Scary Godmother

"Scary Godmother" is a series of children's books and comic books created by artist Jill Thompson and published by Sirius Entertainment in 1997. The surprising popularity of this comic resulted in a successful stage show and a computer animated (with hand drawn backgrounds) special in 2003 by Mainframe Entertainment, titled ', which was faithful to the original material (as Thompson had creative control over the project) Karen Moltenbray, Witch’s Brew: Mainframe Entertainment mixes up a wide range of graphic styles to create a unique look for Scary Godmother, Computer Graphics World, October 2003, Volume 26, Number 10] . A second computer animated special by Mainframe, ' (based on the second book), premiered on TV in 2005.

Characters

*Scary Godmother - A tall, skinny and pretty-looking witch with long curly squirrel hair, pale green skin, small bat wings on her back, purple and green leggings and a charming personality. Hailing from the Fright Side (a world where scary Halloween monsters live), she befriended a little girl named Hannah-Marie, who was scared by her older cousin Jimmy, who locked her into the haunted house Scary and her "broommates" were in. Also rides a broom . Has a pet ghost cat named Boozle. Her voice was done by Tabitha St. Germain.

*Hannah-Marie - Hannah is an adorable little girl who was excited to go trick-or-treating for the first time. But when her cranky older cousin Jimmy reluctantly takes Hannah trick-or-treating, he and his friends Bert, Daryl and Katie play a trick on her when they talk her into going down the basement of a spooky, abandoned house, and feed candy to the imaginary "monster in the basement" lest it eat all the children in the world. Hannah is locked in, and is so scared she cries, but just then, Scary Godmother pops out of nowhere and befriends Hannah, introducing the little girl to her many monster friends, assuring her that monsters are not going to eat her or any children, just scare them! She has since become friends with Scary and the rest of her friends in the Fright Side. Usually dresses as a fairy princess on Halloween. Her voice was done by Brit McKillip.

*Jimmy - Jimmy is Hannah-Marie's mean older cousin. When reluctantly taking Hannah trick-or-treating, he talked his friends into scaring her by trapping her in the basement of a haunted house in the neighborhood, so that she can run home and they can get more candy without her. However, his plan backfires after Hannah befriends Scary Godmother and her broommates, all of whom give Jimmy and his friends a taste of their medicine. A year later, he was so scared by that ordeal that he tried to stop Halloween from happening (by destroying all Halloween-related items, like pumpkins, costumes and candy), but is otherwise touched when he stumbles into a party that Scary, Hannah, and their friends were celebrating. Often dresses in a Devil sweatsuit on Halloween.

*Jimmy's friends - Jimmy's three companions, whom he talked into scaring Hanna-Marie when she first went trick-or-treating. Unlike Jimmy, they aren't bad children, just easily influenced. They were content with Hannah's company, and even helped her save Halloween when Jimmy tried to ruin it once.:Bert - An African-American boy and the most imaginative of the three. Dresses as a baseball player wearing a cardboard SUV around his body.:Daryl - Sweet and naive. Dresses as a piece of candy.:Katie - She's the most empathic of the three. Has a slight crush on Daryl. Dresses as a black cat.

*Mr. Skully Pettibone - Scary Godmother's broommate. He's the skeleton that hides in people's closets to keep their secrets safe, and, as he puts it, just rattle around. Come Halloween, there's nothing Skully likes more than to cut loose and roll the bones at a good party. His voice was done by Scott McNeil.

*Bug-A-Boo - Another broommate of Scary's. He is a huge, round monster with multiple yellow eyes, fur, a pointy tail, horns and a huge mouth with sharp teeth. He is the monster that lurks in places like in basements, under beds, in closets and other deep, dark places (and knows what children are scared of, even Jimmy and his friends). Frightened of him at first, Hannah perceived him as the "monster in the basement" that Jimmy told her would eat children lest she feeds him candy. While she does that, Bug-A-Boo tells her that his job is to "scare" children, not eat them! ("If I went around eatin' all the clients, I'd be out of work!") They have since become great friends. His voice was done by Gary Chalk.

*Harry - A werewolf who wears a blue, lamb-patterned shirt. Hails from Ackerman Forest (a pun on horror honcho Forrest J. Ackerman). With a hammy personality and an insatiable appetite for food (especially candy and snacks), he is one of Scary Godmother's friends, but also a huge nuisance to her and her broommates. Is a big fan of the TV "skelevision" show, "The Spectral Six". It is notable, however, that, while annoying, Harry is still a full-grown male werewolf, possessing razor-sharp claws and fangs, incredible strength, and highly acute lupine senses. It would be unwise to get between Harry and something he wants. His voice was also done by Gary Chalk.

*Count Max - A tall, thin and bald vampire dressed in black. The most famous vampire on the Fright Side, he is the "King of the Night." Usually very old-fashioned, Max feels awkward for being out of touch with the times. His voice was also done by Scott McNeil. Resides Belfrey Manor with his family. Based in name and appearance on the iconic silent-era film version of Nosferatu, played by Max Schreck.

*Ruby - Max's beautiful wife, also a vampire, and the "Queen of the Night." Is more "modern" than her husband, which drives him batty. Has long, black hair and is clad in a satin dress. Recalls 1950s horror show hostess Vampira Her voice was also done by Tabitha St. Germain.

*Orson - Max & Ruby's preteen son, and, of course, a vampire like his parents. He is the "Prince of the Night." Wears modern goth clothing, thin round glasses and has blue dyed hair. Since Hannah befriended him, Orson was considered by some to be a possible love interest for her (despite his occasionally trying to bite her in the neck).

*Irene Le Gevaudan - Harry's mother. Based on the character Maleva (played by Maria Ouspenskaya) in the classic monster movie, "The Wolf Man". She never appeared in the movies.

*Madame Zazie - A black widow spider that speaks with a French accent. Owns the Slaughtered Lamb bar in the Fright Side. She also never appeared in the movies.

Comics

*"Scary Godmother" (1997) book
*"Revenge of Jimmy" (1998) book
*"My Bloody Valentine" (1998) comic (single issue)
*"Halloween Spooktakular" (1998) comic (single issue)
*"The Mystery Date" (1999) book
*"Boo Floo" (2000) book
*"Scary Godmother Activity Book" (2000) comic (single issue)
*"Wild About Harry" (2001) comic miniseries (3 issues)
*"Ghoul's Out for Summer" (2003) comic miniseries (6 issues)
*"Spooktacular Stories" (2004)

Awards

*The original book "Scary Godmother" was a top votegetter for the Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Award for Favorite Original Graphic Novel for 1998.
*1998 - nominated for the Lulu of the Year Lulu Award
*1999 - won the Lulu of the Year Lulu Award

Film Adaptations

Two films have been produced based on the series. The first, , premiered on television in Europe, Latin America, and Canada in 2003. The film was the first one Mainframe Entertainment using its new software/animation pipeline. Jill Thompson co-wrote the script, and had some creative control over the project. When she was shown early character designs for the film which resembled the watercolor illustrations in her books, she requested that the characters instead be fully computer-generated. However, the mostly static backgrounds used in the film more closely resemble traditional cell animation or the illustratiions in Thompson's books. Because of that, the 3D characters often appear to "pop out" from their backgrounds. overall, the visual style of the film has been described as resembling that of Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas rather than that of computer-animated films such Finding Nemo. The second film,"" (based on the second book), premiered in 2005.

References

External links

* [http://users.rcn.com/aardy/comics/awards/cbg.shtml Comics Buyer's Guide Fan Awards]
* [http://www.jillthompsonart.com/ Jill Thompson Online]