In 2014,Adult Swimaired a short-lived series entitledKing Star King, a show that was described by series creatorJ.J. Villardas “He-Man on drugs.” It followed the eponymous King Star King on a series of surreal, sexualized, and sordid adventures throughout the Gigantiverse, punctuated by hypnotic animation, off-model squashing and stretching, and copious amounts of drug use.
Some found the show incredibly off-putting, both in its unhinged writing and vulgar animation style. Others reveled in the sheer boundary-pushing intensity it offered on the small screen. Despite mixed reviews, the series won Adult Swim an Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Animation in 2015, a full three yearsbeforeRick and Mortywould bring home another win for the network.
Since then, J.J. Villard has been a frequent collaborator with the late-night network, producing the equally-unsettling seriesJ.J. Villard’s Fairy Talesand anupcomingspecial forKing StarKing’srelease in February. With such a polarizing opinion of Villard’s television output, it’s worth diving into the man himself and seeing how his work is a horrifyingly acquired taste.
J.J. Villard Is a Prolific Artist
J.J. Villard is more than just “the guy that madeKing Star King.” He’s had quite a track record in animation, attending the California Institute of the Arts for Character Animation and creating the 2003 shortSon of Satan. The short adapted the titular work by Charles Bukowski, bringing a horrifying autobiographical story to life with scratchy visuals, unsettling imagery, and exaggerated shading. The short was originally presented at the 2003 Cannes Film Festival, putting Villard on the map professionally.
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An interview on theAdult Swim Podcastalso detailed hiscontributions to Dreamworks, where he served as part of the production team forShrek 3– a film he described as “f***ing horrible.” He would continue to work for Dreamworks, aiding in the production ofShrek Forever AfterandMonsters vs. Aliensbefore mutually splitting from the company after five years. In addition to working for Dreamworks, he also worked on Cartoon Network’sUncle Grandpaseries in a variety of positions.
J.J. Villard Blends Punk Art with Grossness
Villard eventually adopted a new motto of “go big, but remain small,” keeping true to his style and making as few concessions as possible in his output for Adult Swim. It can be seen in how his shows stand out visually against their contemporaries.
Underneath the vulgarity ofKing Star King, there’s some genuine artistry going on. The show takes full advantage of the animation medium, breaking character models in just about every frame while warping and twisting the surrounding environment in absurd ways. Backgrounds and characters are given an extraordinary amount of detail. Colors are vibrant and eye-catching. Every second is an audiovisual treat – a sour treat at that, but still a treat.
Being an artist, Villard would continue to expand his horizons with his next series. He spoke toDeadlineabout the creative process for his second Adult Swim show,J.J. Villard’s Fairy Tales, and how his favorite short was one that broke a creative mold:
“Everybody thought we were going to be like the grossed-out perverted guys, and I hate people typecasting me toKing Star King. It’s just like, dude, if you look at my fking resume, I have done so many styles of cartoons. And this ‘Boypunzel’ being the first one they aired was just like a fk you to everyone. Just like, ‘Look, I can do a sentimental, gross cartoon where you actually, really have empathy for the characters and care about them.’ Fking Boypunzel getting out of that go***n town.”
He continued to speak about how restrictions placed onFairy Talesmade the show stronger overall, comparing it to John Kricfalusi’sRen and Stimpy. Network censorship and guidelines for jokes and story structures forced Villard and his writing team to work smarter in getting jokes and story beats across to the audience, reigning in the unabashed adultery that his previous work was engorged with.
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Fairy Talesalso drifted significantly fromKing Star Kingin terms of visuals, taking on a more child-friendly style that clashes with the morbid stories being told. Characters look plastic and drift around the ground as if they’re toys being manipulated by invisible hands. Flat colors and minimal outlines make each episode resemble an animated storybook. These visuals, combined with unsettling changes to each fairy tale and subliminal text messages strewn throughout each episode, create an equally challenging and enjoyable horror-based take on classic fairy tales.
What Can We Expect From King Star King?
Alongside a special forAdult Swim’sBallmastrz: 9009, Villard’sKing Star Kingwill also make a comeback in the form ofKing Star King !/!/!/.From a single piece of promotional art released so far, the special will take on some drastic changes in comparison to the original series: the main cast now has similar proportions, with rounded eyes and mitten hands taking precedence over scratchy details.
King Star King has seen a dramatic makeover, with his mullet being reduced to a skullet, his vest turning to a collared shirt and tie, and belly fat overwhelming his abs. Instead of scouring the Gigantaverse, he’ll be supporting a family with what looks to be a white-collar job.
Tommy Blacha will return to voice King Star King, with celebrities like Andie MacDowell, Will Sasso, Justin Roiland, and Rachel Butera making appearances in the special as well.
All episodes ofKing Star Kingcan be streamed on Adult Swim’s website.J.J. Villard’sFairy Talesis, unfortunately, not available to stream at the time of writing.
