Out of Jimmy's Head
A boy with a cartoonist's brain sees animated characters.
Out of Jimmy's Head, a live-action/animated teen sitcom for Cartoon Network, was created by Tim McKeon and Adam Pava. It drew from the network's 2006 film Re-Animated and marked Cartoon Network's first hybrid series. Premiering September 14, 2007, it was the network's only show impacted by the 2007–08 Writers Guild strike.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Comedy
- Teen sitcom
- Slapstick
- Creator
- Tim McKeon, Adam Pava
- Based on
- Re-Animated
- Tim McKeon
- Adam Pava
- Starring
- Bil Dwyer
- Jon Kent Ethridge II
- Dominic Janes
- Tinashe
- Matt Knudsen
- Rhea Lando
- Voices
- Carlos Alazraqui
- Tom Kenny
- Ellen Greene
- Brian Posehn
- Theme music
- Paul Buckley
- End theme
- "Out of Jimmy's Head" (instrumental)
- Country
- United States
Facts from the source article.
Premise
The show picks up where the film left off. After a mishap gives him the brain of late cartoonist Milt Appleday, twelve-year-old Jimmy Roberts can suddenly see and talk to Appleday’s creations, which constantly lands him in bizarre situations. Meanwhile, Appleday’s son Sonny wants to kill Jimmy and take his brain to become a famous cartoonist and conquer the world.
Cast
Dominic Janes plays Jimmy Roberts, a student who had the brain of late animator Milt Appleday transplanted into his head, giving him the power to interact with Appleday's cartoon creations. Tinashe portrays Robin Wheeler, Jimmy's crush and Craig's sister; Eunice Cho played Robin Yoshida in Re-Animated, and this version of the character is African American. Bil Dwyer plays Ken Roberts, Jimmy and Yancy's father and a guidance counselor. Jon Kent Ethridge II plays Craig Wheeler, Jimmy's best friend and Robin's brother; Micah Karns played Craig Yoshida in Re-Animated. Rhea Lando plays Yancy Roberts, Jimmy's adopted extraterrestrial sister. Matt Knudsen plays Sonny Appleday, Milt's son, who rents a room in Jimmy's house and schemes to steal his father's brain. Carlos Alazraqui voices Golly Gopher, the gopher mascot of Appleday Pictures; Paul Reubens voiced Golly in Re-Animated. Ellen Greene voices Dolly Gopher, Golly's female counterpart and love interest. Tom Kenny voices Tux the Penguin, a penguin who performs standup comedy. Brian Posehn voices Crocco the Alligator, a bumbling but outgoing alligator. Rachel Quaintance plays Louisa Roberts, Jimmy and Yancy's mother, whose job involves missions to other planets. Other cast members include Jonina Gable, Christian Vandal, Austin Rogers, Terrence Hardy Jr., Caden Michael Gray, Katelin Petersen, Nicole Smolen, Nolan Gould, and Ryan Eggold as Mike Werewolfowitz, a werewolf student interested in Yancy.
Broadcast and reception
Cartoon Network ordered 20 episodes, filmed from May to September 2007. The network split the series into two seasons: the first of 13 episodes premiered in September 2007, and the remaining seven aired as the second season starting in March 2008, one week after episode 13. Writing and production for all episodes were completed in September. The 2007–08 Writers Guild of America strike prevented writers from being involved in editing and post-production, including the decision to add a laugh track beginning with episode 8, "Skate Night". The series made its Canadian premiere on Teletoon on September 6, 2008, and also aired on Boomerang in Australia. It was the last Cartoon Network original series broadcast in full screen 4:3 before the network started its own high-definition feed, though it was produced in a 16:9 widescreen aspect ratio. Neil Genzlinger of The New York Times called it a show about a seventh grader trying to fit in with a sly sense of humor, praising Bil Dwyer's comedic role. Emily Ashby of Common Sense Media rated it 3 out of 5 stars, noting it was an improvement on the film in terms of Jimmy's increased confidence and ability to fend off peer pressure. The cast won a combined Young Artist Award in 2008 for Best Young Ensemble Performance in a TV Series, was nominated for Best Family Television Series, and Tinashe Kachingwe with Caden Michael Gray were nominated for Best Performance in a TV Series – Supporting Young Actress and Best Performance in a TV Series – Recurring Young Actor, respectively.
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