| King Star King | |
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 Title Card | |
| Genre | |
| Created by | JJ Villard Eric Kaplan (pilot co-creator) |
| Developed by | Tommy Blacha |
| Directed by | JJ Villard |
| Creative director | Antonio Canobbio (series only) |
| Voices of | (SeeVoices) |
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| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of episodes | 6 (+1 pilot and 1 special) |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Producers |
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| Editors |
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| Running time | 11 minutes approx. 22 minutes (special) |
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| Release | June 15 (2014-06-15) – August 3, 2014 (2014-08-03) |
King Star King is an Americanadult animatedweb series created by JJ Villard forCartoon Network's nighttime programming blockAdult Swim. The series aired on the network's online video streaming serviceAdult Swim Video on June 15, 2014 before it was aired on TV.Eric Kaplan also worked on the series' pilot episode.
Villard would later createJJ Villard's Fairy Tales forCartoon Network Studios and Adult Swim. A TV special sequel using the same visual style titledKing Star King!/!/!/ aired on February 13, 2023 on Adult Swim.[1]
The series revolves around the titular character, King Star King (Tommy Blacha): a tall, blond muscular man. After seducing his love, Princess Snow White, he falls from his higher plane of existence to serve as afry cook in a run-downwaffle house. In order to reclaim his place in the heavens, he must battle hisamnesia to defeat the evil Spring Bunny (Eric Kaplan) and rescue Snow White.
Thepilot was announced preceding the network's 2012upfront as part of their development slate.[2] It was also disclosed during the upfront,[3] and was reported again before the network's upfront the following year.[4] It was announced as aweb series forAdult Swim Video to premiere June 15, 2014; the series was advertised as "too shexxxy [sic]" for television.[5] The network conducted an online poll whether episodes should be released daily or all at once;[5] on June 11, the network announced it would release all six episodes of the first season simultaneously.[6] Asweepstake for the series was announced on June 9, promoting six chances to win original artwork by Villard.[7]
The series was animated usingAdobe Flash byTitmouse, Inc. with ink and paint services made by Cyber Chicken Studios inSouth Korea and produced by J. J. Villard's vanity card, Kurtis;[6]Mirari Films'sRomanian facilities provided animation for the pilot episode, while the special was animated byDigital eMation In an interview at the 2013 Comic-Con, Villard dubbed the titular character as "He-Man on drugs".[8] Series developerTommy Blacha went on to describe comments with the network'sStandards and Practices to "better tell [the show]."[9] When asked about the inspiration for the series, Blacha joked that Villard pitched the series to network executiveMike Lazzo with a drawing of the protagonist, to which he approved production of the pilot.[10] The two explained that as Villard started working on it with another producer and driving Lazzo "crazy," he abandoned the pilot; this led to Blacha joining as producer and toning it down by "two percent."[11]
| Season | Episodes | Originally released | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| First released | Last released | |||
| Pilot | 1 | November 3, 2013 (2013-11-03) | ||
| 1 | 6 | July 12, 2014 (2014-07-12) | December 6, 2014 (2014-12-06) | |
| Special | 1 | February 13, 2023 (2023-02-13) | ||
| Title | Written by | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| "KSK!!!" | Tommy Blacha andEric Kaplan | November 3, 2013 (2013-11-03) | |
The pilot introduces King Star King, who (while attempting to declare his love forSnow White) gets kicked out from the realms of gods to serve as a fry cook at a waffle joint. | |||
| No. | Title | Written by | Original release date | Original release date | Prod. code |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "The Sting of Alfonzo Molestro" | Tommy Blacha | June 15, 2014 (2014-06-15) | July 12, 2014 (2014-07-12) | 101 |
When Princess Snow White gets decapitated by the evil Alfonzo Molestro, King Star King and his crew must battle him for her body before it rots away. | |||||
| 2 | "Chunkles and Smear" | Tommy Blacha | June 29, 2014 (2014-06-29) | August 2, 2014 (2014-08-02) | 102 |
Hank Waffles, Gurbles and Pooza are forced to babysit Chunkles and Smear at the Waffle Zone; meanwhile, King Star King and Baroness Sludgeclot go on a date. | |||||
| 3 | "Fat Frank's Fantasy Lounge" | James Merrill | July 13, 2014 (2014-07-13) | September 6, 2014 (2014-09-06) | 103 |
King Star King and his crew run into trouble at Fat Frank's Fantasy Lounge. | |||||
| 4 | "The Saga of Mike Balls" | Tommy Blacha | July 20, 2014 (2014-07-20) | October 4, 2014 (2014-10-04) | 104 |
King Star King must harden a cowardly alien by the name of Mike Balls in order to defeat his enemy, Tim Tumor. | |||||
| 5 | "Springtime in the Gigantiverse" | Tommy Blacha | July 27, 2014 (2014-07-27) | November 8, 2014 (2014-11-08) | 105 |
King Star King hatches into a new and improved version of himself; meanwhile, duringspring break, Hank Waffles falls in love with the Burger Bitch. | |||||
| 6 | "Kwa Kwa City" | Tommy Blacha | August 3, 2014 (2014-08-03) | December 6, 2014 (2014-12-06) January 30, 2017 (2017-01-30)(digital retailers) | 106 |
In order to save the world, King Star King and his crew of strange heroes must escape a strange alien city located inside the head of apetty thief that they get sucked into. | |||||
| Title | Written by | Original release date | |
|---|---|---|---|
| "King Star King!/!/!/ (alternative title: "The King Star King Amazon Popeyes Christmas Special!!!")" | J. J. Villard,Justin Roiland, James Merrill,Johnny Ryan | February 13, 2023 (2023-02-13) | |
Years after the events of the series, King Star King has become a fat, bald, middle-aged slob with a family (a loving housewife, and two preteen children), a mortgage and a job atAmazon. He must team up with his old friends Hank Waffles, Pooza, and Gerbils on a dimension-spanning adventure to save his family. | |||
Thepilot was screened at the 2013San Diego Comic-Con, along with a panel hosted by Villard andBlacha.[12] In July 2013, it was released online as part of a presentation of in-development shows for the network, partnered withKFC; viewers could vote for their favorite pilot, with the winner being broadcast on August 26, 2013.[13][14] The series lost toÜbermansion, aStoopid Buddy Stoodios production, although the presentation won an Internet Advertising Campaign Award in 2014 for "Best TV Integrated Ad Campaign".[15][16] Nevertheless, the pilot aired on the network'sToonami block on November 3, 2013 during thedaylight saving time transition;Nielsen ratings were not captured during this period.[17]
Meredith Woerner ofio9 said that the series gained their approval at its description of a "punk rockHe-Man".[18] Conversely, upon surveying the show's description, Patrick Kevin Day of theLos Angeles Times's official blog dubbed the network a "home for stupid characters".[19]