Buffy the Animated Series

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Buffy the Animated Series

Promo artwork
Format Animated TV series
Created by Joss Whedon
Starring Giselle Loren
Alyson Hannigan
Nicholas Brendon
Anthony Stewart Head
Charisma Carpenter
Michelle Trachtenberg
Country of origin USA
No. of episodes Single 4-minute pilot
Six+ scripts completed but unproduced
Production
Running time 22 minutes (30 including commercial time)
Broadcast
Original channel Fox/Other
Picture format N/A
Original run N/A – N/A

Buffy the Animated Series is an animated TV show based on Buffy the Vampire Slayer about to be developed sometime between 2009-2010. Initially greenlit by 20th Century Fox in 2002, it went ultimately unproduced and unaired when no network was willing to buy the series. The series would have taken place in the middle of Buffy Season 1. Loeb described the continuity as "Episode 7.5",[1] possibly indicating that the bulk of the series would have taken place between "Angel" and "I Robot, You Jane".

Whedon and Loeb would later revisit the style of the series Season Eight story "After These Messages... We'll Be Right Back!" (2008).

Contents

[edit] Production details

Development began on the show in 2001. Whedon and Jeph Loeb were to be Executive Producers for the show, and most of the cast from Buffy would return to voice their characters. However the series soon ran into problems. 20th Century Fox were going to produce the show, and it was initially planned that the show would air on Fox Kids, possibly as early as February 2002.[2] When Fox Kids ceased operations Fox shopped it to other networks. When no network was willing to purchase the series, production halted.

Two years later, in 2004, Fox once again showed an interest in developing and selling the show to another network. Various key actors/actresses including Anthony Stewart Head, did voice work, and artwork was produced to make a four-minute presentation. That pilot was used to try to sell the series to a network.[3] However once again no network was willing to take the risk of purchasing the show. Loeb has pointed out that networks find the show difficult since it would be too adult to air with children's television, but not suitable to many people in a prime-time slot.

  • Whedon revealed to Hollywood Reporter: "We just couldn't find a home for (it). We had a great animation director, great visuals, six or seven hilarious scripts from our own staff -- and nobody wanted it. I was completely baffled. I felt like I was sitting there with bags of money and nobody would take them from me. It was a question of people either not wanting it or not being able to put up the money because it was not a cheap show. One thing I was very hard-line about was, I didn't want people to see it if it looked like crap. I wanted it to be on a level with Animaniacs or Batman: The Animated Series. And that's a little pricier. But I just don't think it's worth doing unless it's beautiful to look at as well as fun."[4]

In an interview with TV Guide in September 2005, Whedon announced that that the series was effectively dead.

Yet on June 18th 2009 Perez Hilton announced on an entry titled Buffy: The animated series [2] that Buffy the animated series will rise again in future based on the Buffy: Season 8 comic books. Due to the fact that the new Buffy movie is being currently made without the help of Joss Whedon, nor the cast of the his show or the movie before that, Joss Whedon shall take part in the making of this show along with some of the familiar voices in the show itself, but Joss shall not be a big part of the show. He shall be popping and out of the studio to give them a thumbs up.

[edit] Writing and acting

[edit] Writing staff

  • Jeph Loeb said that the series would have begun with the episode, "A Day in the Life" for which the script was completed by Loeb with Whedon which "introduces the characters, sets up their dynamics and the show's premise".[5]
  • Loeb mentioned that one of the episodes revolved around "Buffy getting her driver's license but dealing with a demon driver's ed teacher."[5]
  • Jane Espenson wrote three scripts for the show: One of which was called "The Back Room", one was called "Lunch is Revolting!", and another called "Teeny". "Teeny" would have been about a shrunken Buffy.[6]
  • Espenson revealed that "Steve DeKnight and Drew Greenberg wrote episodes, if I recall. And I believe Doug Petrie did too. I think there was a story set aside for Rebecca Kirshner that she never got to start." Joss Whedon and Jeph Loeb wrote the pilot. She said there had been eight scripts written in all, although two were incomplete.[6]

[edit] Episodes

Jeph Loeb has revealed that there are thirteen scripts of the animated series.[7]

  • "A Day in the Life" (by Jeph Loeb and Joss Whedon)
  • "Teeny" (by Jane Espenson)
  • "Lunch is Revolting!" (by Jane Espenson)
  • "The Back Room" (by Jane Espenson)
  • Completed episode script (by Steve DeKnight)
  • Completed episode script (by Drew Greenberg)
  • Completed episode script (by Doug Petrie)
  • Unstarted episode script (story set aside for Rebecca Kirshner)

[edit] Cast

[edit] Leak

On August 1, 2008, the four minute unaired presentation was leaked online via YouTube.[9][10]

[edit] Support of members of the cast

On August 20th 2008, Nicholas Brendon said on his audiolog :

I know that there’s been talk about the Buffy Animated Series. Which we did, gosh, like, three years ago. You know, to be quite honest with you, I don’t know why it didn’t go further, but I know that there’s been a lot of hububaloo on the old YouTube there, and I checked it out and I almost got a little teary. You know, I hadn’t seen Xander in a while, and it was kind of neat to kind of go back into that library and that into life, and all that stuff. But, yeah. So, listen, I’ll go on the record by saying I would love to do an animated series for Buffy. That being said, I might be the only one. But, I’m not sure. I haven’t had a chance to talk to anybody about it. So, you know, keep your fingers crossed.[11]

On August 26th 2008, Jeph Loeb declared in an interview to MTV :

Everything still exists — the designs, the scripts. It’s such a 'no-duh' project, so why the hell not? All you need is to draw it. Eight years ago, there was no fascination with 'Family Guy' or 'Robot Chicken,' but there's an audience now that could drive to it. You can't stand in the way of pop culture.[12]

In June 2009 a fan on youtube started an animation series called "Buffy the Web series" which is a collection of ideas, Voice-overs and art from all the buffy fans who wanted the real animated show to happen. Word of its success is yet to be seen.

[edit] Quotes

 This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2008)

Jane Espenson has revealed only two short extracts from the scripts on her weblog:

  • Quote 1
Buffy realizes she's eaten her Mother's breakfast by mistake. She holds up the last bite of bagel and, instead of saying, "there's a bite left," she says:
BUFFY
There's a remnant.
  • Quote 2
Buffy has just inappropriately used her Slayer-Strength on the volleyball court, so she vows to restrain herself:
BUFFY
Sure. Okay. I can hold back. Call me Dairy Queen, 'cuz here comes a soft serve.
(then)
Sorry, that was kinda lame.
Buffy has been shrunk down to about 6 inches tall. She's trying to climb a staircase, and reacting to what she sees.
BUFFY
Boy. Everything's so tall. And... textured.

[edit] Footnotes and references

  1. ^ "Jeph Loeb Spills News, Not Blood, About Buffy The Animated Series... ", FanBoyPlanet.com (2004). Jeph Loeb said regarding continuity, "For the fans, we've always seen it as Episode 7.5. Buffy has met Angel."
  2. ^ Eonline.com - News on the show from March 2001
  3. ^ Slayonline.co.uk - Anthony Stewart Head Talks About Ripper and Buffy Animated
  4. ^ Hollywoodreporter.com - Whedon comments on the series.
  5. ^ a b Cairns, Bryan, "An Animated Guy", from Cult Times Special #27 (September 2003), page 44.
  6. ^ a b Mikejozic.com
  7. ^ [1]
  8. ^ Scifi.com - Sarah Michelle Gellar talks about the series, October 2004
  9. ^ http://whedonesque.com/comments/17177#more
  10. ^ YouTube: Bufly Vampire Slayor
  11. ^ http://nickbrendon.com/2008/08/20/audioblog_update/
  12. ^ http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2008/08/26/buffy-the-vampire-slayer-animated-series-to-be-resurrected/

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

[edit] Information

[edit] Interviews

[edit] Quotes and trivia

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