"Dear Journal": Doug's Disney Years

Courtesy Disney/ABC Network

Doug is one of the defining T.V. shows of the early-1990s. But even though it was technically the first "Nicktoon" to air on the ever-popular channel (followed by Rugrats and The Ren & Stimpy Show, respectively), it's been absent from such recent merchandising. The reason and history behind this is a complicated one. 

Doug premiered on Nickelodeon in 1991 and ran for four seasons before being canceled three years later. (A proposed fifth season, as originally contracted, never came to be.) By this time, the children's network was experiencing a high watermark in their animation department, much like Disney was going through with their own feature films in the medium. Doug, however, received low ratings and reported budget increases compared with the aforementioned programs (including the forthcoming Rocko's Modern Life). 

As series creator Jim Jinkins recounted in 2013 (read Mathew Klickstein's in-depth oral biography, Slimed), "Disney bought ABC, created 'One Saturday Morning,' and began to court my company, Jumbo Pictures [created by Jinkins and David Campbell in 1990]. So, should I stay with Nickelodeon, who is through with me . . . or get bought by Disney, where we get to create sixty-five new half-hours of Doug, a feature-length movie, Doug Live! for their theme park, toys, books, additional funding for development and production on many new series . . . ? To quote a famous movie line, They made an offer we couldn't refuse." 

To get right to the point, what was once an engrossing independent property (on Nick) later became a corporate and generic sellout (at Disney/ABC) that ran for three more seasons (1996-1999). From the very first episode of this "Brand Spanking New" incarnation, we know that things will never be the same. For one, the titular Doug Funnie's voice has changed (original voice actor Billy West was the only cast member who didn't return, and was replaced by Thomas McHugh, as Doug, and Chris Phillips, as school bully Roger Klotz). Roger has become rich. Best friend Skeeter Valentine goes through an elastic growth spurt. Secret crush Patti Mayonnaise gets homeschooled. The once-big-boned Connie Benge has lost a lot of weight. Rock band The Beets break up. And the Honker Burger has become a French cuisine spot. If that's not enough, spoiled rich kid Beebe Bluff gets a nose job and gets the new middle school named after her (complete in the shape of her head from a bird's eye view), while frequently-referenced juvenile delinquent Skunky Beaumont gets a face. (Wikipedia describes him as a Jeff Spicoli type.) 

Unlike the original 11-minute episodes, these 22-minute arcs have too many things going on--too many notes, as Mozart's critics would argue--and they go fast. Too many subplots, too much narration, and not enough quiet moments or time to breathe. (I wonder if this was to compensate two 11-minute shorts for the price of one.) Either way, much of the color and creativity was drained or squeezed dry. The animation feels cheap, much of the writing is poor and/or lazy with several been-there-done-that scenarios, and many of the characters and locations are rather shallow. 

Yes, change is necessary, and we all need to grow up and move on sooner or later. But, in retrospect, how this version of Doug ended up didn't (and doesn't) feel right. 

Rare marketing for Doug's 1st Movie (courtesy Disney 1999)

The 1999 feature film was originally slated for a direct-to-video release, but eventually shipped to theaters on the heels of Paramount/Nickelodeon's success with The Rugrats Movie the previous fall. Doug's 1st Movie (an ironic title, considering the film was not a financial success and didn't warrant further sequels) followed Doug and Skeeter trying to find and catch the mysterious "Monster of Lucky Duck Lake" (a frequent arc in the Disney series), while Doug tries to ask Patti to the Valentine school dance against arrogant eighth-grader Guy Graham. Despite a clever title intro and at least one moment of genuine, relatable adolescence, the film suffers from a generic storyline, overt sentimentality, ridiculous humor, and a pushy environmental cover-up. It does, however, highlight the importance of doing what is right, even if it isn't popular. 

Getting back to the Disney series, some of the themes are worthwhile. Patti goes through heartache and angst over the loss of her mother ("Patti's Dad Dilemma") and, for a time, an eating disorder ("Doug's Chubby Buddy"). Judy Funnie stands up for her family, despite their quirks ("Judy, Judy, Judy"). Superhero alter ego Quailman gets a colorful team of super-friends ("Quailman and the L.U.B."). And Doug reflects on everything up to the present, and after that, in the series' finale ("Doug's Marriage Madness"). 

The same goes for some of Dan Sawyer and Fred Newman's music themes, as well as some of the creative episode titles (courtesy Tony Eastman) and occasional film/pop-culture parodies (i.e., Citizen Kane, The X-Files, Braveheart, Look Who's Talking). With that in mind, two of the only episodes worth checking out in full are "Doug's Hoop Nightmare" (set during the summer before seventh grade, when the main characters still looked as they last did on Nick) and "The Dark Quail Saga" (Jinkin's favorite of the Disney episodes, written by series regular Joe Fallon). But at the end of the day, there were other coming-of-age shows at the time that did it much better (i.e., Recess, Pepper Ann, Hey Arnold!).

Said Patti's voice actress Constance Shulman (in Klickstein's book), "Hands down, I prefer the old Doug! The new Doug just wasn't the same. Hard to put into words. Perhaps not having Jim around as much and Tom McHugh--definitely awesome, but having to readjust to a new Doug--and I missed all the gang crammed in the studio, waiting for their turn for the big group scene. Someone just dimmed the magic a bit." 

Jinkins agrees (again, read Klickstein), "I will confess that I took my eyes off Doug too much during those Disney days once I got overwhelmed with all my responsibilities [as an executive]. The Nicktoons Doug stories were the most autobiographical, and I was the most hands-on with their creation." Here's hoping we get to see some of that classic Nickelodeon magic (including nostalgic merchandising with the rest of the Nicktoons gang), and maybe a better feature-film adaptation, someday. Until then, we have this terrific 2013 medley by Newman and Sawyer and these Nickelodeon "Splat" reunions between Jinkins, Newman, and West. Cool, man!