Secret Mountain Fort Awesome
Monsters unleash crazy stunts from a sentient mountain fort.
Secret Mountain Fort Awesome is an American animated surreal comedy television series that aired on Cartoon Network in 2011. Created by Peter Browngardt, it follows a fraternity of five monsters who unleash wild stunts on the public from their underground mountain fort. The show is loosely based on antagonists from Browngardt's short Uncle Grandpa, which later became a full series.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Surreal humour; Toilet humour
- Creator
- Peter Browngardt
- Story
- Peter Browngardt
- David P. Smith
- Dave Tennant
- Fred Belford
- Creative director
- Chris Reccardi
- Voices
- Peter Browngardt
- Pat Duke
- Steve Little
- Paul Rugg
- Composer
- Mike Conte
- Country
- United States
- Language
- English
Facts from the source article.
Plot
The Disgustoids are a monster race cast out from society for their ugly looks and wild behavior. They operate from a living mountain fortress that shares their name, pulling off chaotic stunts against the public. Festro, their purple leader with tusks and underwear, is a macho party animal who always tries to help his crew, even when his aid backfires. Dingle, a skinny blue dog-like creature, is their loyal pet, only understood by the group. Slog, a furry monkey-like monster with a long nose, follows orders without thinking, especially drawn to danger. Gweelok, a pimply ball of slime, is demanding and tech-obsessed. The Fart, a being made entirely of buttocks, releases gas when touched and is the most sensible member.
Production
Cartoon Network announced Secret Mountain Fort Awesome at their 2011 upfront, billing it as a comedy. Peter Browngardt created the show based on his animated short Uncle Grandpa, which had earned an Emmy Award nomination and a cult following. Both were produced at Cartoon Network Studios. Browngardt had previously worked at Augenblick Studios and MTV, and on programs such as Futurama, The Venture Bros., Chowder, and The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack. The show borrows elements and design style from the Uncle Grandpa short, pitched to the network as a pilot in 2006. Cartoon Network executives felt the monster characters from the pilot had more potential than the title character. Character designer Robertryan Cory and David P. Smith helped shape development. The series was animated by Hong Ying Animation and Sichuan Top Animation Company. Chris Reccardi served as creative director, Sue Mondt handled art direction, and Robert Alvarez with Larry Leichliter directed the animation. Browngardt described the production schedule as really tight, requiring careful time management and battles with the network.
Broadcast and reception
Secret Mountain Fort Awesome premiered with a sneak preview on August 1, 2011, seen by 1.8 million viewers. Its formal premiere on September 26 drew 1.3 million viewers. The show moved to Fridays for its second-season premiere on December 30, 2011. After the eighth episode aired on February 17, 2012, the show was pulled from broadcast. The remaining eight episodes were released on iTunes from March 8 to March 29, 2012. Reruns aired on Cartoon Planet from January 18 to March 1, 2013. The series aired in Canada as its only international release. Critics panned the show, though many complimented its art style. Aaron Simpson compared it to Garbage Pail Kids and Don Martin's works. Amid Amidi praised Robertryan Cory's character designs as impressive and distinctively styled, but felt the art style's complexity hurt the limited animation. Abby Koenig compared its ridiculous nature to the film Little Monsters. Shannon O'Leary noted its resemblance to independent comics aesthetics. Jason Krell considered it a failure despite its influences from Adventure Time. The episode Nightmare Sauce won Best TV Production at the 2012 Annecy International Animated Film Festival, and earned Cory and Chris Tsirgiotis an Emmy for Outstanding Individual in Animation. Cory also won at the 39th Annie Awards for Character Design, while Tsirgiotis, Sue Mondt, Daniel Elson and Mark Bodnar won for Production Design. Thaddeus Paul Couldron was nominated at the 40th Annie Awards for Character Design.
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