DEXTER’S LABORATORY

 

DEXTER’S LABORATORY
(TBS, TNT, Cartoon Network, April 27, 1996-June 15, 1998
November 18, 2001-November 20, 2003)
 
Hanna-Barbera Cartoons/Cartoon Network Studios

 

            While studying at the California Institute of the Arts, Genndy Tartakovsky screened a two-and-a-half-minute pencil test as his second student film for the producers of Batman: The Animated Series; earning him a job on the series. That same short would later earn him a slot in the upcoming Cartoon Network anthology series, World Premiere Toons (aka What a Cartoon!), which was developed to help find the network new content to turn into original programming as well as reinvigorate the classic short subject approach to animation. “Changes” debuted on the network on February 26, 1995, and it became one of the network’s highest-rated What a Cartoon! shorts. Not only did Tartakovsky end up making three more shorts starring his characters, but the network ended up giving him a full series order. Joining him on the production were fellow classmates and co-workers Craig McCracken, Rob Renzetti and Paul Rudish.

Dexter and Dee Dee with Dad and Mom.

            Dexter’s Laboratory centered on a pair of siblings. One was the boy-genius Dexter (Christine Cavanaugh & Candi Milo), who had a massive secret laboratory under his house where he used science to solve a wide range of problems or deal with his arch-rival: Mandark (Eddie Deezen). Dexter was inspired by Tartakovsky’s childhood in Chicago, where he was mocked for his “very thick accent” since his family immigrated from Russia. Dexter, in turn, had an accent since “all well-known scientists have accents.” Dee Dee (Allison Moore & Kat Cressida) was Dexter’s tall, carefree older sister who loved to invite herself into Dexter’s lab and end up causing a mess with his inventions while dancing around. She was designed first, as Tartakovsky wanted to animate a girl dancing. Dexter was created to be her opposite in both personality and shape. Their parents, known only as Mom (Kath Soucie) and Dad (Jeff Bennett), were unaware of their son’s activities. The series also featured two recurring segments. Dial M for Monkey followed Monkey (Frank Welker), Dexter’s pet who was secretly a crime-fighting superhero. Monkey fought crime alongside Agent Honeydew (Soucie) and a team of heroes called The Justice Friends. The other segment, The Justice Friends, followed three of their members: uber patriotic Major Glory (Rob Paulsen); electric guitar-wielding Valhallen (Tom Kenny); and the simple-minded purple Infraggable Krunk (Welker) as they shared an apartment together. They were parodies of Captain America, Thor and the Hulk in a sitcom with a superhero twist. They were inspired by Tartakovsky’s reading Marvel Comics while learning how to speak English.

Monkey with The Justice Friends.

            Dexter’s Laboratory debuted on April 27, 1996. Early episodes premiered on TBS and TNT before airing on Cartoon Network; all of which were then-owned by Turner Broadcasting. The simplistic art style was inspired by UPA shorts and the short The Dover Boys at Pimento University. Other influences included Warner Bros. cartoons, Hanna-Barbera cartoons and Japanese animation.  The series was a hit with the critics, and was Cartoon Network’s highest-rated original series. It was nominated for four Primetime Emmy Awards and won three Annie Awards. After 2 seasons, the series was intended to end with the film Ego Trip. However, Cartoon Network ended up ordering 110 more episodes in 2001. As Tartakovsky was busy developing other projects, Chris Savino took over the series for an additional two seasons; with the third being ushered in by a 12-hour viewer’s choice marathon.