MTV Animation
Encyclopedia
MTV Animation is the animation department of the television network MTV
. It was created in the late 1980s were it made several of the animated shorts that aired as bumpers for the network. It is often grouped with its Nickelodeon Animation Studios but they are completely separate departments. During the 2000s MTV Animation productions have decreased as MTV began importing more cartoons from their sister networks Comedy Central
and Nickelodeon
. Most of MTV cartoons are known for their dark humor, sexual jokes, graphic violence, pop culture references and irrelevance.
Many MTV animation productions do not survive a single season and in some cases are canceled before completion. Productions including Undergrads
, Downtown
, Aeon Flux and Clone High
have been highly acclaimed but none of them got renewed beyond their first season usually due to lack of an audience, proper advertising and bad scheduling on MTV's part.
However, some of the better promoted and watched MTV productions such as Beavis and Butt-head
, Daria
and Celebrity Deathmatch
survived beyond their first seasons.
By 2001, the animation department was shut down and the animated series have been animated by different studios.
In 2011, MTV relaunched its animation department and combined with its comedy department as well. Of its first productions includes the reboot of Beavis and Butt-head, which premiered in October 2011.
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
. It was created in the late 1980s were it made several of the animated shorts that aired as bumpers for the network. It is often grouped with its Nickelodeon Animation Studios but they are completely separate departments. During the 2000s MTV Animation productions have decreased as MTV began importing more cartoons from their sister networks Comedy Central
Comedy Central
Comedy Central is an American cable television and satellite television channel that carries comedy programming, both original and syndicated....
and Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
. Most of MTV cartoons are known for their dark humor, sexual jokes, graphic violence, pop culture references and irrelevance.
Many MTV animation productions do not survive a single season and in some cases are canceled before completion. Productions including Undergrads
Undergrads
Undergrads is an animated television series centered on the lives of four college undergraduate freshmen. Originally broadcast on MTV during 2001, only thirteen episodes were created. It has since been shown on Comedy Central in the United States, Teletoon in Canada, and Trouble in the United Kingdom...
, Downtown
Downtown
Downtown is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's core or central business district ....
, Aeon Flux and Clone High
Clone High
Clone High is a Canadian-American animated television series that aired for one season on MTV and Teletoon....
have been highly acclaimed but none of them got renewed beyond their first season usually due to lack of an audience, proper advertising and bad scheduling on MTV's part.
However, some of the better promoted and watched MTV productions such as Beavis and Butt-head
Beavis and Butt-Head
Beavis and Butt-head is an American animated television series created by Mike Judge. The series originated from Frog Baseball, a 1992 short film by Judge. After seeing the short, MTV signed Judge to develop the concept. Beavis and Butt-head originally aired from March 8, 1993 to November 28, 1997...
, Daria
Daria
Daria is an American animated television series produced by Paramount Television, and created by Glenn Eichler and Susie Lewis Lynn for MTV. The series focuses on Daria Morgendorffer, a smart, acerbic, and somewhat misanthropic teenage girl who observes the world around her...
and Celebrity Deathmatch
Celebrity Deathmatch
Celebrity Deathmatch is a claymation television show that depicts celebrities against each other in a wrestling ring, almost always ending in the loser's gruesome death. It was known for its excessive amount of blood used in every match and exaggerated physical injuries...
survived beyond their first seasons.
By 2001, the animation department was shut down and the animated series have been animated by different studios.
In 2011, MTV relaunched its animation department and combined with its comedy department as well. Of its first productions includes the reboot of Beavis and Butt-head, which premiered in October 2011.
Original productions
- MTV shorts (1980s-present)
- Stevie and ZoyaStevie and ZoyaStevie and Zoya is an animated series that appeared first on MTV in the late 1980s. The one-minute shorts were produced by Joe Horne, who later worked for Disney and on Class of 3000...
(late 1980s) - Liquid TelevisionLiquid TelevisionLiquid Television is an Emmy Award–winning 1990s animation showcase that appeared on MTV. The first season of Liquid Television also aired on BBC Two in co-production with MTV. Ultimately, MTV commissioned three seasons of the show, which was produced by Colossal Pictures...
(1991–1994; in association with the BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
) - Æon FluxÆon FluxÆon Flux was originally an avant-garde science fiction animated television series that aired on MTV in various forms throughout the 1990s, with film, comic book, and video game adaptations following thereafter. It premiered in 1991 on MTV's Liquid Television experimental animation show as a...
(1991–1995) - Beavis and Butt-headBeavis and Butt-HeadBeavis and Butt-head is an American animated television series created by Mike Judge. The series originated from Frog Baseball, a 1992 short film by Judge. After seeing the short, MTV signed Judge to develop the concept. Beavis and Butt-head originally aired from March 8, 1993 to November 28, 1997...
(1993–1997; 2011) - Jean-Claude LeThargic (1994–1995)
- The Brothers GruntThe Brothers GruntThe Brothers Grunt is an animated TV series that aired from August 15, 1994 to February 20, 1995 on MTV. The series was created by Danny Antonucci .-Premise:...
(1994–1995) - The HeadThe HeadThe Head began as an ongoing series that originally ran under the title MTV's Oddities, on MTV. It has begun airing on MTV2 in August 2009. It was released on DVD on December 15, 2009.-Plot:...
(1994–1996) - MTV's Oddities (1994–1995)
- The MaxxThe MaxxThe Maxx is an American comic book series created by Sam Kieth and published originally monthly by Image Comics and now collected in trade paperback collections from DC Comic's Wildstorm imprint. The comic book, which stars a character of the same name, spawned an animated series that aired on the...
(1995) - DariaDariaDaria is an American animated television series produced by Paramount Television, and created by Glenn Eichler and Susie Lewis Lynn for MTV. The series focuses on Daria Morgendorffer, a smart, acerbic, and somewhat misanthropic teenage girl who observes the world around her...
(1997–2001; TV movie in 2002) - Cartoon SushiCartoon SushiCartoon Sushi was an animation showcase program that aired on MTV from 1997 to 1998. It was produced by Nick Litwinko. As a collection of animation shorts, Cartoon Sushi was a spiritual successor to MTV's Liquid Television...
(1997–1998) - Celebrity DeathmatchCelebrity DeathmatchCelebrity Deathmatch is a claymation television show that depicts celebrities against each other in a wrestling ring, almost always ending in the loser's gruesome death. It was known for its excessive amount of blood used in every match and exaggerated physical injuries...
(1998–2002; 2006–2007) - DowntownDowntown (TV series)Downtown was an animated series on MTV on urban life, based on interviews with real people. The show follows a diverse and multiracial cast who live in New York City, and presents their everyday lives through quirky, humorous, and imaginative perspectives from the characters...
(1999) - The Phred on Your Head ShowThe Phred on Your Head ShowThe Phred on Your Head Show is a TV series on Noggin; now Nick Jr., made especially for it. On Saturdays and Sundays, it was 30 minutes; on weekdays, one hour...
(1999-2002; in association with Noggin and DMA Animation) - Spy GrooveSpy GrooveSpy Groove is a satirical action cartoon series that aired for one season on Teletoon and for six episodes on MTV. Spy Groove was created by Michael Gans, Richard Register and Kevin Thomsen, who also wrote and did the voices for the show. Christopher Gesualdi provided additional set direction and...
(2000) - UndergradsUndergradsUndergrads is an animated television series centered on the lives of four college undergraduate freshmen. Originally broadcast on MTV during 2001, only thirteen episodes were created. It has since been shown on Comedy Central in the United States, Teletoon in Canada, and Trouble in the United Kingdom...
(2001) - Clone High USA (2002–2003; in association with NelvanaNelvanaNelvana Limited is a Canadian entertainment company founded in 1971 known for its work in children's animation. It was named by founders Michael Hirsh, Patrick Loubert and Clive A. Smith after a Canadian comic book superheroine created by Adrian Dingle in the 1940s...
, Doozer and Buena VistaBuena Vista (Walt Disney Company)Buena Vista is a brand name frequently used for divisions of The Walt Disney Company, whose primary studios and offices are located on Buena Vista Street in Burbank, California. It was originally created by Walt Disney in 1953 after the release of Peter Pan to distribute his film and television...
) - 3 South3 South3 South is an American animated series that aired on MTV. The show focused on two life-long friends, Sanford and Del, and their adventures at the fictional Barder College. With the exception of their roommate Joe, nearly everyone at Barder is stupid and inept...
(2002–2003; in association with Warner Bros. AnimationWarner Bros. AnimationWarner Bros. Animation is the animation division of Warner Bros., a subsidiary of Time Warner. The studio is closely associated with the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies characters, among others. The studio is the successor to Warner Bros...
)