Happy Happy Joy Joy: The Ren & Stimpy Story

2020

1 hr. 44 min.

Documentary

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List

81%

32 Reviews

Tomatometer

81%

Fewer than 50 Ratings

Audience Score

Filmmakers Ron Cicero and Kimo Easterwood explore the rise and fall of the groundbreaking animated series "Ren and Stimpy" and its controversial creator, John Kricfalusi.

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Critics Consensus

Despite glossing over some of the darker events in the subject's life, Happy Happy Joy Joy: The Ren & Stimpy Story is an engaging look at a groundbreaking show.

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Jocelyn B

Great movie. I will never watch Ren & Stimpy the same way again.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/29/22

Full Review

Enrique G

Essential document for the history of animation. Excellent result of years of work not only for recovering so much original art and unpublished material, but also for bringing together so many artists and hearing their voices.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/27/22

Full Review

Audience Member

Any fan of the envelope-pushing gross-out animated series, Ren and Stimpy, will be fascinated by the genesis and production outlined here. In particular the story of its creator and eventual destroyer, John Kricfalusi, whose tunnel vision and refusal to compromise eventually forced Nickelodeon to fire him. His predilection for underage girls only multiplied his woes. Fascinating stuff.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

01/27/23

Full Review

Audience Member

i only seen this docu. once and I think that I would watch it again. I would watch it agian. I would reccomend it to others to watch, if you are a fan of Ren & Stimpy or not. I went with 5 stars for this douc. I was going to put 2 1/2 stars but I bumped it up to 3 stars. I was a fan of the show as a kid and watched it all the time. I was shocked to see the creator of the Ren & Stimpy show on this docu. Some tea was spilled on the situation and that gets brought up in the docu. I remember reading about this being brought up on Twitter when it first came out people wanting or not wanting to watch this docu. or not. I thought that this was a alright docu. 3 stars.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

10/13/23

Full Review

Audience Member

I might be a bit biased as a long time fan, but this film made Sundance so I can't be the only one who loved it. Smart, funny, sad; it brought out a whole range of emotions....everything a good movie will do. Even if you're not a hard core fan but want to bask in some 90's nostalgia, this is a great pick!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/24/23

Full Review

Audience Member

A fascinating look at a brilliant cartoon and its both happy and horrified legacy, that should be judged by people in their own personal way.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/31/23

Full Review

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Ron Cicero

Director

Kimo Easterwood

Director

John Kricfalusi

Self

Ron Cicero

Producer

Jason Anders

Executive Producer

Ron Cicero

Executive Producer

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Happy Happy Joy Joy: The Ren & Stimpy Story: Trailer 1

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Andrew Pulver

Guardian

Happy Happy Joy Joy is a dismal coda to a fondly remembered show, with Kricfalusi's collaborators still distressed over what happened.

Rated: 3/5

Apr 16, 2021

Full Review

Nick Schager

The Daily Beast

Recounts the meteoric rise and fall of the beloved kids' show, which wasn't really for kids, and whose highs and lows were all the byproduct of its creator.

Feb 2, 2021

Full Review

A.A. Dowd

AV Club

The film is actually perhaps most interesting-and most valuable to the initiated-as a piece of criticism-by-creator.

Rated: B-

Aug 24, 2020

Full Review

Keith Garlington

Keith & the Movies

“Happy Happy Joy Joy” adds a bitter taste to what was one of my favorite cartoons featuring two of my favorite animated characters.

Rated: 3.5/4

Aug 21, 2022

Full Review

Graeme Tuckett

Stuff.co.nz

Happy Happy Joy Joy is exactly the film this troubling, polarising show deserved.

Apr 26, 2021

Full Review

Sarah Ward

Concrete Playground

More than just a nostalgic look back.

Mar 1, 2021

Full Review

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Synopsis

Filmmakers Ron Cicero and Kimo Easterwood explore the rise and fall of the groundbreaking animated series "Ren and Stimpy" and its controversial creator, John Kricfalusi.

Director: Ron Cicero, Kimo Easterwood
Executive Producer: Jason Anders, Ron Cicero, Kevin Klauber, Peter Wade
Production Co: Ladies & Gentlemen, Inc
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 14, 2020

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