![]() Many critics were quick to label South Park a flash in the pan when it started a gimmick that would tire quickly. And in 2005, the show famously turned on Tom Cruise and the Church of Scientology in Trapped in the Closet, getting them sued for their trouble. During the 2000 US presidential elections, for example, South Park ran an episode in which a deadlocked vote for class president spoofed what happened with Bush and Gore. It meant South Park could be highly topical, which was another thing that made the show unique. With other animations commissioned months in advance of transmission, this was unheard of. This meant they could do an episode in three weeks, and later they streamlined the process down to a one-week turnaround. They turned to to the same 3D software we were using in the games industry, taking great care to recreate the original look (initially using PowerAnimator, but later Autodesk’s Maya). ![]() ![]() Yet the sudden demand for episodes did force Parker and Stone into a rethink, since physical cut-out stop motion is crushingly time-consuming and could not be sustained for a full season. South Park’s arrival ruffled the feathers of certain animation studios whose higher production values and costs were not winning those sought-after awards. ![]() A new production pipeline was soon on the way. The first season went on to win numerous accolades, including five Primetime Emmy awards and a Peabody award. As well as the unique blend of playground filth and razor-sharp observation, it had a great voice cast – with Parker and Stone joined by the likes of soul singer Isaac Hayes as Chef McIlroy. While conservatives were horrified, ratings kept growing.
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