Monday, September 15, 2025

Napoleon Dynamite’s Success Led To An Terrible Animated Sequence That Was Canceled





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Jared Hess’ oddball comedy “Napoleon Dynamite” was an unlimited success when it was launched again in 2004, making over $46 million on its tiny $400,000 finances. The movie was simply peculiar sufficient to draw a snarky viewers of jeering twentysomethings who preferred to cite the movie’s kooky dialogue and imitate lead actor Jon Heder’s peculiar supply. The title character lived in a boring metropolis in Idaho, however, like a Wes Anderson character, additionally lived in a fastidiously constructed private universe of his personal. Napoleon was all the time assured and guaranteed, at the same time as he was relentlessly picked on at his highschool. His style sense stunk, however he attacked the world with a surprisingly laconic self-assurance that one can not help however envy. 

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The character was putting sufficient to launch a miniature trade of “Vote for Pedro” T-shirts, sweaters, mugs, Funko Pops, bumper stickers, and Halloween costumes. “Napoleon Dynamite” stayed entrenched within the pop consciousness for manner, manner longer than anybody might need anticipated. It has impressed reunion screenings and numerous post-rep-screening Q&As. And I, idiot that I’m, predicted in 2004 that it would not entice a cult. I’m hardly ever extra unsuitable. 

What even the deepest-cut Pedro followers might not recall was the “Napoleon Dynamite” animated collection that aired on Fox, eight years after the movie was launched. The “Napoleon Dynamite” animated collection reunited a lot of the authentic movie’s forged, together with Heder within the title function, Efren Ramirez as Pedro, Tina Majorino as Deb, Aaron Ruell as Napoleon’s older brother Kip, and John Gries as their shiftless Uncle Rico. Even Diedrich Bader and Haylie Duff returned. The present additionally boasted visitor spots for Jennifer Coolidge, Sam Rockwell, Jemaine Clement, Amy Poehler, and Alan Tudyk. 

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It additionally sucked. The collection instantly bought horrible evaluations (it has a 32% approval ranking on Rotten Tomatoes, based mostly on 28 evaluations), and the scores had been instantly low. It was canceled after six episodes. 

Napoleon Dynamite was simply repeated for the animated collection

The “Napoleon Dynamite” TV collection zoomed in on the function movie, following the identical characters in the identical city, however on a timeline that happened earlier than the “Napoleon” function movie ended. There was a two-month hole within the movie that elapsed after Pedro had been elected class president, however earlier than Kip married his web sweetheart Lafawnduh. The TV collection takes place solely in that two-month hole. It appears that evidently the characters hadn’t modified a lot because the film, although, and nonetheless behaved in a equally understated and laconic style.  

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The primary episode involved Napoleon getting a job at a liger sanctuary (a cross-breed of a lion and a tiger; Napoleon’s favourite animal). New characters are launched, after all; Poehler, as an illustration, performs a teen woman who falls for Napoleon after he will get hooked on testosterone-laced facial cream. Rockwell performs a neighborhood champion, the winner of the Future Farmers of America competitors. Clips of the collection had been posted on /Movie again within the day

Evaluations for “Napoleon Dynamite” weren’t wholly type. The Chicago Solar-Instances gave the present one and a half stars, with critic Lori Rackl saying that one’s mileage might differ, relying on one’s affection for the unique movie. Deadpan humor, she stated, does not work as effectively in animation. The overview on the Uncle Barky web site was kinder, though it was solely in contrast favorably to “Allen Gregory,” one other short-lived animated Fox sitcom that aired on the similar time. Evaluating two unhealthy, forgotten, early 2010s primetime animated exhibits does not actually complement both. The Los Angeles Instances overview, written by Mary McNamara, identified that slow-burn humor and lengthy awkward pauses do not operate effectively in TV animation, even when they could work in function movies. Even the individuals who preferred the collection felt that it was inferior to the unique movie … and never everybody preferred the unique movie. 

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Six episodes later, it was gone, pulled from Fox and shoved into the world of misplaced curios. It may well presently be bought from Apple TV, in case your curiosity is getting the higher of you.



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