Welcome to Eltingville
Welcome to Eltingville is an animated comedy pilot created by Evan Dorkin based on his comic book series Eltingville. It was premiered in the United States on March 3, 2002, on Cartoon Network's late night programming block, Adult Swim, but was not picked up for a full series.
| Welcome to Eltingville | |
|---|---|
 The title card featuring the four members of the Eltingville club. From the left: Jerry, Bill, Josh, and Pete. | |
| Created by | Evan Dorkin |
| Based on | Eltingville by Evan Dorkin |
| Written by | Evan Dorkin |
| Directed by | Chuck Sheetz |
| Voices of |
|
| Theme music composer | The Aquabats |
| Ending theme | "Welcome to Eltingville" performed by The Aquabats |
| Composer(s) | Denis M. Hannigan |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) | Evan Dorkin Sarah Dyer |
| Running time | 22 minutes |
| Production company(s) | Cartoon Network Studios |
| Release | |
| Original network | Adult Swim |
| Picture format | 4:3 SDTV |
| Original release | March 3, 2002 |
Welcome to Eltingville takes place in Eltingville, Staten Island, and focuses on the lives of four teenage boys: Bill Dickey, Josh Levy, Pete DiNunzio and Jerry Stokes, all members of "The Eltingville Club", who have shared interests in comic books and science fiction, among other things. In the pilot episode Bill and Josh enter into a fight over a collectible Boba Fett action figure.
The pilot episode, "Bring Me the Head of Boba Fett", adapts the Eisner Award winning story of the same name, which ran in the third issue of Instant Piano.[1] It was written by Dorkin and Chuck Sheetz and received a positive reception. It has been made available on DVD and Adult Swim's website.
Plot
The Eltingville Club's members, Bill Dickey, Josh Levy, Pete DiNunzio and Jerry Stokes, all get into a fight while playing Dungeons and Dragons, wake up Bill's mom and Bill kicks Josh out of the club. The next day, Bill awakes from a nightmare which he called a "freaky premonition," and decides to let Josh back into the club. They end their day at a comic book shop, where Bill and Josh compete in a trivia contest to win an action figure of Boba Fett. While Bill technically wins, they continue their dispute, wreaking havoc in the process. They both race home to steal their parents' money, and race back to the store. Meanwhile, Pete and Jerry debate if Boba Fett is still alive after the events of Star Wars Episode VI - Return of the Jedi. Bill and Josh bribe the clerk, Joe, with a check and credit cards, respectively. He denies both forms of currency. They continue arguing and end up breaking the action figure. They need to combine their funds to purchase the broken toy and all four of them are then kicked out of the store. Bill angrily walks away with Fett's head and leaves Josh with the body. While Josh weeps on the ground, Jerry tells Pete, "Well, if Boba Fett wasn't dead before, he sure as hell is now." Willoughby ends the episode by breaking the fourth wall, asking if this is the "end of the Eltingville Club?!"
Production and broadcast
The pilot episode, "Bring Me the Head of Boba Fett", was written by Evan Dorkin and directed by Chuck Sheetz. It was rated as TV-14 in the United States for comic violence, crude sexual references (including sexualized depictions of women), and moderate offensive language. Production on the episode was officially completed in October 2001.[2] The pilot was based on Dorkin's time as a comic book store employee at Jim Hanley's Universe in Eltingville, Staten Island.[3] The pilot's story line was partially based upon the comic story of the same name and the pilot's theme opening and closing themes were written and performed by The Aquabats.
Dorkin took a large role in the pilot's creation and has since stated that if he could have re-done the episode, he would have chosen to delegate more work and to choose an Eltingville story that would show off more of the series' potential and characters.[4] If the series had been picked up for further episodes or a miniseries, potential plot lines for episodes would have included a "Klingon vs. Elf war" between a local Klingon camp and a Renaissance fair, as well as the club members digging through the Staten Island landfill for a collectible item that was mistakenly thrown out.[5]
The pilot episode was originally aired in the United States on Cartoon Network's late night programming block Adult Swim on March 3, 2002, and was originally promoted by "special" by Adult Swim. It has since been re-aired periodically on Adult Swim since its original premiere, including twice on Halloween night, October 31, 2008, as part of an advertised "Halloween Stunt" night.[6]
Cast
- Jason Harris as Bill Dickey, President of the Eltingville Club
- Troy Metcalf as Josh Levy, a member of the club who frequently fights with Bill
- Larc Spies as Pete DiNunzio, a horror movie addict
- Corey Brill as Jerry Stokes, a fantasy fan and the group's Dungeon Master
- Tara Sands as Jane Dickey, Bill's sister
- Christopher Ward as Ward Willoughby, an unlucky boy
- Glenn Jones as Joe, the owner of a comic book store
- Alicia Sedwick as Mrs. Dickey and Mrs. Levy, the unseen mothers of Bill and Jane Dickey and Josh Levy, respectively
- Evan Dorkin as Ironjaw, a red head with braces who annoys the Eltingville Club with his spit talking
Reception
Animation World Network and Ain't It Cool News both praised the pilot episode,[7] and Ain't It Cool News complimented the show on its geek humor, which they considered to be fairly accurate and funny.[8] The characters in the pilot have since made Topless Robot's list of Pop Culture's 10 Greatest Nerds.[9]
Home release
On October 27, 2009, Adult Swim and distributor Warner Home Video released Adult Swim in a Box a seven-disc DVD box set featuring a variety of different Adult Swim shows. Welcome to Eltingville is featured in this set on a bonus DVD along with Korgoth of Barbaria, the pilot episode of Perfect Hair Forever, Totally for Teens, and Cheyenne Cinnamon and the Fantabulous Unicorn of Sugar Town Candy Fudge;[10][11] in June 2010, the bonus DVD from "Adult Swim in a Box", was made available for separate purchase through the Adult Swim website.
References
- "1996 Will Eisner Comic Industry Award Nominees and Winners". Hahn Library Comic Book Awards Almanac. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
- Worley, Rob M. "Cartoon Net Suits Decide Fate of Eltingville Club". Mania.com. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
- Arrant, Chris. "Evan Dorkin's BEASTS Collected, Soon to Meet HELLBOY". Newsarama. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
- Arrant, Chris. "Evan Dorkin Lampoons The Dark Side of Comic Fandom In ELTINGVILLE CLUB Finale". Newsarama. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
- Worley, Rob. "THE FUTURE OF 'ELTINGVILLE' ON TV AND IN COMICS". CBR. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
- Fritz, Steve. "Animated Shorts: Max Atoms' Swan Song - 'Underfist'". Newarama.com. Retrieved 22 May 2011.
- Beck, Jerry. "TV Review: Welcome To Eltingville". AWN. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
- "WELCOME TO ELTINGVILLE!! Tonight On Cartoon Network!! Like A Big Twisted Funhouse Mirror Of Geekdom!!". AICN. Retrieved 15 June 2014.
- Pop Culture's 10 Greatest Nerds Topless Robot
- "Welcome to Eltingville DVD release, as part of Adult Swim in a Box, 2009". Archived from the original on 2017-11-07.
- Adult Swim in a Box DVD Talk