free! Now, we'll be together wherever we end up!

LS Mark: Not even the voice acting is any good, and while the style does look nice, it's not very well executed, because the animation just made it all the more basic. Not to mention, this overly long scene of Mama Mia singing a sad song, and that one scene where the two pets eat spaghetti savagely, because that's not disturbing as fuck. I'm actually glad Cartoon Network chose not to give this show the green light. It's no wonder Billy and Mandy won the contest. But just when you thought you saw the last of Chris Savino,--

The Flintstones: On the Rocks
LS Mark: The Flintstones: On the Rocks is an animated TV movie that aired on Cartoon Network on November 3, 2001; 15 days before the Dexter Goes Global marathon. I've seen some positive reviews, but I've also seen plenty of negative reviews, mostly from Rowdy C Moore of TV Trash. To those of you unfamiliar, the Flintstones was an animated series that was made by Hanna-Barbera in 1960, and aired on ABC, the American Broadcasting Company, during that time. Serving as the first prime time adult animated series, the Flintstones centers around the modern stone-age family. It takes place in the fictional city of Bedrock. By modern stone age, rather than evolving their culture, they multiply their brain cells, and invent modern life. Despite the many flaws, I still enjoy the show.

It's an arguably hilarious adult animated show from the 1960s, about a day in the life of the Flintstones. I never actually saw it until I got Boomerang. Then again, I was born in 2002, so I did watch it with my parents. And I enjoyed it for what it's worth. But then in 2001, Cartoon Network produced an animated film that would be more "adult" by today's standards. And yes, Chris Savino had involvement with the project as writer, director, and even uncredited producer. And how was the film?? WHAT WAS THE POINT OF THAT MOVIE??!!

The topic of divorce does sound like a nice concept, except that it's horribly executed. Not to mention, none of the characters are any likable; especially Fred, who was easily the worst character in this film. The main reason I can't stomach this film any longer! He acts more like his live-action film counterparts, but cranked up to a million. And the film did nothing but make Seth MacFarlane's cancelled Flintstones reboot look good. You may have thought Seth MacFarlane would've done a worse job with the Flintstones, but Chris Savino already had Seth beat. I think the only few positives I have for this movie are the voice acting and maybe the designs. The designs were by Craig Kellman, which is fine. But the animation is so lazily produced. Jeff Bergman, Kevin Michael Richardson, Tress MacNeille, and Grey DeLisle all do a great job with their performances as Fred, Barney, Wilma, and Betty respectively. It's also worth noting that Genndy Tartakovsky, creator of Dexter's Laboratory was a supervising producer for this film.

And I guess the stop motion sequences by Screen Novelties were fine. But given Chris Savino's involvement, nearly everything about this film is just god awful. As it turns out, Cartoon Network didn't ban the film due to the topic of divorce. No, they banned it due to the negative portrayal of Hispanics. They actually realized that Speedy Gonzales isn't as offensive to Mexicans as they thought. In this film, Fred and Wilma have their marriage... "On the Rocks"!

Peter Griffin: Ah? Ah? He said it! He said it!

LS Mark: So as soon as they were ready to file for a divorce, they both forgot their anniversary. As it turns out, the Flintstones and Rubbles were married on the exact same day, bringing "Viva Rock Vegas" into continuity, because that's what we want! This film took place before Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm were born, so it's more of a prequel to those days. And the fact that Fred didn't suggest that Wilma's a natural redhead?? And did I mention that Cartoon Network banned the film due to racism towards Hispanics? Yeah, they portrayed Fred Flintstone as if he was a fucking racist! They had him call Spanish a language that's "crazy", "jumbled", "mixed up", and "backwards"!

Fred Flintstone: Laaa...laaaa...laaaa... Cue....cuaaa....aaaeeee....veeaaa....vaaa..... Grandie?? Wilma, the sign's all crazy! The letters; they're all mixed up! It's all... jumbled.

Wilma Flintstone: It's written in Spanish, Fred.

(Fred bats his eyes in a confused mood)

Fred Flintstone: What do ya mean "Spanish"??

Barney Rubble: We're in Rockapulco, Fred. It's a Spanish speaking city.

(Fred then turns angry red at Barney)

Please no.

Fred Flintstone: Is this true??

Wilma Flintstone: Yep.

Fred Flintstone: Only the Rubbles could've brought us somewhere all backwards.

LS Mark: First of all, don't ask why Hispanics exist in the Flintstones universe, it's a cartoon. Second, that has got to be the most anti-Fred Flintstone I've ever seen!! I get that not everybody is good at speaking Spanish, but Fred portrays that ability like it's all backwards.

Fred Flintstone: Yeah, about 15 minutes ago, amigo!

Barney Rubble: Gee whiz, Fred! You're speaking Spanish already!

LS Mark: No he isn't, Barney! Now, fuck off!

Fred Flintstone: Amigo! (hotel manager blinks) *slowly* the Flintstones and the Rubbles are here, amigo!

LS Mark: Fuck you, Fred!! That's not Spanish!! You know it's sad that Dora the Explorer teaches better Spanish than the Flintstones. We're supposed to find this funny, yet there's literally nothing funny about it. I'd hate to sound like everybody else, but this it just god awful! I felt nothing but boredom and anger just by watching this shit! When your attempt to make the Flintstones more adult consists of unlikeable characters, you know when your film is a disgrace to the Flintstones. And there's a lot of long stretches of slow pacing in this film, like Fred and Wilma having dinner, Xavier the Jewel Thief retrieving the jewel, Fred driving to Roxico, and meets up with this hottie, and of course, everybody's absolutely flawless favorite. Fred yanking on a bird's tail!

Gee! Great writing there! Of course, I'm being sarcastic! Not to mention, this film contains sound effects from Dexter's Laboratory, and they don't fit well with the Flintstones. There's even a scene where Fred reveals the joke to Xavier about the two bags that look the same. Yet nothing in this film makes me laugh, it just makes me cringe in anger. And not to mention, we get two overly long offscreen scenes of cartoon characters fucking. First, the Rubbles; then, the Flintstones. Even on [adult swim], this will not go well. And don't get me started on that scene where Wilma gets bought when she finds a jewel in a bag that looks just like her purse. Just... why?? And just when Fred realized how much of a jerk he is, he acts like a jerk again. Not to mention, even I'd rather watch Dino trash Fred and Wilma's home than this!

And do I have to explain that one frustrating intro scene where they imitate each other?? It's so slow paced and unfunny, that I'm just surprised Cartoon Network had to green light this monstrosity!! It really is one of the worst Cartoon Network movies ever!! Because nothing will prepare you for mind-numbing torture!! It's no wonder it never got released on home media! And I actually agree more with the people who actively hate this movie. It's really sad that even WWE did a better job at staying true to the original show than Chris Savino. And just when you thought it was enough that Chris Savino ruined the Flintstones---

Dexter's Laboratory (seasons 3 & 4)
LS Mark: Dexter's Laboratory was one of my favorite shows on Cartoon Network. Created by Genndy Tartakovsky, this began the age of Cartoon Network's creator driven original content, especially under the Cartoon Cartoons label. This show is about a boy named Dexter, who has a secret laboratory in his bedroom. He hides it from everyone around him, but Dee Dee constantly breaks into his lab. The show itself was so great with its writing, characters, jokes, and everything. And it had a great sendoff in 1999 with the TV movie "Ego Trip".

Until 2001, when it got revived. I've heard nothing but bad things about this revival, and I was hoping to find some good things. For years, I only watched the Genndy Tartakovsky era. But then he left after Ego Trip to work on Samurai Jack. So, he handed the show over to Chris Savino. I finally got a chance to watch the last two seasons of Dexter's Laboratory, and... I'm sorry, but I'm gonna have to take everyone's word on this. This era is bad. Like... REALLY bad!! I actually agree with people like HatsOffMedia's D'Angelo Edwards, because there's LITERALLY NOTHING good I have about this revival!! This is a show that did NOT need to be revived, and yet, Cartoon Network was dumb enough to revive this!! Why did they need to?? Not to mention, every aspect in this revival is just awful! People will tell you that season 4 is better than season 3. And I'm all... "better"?? "BETTER"??? Season 4 just amped up the problems that plagued season 3!! It's really hard to find anything good about this era, because there's nothing good about it at all!!

One of the biggest problems I have with this revival is the change in Dexter's voice. Christine Cavanaugh retired in 2001 due to personal reasons, only to end up dead in 2014 after natural causes. So, Candi Milo took on the role of Dexter. While Candi Milo is a great actress in all, she did a lousy job as Dexter. And it's quite clear she will never top Christine Cavanaugh.

Dexter (Candi Milo): No one CARES!!! ABOUT THIS IMAGINARY PLACE!!! You see this stupid flower?? (eats the flower, then regurgitates it)

LS Mark: All the episodes in this revival are just god awful! And to make matters even worse, Genndy Tartakovsky did NOT care about Dee Dee's friends, nor did he care about the Justice Friends!! And yet, he was okay with Chris Savino putting his own invision on the show?? HOW IS GENNDY TARTAKOVSKY OKAY WITH THIS??!! Not to mention, the change in the art direction is just horrendous. This is supposed to resemble Samurai Jack mixed in with the Powerpuff Girls and Time Squad, yet it just comes off as oversaturated in season 3, and even more broken in season 4. You really think they listened to the problems that plagued season 3??!! They didn't!! At all!!

Not to mention, the characters have become flandarized down to the point where you would wanna punch these guys in the faces!! It's just Flintstones: On the Rocks all over again!! Just look at what they did to Dexter and Dee Dee's dad! He looks like a reject that came out of the Powerpuff Girls!! And maybe it IS a good thing Dee Dee's friends weren't flandarized. But Mandark?? They reveal that his real name is "Susan"?? SUSAN??!! Who names a boy "Susan"??!! If this is supposed to be the reason Mandark is evil, then these writers are complete idiots. Not to mention, it's so boring and slow!! I mean, you have episodes like "A Mandark Cartoon", that's literally in the rhythm of his laughter!! You have "A Third Dad Cartoon" that's literally just the whole episode consisting of nothing but Dexter's dad preparing for a golfing game, but when he succeeds, rain starts pouring over.

"Comic Relief" is just an obnoxious episode that would've been better had Genndy Tartakovsky done the episode. In fact, these would all be better if Tartakovsky did them. Except for "Chicken Scratch" and "Comedy of Feathers"!! What were they thinking?? I know that Genndy Tartakovsky is a fan of Conan the Barbarian, but do we need Chris Savino to do an episode about Dexter parodying Conan the Barbarian?? Because "Dexter the Barbarian" is a horribly slow paced episode!! "Used Ink" isn't any better. And don't get me started on "A Quackor Cartoon"!! Like D'Angelo Edwards said, you're better off with the comic books than the last two seasons of Dexter's Laboratory. Not to mention, Dexter's Wacky Races is an absolute disgrace to Wacky Races. I guess Chris Savino is good at fucking up Hanna-Barbera cartoons after all. And I don't wanna hurt anyone's opinions, but... why? Why would you find anything good about this whole revival era?? It tarnished the reputation Dexter's Laboratory had! So, reviving the show just became pointless. Even back in the early 2000s, this still didn't feel like Dexter's Laboratory at all!!

But just when you thought Dexter's Laboratory had the worst seasonal rot on Cartoon Network outside of Adult Swim during the 2000s,---

The Powerpuff Girls (seasons 5 & 6)
LS Mark: The Powerpuff Girls is a show that needs no introduction, because we all know how great the show is! But oh my god!! Seasons 5 and 6?? They're fucking horrible!!! These are just as bad as, if not WORSE, than the last two seasons of Dexter's Laboratory, because it's clear Cartoon Network didn't learn anything at all!! When Craig McCracken left the show to work on Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, you can tell the quality for Powerpuff Girls dropped hard!! It's so bad, that it's no better than the 2016 reboot. I'm not fucking kidding!! This is just as bad as the 2016 reboot!! This revival era of the Powerpuff Girls is what really ruined the Powerpuff Girls for everyone, including myself!

By the time Dexter's Laboratory and Powerpuff Girls got revived, Cartoon Network just had better shows on at the time. Say what you will about what happened to Johnny Bravo and Ed, Edd n Eddy, but even those shows can't top this AND Dexter in terms of seasonal rot! Like Dexter's Laboratory, I just can't find anything good about this era of Powerpuff Girls at all!! The Christmas special is just one of the most unpleasant specials I've ever seen, and "See Me, Feel Me, Gnomey" is just an unfunny rip-off of that one episode of Clone High. It's just... none of these episodes have any reason to exist outside of money. And yeah, these episodes are bad. REALLY bad. This whole revival is horrendous!!

Patchy the Pirate: ALL OF IT!!! ALL OF IT!!!

LS Mark: Besides those unfunny episodes, we get episodes like "City of Frownsville", where it's literally nothing but just the entire town crying for the whole episode. We even get "Sun Scream", which was written by the creator of Flapjack. I know that Thurop Van Orman cited Craig McCracken as an influence, but he does better when he's not working on the Powerpuff Girls. His time on Camp Lazlo! was more important than his time on PPG. Not to mention, what's with that bed-wetting episode?? Why make it??!!