Monday, March 12, 2012

Gadget, Nozzaire & the Gadgetinis Storyboards

Came across a couple of Gadgetinis storyboards at the French blog BOO! Illustrations! I've never seen storyboards from Gadget & the Gadgetinis before, so I thought I'd showcase them here for those interested. I assume they were done by the person running the blog, a storyboard artist, illustrator and teacher who simply calls him or herself "Boo".
     Not sure which episode this first board is from (as I've still not seen the entire series)... so if anyone can identify the exact episode, please do so in the comments!


The second storyboard below, though, I managed to recognize. It's from episode 50, "Operation Get Gadget", about 5 1/2 minutes in. Briefly explained, this scene is about Gadget's superior in the spinoff, Colonel Nozzaire, being hit by some high-tech radio waves (shot at him by an off-screen MAD agent) which hypnotises the colonel into wanting one thing only: To destroy Gadget. Pretty bad timing, considering that Nozzaire had just brought Gadget some chocolate to apologize for his generally aggressive attitude. And just as Gadget receives this chocolate, the colonel is hit...


I can't seem to find the episode online anywhere... but below, you can check out the matching screenshots from the finished scene. (By the way, for anyone caring about such small details: Note that the short close-up of Gadget eating yet another chocolate (panel 6-7 in the above storyboard) was dropped from the final scene.)














7 comments:

  1. Hey, Mesterius. I was wondering, did you hear about the alledged 2009 Gadget reboot?
    http://inspector-gadget.net/news/new-inspector-gadget-in-2009
    I don't know whether it was official or a fake, but personally I'm glad it never got made. It would've been 'Loonatics Unleashed' all over again :p

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  2. Hi again! (Sorry I still haven't answered your previous comment by the way - have been pretty busy lately.)

    I did hear about the reboot that was supposed to have happened in 2009... and it was definitely NOT a fake. DiC Entertainment was developing it, and they officially announced it in the May 2008 issue of Animation Magazine, in an article that celebrated Inspector Gadget's 25th anniversary. (I have had this Animation Magazine issue in my hands, so I know it's for real.) But the new series was stopped midway in development because DiC was suddenly bought by the Cookie Jar Company, who had other plans for Gadget.

    Personally, I'm a bit SAD this revival never got made :P I was actually wondering if you had gotten some of the inspiration for YOUR Inspector Gadget reboot through reading the news about this series, because this was essentially suppsed to be the same thing that you want to do: A darker, edgier Inspector Gadget series. When it was announced, I remember thinking: "Okay, this may suck... but it may also wind up being the most interesting and exciting thing DiC has done with Gadget since the original series!" So I was excited to an extent... and I would like to have seen the finished series, if just out of curiosity. But as far as I know, it's still stuck in development hell at Cookie Jar... so not sure if we'll ever get to see it.

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    1. I'm gonna have to disagree with you on this one -- Gadget has always been a rather lighthearted seires, and I think the new premise would've been very alienating, plus I doubt DiC would've been able to pull it off convincingly. Most series that try to pull the 'darker and edgier' reboot tend to do it in a rather shallow way, focusing on style over any real substance.
      My idea for a reboot is that its rather sweet and light-heated on the surface but has a lot of intelligent things to say. My biggest inspiration in this approach is Tintin and Astro Boy. Tintin had alot of things to say about the current political atmosphere and Astro Boy approched science fiction topics in a way that've made Issac Asimov green with envy. On the surface their are gags and jokes galore but the stories would grab you, surprise you, make you think.
      Ok, maybe I'm starting to sound a little insane here, but you get my drift.

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    2. Well, to be fair, the Animation Magazine article said that the new show would keep Inspector Gadget's "signature klutz comedy", while at the same time having a darker edge, so the show would probably not have been without humor. Of course, given DiC's awful track record with their Gadget revivals, there's still a good chance that the series would have been "shallow"... but the article does mention that the 2009 series was to be co-produced by a European production partner, so maybe that means DiC wouldn't actually have produced it themselves... Hmmm, you know what? I have both the article and an original licence plate for the show in my collection. If I get the time, I'll do a post containing all the official information that's known about the 2009 show, so you can judge it for yourself;) In my eyes, the promos contain both good and bad stuff.

      I've never seen/read more than the first TV episode of Astro Boy, but I definitely agree with you about Tintin to an extent. Not all Tintin books have political themes, but some of them have a lot of political statements under the surface, which is great because it makes them work on different levels for different ages, and you can discover new things to appreciate about them as you grow up. Also, you've got purely unpolitical books like "Tintin in Tibet", which has deeper themes to it on a whole other level. Love that book.

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  3. Hi,
    I've been following your blog and I've been wondering if I should share some original art from the "gadget and the gadgetinis" production bible I have.
    Some years ago I emailed the company that animated the series (Sip animation - in france) and they were kind enough to send me by mail (I live in Portugal) some model sheets of the main characters (gadget\penny and gadgetinis). They are very interesting to analyse.
    What kept me from talking about this so far was the fact that I dont know if the company would like to see those posted (because it is probably like...a production secret kind of thing)....well if it were me I wouldnt mind...but still....
    I've also been thinking in asking them again if they wouldnt be interested in sharing their entire production bible (like some sort of "Art of..." book)because as far as I know, there isnt any of those on any inspector gadget series.
    The other reason why I wasnt so sure about sharing this its because this is my only possession of Inspector gadget's merchandising (plus a Really Old comic book I found miraculously for sale when I was in france)there were never inspector gadget toys for sale in portugal as far as I recall.
    Anyway I just wanted to share this information.

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    1. Hi, thanks for your comment!... it’s always nice to hear from readers:) While Gadgetinis is not my favorite incarnation of Gadget, I would definitely love to see this original model sheet art... and I wouldn't be surpriced if a lot of readers here would like to see it as well! :) I have two reasons to believe that the production company wouldn't mind the model sheets being shared online: One, they gave it to you as a fan gift (at least from what I understand), which implies to me that they're okay with people not involved in the production seeing this artwork. Two (and correct me if I’m wrong), I believe that the Sip Animation studio sadly ceased to exist a few years ago, when Haim Saban sold out his company. (I hope not, considering your idea of asking them to share the entire production bible, which would be great… but that’s what I’ve heard.) All in all, I doubt you’ll be getting any trouble from Sip if you share the artwork. It's up to you, of course, but that’s my two cents:) And the model sheets would definitely fit right into this blog.

      Regarding what you said about an “Art of” book for the Gadgetinis series or for other versions of Inspector Gadget... it sounds like a wonderful idea, but I doubt it will happen. I would be willing to pay a lot for a comprehensively done, in-depth, behind the scenes "Art of" book about the original “Inspector Gadget” series, but there probably just isn’t enough interest from the general market to warrant such a book. Still, I think your thought about asking the owners to at least share the production bibles somehow is a nice idea. Personally, I wish production companies would set up official web sites for showcasing of production art. The internet seems like an ideal place for it in my eyes.

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  4. Gadget and the Gadgetinis - Meet Super G.G. pt.1 in this episode when you see the hous of Dr. Claw you hear his theme/music I love that. How can I get it for my ringtone with no speaking of them, so I can only hear his theme/music. Can someone please help me ??????

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