R.I.P. Katbot

[meowthew]

I don't know how many people here were interested in Disney's Katbot, the animated series announced for Disney Channel earlier this year, but apparently the series will not be shown on the network, and production on the show has ended.

That's according to Angela Martini, the creator of the Katbot character. She reported the news at her blog in June, which you can read here: http://www.trippyswell.com/archive/2005_06_01_archive.html#c111854777765950413

Anyone know what may have caused Disney to cancel the show before it even aired?

 

[Sailor V]

I don't know how many people here were interested in Disney's Katbot, the animated series announced for Disney Channel earlier this year, but apparently the series will not be shown on the network, and production on the show has ended.

That's according to Angela Martini, the creator of the Katbot character. She reported the news at her blog in June, which you can read here: http://www.trippyswell.com/archive/2005_06_01_archive.html#c111854777765950413

Anyone know what may have caused Disney to cancel the show before it even aired?

Well because she was humiliated. Look!

Somewhere along the line I forgot how to write. I guess it had something to do with my journal. I started keeping a journal when I was sixteen. Back then I had a lot to talk about: boys, clubs, drugs, sneaking out, The Smiths, school, friends, adventures. The last few years there hasn't been much to write about. I don't have a regular job any more, so I can't even write about how much I hate it. I spend my days with two cats and a surly chihuahua. They're my co-workers, but they're not too exciting. The water cooler gossip round here is pretty uninspired. My journal entries dwindled to almost nothing. And since I wasn't writing anything private, I couldn't bring myself to write anything public.

Another thing that kept me quiet was Katbot. You know, Katbot, the character/website I created for my old job. A few years ago Katbot was optioned by Disney. We made a pilot. It got shelved for a while, then resurrected into some horrid caricature of what it originally was. To top it off, I was pushed out of the picture. I got the shaft, while all these strangers came in to make my show. It was a very painful time for me. There seemed to be an embargo on all discussion of what was going on and what I was feeling. I was too bitter to get the words out on paper with out sounding like a complete psycho.

As my journal writing slacked off my blog writing suffered. There really isn't much to say when you are constantly depressed and the most important thing going on is something you can't even talk about. Add to this my desire not to sound like an angry freak in case any of my freelance clients happened to read my site. I didn't know how to talk about it at all. I had to act like Katbot was a good thing because the only thing I was getting out of it was my name in the credits, but trying to act like it was all good was all bad. People would email me and congratulate me on having the all mighty Disney make my TV show. What could I say to that? Nothing. I couldn't say anything. I would cringe internally, complain to my husband and ignore the email. Isn't it terrible? The most exciting thing that ever happened to me was also the most humiliating.

I lived in continual dread of one thing: the day Katbot aired.

I no longer have to worry about that.

Katbot is dead. Yes, that's right, Disney's Katbot is dead and gone. They've pulled the plug. It's on the shelf. In the vault. Roasting in it's own private hell. Pass the marshmallows.

Katbot is history.

And that makes me so happy.

A torturous period of my life is over. Since the conception of Katbot I felt trapped. But now I'm free.

And it feels so good.

 

[Tintin]

That's sad, but you're not the only countries that dead and gone a show before his airdate

 

[Peter Paltridge]

Well, at least she appears to be married. Finding a mate is equally insanity-inducing, you know....

And she WANTED the show dead, so....this is more a sigh of relief than a straight sob story.

 

[SuperStantzio]

Yeah I have to agree with that.

 

[tucsoncoyote]

Katbot ends up in the Litter box? Apparently Disney saved Face.

Well, at least she appears to be married. Finding a mate is equally insanity-inducing, you know....

And she WANTED the show dead, so....this is more a sigh of relief than a straight sob story.

I tend to Agree here, Martianinvader, This actually sounds more like a sigh of relief rather then a Sob Story.. I think by Disney Pulling the plug they actually Saved Face in this case.. I mean I've seen shows that have been good and they get cancelled after a short run (Clerks comes to mind) but thien some shows are rally good and in fact it would be surpised that they too got cancelled even though the premise was good.. Katbot i feel was at best Mediocre, and that shows how fall Disney has fallen..

But there still is hope I feel, after all Disney could do a number of things that could actual improve things. but I thinbk they're going to kneed to listen to the fans who watch the shows and Listen good, after all The fix is in, and Disney in itself said this in a Hollywood Reporter article back in February. so don't be surprised if in the future we see better shows.

it's just a matter of time.

but as the Creator of Katbot said, this show is dead.. End of story. Stick a fork in it. Done..

Nuff said.

 

[Wolfcruiser]

Ah, good, no offense to the creator, but it didn't sound really captivating or interesting.

Seems she's found solace in that and good for her.

 

[PositronShooter]

Sounds like we got a clue of what goes on behind each show at Disney. They were probably gonna turn it into some more tweenage schlock following the shadow of Lizzie McGuire.

 

[Rover_Wow]

Let me hazard another theory at why the Mouse neutered Katbot (hey, that might make a good headline)... Shows where a character can hide his/her identity without even having to use a disguise suck. See "Pet Alien". (Zim is apparently the exception that makes the rule.)

Now that Katarina's free of the Mouse's clutches, do any of you think that she's willing to give adapting it for TV another shot? With Disney out of the picture she still has two (relatively) creator-friendly and animation-friendly nets she can head to (Nick and CN).

But that raises another question: Can Katbot possibly be done right on the tube?

 

[Movie-Brat]

Disney was messing up her creation, why else would she be glad that KatBot is dead.

 

[Andrewjn]

KATBOT etc

I was developing (writing) some potential shows for Disney when KATBOT was being handed around as an example to emulate for new series. The Disney-developed show bible did not inspire anyone who saw it. Nor did the other one I was given, Maggie (later, The Buzz On...). I did three shows there 2003-4 and one, W.I.T.C.H., got on the air, but it had comics and product and European oomph to force it along. To be truthful, nobody I know working for any network, now or in the past (I've done this over 2 decades) finds the internally-developed stuff inspiring. Shows work in spite of a network's guidance, never because of it. And they never learn from this, not ever. One Disney comedy animation pilot I worked on for 6 months, Super Cooper (12-year-old girl wakes up every morning with a new and different and often scary super-power -- creator: Steve Billnitzer) was twisted in so many directions away from funny by the folks hired to keep us creatives in line, that I understand it is now being handed around over at the Mouse House as an example of what NOT to do in show development. I fought and kicked at every single step of the way - the art, the concept, the script, the "theme"; the "lesson" (who wants a lesson? Anyone you ever met?) but the unending roomsful of execs always had their way. They always will. The shows you get to see have run a gauntlet that even the most cynical of you will never be able to imagine. Want a peek inside? Check my book on the whole mess, Valuable Lessons, on page four of www.nichollsvickers.com. And hey, thanks to all of the real fans out here... they should test all pilots on you guys, not on randomly-mall-chosen groups of racially- and economically- mixed 9-year-olds. Best, Andrew Nicholls

 

[tucsoncoyote]

Fans Know best.

I was developing (writing) some potential shows for Disney when KATBOT was being handed around as an example to emulate for new series. The Disney-developed show bible did not inspire anyone who saw it. Nor did the other one I was given, Maggie (later, The Buzz On...). I did three shows there 2003-4 and one, W.I.T.C.H., got on the air, but it had comics and product and European oomph to force it along. To be truthful, nobody I know working for any network, now or in the past (I've done this over 2 decades) finds the internally-developed stuff inspiring. Shows work in spite of a network's guidance, never because of it. And they never learn from this, not ever. One Disney comedy animation pilot I worked on for 6 months, Super Cooper (12-year-old girl wakes up every morning with a new and different and often scary super-power -- creator: Steve Billnitzer) was twisted in so many directions away from funny by the folks hired to keep us creatives in line, that I understand it is now being handed around over at the Mouse House as an example of what NOT to do in show development. I fought and kicked at every single step of the way - the art, the concept, the script, the "theme"; the "lesson" (who wants a lesson? Anyone you ever met?) but the unending roomsful of execs always had their way. They always will. The shows you get to see have run a gauntlet that even the most cynical of you will never be able to imagine. Want a peek inside? Check my book on the whole mess, Valuable Lessons, on page four of www.nichollsvickers.com. And hey, thanks to all of the real fans out here... they should test all pilots on you guys, not on randomly-mall-chosen groups of racially- and economically- mixed 9-year-olds. Best, Andrew Nicholls

Andrew, Truer words were never spoken.. After all You are right on So many levels here.. and for good reason.

First off What caught my eye was the very last sentece.. Every last Pilot idea would or should be tested out not only on those 9 year olds but also on a lot of Older folks as well (Anyone over 18 is also viable-- Case In Point Kim Possible worked so well not because of the Zaniness but rather by the way it was developed, it wasn't developed for the 9 year old in mind, but rather for adults as well. Buzz Lightyearand all the older shows as well also work the same way because we all grew up with them and they had excellent plot lines, and character development. )

So already this logic works. But I feel that networks (Espeically Disney) should Listen to what the fans want, rather tne just trying to control the fun of the show, based on the likings or dislikings of some 9 year old who has the attention span of a 9 year old, after all I hate to say this but Disney is losing a lot of Potential by not exploring all the possibilities.. and in fact some series could really go quite a ways.. at least as long if not longer then Darkwing Duck, Ducktales, or Even Recess. .

In short, Let the creative people create, run a few pilots not with just those 9 year olds viewing , but whole families, and run what works and shelve what doesn't.. and run with those showsthat do work, and even expand on them if necessary.. Inn short let you guys come up with the wacky Off the wall ideas.. let you create, and we'll watch.

Like I said, I support your kind of thinking.. after all fans know what fans want, Not some 9 year old Mall rat who has a 9 year old Attention Span. Nuff said.

 

[Ultra8]

Well this gives me mixed feelings.
I'm happy for the lady but I'm also sad because Katbot was one of two shows coming out of Disney(the other being The Buzz on Maggie) that actually sounded interesting.

 

[Steve Carras]

Too bad.


I recall a 2000 Time (Was it Newsweek?) that mkentioned martini and her creaiton 9then, prehaps (mis)named Catbot>0

I went to her site..Very funny web animaiton of Katbot.

(Here I hjope then that they don't get hteir mits on the similiar Emily the Strange (http://www.emilystrange.com) ).

Very hard to imagine that translating well..

 

[CookieS]

Anyone know what may have caused Disney to cancel the show before it even aired?

Well it could be anything. The production team wasn't getting along? Disney didn't want meet the creator's demmands. Who know?!

I think its funny the thread is called "R.I.P." considering the show was never even born.