Happy Happy Joy Joy - The Ren & Stimpy Story

The feature documentary exploring the rise and fall of the groundbreaking animated series Ren & Stimpy, and its controversial creator, John Kricfalusi.

  • Ron Cicero
    Director
  • Kimo Easterwood
    Director
  • Ron Cicero
    Writer
  • Kimo Easterwood
    Writer
  • Ron Cicero
    Producer
  • Kevin Klauber
    Producer
    Icarus, 20 Feet From Stardom (as Editor)
  • John Kricfalusi
    Key Cast
    "Self"
    Ren & Stimpy
  • Bob Camp
    Key Cast
    "Self"
    Ren & Stimpy
  • Vanessa Coffey
    Key Cast
    "Self"
    Ren & Stimpy
  • Bobby Lee
    Key Cast
    "Self"
    Mad TV
  • Chris Reccardi
    Key Cast
    "Self"
    Ren & Stimpy
  • Jack Black
    Key Cast
    "Self"
    Jumanji, Kung Fu Panda
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Genres:
    Comedy, Animation, Social
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 43 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    August 30, 2019
  • Production Budget:
    300,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    Canada, United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital, 4k
  • Aspect Ratio:
    1.9:1
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Ron Cicero, Kimo Easterwood

RON CICERO - Co-Director / Producer
Throughout his 20-year career, Ron has partnered with industry leading directors including Judd Apatow, Aaron Ruell, Henry Hobson, Brett Foraker, Nick Lewin, Jan Wentz, Kyle Cooper and MAGNOPUS, the digital experience and VR production company helmed by Oscar winners Ben Grossmann and Alex Henning, overseeing the production of hundreds of commercials, branded shorts and experiential installations.

Notable work includes the Gold Lion and Clio award-winning "Mind Your Meds" campaign directed by actor/director Eric Stoltz; the Gold Pencil, AICP-NEXT and D&AD Book Award-winning experiential installation "Sensorium" for Sephora and the fragrance dynasty Firmenich; and video content for the interactive Opera "Death & The Powers" for MIT.

Ron also produced PlayStation’s documentary short, "Makers & Gamers: Journey." Directed by Academy Award nominee Jesse Moss ("The Overnighters", "Dirty Money"), the branded piece amassed over 2 million views on You Tube alone in just 10 days.

Additional clients include a long list of multi-national brands such as The Academy Awards, AT&T, ESPN, Jeep, Lexus, Microsoft, NBC, Nike, Range Rover, Sony PlayStation, Sephora, and Victoria’s Secret. Ron has collaborated with ad agencies and clients, large and small, including BBDO, CP+B, GSD&M, Publicis/NY, Saatchi & Saatchi, and TBWA-Chiat Day, among others.

Cicero segued into Executive Producing after producing at production companies @radical media, Crossroads Films, Picrow and Prologue, among others.

KIMO EASTERWOOD - Co-Director / DP
KIMO has been making both celebrities and non-celebrities alike look more beautiful-ler for 20 years. Starting as a tour photographer, the Hawaiian native has counted Chris Rock, Bon Jovi, Christina Aguilar, Jenna Jameson, Usher, and ZZ Top as his clients.

Since 2015, Kimo has shot motion picture content for a variety of brands including Adidas, Dodge, Starlingear and a long list of specialty whiskeys.

His fine art work has been displayed in galleries and art shows in both New York and Los Angeles. His collection Random Elements is a multiple award winner at the prestigious Beverly Hills Art Show.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

In 2016, we set out to complete a documentary celebrating the animated show Ren & Stimpy. While it had a cult following in the early '90's, few people--including us--realized the huge impact the short-lived series had on comedy, television, and feature animation.

The artwork, the voice acting, the music was nothing short of extraordinary, especially for television. We discovered this through 18 months of interviewing the many artists, actors and executives connected to the show. By early 2018, we had a completed film. Or so we thought.

Three days after typing up our final credits, news broke the creator of Ren & Stimpy, John Kricfalusi (aka John K) was in a relationship with an underage girl in the mid '90's. Other stories of abuse and sexual misconduct also surfaced. While John K had refused to be interviewed, he was still a critical part of the film. The news was a devastating blow on many levels.

After a week or two of panicking, word came back that John K now wanted to talk on camera. We knew this would fundamentally change our film, but we weren't sure exactly how. It took another 6 months to find out.

What you are about to see is the second version of Happy Happy, Joy Joy; the result of another 6 months of editing and re-editing as we culled down the 10+ hours of additional interviews, with John K, with Robyn Byrd his accuser and those on the show whose legacies were now tarnished. What was initially a film focused solely on the series morphed into an exploration of art vs artist, as well as personal damage.

This film will inevitably be controversial. We are telling the story of a part of many people's childhoods that is now tainted by the creator's misdeeds. While it may be easier to just excise John from the show's history, or turn a blind eye to how he acted, neither would give a complete story. Failing to address the trauma he both experienced and created would also halt a discussion on how to prevent it from happening again.