Kick Buttowski: Suburban Daredevil
An animated series about a thrill-seeking suburban daredevil.
Kick Buttowski: Suburban Daredevil is an animated series from America, created by Sandro Corsaro and made by Disney Television Animation. It first aired on February 13, 2010, a year to the day after Disney XD launched, and was that network’s fourth original show and its first cartoon. Fifty-two episodes were produced across two seasons, with each episode split into two 11-minute parts. The show ended on December 2, 2012.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Action-adventure
- Comedy
- Animated sitcom
- Creator
- Sandro Corsaro
- Director
- Chris Savino
- Sherm Cohen (S1)
- Clay Morrow (S2)
- Voices
- Charlie Schlatter
- Matt Jones
- Danny Cooksey
- Theme music
- Andy Sturmer; James Childs
- Opening theme
- "Kick Buttowski!" by Andy Sturmer
- End theme
- "Kick Buttowski!" (Instrumental)
- Composer
- Andy Sturmer
Facts from the source article.
Characters
Clarence Francis "Kick" Buttowski, voiced by Charlie Schlatter, is a 10-year-old amateur daredevil who approaches each day as if it were his own action movie. He is skilled at stunts but often reckless, and though his behavior sometimes backfires, he ultimately does the right thing. He wears a white jumpsuit with red stripes, a white helmet with a red stripe, and yellow boots and gloves. His catchphrases include "It's show time", "Fail? I don't do fail", "Aw, biscuits", "That's a rat", and "Chimichanga". He is the middle child, picked on by his older brother Brad, and has three arch-rivals: Kendall Perkins, Ronaldo, and Gordie Gibble. Gunther Magnuson, voiced by Matt Jones, is Kick's 11-year-old best friend and stunt coordinator. He is chunky, skeptical, kindhearted, and easily distracted by shiny objects. Unlike Kick, Gunther does not enjoy living on the edge and can drink large amounts of Cheetah Chug without getting sick. He has Viking heritage, which emerges when he is serious or angry, and wears blue shorts, a red cap, and orange Crocs. Bradley "Brad" Buttowski, voiced by Danny Cooksey, is Kick's 15-year-old older brother who bullies and insults Kick and Gunther. He has poor hygiene, thinks he is popular, and calls Kick "dillweed". He tries to be a ladies' man but usually fails, and he manipulates people, especially his parents, though his schemes sometimes backfire.
Production
Creator Sandro Corsaro drew the character in 2002, inspired by his own childhood, and later developed the idea for a TV series. Originally named Kid Knievel, the character was renamed for legal reasons and slightly redesigned; the initial concept had blue stars on the helmet and blue stripes on the clothing, an homage to Evel Knievel. Many characters and locations were inspired by Corsaro's hometown of Stoneham, Massachusetts. Production began on December 19, 2008, under the name Kid Knievel, and the title changed to Kick Buttowski on April 4, 2009. The series' stunt coordinator is Robbie Knievel, son of Evel Knievel. The pilot was written and developed by Devin Bunje and Nick Stanton, who later left to work on Zeke and Luther; the pilot was split into the first two episodes, "Dead Man's Drop" and "Stumped". Animation was produced by Mercury Filmworks using Toon Boom Animation software, with some 3D-animated elements.
Broadcast
The series was initially set to air in November 2009 but was delayed to February 2010. It debuted on Disney XD on February 13, 2010, at 8:30 A.M. ET with two episodes. Sneak peeks and promos aired on Disney XD, DisneyXD.com, and Disney Channel. The series sometimes aired Saturday mornings at 8:30 A.M. on Disney XD. On April 2, 2010, it first aired on Disney Channel as a special presentation during the "Get Animated" marathon, and another presentation aired on May 22, 2010, featuring three episodes. On June 18, 2011, the show moved to an off-and-on spot on Disney Channel as part of Toonin' Saturdays, and last aired on Disney Channel on December 25, 2011. In November 2012, Disney XD announced the show's cancellation, and the final episode "Last Fan Standing" aired on December 2, 2012. Reruns continued on Disney XD until 2024. The entire series is available on Disney+ in its proper production order.
Reception
The series premiered with "Dead Man's Drop/Stumped," drawing 842,000 viewers and becoming Disney XD's second most-watched series launch. The following episode, "If Books Could Kill/There Will Be Nachos," attracted 972,000 viewers. Critical reception was mixed, but audiences were more favorable, and the show later developed a cult following praised for its characters, writing, humor, and action. Emily Ashby of Common Sense Media rated it 1 out of 5 stars, arguing that Kick operates in a fantasy where responsibility and authority are dismissed and his dangerous stunts carry no real-world penalties. A Toonopolis review gave 2 out of 5 Giant Cartoon Mallets, calling the show annoying and its Flash animation amateurish, and stating that Kick and his friend Gunther lack comedic chemistry while other characters offer little. The review conceded the show is not completely unwatchable, just mostly.
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