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The Napoleon Dynamite Cast Talks About Making The Animated Series "Snappier" Than the Movie

Shannon Vestal — Sun, 08 Jan 2012 18:24:04 PST

Fox is bringing us back to the world of 2004 film Napoleon Dynamite, though the new series is animated. All of the main actors from the movie, like Jon Heder and Diedrich Bader, will be voicing their original characters, and creators Jerusha and Jared Hess are also on board as producers. There have been some tweaks made to the original Napoleon crew to go cartoon, and when the stars and showrunners hit the TCA stage, they talked about those changes and what we can expect from the show.

Creators Jared and Jerusha Hess thought that making an animated series out of Napoleon Dynamite was a logical choice because the film felt like a cartoon already. But now, star Heder said, "We can do anything, we can introduce new characters." Hess noted that one big difference is the pacing; where the film had a very slow pace, the animated series "is snappier, jam-packed with jokes. It's just faster." Added executive producer Mike Scully: "It's very Simpsons-like in terms of the pace."
The actors noted differences in their characters on the animated series. Jared Hess said that Napoleon has "more emotional range," and Tina Majorino says Deb is now much perkier. Movie Deb was "very monotone and still," but Majorino said she has gotten to evolve Deb a little and even loses her voice from being "so perky."
Bader, who noted that he often plays lots of cartoonish characters whether they're animated or not, said that now there is "more of an emphasis on the family and relationships." The producers also said that we would get to explore more of the community of Napoleon's home town of Preston, Idaho.
There's only one major character missing from the first few episodes: LaFonda, who marries Kip at the end of the film. This is so we can "explore Kip's online dating life," said Jared Hess, but LaFonda will eventually show up.
Scully spilled about some guest stars who will be lending their voices to the show, and they're some funny heavy-hitters like Amy Poehler, Jemaine Clement, Jennifer Coolidge, and Sam Rockwell.

Get a Sneak Peek at Fox's New Shows

BuzzSugar — Tue, 17 May 2011 17:07:48 PDT

Fox recently unveiled its 2011 Fall schedule with its new shows incorporated, and the network's new stars stepped out at the upfronts to get us all excited for their upcoming series. Check out some of the familiar faces who'll be appearing this Fall, and then watch the clips from each new series now.

Buzz Lines: What's Your Favorite Quote From Napoleon Dynamite?

BuzzSugar — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 07:30:00 PDT

Last week's first look at the Napoleon Dynamite animated series inspired this week's installment of buzz lines! So now I'm asking: what's your favorite quote from the 2004 dry comedy Napoleon Dynamite? I know I quote it all the time, particularly the way Napoleon says "Gosh!"

Here are some of my faves to get you started, and then I want to hear your most quoted lines in the comments.

"I see you're drinking one percent. Is that 'cause you think you're fat? 'Cause you're not. You could be drinking whole if you wanted to." - Napoleon
"Napoleon, don't be jealous that I've been chatting online with babes all day. Besides, we both know that I'm training to be a cage fighter." - Kip
"Do the chickens have large talons?" - Napoleon

Napoleon Dynamite Animated Series - Love It or Leave It?

Becky Kirsch — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 09:36:45 PDT

Fox has had major success with its animated series, and the network is adding even more cartoons to its slate. We heard rumblings of a Napoleon Dynamite cartoon way back in May, and here's your first look at the characters you know and love with a cartoonish makeover. Fox has already picked up six episodes, which will feature the voices of Jon Heder and the other original characters from the movie.

The movie holds a very special place in my heart (I'm especially excited to see that Tina the llama is getting some love here), so usually I'd be skeptical about the novelty being ruined by a series. That said, I'm encouraged by the return of the original players - Jared and Jerusha Hess, the masterminds behind the film, are on board as writers and producers. We'll have to wait until next Fall to see more of the show, but how do you feel about your first look?

Link Time - Zoe Saldana Turns Assassin in Colombiana

BuzzSugar — Mon, 17 May 2010 13:00:09 PDT

Zoe Saldana is in talks for the vigilante drama Colombiana - PopWatch
Napoleon Dynamite is being turned into an animated series for Fox – TV Squad
Bruce Willis joins Joseph Gordon-Levitt for Looper - Deadline
One film I will not be seeing: Marilyn Manson and Evan Rachel Wood to star in a slasher flick together - Spinner
Harry Potter declared the most successful film franchise of all time - Cinematical
Fox announces its lineup, including a shorter American Idol show - TV.com
Hilary Swank to star in post-Iraq war flick Dreams of a Dying Heart - Screen Daily
Robert De Niro, Jason Statham, and Clive Owen join The Killer Elite - Examiner
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia meets The Bachelor for this spoof - Vulture
The women of Sex and the City discuss filming the new movie! - PopSugar

Jon Heder, Part 1: Doing Magic & Napoleon Sequel News!

PopSugarTV — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 12:00:00 PST

In part one of our interview with Jon Heder, he dishes on performing magic like Houdini, the When in Rome surprise cameo, and being ready for a Napoleon Dynamite sequel.

Buzz In: What Are the Most Divisive Movies?

BuzzSugar — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 16:30:06 PST

Recently, I was doing some reading about the Netflix Prize, the $1 million Netflix has offered to the person or team who can improve the movie rental service's recommendation feature by 10 percent. So far, no team has made it, and a big part of the reason is what's being called "the Napoleon Dynamite problem" - the notion that there's just no good way to predict whether people will love or hate the 2004 comedy. To be fair to Napoleon, it's not the only one: I Heart Huckabees, Lost in Translation, and Kill Bill are also among the culprits.

That got me thinking about movies that even people who have similar tastes can't agree on. What are the movies that have caused divides in your movie-going circles? What films are you nervous to recommend? Do you think there's any good way to tell if someone will love or loathe Napoleon Dynamite?

Source

Napoleon Dynamite Comes To The Gaming World

GeekSugar — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 15:00:05 PDT

Gosh! Ugh! If you miss seeing Napoleon, Kip, Uncle Rico, Pedro and Tina the Ilama then you're in luck. Game daily has announced the upcoming release of a new video game by Crave that will bring all the Napoleon Dynamite characters back to life.

Made for Sony PSP and Nintendo DS handhelds, Switched has revealed that this game will come in a set of basic mini games - all relating to the movie in some way, shape or form. The DS version will come with 24 games while the PSP will include 30 and all share the same cutout visual style like the pic shown here. In one game, you can even make Napoleon dance with the up and down arrows- maybe not quite like the movie, but still pretty awesome.

Stay tuned for further updates. A release date has not been announced yet.

Spelling Bee Contestant Turned Comedian

GiggleSugar — Fri, 01 Jun 2007 14:00:00 PDT

This must be the first contestant in the history of spelling bees who doesn't take himself or the game too seriously. That's because he's a regular 'ole comedian, this kid. That is, if an awkwardly inserted and delivered pop culture reference during a spelling tournament counts as comedy. With this crowd, it didn't. Poor kid.

WOW, They Sure Can Dance!

GiggleSugar — Sat, 26 May 2007 04:00:00 PDT

I can't say that I'm a big fan of World Of Warcraft or video games in general, but I am tickled by the glory dances that the various WOW characters effortlessly bust out on command. And who knew they were inspired by some of our favorite dance superstars? MC Hammer, Wacko Jacko, comedian turned Chippendale's hunk Chris Farley, and Napoleon Dynamite to name a few. Heck yes!