Ed, Edd n Eddy

Ed, Edd n Eddy
Ed, Edd n Eddy title card
Created by	Danny Antonucci
Directed by	Danny Antonucci
Voices of	Matt Hill Samuel Vincent Tony Sampson
Country of origin	United States (airing) Canada (production)
No. of episodes	69 (list of episodes)
Production
Running time	22 minutes approx.
Original release
Network	Cartoon Network
Release	January 4, 1999

Ed, Edd n Eddy is the longest-running original animated cartoon series on Cartoon Network. It was created by Danny Antonucci and produced by Canadian based a.k.a. CARTOON for Cartoon Network. The series was Cartoon Network's sixth CARTOON Cartoon. It airs in many countries of the world (though not in its native Canada). Originally, there were only going to be four seasons; however, Cartoon Network ordered two more, giving the series a total of six seasons. However, the sixth season has been postponed, as the crew is working on a TV movie.

Premise

The series revolves around three preadolescent boys: Ed, who is slow-witted and often speaks in non sequiturs; Edd, usually called "Double D", who is rather intelligent and polite, if high-strung; and Eddy, who is the avaricious 'leader' of the trio. Collectively known as "the Eds," the three hang around in a suburban cul-de-sac. Led by Eddy, the Eds scheme to make money off their peers, but their plans usually fail, leaving them in various predicaments.

The number of characters in Ed, Edd n Eddy is fixed at twelve. No other characters have appeared besides the main cast and adults are never seen. There is no given timeline for the show; Danny Antonucci has stated that he wanted the show to appeal to any generation. Therefore, if a VCR or computer is needed in a plot, it is there.

Overview

Ed, Edd n Eddy was animated wholly using traditional cel animation up until its fourth season. Though the show is still entirely hand-drawn, all cels are colored digitally as are most other series. It is the last major cartoon to use painted cels. To give the impression of movement, Ed, Edd n Eddy uses shimmering character outlines similar to Squigglevision. The crawling lines are not nearly as active as those in Dr. Katz, Professional Therapist, but are still visible. Much of the unfavorable press that Ed, Edd n Eddy received has been because of this animation technique. However, Danny Antonucci calls it a "wobble", and likens it to cartoons of the 1930s where the film tended to be unstable and cause a similar effect.

There is a strong theme of vagueness in the series, including the setting and deeper facts about the children. The show revolves solely around the Eds, the other cul-de-sac children, and the Kanker sisters. There are no hints as to where the cartoon takes place. Little is known about any other people in the town and if they even have any type of relation to the regular characters of the series, other than the fact that Ed is Sarah's older brother.

The show frequently makes meta-references and often breaks the fourth wall. Almost every episode contains references to pop culture, especially movies. An example would be a reference to The Shining: In one episode, Eddy says to Rolf: "Hey, Stretch! All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy!" All the episode titles, except for the holiday specials, are popular sayings with a word replaced with the word Ed (for example, "Stop, Look, and Ed": Stop, Look, and Listen.) Some are also parodies of movie titles (e.g., the episode "For Your Ed Only" would be For Your Eyes Only). In addition, the letters AKA, the abbreviation for the name of the company that produces the show (a.k.a. Cartoon), frequently appear in the show on license plates, magazines, T-shirts, etc.

The kids have multi-colored tongues, because, as Danny Antonucci stated, kids are almost always eating something that turn their tongues different colors.

Most of the episodes begin with something completely unrelated to the storyline of the episode; this is to emphasize the spontaneity of childhood.

Characters

Main article: List of characters in Ed, Edd n Eddy

According to an interview with Danny Antonucci (a special feature on the Season 1 DVD set), the characters were based on real people in his life. The personalities of Ed, Edd, and Eddy are based on personal traits of himself, and the activities of his two sons. The cul-de-sac kids were based on people he grew up with. Antonucci also stated that he believed it was important to add Plank to the show, stating that he "thought it would be really cool to do the show with Plank taking on a character of his own" and to cause Jonny to do things he would usually never do. He also stated that Rolf is strongly based on himself and his cousins, since he was part of an immigrant family, and grew up in a first generation foreign household with different customs and ways of living, compared to those born in Canada. In a Cartoon Network podcast interview, Antonucci hinted at the Kanker sisters being based on someone from his personal life, as well.

Episodes

Main article: List of Ed, Edd n Eddy episodes

DVD releases

Episode compilations

Cover Art	DVD Name	Release Date	Ep #	Additional Information
File:Edifying Ed-ventures.jpg	Edifying Ed-Ventures	May 10, 2005	6	"Sir Ed-A-Lot," "Who, What, Where, Ed," "Avast Ye Eds," "Know-It-All Ed," "Mirror, Mirror, on the Ed," "Hot-Buttered Ed." Bonus features include "Club Ed: The Rules and Regulations," "My Best Friend Plank" music video, "Plank's Perspective" (description of kids excluding Nazz), and The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy episode "Nursery Crimes."
File:Fools' Par-Ed-Ise.jpg	Fools' Par-Ed-Ise	March 21, 2006	6	"If It Smells Like an Ed," "Take This Ed and Shove It," "One Size Fits Ed," "A Case of Ed," "Here's Mud in Your Ed," "Fool on the Ed." Bonus features include a studio tour, "The Plank Family Players," and a behind the scenes look at Ed, Edd n Eddy: The Mis-Edventures.

Season releases

Cover Art	DVD Name	Release Date	Ep #	Additional Information
File:EdEddEddyseason1DVD.jpg	The Complete First Season	October 10, 2006	13	Bonus features include an interview with the creator, how to make an Ed, Edd n Eddy cartoon, how to draw Eddy, and a Cartoon Network commercial bumper featuring Jimmy and Plank.
File:EdEddEddyseason2DVD.jpg	The Complete Second Season	April 24, 2007	13	Bonus features include "Behind the Eds," the music video "The Incredible Shrinking Day," and How to Draw Ed.

Video games

There are three video games based on the series. Ed, Edd n Eddy: Jawbreakers! was released on September 15, 2002 for the Game Boy Advance. Ed, Edd n Eddy: The Mis-Edventures was released on October 31, 2005 for the Nintendo GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox, Game Boy Advance, and the PC. Most recently Ed, Edd n Eddy: Scam of the Century was released for the Nintendo DS on October 26, 2007. Additionally, characters and locations from the show make appearances in Cartoon Network based video games. The cul-de-sac is featured in the game Cartoon Network: Block Party, where Eddy and Sarah are playable characters. The Eds and Jonny appeared in Cartoon Network Speedway as playable characters.

Scam of the Century is in the action category, and was developed by the lesser-known gaming company D3 Publisher. The original storyline is developed around Eddy losing his precious “Who to Scam and When” book. When the three friends realize their classmate Kevin has the book in his hands and an angry mob of kids has developed, they run for the woods. Splitting up to throw off the crowd, they plan to meet up back at the cul-de-sac. Several adventures in the game await them. When they make their way back at the cul-de-sac, they find that Rolf has built a giant fort to keep them out. The game features 13 total stages, special attacks using the touch screen, the option to blow into the microphone to bring characters back to life, three side story mini-games and special items.

All three Eds have been confirmed as NPCs in the upcoming MMOG Cartoon Network Universe: FusionFall. Their artwork for the game is viewable on the game's main website. Their appearance as Nanos -- items that help the user or his/her party -- (besides Eddy's) has yet to be confirmed.

Awards and nominations

Award	Category	Nominee	Result
2001 Annie Awards	Outstanding Individual Achievement for Storyboarding in an Animated Television Production	James Wootton for "Wish You Were Ed"	Nominated
2001 Leo Awards	Best Musical Score of an Animation Program or Series	Patric Caird for "Ed in a Halfshell"	Nominated
2004 Leo Awards	Animation Program or Series: Best Musical Score	Patric Caird for: "Postcards from the Ed"	Nominated
2005 Leo Awards	Animation Program or Series: Best Musical Score	Patric Caird	Won
2005 Kids' Choice Awards	Favorite Cartoon	Ed, Edd n Eddy	Nominated
2006 Leo Awards	Best Musical Score in an Animation Program	Patric Caird for: "Boo Haw Haw"	Nominated
2008 Kids' Choice Awards	Favorite Cartoon	Ed, Edd n Eddy	Nominated

Critical reaction

The reaction to Ed, Edd n Eddy is varied. Terrence Briggs of Animation World Magazine argued that every second of the show is "filler" and that the main characters are drawn as "products from the school of acid-trip caricature." After the review was published, support letters of the show started to pile up at Animation World Magazine's website. This caused the magazine write a more positive review of Ed, Edd n Eddy, calling it a "fresh show with very different approaches."

Film critic Maryann Johanson found the show a successful experiment in style but surprisingly infantile in content, opining: "Visually, Cartoon Network's kiddie entry Ed, Edd n Eddy is delightfully gonzo, its inventive animation style and garish colors reflecting the adolescent confusion of its identically named boy heroes. But their goofy misadventures hold little appeal for grownup cartoon fans -- this one is pretty much strictly for the kiddies." David Cornelius considered the Eds adolescent equivalents of the Three Stooges, believing: "The series revels in the sort of frantic, often gross humor kids love so much, and there's just enough oddball insanity at play to make adults giggle just as easily." Cornelius also concurred that the "animation is colorful and intentionally bizarre; bold lines forming the characters and backgrounds wiggle and morph in a delirious haze. This is animation that's, well, really animated."

Other works

File:F1a030a7.jpg

Ed, Edd and Eddy look-alikes in Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends.

There have been other produced works in which the Eds would appear than just their regular series airings. They have appeared in a Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends episode using Foster's styled animation, and made a short cameo in The Grim Adventures of the Kids Next Door. Also, they appeared in a small crossover entitled Ed, Edd n Mandy.

Shorts

Cartoon Network has also produced shorts, some involving the Eds during commercial breaks. For a short while, Cartoon Network made a series of roughly 2-minute shorts called Ed, Edd, y Eduardo in which Eduardo from Foster's appeared in an Ed, Edd n Eddy episode. These shorts began airing on July 11, 2006 on Cartoon Network. There was also a short music video with stylized versions of Ed, Edd, Eddy and Sarah, entitled "The Incredible Shrinking Day", which aired on Cartoon Network in 2002 and 2003. In the video Sarah uses a potion to shrink the Eds to a size capable of playing in her dollhouse, with predictable results. Plank starred in a similar video called "My Best Friend Plank," which aired in 2002.

Special events

There have been many specials in which Cartoon Network would run all day marathons for either a promotion or just a special airing for one of their shows. A marathon called The Best Day Edder aired from April 27 to April 28, 2007, in which every episode was shown in chronological order, ending with the previously unaired last episode of Season 5.

A special episode of Ed, Edd n Eddy aired on May 11, 2007 in the Cartoon Network event, Invaded, in which aliens invade Rolf's house. This alien invasion is in adjunct with the other Cartoon Network series Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, My Gym Partner's a Monkey, Camp Lazlo, and The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy. The episode is part a mini-series that aired all 5 specials on May 28, 2007.

The Future

A.k.a. Cartoon conducted a panel on July 26, 2007 at San Diego Comic-Con and provided the following information about the future of the series: There will not be a full sixth season of the series at this time since the crew chose to put their time into making a movie instead; the movie is tentatively titled Ed, Edd n Eddy's Big Picture Show, and the plot will focus on the Eds searching for Eddy's brother.

External links

• Official Ed, Edd n Eddy site
• A.K.A. Cartoon