The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack
Encyclopedia
The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack (also known as The Misadventures of Flapjack or simply Flapjack) is an American animated television series produced for Cartoon Network
that premiered on June 5, 2008 and ended on August 31, 2010. The show was created by cartoonist Thurop Van Orman who has worked as a writer and storyboard artist on The Powerpuff Girls
, The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy
and Camp Lazlo
. The show is often noted for its surreal, often disquieting humor and bizarre plot twists.
Van Orman attempted to pitch the concept to Cartoon Network in 2001. He created a short and incorporated many childhood favorites, with visual inspiration from older adventure novels. His first pitch was rejected, but he received a lot of feedback and re-pitched the concept in 2003.
The series works with Screen Novelties
to produce the stop-motion and title card portions of the show.
Paul Reubens
was originally selected to be the voice of Flapjack, but when Reubens did not show up on the day of recording, Van Orman himself decided to voice Flapjack.
The series came to an end on August 31, 2010 after 46 episodes. The final episode entitled "Fish Out of Water" included live action sequences and featured an appearance by creator Thurop Van Orman, and his son Leif, who played Flapjack.
system. When the show ended, the game was apparently canceled. Flapjack and Captain K'nuckles will be appearing as playable characters in Cartoon Network: Punch Time Explosion
; Peppermint Larry and Candy Wife will act as assist characters, while one of the stages will be set within Bubbie's Mouth. Eight-Armed Willy appears as part of Flapjack's special attack.
Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network is a name of television channels worldwide created by Turner Broadcasting which used to primarily show animated programming. The channel began broadcasting on October 1, 1992 in the United States....
that premiered on June 5, 2008 and ended on August 31, 2010. The show was created by cartoonist Thurop Van Orman who has worked as a writer and storyboard artist on The Powerpuff Girls
The Powerpuff Girls
The Powerpuff Girls is an American animated television series created by animator Craig McCracken and produced by Hanna-Barbera for Cartoon Network...
, The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy
The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy
The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy often shortened as Billy and Mandy is an American animated television series that aired on Cartoon Network. It is also the spin-off of Grim & Evil. Having originally aired as part of Grim & Evil The show began in 2001, And went on to become one of Cartoon...
and Camp Lazlo
Camp Lazlo
Camp Lazlo is an American animated television series created by Joe Murray, produced by Rough Draft Studios, Joe Murray Productions and Cartoon Network Studios. It aired on Cartoon Network...
. The show is often noted for its surreal, often disquieting humor and bizarre plot twists.
Overview
Flapjack is a young boy raised by a talking whale named Bubbie. Flapjack leads a peaceful life until the duo rescues a pirate by the name of Captain K'nuckles, who tells Flapjack of a place called Candied Island, which is made completely of candy. Inspired by the adventurous pirate, Flapjack, Captain K'nuckles and Bubbie get into strange predicaments and "misadventures" in search of candy, Candied Island and the coveted title of "Adventurer". The three spend most of their time in Stormalong Harbor, their place of residence, and home to many strange characters.Production
As a child, show creator Van Orman lived in Panama City, Florida, and "used to fantasize about living near the dock and having adventures all the time." When he was 13, his family moved to Utah, but Van Orman still dreamed of adventure. He worked after school as a janitor, saving money for a plane ticket back to Florida. There, he packed some rice and potatoes, and paddled a surfboard to Shell Island. He planned to live off sea urchins and "even speared a manta ray," but things soon went sour. Eventually he became badly sunburned and began to starve. He returned to the mainland, but later tried again: he "went to Mexico and lived in the jungles and found [himself] eating out of dumpsters." Orman took his failures in stride, chalking all these bad circumstances up as "part of the adventure".Van Orman attempted to pitch the concept to Cartoon Network in 2001. He created a short and incorporated many childhood favorites, with visual inspiration from older adventure novels. His first pitch was rejected, but he received a lot of feedback and re-pitched the concept in 2003.
The series works with Screen Novelties
Screen Novelties
Screen Novelties is a collective of film directors, specializing in stop motion animation. It was formed in 2003 by Mark Caballero, Seamus Walsh, and Chris Finnegan....
to produce the stop-motion and title card portions of the show.
Paul Reubens
Paul Reubens
Paul Reubens is an American actor, writer, film producer, and comedian, best known for his character Pee-wee Herman. Reubens joined the Los Angeles troupe The Groundlings in the 1970s and started his career as an improvisational comedian and stage actor...
was originally selected to be the voice of Flapjack, but when Reubens did not show up on the day of recording, Van Orman himself decided to voice Flapjack.
The series came to an end on August 31, 2010 after 46 episodes. The final episode entitled "Fish Out of Water" included live action sequences and featured an appearance by creator Thurop Van Orman, and his son Leif, who played Flapjack.
Setting
Most characters live in the fictional city of Stormalong Harbor. The city is built entirely on a series of docks in the middle of the ocean with no surrounding land. It is possible to actually swim underneath the city, and is often done by Bubbie. However, Stormalong has a sewer system and a series of underground tunnels. Most inhabitants are sailors of some sort, and sailors and/or pirates are constantly visiting from other lands. Stormalong has a great variety of (often bizarre) shops, including a bar that serves candy instead of alcohol (The Candy Barrel). The wealthier citizens live on more elevated piers, while the lower class lives lower in the city, both figuratively and literally. The city appears to be relatively dysfunctional, with a large level of crime and loitering, with the only forms of law enforcement being the dock hag and a relatively small police force.Main characters
- Flapjack - A boy who was found and raised by Bubbie, a talking whale. He is 8 years old. He is also shown sometimes with big blue eyes. Flapjack is very naive and oblivious to danger, thus he is easily caught up in perilous situations. He holds K'nuckles in extremely high regard, with his affection for the captain sometimes bordering on obsession. His catchphrase is "Adventure!" (said whenever excited). He is caught barefoot in two episodes. He is voiced by series creator Thurop Van-Orman. In the live-action episode, Thurop's son Leif plays the role of Flapjack. Frank WelkerFrank WelkerFranklin Wendell "Frank" Welker is an American actor who specializes in voice acting and has contributed character voices and other vocal effects to American television and motion pictures.-Acting career:...
is the voice of Flapjack in the pilot episode. Flapjack's original voice actor was meant to be Paul ReubensPaul ReubensPaul Reubens is an American actor, writer, film producer, and comedian, best known for his character Pee-wee Herman. Reubens joined the Los Angeles troupe The Groundlings in the 1970s and started his career as an improvisational comedian and stage actor...
, but Reubens never showed up to any recording sessions.
- Captain K'nuckles - A washed-up and childish old sailor who claims to be the greatest adventurer the world has ever known. Nowadays, he prefers to nap and drink maple syrup, while telling outrageous tales of past adventures and getting Flapjack wrapped up in his high seas hi-jinks. In reality, his stories are either completely false, or nowhere near as adventurous or amazing as he leads Flapjack to believe. He may not be an entirely incompetent adventurer however, as he was able to steal the Mermaid Queen's heart and successfully escape her guards in "Gone Wishin'". He is a candy addict; he will do whatever it takes to get his hands on candy. Because of this, he is incredibly selfish, putting the well-being of himself and the acquisition of candy above all else. Because of his often selfish, rude, and openly villainous behavior, K'nuckles has earned the open hostility and disrespect of nearly everybody in Stormalong, but is still respected by other pirates. Although he has a habit of taking advantage of Flapjack for his own needs, he is actually fond of him and will often attempt to get him out of trouble when a scheme of theirs goes too far. He also defends Flapjack when others try to deceive him, something that he does on a regular basis. Most of his body is composed of wood: his hands are wooden, his legs are pegs and his buttocksButtocksThe buttocks are two rounded portions of the anatomy, located on the posterior of the pelvic region of apes and humans, and many other bipeds or quadrupeds, and comprise a layer of fat superimposed on the gluteus maximus and gluteus medius muscles. Physiologically, the buttocks enable weight to...
(his "sittin' muscle", as he calls it) is a wooden board. He is also made of parts stolen by other pirates. Because of his artificial body, he makes mechanical noises when he moves. K'nuckles spends most of the adventures with Flapjack trying to find Candied Island. Flapjack often has to defend him when he is in trouble. He is voiced by Brian Doyle Murray. In the live-action episode, Thurop Van Orman plays K'nuckles.
- Bubbie - An anthropomorphic whale, she is Flapjack’s devoted, adoptive single mother. Bubbie serves as the primary home and transport of both Flapjack and K'nuckles. She frequently disapproves of Flapjack’s desire for adventure, but will always be won over. As told in one episode, she found Flapjack at sea in a bed of seaweed. Bubbie and K'nuckles frequently disapprove of each other's actions, especially concerning 'adventure'. She believes K'nuckles to be irresponsible, lazy, and a bad influence on Flapjack. She is voiced by Roz RyanRoz RyanRoz Ryan is an American actress. She has earned wide acclaim as an actress, singer and comedian.-Life and career:Ryan was born Rosalyn Bowen in Detroit, Michigan, the daughter of Gertrude and Thomas Bowen, who worked for the Board of Education. She is a 1969 graduate of Mackenzie High School...
.
Recurring characters
- Peppermint Larry - The hare-lipped owner and manager of The Candy Barrel, the only place in Stormalong where adventurers can get candy (Besides the Candy Trough, only seen in one episode.) Peppermint Larry is shown as a generally nice person, but can also be hasty and selfish at times. Peppermint Larry is lonely and unsocial, so he made a woman of candy named Candy Wife. He loves Candy Wife as if she were real, while most other residents of Stormalong "played along" to humor him; until the episode "Just One Kiss," the show was deliberately vague as to whether or not she was actually "alive" or a delusion in Larry's mind. He often buys her candy rings telling everyone she has a taste for expensive items. It is also shown he hates pickles, as when he was stranded on Pickle Island and when Candy Wife put pickle juice in his drink to strike back at Larry, who exclaims, "PICKLE JUICE?! I don't like pickle juice!" He was once fired by the Dock Hag because he was using dead rats as puppets, and after wanted to be called "Mr. Larry". He is voiced by Jeff BennettJeff BennettJeffrey Glenn "Jeff" Bennett is an American voice actor and musician, listed "among the top names in the voice-over field", best known as the voice of Johnny Bravo in the series of the same name...
.
- Doctor Barber - The current doctor and barber of Stormalong. He is not only a doctor and a barber, but also a certified candyologist, and he's a creeper. Flapjack sometimes helps Dr. Barber with his insane shenanigans, often without understanding what Dr. Barber is really up to. He is seen to live with his mother, though she resides in a dresserDresser- Things :* Dresser , theatrical stagehand involved with costumes* Window dresser, shop display designer* Dresser Industries, multinational corporation based in Dallas, Texas* Grinding dresser, to dress the surface of a grinding wheel...
drawer and may simply be a voice Barber hears in his head a la Norman Bates in the film Psycho. Real or not, she seems to nag him about everything. He is obsessed with surgery, and always advises the simplest medical problems be addressed with a surgical procedure. (much to the denizens chagrin) He is often quoted to say, "Hmmm, yes." He is voiced by Steve Little.
- Dock Hag - The law enforcer of the Stormalong dock. She is portrayed as a semi-old woman with obvious obesityObesityObesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems...
, and black hair. She is seen to have a crush on K'nuckles, making a doll of him out of his "dock tickets". She never shows this outside of her home, and is usually cold and bitter to everyone who comes in contact with her. She has a rotten nephew named Lawrence, who is almost as mean as she is (though he plays tricks on people rather than just acting mean). It was shown that when she has to fill her ticket quota, she gives them to K'nuckles. She gives tickets to him even though he isn't doing anything and makes up rules so that she can give him more tickets. She was temporarily fired in "Mayor May Not" but it was never stated that she was rehired, implying that she just enforces the rules and writes her tickets for her own amusement and enjoyment. She is voiced by Daran NorrisDaran NorrisDaran Morrison Nordland , usually credited as Daran Norris, is an American film and television actor and voice artist. Since 1977 he has participated in more than 400 films, video games, and television projects. He is best known as Gordy from Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide, the voice of...
.
- Eight-Armed Willy - An extremely large Giant Pacific Octopus with a cut sticking out of his head, resembling a hole. In the episode Skooled, Miss Leading dressed up like him to help Flapjack and Captain K'nuckles learn their left and rights. In the episode Willy! (Or Won't He?), Flapjack tried to capture him with a group of people from Stormalong's only newspaper so that Flapjack could prove to a grouchy sailor that he was an adventurer and so that they can get more ink for the newspaper, but as it turned out, Willy was happy to give them ink and also helped Flapjack with his bet. Willy is shown to be larger than 100 ft. and is constantly making it difficult for Flapjack and K'nuckles to steal candy. Aside from Candy Island, Flapjack and K'nuckles attempt to get candy from Willy's secret stash of candy, located in Willy's ship. Willy has an eyepatch over his right eye, and is shown to have terrorized Stormalong for years, as he is probably the reason for the Sea Monster Alarm. He is shown to be antagonistic, but he seems to care for Flapjack. Vocal effects provided by Richard McGonagleRichard McGonagleRichard Francis McGonagle is an American actor and voice actor.McGonagle was born in Boston, Massachusetts, the son of Hildagard Virginia and William Francis McGonagle....
.
- The Inventor - The Inventor is a man who invents stuff to force child labor and is also the dastardly brother of The Professor. He invented a whale named W.O.O.S.H, which was designed to force children to help him achieve the goal of fastest thing in the Seven Seas. He invented the camera, but it is also powered by kids (having one of the kids draw whatever he saw). He is classed as a villain because he enforces child labor and is vengeful to Flapjack and K'nuckles, but sometimes he acts as if he weren't as bad as he seems when he tried to help an overweight police officer move faster. (This, however, was really only to help him catch Flapjack and K'nuckles during their trash-diving shenanigans.) He is voiced by Jeff BennettJeff BennettJeffrey Glenn "Jeff" Bennett is an American voice actor and musician, listed "among the top names in the voice-over field", best known as the voice of Johnny Bravo in the series of the same name...
.
DVDs
The volume 1 DVD was released on September 15, 2009. It contains the first five episodes and four bonus featurettes. Originally, an interstitial (often falsely referred to as the pilot) that never aired on TV, Captain and ToeNeil, was intended as a bonus feature on the DVD, but was not included for unknown reasons. A volume two DVD was announced for a December 2010 release, but was canceled by the show's looming ending in July 2010.| DVD Title | Region 1 | Discs | Episodes | Extras |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack: Vol. 1 | September 15, 2009 | 1 | 1-5 | Adventures in: voice acting and animation, Misadventures in song, Meet Thurop |
Video game
A Flapjack video game was confirmed by series creator Thurop Van Orman in Spring 2010 for the Nintendo DSNintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
system. When the show ended, the game was apparently canceled. Flapjack and Captain K'nuckles will be appearing as playable characters in Cartoon Network: Punch Time Explosion
Cartoon Network: Punch Time Explosion
Cartoon Network: Punch Time Explosion is a fighting video game developed by Papaya Studio and published by Crave Entertainment, for the Nintendo 3DS. The game was released on June 2, 2011 in North America. While, in Europe it is set to release on December 1, 2011...
; Peppermint Larry and Candy Wife will act as assist characters, while one of the stages will be set within Bubbie's Mouth. Eight-Armed Willy appears as part of Flapjack's special attack.
Awards
| Award | Category | Nominee | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 Golden Reel Award Motion Picture Sound Editors Founded in 1953, Motion Picture Sound Editors is an honorary society of motion picture sound editors. The society's goals are to educate others about and increase the recognition of the sound editors, show the artistic merit of the soundtracks, and improve the professional relationship of its... |
Best Sound Editing – Television Animation | ||
| 2009 Emmy Award Emmy Award An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various... s |
Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation | Chris Roszak For "Sea Legs" |
|
| 2010 Annie Award Annie Award The Annie Awards have been presented by the Los Angeles, California branch of the International Animated Film Association, ASIFA-Hollywood since 1972... s |
Best Animated Television Production for Children | ||
| Best Directing in a Television Production | John Infantino J.G. Quintel For "Candy Cassanova" |