Customer Reviews

The Ripping Friends (Vols. 1 & 2)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was hugely disappointed when Fox decided to replace The Ripping Friends with more Pokemon-esque cartoons. I'm relieved though, that they at least released these episodes on video/dvd. Unfortunately, this collection only has the first four episodes out of thirteen or so (The Ripping Friends were aired for only one season).

Extras on the DVD include a preview and some storyboards with the animation sequence they illustrated. I wish they had an interview with the genius behind the madness, John K., who is also the creator of Ren and Stimpy.

I think kids won't find the show as entertaining as kitsch/nostalga loving teens and adults. Some of the jokes are actually pretty "mature" ... .

Wish I could give the collection 5 stars, but the lack of special features and being only 4 episodes (total of 80 minutes) is a definite minus.

Thank God for Spumco! After stupid Nickelodeon fired the creator of one of the most innovative shows ever made for TV, ( The Ren and Stimpy Show ) and replaced him with corporate yes-monkeys who promptly destroyed everything, John K. and his Spumco Big Shots bring us the wonderful "Ripping Friends." The character designs are incredibly well done. Maybe the best ever for a childrens' television cartoon. This show just got better and better, and I must admit that the later episodes are funnier than these early ones. But second-echelon Spumco is still better than first-rate almost anything else. The best episodes have yet to be released on DVD; but until they do, these will do just fine. Hail, Spumco!

It is one of the great injustices of popular culture that what is good is not always popular. Only about 13 Ripping Friend episodes were made before Fox TV decided to program their entire Saturday morning lineup with generic, derivative, cross-marketed junk. And alas, the Ripping Friends were no more.

What is it like? The 3 Stooges meets the Justice League with lots of fart jokes. It carries a lot of the vibe that went through the Ren and Stimpy cartoons (same creative team) gleefully and unabashedly revelling in excretion and odor based humor while poking fun at cultural and genre cliches. What makes this stuff great is that it manages to do it in a genuinely entertaining and endearing way. Kind of like when a toddler farts, says "toot", and laughs about it.

The DVD has the first 4 aired episodes, my only complaint would be that if this is the only DVD released I would've picked some other episodes. Hopefully, more of the series will be released.

Give it a shot, where else can you find a badguy built out of foot callouses and corns?

Ripping friends is great but with the only 4 episodes I would have to give it 4 stars. Last week I saw a DVD with all 13 episodes and bought it, but Im not sure whether you can get it in the USA. Worth looking out for though.

Animation's bad-boy John Kricfalusi has done it again! This show is an electrifying explosion of Kirk Douglas-esque muscle men in skimpy shorts, unbelievably goofy villains, surrealistic storytelling and a lot of gross-me-out-to-the-max body-function humor. I loved it!
Wouldn't it be cool if ALL the shows in this series were available in a really neat-o boxed set, so that those of us who know what's good could buy them?

The Ripping Friends are a group of testosterone-poisoned, over-muscled brothers who fight bizarre villains in unconventional ways. In a genre as old and tired as Super-heros, it is a spark of fresh creativity. John K's sophomoric humor (butt shots, flatulence, veiled homoeroticism) comes out in full force. Some of the gags are borrowed from Ren and Stimpy, but there is a new feel to the show, where it pokes fun at the paternalistic attitude of shows like the Superfriends.

Still, I can't help feeling that John K is holding back. The brilliant moments of strangeness are spaced out with long moments of tedious plot set-up, clumsy timing, and boring cliches. It feels rushed, as if John's legendary production values were set aside to meet deadlines. This is not on the same level as Ren and Stimpy, which is probably why the show does not get aired nearly as often. Nevertheless, to the collector of strange animation, it is a requisite purchase.

Another disappointment is the fact that there are only 4 episodes in this DVD. I don't know why they could not include all 13 in a multi-disc set. Some of my favorite episodes, like "Man Man" were not included. I don't know if they will ever be available, which is a big bummer, because I would definitely buy them.

This Item is great for children and adults alike. If you are a fan of Ren and Stimpy this is a must own, my only disappointment is the fact that there is only four episodes on this disc. The entire program only aired thirteen episodes, so they should really consider just releasing the entire season on DVD, until then this is wonderful.

If you are a teenager, you probabley grew into a pre-teen with Ren and Stimpy. I was a pre-schooler at the time Ren and Stimpy was popular, and to this day I watch the Spumco episodes of it religiously.
Fast foward ten years.
The original creators of Ren and Stimpy, John Kricfalusi and Spumco, have decided to come back on TV with a sucessful show after the diasater relationship they had with Nickeldeon a decade ago. Now they are with Fox Kids, with The Ripping Friends. I saw most of the first season, and is it as good as any Spumco product they made from R&S to present?
Close.
The animation: Now this is my least favorite part of the show. It really feels flat and two dimentional, almost like a 60s Hanna Barbera show, but slightly cleaner. There are still some good drawings, and based on the budget and the fact that it's a Saturday Morning Cartoon (which normal have limited animation), it's still OK. But check out the designs and the storyboards by Jim Smith, they look excellent, as always. I just wish they'd hire some close-up animators from Ren and Stimpy. ***/*****

The plot: Intresting. According to Kricfalusi, it's supposed to be a spoof on manly men, any type of men before political correctness or the 70s. Their mission: to rip, or destroy anyone or thing that stands in the way of justice. ****/*****

The humor: Hilarious. A couple jokes are a little flat, but you'll forgive those jokes instantly when other jokes come in the line. Ren and Stimpy-ish, and politically satire-ish most of the time. I won't spoil any here. See for yourself. ****1/2/*****.

Bottom line: It's no Ren and Stimpy, and the animation needs a bit of clean-up, but watch it for the humor, and how unusual it is. ****/*****. I will review the DVD when I purchase it.

the first time i saw ripping friends on tv i was in shock that they were even getting away with showing this stuff
and pretending it was a kid's show
fantastic
over the top
ridiculous
and all the weird sexual stuff
i hated ren and stimpy - much too slow and stonerish for me
but ripping friends is possibly one of the best things to ever hit the living room screen
i hope we get more

If you like John K., get it!