Popeye's Voyage: The Quest for Pappy

Plot

Popeye sets out to find his missing father Poopdeck Pappy, who abandoned him as a child. Haunted by nightmares that his Pappy is in danger, he bravely sails the open sea with Olive Oyl, Bluto, Wimpy, and Swee'Pea toward the Sea of Mystery, which lies within the evil Sea Hag's domain. The group encounters sirens, serpents, and menacing mists, all part of the Sea Hag's attempts to destroy Popeye.

Production

The special was originally to be produced by Will Vinton, but after Vinton lost his studio in 2002, Mainframe Entertainment took over. Mainframe announced the project in September 2003, securing Canadian TV rights and UK/Australian home video rights, while Artisan Home Entertainment obtained US distribution rights for an October 2004 release. Fox acquired TV rights and aired the special during the 2004 holiday season. Animator Joel Brinkerhoff, who would have been a lead animator and co-animation director had the project stayed with Vinton, wrote about Vinton's initial CGI version.

He noted that Paul Rieser wrote a version of the script and Jim Hardison wrote the last draft, which went back to E. C. Segar's original Thimble Theater strip for characterizations. Brinkerhoff created models from Fleischer model sheets and mouth charts for the CG modelers to maintain the classic cartoon look, but he did not know if any CG models from Vinton were being used. Billy West described the production as "the hardest job I ever did, ever" and the voice of Popeye as "like a buzzsaw in your throat."