Father of the Pride
An adult CGI sitcom about a lion family in Las Vegas.
An adult CGI animated sitcom from DreamWorks Animation, Father of the Pride was created by Jeffrey Katzenberg for NBC. It centered on a white lion family whose father performed in a Las Vegas Siegfried & Roy show. Despite a major promotional push, the series lasted only one season because ratings fell. Its production and broadcast were also held up by Roy Horn’s real-life stage injury in October 2003.
Quick Facts
- Genre
- Animated sitcom; Social satire
- Creator
- Jeffrey Katzenberg
- Creative director
- Felix Ip
- Developer
- Jonathan Groff
- Narrator
- John Goodman ("Stage Fright")
- Opening theme
- "Viva Las Vegas" performed by John Goodman
- Composer
- Eban Schletter
- Harry Gregson-Williams
- Mark Rivers
- John Dragonetti
- Country
- United States
Facts from the source article.
Premise
The show follows a family of white lions: Larry, the bumbling star of Siegfried & Roy's show; Kate, a stay-at-home mother in a women's group; their teenage daughter Sierra; their young son Hunter, a Lord of the Rings fan; Kate's father Sarmoti, who dislikes Larry; and Snack, Larry's mischievous gopher friend. Recurring characters include Larry's friends, his rival Blake, Sarmoti's friends, Kate's friends, two lesbian gophers, and Sierra's boyfriend Justin.
Voice cast
John Goodman voices Larry, a middle-aged white lion from the Bronx Zoo who becomes the show's star, often lying to impress others but meaning no harm. Cheryl Hines voices Kate, Larry's wife, who seeks her own identity. Danielle Harris voices Sierra, the rebellious 16-year-old activist daughter. Daryl Sabara voices Hunter, the 10-year-old son who wears a plastic Elizabethan collar and is portrayed as slightly mentally deficient. Carl Reiner voices Sarmoti, the grandfather and former star, jealous of Larry; his name is an acronym for "Siegfried and Roy, Masters of the Impossible." Orlando Jones voices Snack, a gopher and Larry's best friend who believes humans can understand him. Julian Holloway and David Herman voice Siegfried & Roy, the performing duo who employ Larry. John O'Hurley voices Blake, a white tiger and Larry's rival, a self-professed "whore for applause."
Development
Over 200 animators worked on the series for two years, with computer animation produced at Imagi Animation Studios in Hong Kong. Directors included Mark Risley, Bret Haaland, Steve Hickner, John Holmquist, John Stevenson, and Mark Baldo; Felix Ip served as creative director for Imagi. For the first season, DreamWorks created 30 principal sets, 500 special props, and about 100 characters. The lion habitat was inspired by the real Secret Garden in Las Vegas, where Siegfried & Roy's lions reside. Larry's residence is the most detailed set, with separate contiguous sets for the living room, kitchen, and children's bedrooms. Jeffrey Katzenberg conceived the idea in 2002 after visiting the show, aiming for an adult audience aged 18 to 49. Each episode cost an estimated $2 million to $2.5 million, making it one of the most expensive half-hour television comedies at the time.
Release and reception
The series debuted on NBC on August 31, 2004, attracting 12.3 million viewers and becoming the most-watched series of the week on American television. However, ratings declined quickly after early September 2004, and some airings were preempted by the 2004 presidential election. By November 2004, it was pulled from NBC's sweeps line-up, and Jeffrey Katzenberg announced in early December that he did not expect a second season. Remaining episodes were burned off in late December 2004, and the series was not renewed. Television critics gave a negative response, considering it a gimmick and a shill for other NBC and DreamWorks properties, and noting its humor was similar to South Park. The Parents Television Council launched a campaign against the show in October 2004, leading to over 11,000 FCC complaints; the FCC ruled in March 2006 that the show was not indecent. The series won a 2005 Annie Award for Character Design and was nominated for a 2005 People's Choice Award for Favorite New TV Comedy Series.
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