Superjail
Encyclopedia
Superjail! is an American animated television series produced by Augenblick Studios
the first season and Titmouse, Inc. the second season. The series follows the events that take place in an unusual prison
. The pilot episode
aired on television on May 13, 2007, and its first season began on September 28, 2008. Superjail! is characterized by its psychedelic
shifts in setting
and plot and extreme graphic violence
, which give the series a TV-MA V rating. These elements are depicted through highly elaborate animated sequences, which have been described as "baroque and complicated and hard to take in at a single viewing".
. Externally, Superjail is built inside a volcano
which is itself located in a larger volcano. Internally, it seems to constitute its own reality
, where the fabric of time and space is extremely fluid and changes at the whim of the Warden. Superjail's inmate population is stated by Jared to be in excess of 70,000, although the show's creators mention that the jail processes "billions of inmates".
In the first season, each episode begins with a linear story revolving around an irresponsible scheme concocted by the Warden to satisfy some whim. The episode builds up in both violence and surrealism into a climactic, psychedelic
blood bath
during which dozens of inmates are brutally murdered, either by one another or some external force. Some episode plots have no resolutions at all, with the story simply stopping when events have reached their most chaotic. Regardless, the status quo is always restored by the next episode.
Beginning with the second season, the creators modified the format of the series to focus more on character development and story, as imagined by a revised writing staff. The second season premiere "Best Friends Forever" demonstrated an immediate break from the first season's template, focusing the episode on Jailbot and Jared as opposed to the Warden, setting half of the episode outside of the prison, and lacking an extended murder sequence in the climax.
, Child art
, Bob Clampett
, Vince Collins ("Malice in Wonderland
"), Sally Cruikshank
, Dave
and Max Fleischer
, The Itchy & Scratchy Show
, Looney Tunes
, Mad
, The Muppets
, Outsider art
, Gary Panter
, Pee-wee's Playhouse
, Schoolhouse Rock!
, Dr. Seuss
, and Underground comix
.
Augenblick Studios
Augenblick Studios is an independent animation studio located in New York City. Founded in 1999 by Aaron Augenblick, their team of artists has created a wide array of animated shorts for television, film, and the Internet. Clients include the Cartoon Network, Comedy Central, Spike Lee, PBS, MTV,...
the first season and Titmouse, Inc. the second season. The series follows the events that take place in an unusual prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
. The pilot episode
Television pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
aired on television on May 13, 2007, and its first season began on September 28, 2008. Superjail! is characterized by its psychedelic
Psychedelic art
Psychedelic art is any kind of visual artwork inspired by psychedelic experiences induced by drugs such as LSD, mescaline, and psilocybin. The word "psychedelic" "mind manifesting". By that definition all artistic efforts to depict the inner world of the psyche may be considered "psychedelic"...
shifts in setting
Setting (fiction)
In fiction, setting includes the time, location, and everything in which a story takes place, and initiates the main backdrop and mood for a story. Setting has been referred to as story world or milieu to include a context beyond the immediate surroundings of the story. Elements of setting may...
and plot and extreme graphic violence
Graphic violence
Graphic violence is the depiction of especially vivid, brutal and realistic acts of violence in visual media such as literature, film, television, and video games...
, which give the series a TV-MA V rating. These elements are depicted through highly elaborate animated sequences, which have been described as "baroque and complicated and hard to take in at a single viewing".
Setting and premise
The majority of Superjail! is set inside the eponymous prisonPrison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
. Externally, Superjail is built inside a volcano
Volcano
2. Bedrock3. Conduit 4. Base5. Sill6. Dike7. Layers of ash emitted by the volcano8. Flank| 9. Layers of lava emitted by the volcano10. Throat11. Parasitic cone12. Lava flow13. Vent14. Crater15...
which is itself located in a larger volcano. Internally, it seems to constitute its own reality
Parallel universe (fiction)
A parallel universe or alternative reality is a hypothetical self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own. A specific group of parallel universes is called a "multiverse", although this term can also be used to describe the possible parallel universes that constitute reality...
, where the fabric of time and space is extremely fluid and changes at the whim of the Warden. Superjail's inmate population is stated by Jared to be in excess of 70,000, although the show's creators mention that the jail processes "billions of inmates".
In the first season, each episode begins with a linear story revolving around an irresponsible scheme concocted by the Warden to satisfy some whim. The episode builds up in both violence and surrealism into a climactic, psychedelic
Psychedelic
The term psychedelic is derived from the Greek words ψυχή and δηλοῦν , translating to "soul-manifesting". A psychedelic experience is characterized by the striking perception of aspects of one's mind previously unknown, or by the creative exuberance of the mind liberated from its ostensibly...
blood bath
Mass murder
Mass murder is the act of murdering a large number of people , typically at the same time or over a relatively short period of time. According to the FBI, mass murder is defined as four or more murders occurring during a particular event with no cooling-off period between the murders...
during which dozens of inmates are brutally murdered, either by one another or some external force. Some episode plots have no resolutions at all, with the story simply stopping when events have reached their most chaotic. Regardless, the status quo is always restored by the next episode.
Beginning with the second season, the creators modified the format of the series to focus more on character development and story, as imagined by a revised writing staff. The second season premiere "Best Friends Forever" demonstrated an immediate break from the first season's template, focusing the episode on Jailbot and Jared as opposed to the Warden, setting half of the episode outside of the prison, and lacking an extended murder sequence in the climax.
Influences
In an interview, creator Christy Karacas said influences for the show include Tex AveryTex Avery
Frederick Bean "Fred/Tex" Avery was an American animator, cartoonist, voice actor and director, famous for producing animated cartoons during The Golden Age of Hollywood animation. He did his most significant work for the Warner Bros...
, Child art
Child art
Child art is the drawings, paintings and other artistic works created by children. It is also referred to as "children's art" or the "art of children"....
, Bob Clampett
Bob Clampett
Robert Emerson "Bob" Clampett was an American animator, producer, director, and puppeteer best known for his work on the Looney Tunes animated series from Warner Bros., and the television shows Time for Beany and Beany and Cecil...
, Vince Collins ("Malice in Wonderland
Malice in Wonderland (1982 film)
Malice in Wonderland is an American independent short film directed by Vince Collins, and with graphic design by Miwako. It is loosely based on the Lewis Carroll's Alice in Wonderland, displaying surreal images and an aggressive animation style...
"), Sally Cruikshank
Sally Cruikshank
Sally Cruikshank is an American cartoonist and animator whose work includes animation for the Children's Television Workshop program Sesame Street, and whose short "Quasi at the Quackadero" was inducted into the United States National Film Registry.-Early life and education:Sally Cruikshank was...
, Dave
Dave Fleischer
David "Dave" Fleischer was an American animator film director and film producer, best known as a co-owner of Fleischer Studios with his two older brothers Max Fleischer and Lou Fleischer...
and Max Fleischer
Max Fleischer
Max Fleischer was an American animator. He was a pioneer in the development of the animated cartoon and served as the head of Fleischer Studios...
, The Itchy & Scratchy Show
The Itchy & Scratchy Show
The Itchy & Scratchy Show is a show within a show in the animated television series The Simpsons. It usually appears as a part of The Krusty the Clown Show, watched regularly by Bart and Lisa Simpson...
, Looney Tunes
Looney Tunes
Looney Tunes is a Warner Bros. animated cartoon series. It preceded the Merrie Melodies series and was Warner Bros.'s first animated theatrical series. Since its first official release, 1930's Sinkin' in the Bathtub, the series has become a worldwide media franchise, spawning several television...
, Mad
Mad (magazine)
Mad is an American humor magazine founded by editor Harvey Kurtzman and publisher William Gaines in 1952. Launched as a comic book before it became a magazine, it was widely imitated and influential, impacting not only satirical media but the entire cultural landscape of the 20th century.The last...
, The Muppets
The Muppets
The Muppets are a group of puppet characters created by Jim Henson starting in 1954–55. Although the term is often used to refer to any puppet that resembles the distinctive style of The Muppet Show, the term is both an informal name and legal trademark owned by the Walt Disney Company in reference...
, Outsider art
Outsider Art
The term outsider art was coined by art critic Roger Cardinal in 1972 as an English synonym for art brut , a label created by French artist Jean Dubuffet to describe art created outside the boundaries of official culture; Dubuffet focused particularly on art by insane-asylum inmates.While...
, Gary Panter
Gary Panter
Gary Panter is an illustrator, painter, designer and part-time musician. Panter's work is representative of the post-underground, new wave comics movement that began with the end of Arcade: The Comics Revue and the initiation of RAW, one of the second generation in American underground comix...
, Pee-wee's Playhouse
Pee-wee's Playhouse
Pee-wee's Playhouse is an American children's television program starring Paul Reubens as the child-like Pee-wee Herman. The show was developed from Reubens' popular stage show and the one-off TV special The Pee-wee Herman Show, produced for HBO, which was similar in style but featured much more...
, Schoolhouse Rock!
Schoolhouse Rock!
Schoolhouse Rock! is an American interstitial programming series of animated musical educational short films that aired during the Saturday morning children's programming on the U.S. television network ABC. The topics covered included grammar, science, economics, history, mathematics, and civics...
, Dr. Seuss
Dr. Seuss
Theodor Seuss Geisel was an American writer, poet, and cartoonist most widely known for his children's books written under the pen names Dr. Seuss, Theo LeSieg and, in one case, Rosetta Stone....
, and Underground comix
Underground comix
Underground comix are small press or self-published comic books which are often socially relevant or satirical in nature. They differ from mainstream comics in depicting content forbidden to mainstream publications by the Comics Code Authority, including explicit drug use, sexuality and violence...
.
Characters
- The Warden (David WainDavid WainDavid Benjamin Wain is an American comedian, writer, actor and director. He is most widely known for the feature films Role Models and Wet Hot American Summer, the 1990s' sketch comedy series The State and for producing/directing/writing the Adult Swim series Childrens Hospital...
) - the proprietor of Superjail. Clad in a purple tailcoatTailcoatA tailcoat is a coat with the front of the skirt cut away, so as to leave only the rear section of the skirt, known as the tails. The historical reason coats were cut this way was to make it easier for the wearer to ride a horse, but over the years tailcoats of varying types have evolved into forms...
, gloves, a purple top hat, red cummerbundCummerbundA cummerbund is a broad waist sash, usually pleated, which is often worn with single-breasted dinner jackets . The cummerbund was first adopted by British military officers in colonial India as an alternative to a waistcoat, and later spread to civilian use...
, and yellow-tinted glasses, the Warden has been described as a "sadistic Willy WonkaWilly WonkaThis article is about the fictional character. For the candy company, see, The Willy Wonka Candy Company.Willy Wonka is a fictional character in the 1964 Roald Dahl novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and the film adaptations that followed. The book and the 1971 film adaption both vividly...
". Rather than handling any administrative tasks, he spends most of his time lusting after chief guard Alice, or indulging his own bizarre fantasies. Despite his seemingly happy and carefree demeanor, he regularly endangers the lives of Superjail prisoners—often intentionally—to satisfy his own desires. Although he refrains from mayhem in the world outside of Superjail, an episode dealing with an alternate future depicts him ruthlessly subjugating the entire human race and turning the whole world into a single prison statePolice stateA police state is one in which the government exercises rigid and repressive controls over the social, economic and political life of the population...
. - Jared (Teddy Cohn) - Superjail's large headed, uptight accountantAccountantAn accountant is a practitioner of accountancy or accounting , which is the measurement, disclosure or provision of assurance about financial information that helps managers, investors, tax authorities and others make decisions about allocating resources.The Big Four auditors are the largest...
, and the Warden's primary assistant; he handles most of the jail's administrative duties. He was first taken to Superjail as a prisoner for unknowingly working for the mafia, and got his job when he impressed the Warden with his intelligence. He is in recovery for, according to the show's creators, every addiction possible, including alcoholismAlcoholismAlcoholism is a broad term for problems with alcohol, and is generally used to mean compulsive and uncontrolled consumption of alcoholic beverages, usually to the detriment of the drinker's health, personal relationships, and social standing...
, drug addiction, gamblingGamblingGambling is the wagering of money or something of material value on an event with an uncertain outcome with the primary intent of winning additional money and/or material goods...
, sex addiction, and compulsive eating. - Alice (Christy Karacas) - the hulking, muscular head guard of Superjail, who is transgenderTransgenderTransgender is a general term applied to a variety of individuals, behaviors, and groups involving tendencies to vary from culturally conventional gender roles....
and possesses both female and male features. She regularly engages in sadomasochistic rituals with the prisoners (not always with their consent), but rebuffs the Warden's constant advances. She was originally a male guard at a normal prison who got a sex changeSex changeSex change is a term often used for gender reassignment therapy, that is, all medical procedures transgendered people can have, or specifically to sexual reassignment surgery, which usually refers to genitalia surgery only...
when she fell in love with that prison's warden. However, she was fired as a result of the prison's warden ultimately turning out to be homosexual and deeming her a monster, but was hired by the Warden shortly after. While Alice is apparently taking hormone therapy (to the point that she has grown breasts), becomes angered when anyone refers to her as male, and publicly considers herself a woman, the season two finale directly states that she has not yet undergone genital reconstruction surgery. - Jailbot - a tombstoneHeadstoneA headstone, tombstone, or gravestone is a marker, usually stone, that is placed over a grave. In most cases they have the deceased's name, date of birth, and date of death inscribed on them, along with a personal message, or prayer.- Use :...
-shaped levitating robotRobotA robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
that the Warden made to perform tasks in and around Superjail. He was created by the Warden himself, and kills inmates without mercy while capturing criminals like Jacknife. In the episode "Jailbot 2.0", the Warden claims that Jailbot single-handedly built the vast prison, but flashbacks suggest that Jailbot is really the latest in a series of similar robots. He is muteMutenessMuteness or mutism is an inability to speak caused by a speech disorder. The term originates from the Latin word mutus, meaning "silent".-Causes:...
, with a dot matrixDot matrixA dot matrix is a 2-dimensional array of LED used to represent characters, symbols and images.Typically the dot matrix is used in older computer printers and many digital display devices. In printers, the dots are usually the darkened areas of the paper...
screen that displays a simple expressive face. Despite his ruthlessness, Jailbot also possesses a childlike personality, protecting the Warden from any harm and watching out for the welfare of young children who come across his path; Christy Karacas described him as a "red headed stepchild... seeking approval." He has even shown compassion for Jacknife, releasing him and allowing his escape in "Best Friends Forever". - The Doctor - the resident physician of Superjail. He regularly experiments on the inmates in grotesque ways, and has a German accent.
- The Twins (Richard Mathar) - greenGreenGreen is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 520–570 nanometres. In the subtractive color system, it is not a primary color, but is created out of a mixture of yellow and blue, or yellow and cyan; it is considered...
-bloodBloodBlood is a specialized bodily fluid in animals that delivers necessary substances such as nutrients and oxygen to the cells and transports metabolic waste products away from those same cells....
ed, blondBlondBlond or blonde or fair-hair is a hair color characterized by low levels of the dark pigment eumelanin. The resultant visible hue depends on various factors, but always has some sort of yellowish color...
, identical twin alienExtraterrestrial lifeExtraterrestrial life is defined as life that does not originate from Earth...
s with European-sounding accents who inhabit a laboratory underneath Superjail and wear outfits resembling those worn by the Sandmen in Logan's Run. They took a year abroadGap yearAn expression or phrase that is associated with taking time out to travel in between life stages. It is also known as sabbatical, time off and time out that refers to a period of time in which students disengage from curricular education and undertake non curricular activities, such as travel or...
trip to Earth and then decided to stay, to their father's chagrin. Their on-screen appearances are accompanied by techno music. The Twins use unexplained powers—including teleportationTeleportationTeleportation is the fictional or imagined process by which matter is instantaneously transferred from one place to another.Teleportation may also refer to:*Quantum teleportation, a method of transmitting quantum data...
and shrinking—to interfere with the Warden's plans for their amusement. Although their plots often result in mass death and destruction, the Twins do not appear to harbor any malice towards either the Warden or the prisoners. - Jacknife (Christy Karacas) - a low-level criminal who appears in the openings of most episodes, getting captured by Jailbot; his journey to Superjail makes up the opening credits sequence. He is often depicted escaping the jail during the murder sequences in the first season. He never speaks and communicates only by way of animalistic grunts and shrieks.
- Gary and Bird - Gary is a silent, bespectacled man obviously based on Robert Franklin Stroud, the Birdman of Alcatraz. However, Gary is mostly a servant to Bird, a small female canary, who is the unofficial "boss" of all the prisoners in Superjail.
- Paul Guaye and Jean Baptiste Le Ghei (both Christopher McCullochChristopher McCullochChristopher McCulloch , also known by the pseudonym Jackson Publick, is an American comic book and television writer, storyboard artist, and voice actor known for his work on several Tick properties and for the animated television series The Venture Bros. He authored the comic book miniseries The...
) - Two homosexual inmates that can be seen in nearly every episode. They were the leaders of the rival "Purple Pythons" and "Double Rainbow" gangs in Superjail before falling in love and eventually getting married. - Ash - A severely burned pyrokineticPyrokinesisPyrokinesis, derived from the Greek words and , was the name coined by horror novelist Stephen King for the ability to create or to control fire with the mind that he gave to the protagonist Charlie McGee in Firestarter...
pyromaniaPyromaniaPyromania in more extreme circumstances can be an impulse control disorder to deliberately start fires to relieve tension or for gratification or relief. The term pyromania comes from the Greek word πῦρ . Pyromania and pyromaniacs are distinct from arson, the pursuit of personal, monetary or...
c prisoner. His burns come from a fire caused by his father, a drunk, dropping a cigarette in a movie theater. - Lord Stingray (Eric BauzaEric BauzaEric Adrian Bauza is a Canadian-American voice actor and artist. His notable roles include Stimpy of Ren and Stimpy Adult Party Cartoon and Slip & Slide D'Peel of Coconut Fred's Fruit Salad Island. He also voices Rodolfo/White Pantera for El Tigre on Nickelodeon, Storm Shadow, Destro, and Tunnel...
) - A stereotypical supervillain character, akin to Cobra CommanderCobra CommanderCobra Commander is a fictional character from the G.I. Joe franchise. He appears in the toyline, animated series , comic books, video games, and movie as the usual principal antagonist. He is the supreme leader of the terrorist organization Cobra, and archnemesis of the Joes...
. After being defeated by his army-themedG.I. JoeG.I. Joe is a line of action figures produced by the toy company Hasbro. The initial product offering represented four of the branches of the U.S. armed forces with the Action Soldier , Action Sailor , Action Pilot , Action Marine and later on, the Action Nurse...
enemies, he crash-landed on Superjail Island and tried to take it over, but ended up being imprisoned. He has been a thorn in the Warden's side ever since.
DVD releases
| DVD name | Release date | Ep # | Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season One | February 23, 2010 | 11 | All episodes in Season One, the music video "Comin' Home", the animatics for episodes 1,9,10, and the pilot. All featured in 2.0 Stereo Stereophonic sound The term Stereophonic, commonly called stereo, sound refers to any method of sound reproduction in which an attempt is made to create an illusion of directionality and audible perspective... and closed captioning Closed captioning Closed captioning is the process of displaying text on a television, video screen or other visual display to provide additional or interpretive information to individuals who wish to access it... . Dialogue remains censored in the feature episodes despite the label on the DVD stating otherwise. |
| Season Two | March 13, 2012 | 10 | Episode commentary, Cheeseburger concert footage, Cheeseburger animated music video |
External links
- Superjail! at Adult Swim
- Superjail! at TV.comTV.comTV.com is a website owned by CBS Interactive. The site covers television and focuses on English-language shows made or broadcast in the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland and Japan...
- Superjail! Augenblick Studios
- Jailbot.com : Superjail Central • Unofficial Superjail Fansite
- Christy Karacas Exclusive Interview at Staytoonedin