Cartoon Net Revisits Short Route to Hitsville

By Simon Applebaum

Cartoon Network is marching again to a short drummer, as in those seven-minute short subjects that led to many of the channel's original hit series, including The Powerpuff Girls, Johnny Bravo and Codename: Kids Next Door.

At least 20 new shorts will be produced and programmed during prime-time hours over the next two years. All of them will highlight developing talent and character-driven comedy. The first 'toons in this new batch will run this fall, promises Jim Samples, Cartoon's EVP and general manager.

The original shorts program, which ran under the "Cartoon Cartoons" and "What a Cartoon!" banners, was placed on hiatus two years ago after more than 60 segments were produced. One exception to that decision: 20 Clone Wars featurettes overseen by Genndy Tartakovsky (Dexter's Laboratory, Samurai Jack). Half of those shorts premiered last fall, and the final episodes run this week.

"That was our only development route, and it was too slow for what I needed to do-put more programming in the pipeline," Samples says. Samples increased the pace of new series launches, and introduced original animation from sister Time Warner division Warner Bros., such as Justice League and Teen Titans.

"The shorts allowed us the luxury to work with unproven talent and foster ideas in a protected environment where the creator has control. Now we have the luxury to take that route again, because we have more first-run product," Samples says.

Cartoon also is developing shorts for theatrical release. The first cinema effort is Perriwinkle Around the World, a set of two-minute slapstick vignettes from former SpongeBob animator Eric Stringer.

As for some of the talent that rose up through the original "Cartoon Cartoons," Powerpuff creator Craig McCracken is off to his next project, Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, which premieres July 16, and Courage, The Cowardly Dog creator/director John Dilworth has several projects under discussion. What's unclear right now is Tartakovsky's next move, now that Samurai Jack has ended production and new Dexter segments were not picked up.