Thanks for dropping by Boots. I’m sure the visit was much appreciated by your viewers. Because that’s who we do all this stuff for, right?

Like you said, getting a strong reaction in either direction is *much* more satisfying than apathy, that’s for sure. They care! Yay.

And don’t worry about your lengthy comments ‘judy’. It’s all good and were an interesting read. It’s nice to see you so passionate about the work we do.

I guess when seeing this kind of discussion we (the makers) say “Well, it’s too late now!” because all of the shows are ‘in the can’ now and we can just hope for the best.

I hope you do keep watching and picking them apart on the forums. It’s a pretty damn good show and Rob’s a pretty damn good guy.

Thanks for dropping by and I hope you visit again!
K
(P.S.: The next episode you’ll probably come across of *mine* should be ‘I’m Okay, You’re a Kat’. It’s a pretty fun one.)

I will say this to judyindisguise: I’ve enjoyed your insights into Coop’s character and I’m sorry to hear that his (slightly accelerated) evolution into the “hero” has lessened your excitement of the series.

Balance, however, was always in the cards. There’s a reason the theme song repeats “kid vs kat vs kid vs kat vs…”: it’s meant to be back and forth. That has proven to be tricky: Coop getting too beat up can quickly turn audience sympathy for him into annoyance of him; an overly victorious Coop can conversely make him appear cocky and unlikeable. (Although it could be argued that Coop has been a cocky kid from the start.)

The episodes currently on youTube – though not yet seen on Disney XD – are still fairly early in the series, and perhaps we were still trying to find that proper balance. My hope is that if you stick with it you’ll still see the Coop you enjoyed. Trust me, he takes a beating in many episodes… so does Kat, and BOTH deserve it when it happens.

Thanks to everyone who expressed an opinion, be they fans of the show or not.

R

Thanks for the kudos on “Fort”, I appreciate it.

I’ve mentioned before that I barely watch TV cartoons anymore. Occupational hazard. So I don’t even know what to say to all this.

So I’m just gonna step back and maybe let Rob handle the rest. (Rob, you there?)

Because I don’t create ‘em and I don’t write ‘em…I just draw ‘em.
K

“When I saw the first ep of KvK, I too was thinking “Oh man, this poor kid’s getting reamed”, and yet…I kept going back and watching again and again, laughing helplessly at things that some would find an outrage. And why? Because it was funny and it made sense. Coop’s a kid! The Cat is a highly intelligent alien specie! Of course it isn’t an even match! It shouldn’t be! In “Trespassers Will Be Persecuted”, Coop finds out that going head-to-head with Kat is well beyond his ten-year-old capacity, and the result is hilarious. The only way he can get his licks in is with a sneak attack, like with the water balloon at the end. That’s the kind of conflict I can get into. Plus in the first 4 episodes, Coop acts like a believable kid. Like in this scene:

(Coop and Dennis have fended off an attack perpetrated by Kat with cardboard cutouts. Kat finds their “victory” extremely amusing, a nice touch)

Coop: He’s not so tough. Besides, we have enough candy and juice to keep us up all night! (He and Dennis munch and guzzle).

(Right. Next scene, they’re both snuggled in sleeping bags, fast asleep. Coop rolls over and cuddles something. Sensing that something’s not right, he wakes up, looks down and sees that he’s now sleeping with one of Old Lady Munson’s lawn gnomes)

Coop: AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

Dennis: (sitting bolt upright out of a sound sleep) AAAAHHHHHHH!!!!

(Dennis runs blindly out of the tent, straight into Old Lady Munson.)

(Coop looks out of the tent) Old Lady (wince) I mean, Mrs. Munson! What are you doing in my backyard?

Old Lady Munson: I was about to ask you the same question!

(Camera pulls back to show that sure enough, Coop, Dennis and the tent are smack on top of Old Lady Munson’s petunias)

Coop: Wha-?? (Looks up to see Kat up in a tree snickering at him) Rrrrr!

Dennis: (looks up at Old Lady Munson and dances, a little TOO full of candy and juice) Can I use your restroom?

OLM: Grrrrr!

Dennis: Didn’t think so. ‘Bye Coop!
(ZIP!)

Now that is one of many excellent moments in an overall excellent episode. Why? Because Coop and Dennis were acting naturally – not like kids out to save the world from an alien menace, but like members of Our Gang. Which is funnier? You decide! Besides, Coop’s scream – the second so far in the series – is a riot, on a par with McCauley Culkin’s in Home Alone. Will we see (and hear) more of it? Betcha not. What we’ll get instead is “That evil kat will pay for this! He must be stopped!!!!” Sigh…”

Opinions on this will vary, no doubt, but I think it’s kinda too bad that Coop, in later eps, becomes more aggressive and worse, *cocky* when he wins. (ecchh). He’s no longer the poor put-upon kid with lousy luck facing an alien intelligence he can in no way handle. He was so much funnier and more sympathetic that way. “Trespassers Will Be Persecuted” is as brilliant as the best Looney Tune in my opinion – poor Coop’s scheming backfires again and again and builds to a glorious climax when he gets entangled, Wile E. Coyote-style, in the very machine he meant to use on the cat. I honestly haven’t seen such a truly funny cartoon in some time, and that’s taking Spongebob into account. But Coop’s not quite the same kid in later episodes, and that affects the comedy – and his pathos. It’s just too bad. I understand why someone would decide that Coop had to be the “hero” so kids can supposedly identify with him (although that may be a mistake; if you go to the YTV website and check out the Kid vs Kat fanart, just about all the drawings submitted by kids have been of Kat, not Coop. Clearly, Kat’s the one the kids are fascinated with). But it seems to diminish Coop, and well, it just seems to bad, that’s all.

Obviously this show is aimed at younger kids than me. But the best toons entertain kids of all ages. Anyway, I just thought I’d put my two cents in. Thanks for reading. (By the way, I liked “Do Not Fort Sake Me”, which I understand you storyboarded. Great work!)

I’m glad you enjoyed the interview! I’d like to make it a regular feature here.

I did alter the templates a tad. I made them all 4:3 ratio (for TV). The thumbnail template I had up there was more of a 16:9 (HDTV) ratio.

BUT! (Self-Pimping ahead) Keep a look out for a whole new template pack and guide I’ll be offering very soon (almost done).

Still free with an email sign up. Which will also get you on my “Fabulous Folks” list to boot. So keep an eye out if you’re itching for more templates in more sizes.

Thanks for the belated B-Day wishes! Much appreciated.
K

I went to the online episodes site but an ominous robot female voice loops : “This content is currently unavailable”..dang. will try itunes…

anD happy uber-belated birthday! at least it’s still the same month..! ;P

-ck

And really, all the credit goes to Rob & the writers and everyone else at Studio B. Keep in mind, I only boarded 5 of the 26 episodes.

If my calculations are correct, the next episode should have “Do Not Fort Sake Me” which is one of mine, so keep a look out!

I’m glad you’re so into it and are enjoying the shows. That will be music to Rob’s ears (eyes?). It’s helps us jaded animation folks remember why we do this stuff.
K

As for “Me-ow” – man whoever wrote that HAS to own a kat, er, I mean, cat. Cats DO sleep anywhere and everywhere and are often underfoot. And it was neat when Kat learned how to get what he wants from a VERY familiar catfood commercial. This episode had a very authentic ring to it, which grounded the situation in reality. I don’t know how many times I’ve watched a cartoon and found myself rolling my eyes. Yeah, it’s a cartoon and it’s fantasy blah blah blah but that’s no excuse for the plot not to make sense. That kind of thing just ruins it and spoils whatever jokes are there IMO.

Anyway, another great show. Can’t wait for the next one!

BTW, I’ve watched the first ep about 5 times (have it on Tivo). I really love it. and I like the zombie episode too. I wish Disney XD had all the episodes up on its site – it’s so hard to wait for new ones! Keep up the good work, Ms. K!