Hi folks! Welcome to my My Own Personal Nerdy Disney and Animation Scrutinizing Analysis blog. A blog where I'm analyzing several Disney films, Disney or Animation in general! These entries are just meant to be my analyses. Not reviews or statements. Just fun analyses! Though I'll make some personal remarks now and then, the content of these entries are meant to be depicted objectively. They're made for entertainment purpose only and the pictures/clips are copyright Disney or other companies.
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And finally; If you haven't seen the films, beware of spoilers! And the funny lines aren't meant to be nothing than funny. So I hope you won't find them offensive. If so, I apologize
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| We`re the Laidback Family :) Well, other titles were taken ;) |
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| This is a R-rated Circus :) |
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| I wanted to see if you liked brunettes :) |
Released in February 6, 2005 (following Super Bowl and the rest of season airing from May 1th), American Dad! is one of the most popular animated shows to date. Being released six years after Family Guy, it`s mostly in the same vein as Family Guy. And is among the trend of edgy animated sitcoms that are mostly made for an adult and teenage audience. Regardless of how American Dad! didn`t set the same mold as The Simpsons, Beavis and Butthead or even South Park. But at least it`s managed to have it`s popularity and viewers. Streaming on Hulu, Disney+ via Star, American Dad! has achieved it`s own milestone lately, by having it`s 20th Anniversary this year.The Similarities and Differences With Family Guy
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| Yes, I hate being trapped in this towel :) What did you think? :) |
In fact, American Dad! is both similar and different to it`s predecessor Family Guy. The most obvious similarities are it`s stock characters and it`s setting: A dimwitted patriarchal figure (who`s an CIA agent and Republican, voiced by MacFarlane). A practical matriarchal figure. A teenage daughter and a goofy brother who`s not particularly cool. It even has a talkative, family pet who`s athrophomorphic and even an alien. The setting is Cherry Street in the fictional suburb of Langley Falls, Virginia. However, despite the similarities, the characters (with the exception of Stan and Francine) are still mostly completely different from those from Guy. Hayley is essentially tougher and snarkier than the vulnerable and self-piteous Meg (and also more emo). And while Steve (who`s my favorite character) is essentially a laidback and goofy character as Chris, he`s still not as dimwitted as Chris.
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| I (Stan) wanted to pose like J.Lo and Beyoncé :) |
As Steve is mostly more carefree and perkier than Chris. And while it would be tempting to compare Roger (the most popular character) and Klaus to Brian and Stewie, the truth is they are different from it`s Guy-predecessors, too. Frankly, even Stan is more enjoyable than Peter Griffin, as he comes across as more tolerable and not as grating. Other recurring members are Hayley's dimwitted husband, Jeff Fischer. And Roger's ex-tumor son Rogu. But unlike MacFarlane's other shows, American Dad! doesn`t lean too much of cutaway gags and "setup-punchline" jokes. Instead having its humor from the characters, their
relationships and relatable
plots. Between observational comedy and farce. But still having fantastical elements. However, as for the quality of the show, the first seasons are regarded as the best ones (as usually with animated shows). Which makes Dad! no exception to the rule.The Comparison and Reception of Both Shows and the Crossover
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| This is our dance off :) Don`t ask us why :) |
While a comparison between American Dad! and Family Guy may be superfluous, it`s still inevitable. And yes, it`s tempting to wonder which show is regarded as the best one. The truth is that Family Guy has more ratings, better reviews (from critics) and a bigger fanbase. Still, many people consider Dad! to be superior to Guy for the aforementioned strengths: How the jokes are less random and the stories are more cohesive. In fact, some people have compared Dad! to Futurama: For being a superior show that lives in the shadow to a more famous predecessor (which in fact, Dad! does).  |
| We`re the cartoon version of Full House :) |
However, while both Dad! and Guy has featured elements of each other, both shows had eventually a crossover. In 2011`s Night of the Hurricane. Involving MacFarlane`s three animated TV shows (including The Cleveland Show). Which depicts a hurricane that hits the towns of Stoolbend (Cleveland), Quahog (Guy) and Langley Falls. The actual crossover happens at the end on Dad!, with the three fathers in the same scene. It was scheduled to air May 1, 2011, but was delayed after the 2011 Super Outbreak in the US.
The Most Popular Episodes and Moments of American Dad!
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| Yes, Ricky Martin was taken ;) Duuuh ;) |
American Dad! didn`t made the same impact on Pop Culture as Family Guy, it has still managed to create memorable moments and episodes. As the yaks naming bit, The convenience store scenes in Joint Custody, Roger`s
Mortimer James comment. The "Sounds like Steve's going bananas again" from Greg and Steve jumps out the window. And Greg replies "Yep". When Roger talks to Stoive, when Klaus calls Danuta. And when Francine is trying
to clean the cardboard TV that drugged out Stan used to replace the one
he sold. And the hot sauce bit. And the scene where Roger’s artist
confronts Klaus and his new family on spaghetti night. And talks
about keeping his dignity, but falls on the floor and yells “I’m doing
both kinds of bathroom”. I am not mature. When Steve said: "Mene mene tekel" and falls from the window. Roger`s Dive on in.-moment, Stan gets down while controlling the body of an avatar. When Stan is hurrying back to Francine on his skates, but grabs to
the back of the bus. And the driver says "hey buddy you wanna ride inside the bus" and
Stan yells "No time!" as he waits for said bus to pull out of
the station. |
| We`re in the middle of a donut :) Sort of ;) |
However, to mention regarded episodes, are The Wondercabinet,
Between a Ring and a Hardass, Fellow Traveler, A Piñata Named Desire, May the Best Stan Win, My Morning Straitjacket, 100 A.D., 300, Hot Water, Chimdale, The Unincludeds, The Two Hundred, The Great Space Roaster, Fart-Break Hotel, Blood Crieth Unto Heaven, Lost in Space, Echoes, Cops and Roger, Rapture’s Delight, Rabbit Ears, Meter Made, OreTron Trail, Don`t You Be My Neighbor, Bully for Steve, Why Can’t We Be Friends, Gold Top Nuts, Don't Look a Smith Horse in the Mouth, Virtual in-Stanity, Return of the Bling, The One That Got Away, Death by Dinner Party, For Whom the Sleigh Bell Tolls, Persona Assistant, No Weddings and a Funeral, Top of the Steve, Stanny Slickers 2: The Legend of Ollie's Gold, Roy Rogers McFreely, News Glance With Genevieve Vavance, Spring break up, The Long March, Beyond the Alcove Or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Klaus, Of Ice and Men, Hurricane, Julie Rogerts, Killer Dinner Party, Who Smarted, Incident at Owl Creek, Ricky Spanish. New Town Rock n’ Loll, Daesong Heavy Industries, Camp Refoogee, In Country… Club, Joint Custody, Shell Game, Artemis.
Controversies
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| We`re pretending to make a storm :) |
Regardless of the different opinions about American Dad!, it has been scrutinized for controversies (just like Family Guy). Early episodes had political banter between the
conservative Stan and liberal Hayley. But the creators learned
quickly that this had only "a limited shelf life" and did not provide
them as much as they thought it would. But as for controversial episodes. Kloger shows Roger`s relationship with the Klaus. Roger arranges for Klaus
to become his legal guardian, but it ends up getting them arrested. Blood Crieth Unto Heaven is about a stage a play,
hosted by Patrick Stewart. It's
Stan's birthday, but he refuses to celebrate it. Stan believes his mother had an affair with a clown, driving away his father. But the
clown at Stan's party was his father, and was actually arrested
for crimes. Roger raises
Hayley and Bullock's daughter secretly and killing her. While the story isn't canon, many viewers disliked
that Stan was responsible for his parents' breakup and his
father's arrest, and some compared it to victim-blaming. And the subject was too
dark.  |
| Yes, I came from The Nightmare Before Christmas ;) |
Hot Water, a parody of Little Shop of Horrors, has Stan buying a hot tub. Who`s evil, bitter that his previous owners abandoned him. The tub becomes possessive of Stan. And imprisons Francine and wounds Stan. But Stan defeats the tub, but dies and dooms Francine. Which ends the episode. And it was going to be the series finale. But it was renewed. But Stan's death was retained. Stan's Best Friend sees Francine get Steve a dog. While Stan is first against it, he soon warms up to the puppy. But when it gets injured by pirate cats. And he realizes that he previously had a dog as a child, but his mother tricked him to putting it down, despite beinhealthy. Some viewers found it gruesome, especially the ending, where Stan blows it up with dynamite. Others thought it was ridiculous, since the family had owned two dogs earlier.
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| I`m (Stan) free and you`re not. Na-na-na-na-nah :) |
Da Flippity Flop has Klaus finds out that his human body has been found and kept frozen by CIA. But unfortunately the body has started to rot. Blaming Stan for not taking him
to the CIA, Klaus gets revenge by switching bodies with
him. However, Klaus humiliates Stan's body, until heperforms a deadly ski trick. So Stan enters Klaus' body and allows him to experience
what skiing meant for Klaus. The part of Stan
as a corpse was too dark, having too much gross-out humor. Shallow Vows' is when Stan and Francine are
renewing their vows for their 20th anniversary. But Stan told her the only reason he married her, was due to her beauty. As a revenge, Francine stops doing her
beauty regimen, so Stan could see her true self, which he hates. And he makes himself blind, so he couldn’t be so disgusted by her.  |
| This snake is my best friend. He could be yours, too ;) |
Oedipal Panties had Stan be way too close to his mom for anyone’s comfort. Every time Betty Smith saw a new man, Stan got rid of them. And he took a candle-lit bath with her and scrubbed her clean. In Camp Refoogee, Stan’s mistakes a refugee camp for a summer camp. But he turns it into a summer camp and dismissing the deathly struggles of the campers. Instead of Malaria pills or water, he brings them tetherballs, giving everyone nicknames instead of learning their names, laughing off both a bloody rebel invasion and the kidnapping of Makeva. In Surrogate, Greg and Terry decides a surrogate mother to have a baby, Stan is disgusted with Francine for agreeing to carry their child. And when she gets born, Stan steals her from the hospital. He took her to Nebraska, where gay couples have no legal rights, and adopted her. He met a lesbian couple, which he stole their children, too.
Behind the Scenes Information
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| This is our version of White and Blue. Right, Backstreet Boys? ;) |
The idea for American Dad! was actually made for political reasons. After the 2000 election, MacFarlane and co-creator Matt Weitzman were bummed with the George Bush-election. And decided to make it to something creative. So MacFarlane pitched it about a right-wing CIA agent and his liberal daughter. Just three short months after Dad!'s debut, Family Guy was revived, leaving American Dad! with a formidable expectation: whether the series could distinguish itself from its counterpart and succeed on its own merits. On July 16, 2013, Dad! had been cancelled by Fox. But it moved to TBS for in 2014 and continues to air new episodes to this day. Dad! was the first TV show to premiere on Fox's Animation Domination block.  |
| I was inspired by Pleakley from Lilo & Stitch :) |
Creative direction of Dad! was guided by Mike Barker and Weitzman as opposed to MacFarlane. Early on, Dad! brought strong ratings, but struggled to gain approval
from viewers and critics. Cause yes, Dad! was perceived as a pale rip-off to Guy by critics. Dad! was inspired from the TV show All in the Family. Both shows uses political satire, bigotry, conservatism from the fatherly character, and liberalism from the daughter. And both daughters have a liberal hippie boyfriend
to their fathers dismay, which she lives with. Initially, MacFarlane focused more on Guy than on Dad!. Because he didn`t understand the show at the time. The same with the other creators. Afterwards, it began to have its own identity. It was described as the
weirdest show in network prime time. It has been perceived as having surrealism. Afterwards, progressed, MacFarlane realized that Barker and Weitzman were on to contrast it from Guy. Which made MacFarlane become a fan.  |
| I wanted to look harmless with my gun ;) |
Barker`s inspiration was through music, citing that writing is hard for him. At the time, Dad! had a staff of 17 writers. While they`ve felt scruples with adding some material to the plots, but they do it anyway. Their goal is to make laughs with groans and going
over the line. MacFarlane influenced the designs for the characters. 50
animators are involved. A lot is done
in-house. But the animation is colored and detailed overseas, by Yearim Productions Co., Ltd. of Korea. Barker wants the writing to be timeless. But if any part of the script is contemporary issues, the creators wants it to be contemporary two years afterwards. They had a joke about Harriet Miers, the White House Press Secretary (nominated for the Supreme Court by George W. Bush). The series premiere of Dad!, Pilot, is a 6-minute version of the first episode.  |
| Yes, even humans can be albinos :) |
Roger was originally having alternate disguises and existing outside of his house. And it was also portraying him as
ALF, sitting in his house all day wand commenting on life. But he was far too much fun
to keep him inside. The creators likes Roger variety with his many alter egos.
Which highlights
MacFarlane's versatility as an voice actor. There was three versions of Steve`s design. But when Scott Grimes
voiced him, his design was taller, more filled
out and less geeky. But afterwards, Steve was
was made softer, emotional, cuter ans endearing, a departure from Stan's
ruggedness and machismo. Between the eighth and ninth seasons, animators and writers left. In November 4, 2013, Barker had left Dad! and Weitzman was the lone showrunner. Dad! was nominated for many awards, including four Primetime Emmy and two Annie Awards. In June 2013, it was awarded as top TV Show by the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. Epilogue
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| Even an alien can own a posh chair :) |
At the end,
American Dad! is one of the most popular animated shows to date. And it`s a part of Seth MacFarlane`s winning streak of egdy, animated sitcoms meant for an adult audience. It would be tempting to wonder how long the show is going to air. Or if the popularity will eventually loose steam afterwards. And sure, it would be tempting to wonder if it`s ever going to escape the shadow of Family Guy. However, regardless of that staple, Dad! genuinely deserves to be credited for what it really is.
American Dad! is one of the most popular animated shows to date. And it`s a part of Seth MacFarlane`s winning streak of egdy, animated sitcoms meant for an adult audience. It would be tempting to wonder how long the show is going to air. Or if the popularity will eventually loose steam afterwards. And sure, it would be tempting to wonder if it`s ever going to escape the shadow of Family Guy. However, regardless of that staple, Dad! genuinely deserves to be credited for what it really is.
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| This is my way of doing a cheerleading dance :) |
As for my own personal opinion about Dad!, I must say I like it. It`s fun, enjoyable, entertaining andfrankly, in my opinion, superior to Family Guy. Mainly because I find the characters superior and the situations less contrived and less juvenile. And frankly, those are the reasons for why Dad! comes across as a stronger show than Guy. And frankly, it took me almost decade before I discovered the show, as circumstances just happened that I happened to catch the episodes when they aired in 2013 (don`t ask me why, that`s just how randomly life can be). But I`ve watched the show ever since. While that being said, since this entry was meant
to synergize it`s 20th Anniversary, there`s nothing else to wish American Dad! Happy 20th Anniversary and may you continue to have many more.
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| Well, it should`ve been about the whole family. But it would`ve been a long subtitle ;) |
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