This might be the only time a cartoon character's voice was generated by a text to speech computer program.
That was the uniqueness of Whatever Happened to.......Robot Jones, a Cartoon Network entry whose pilot had originally aired in 2000, but it took 2 years for series creator Greg Miller's concept to go to series. He was able to use the text to speech program for season 1, but network suits hated it, and hired actor Bobby Block to essay the title role in season 2. That decision, unwitting or not, doomed the show.
Robot Jones, with its throwback character designs, which recall the likes of The Metric Marvels moreso than Schoolhouse Rock, although the artwork of Robot Jones looks busier than both, lasted less than 1 full calendar year before signing off for good.
Check the pilot. After Block was hired, CN had him redub the voice in all 1st season episodes, but this is the original print with the text to speech program.
2 comments:
Fun Fact: Cartoon Network's lack of confidence in this show is one of the things that led to its' unique title. According to legend, the show was originally just going to be called "Robot Jones", but apparently the Powers That Be were so certain that the series would flop and be quickly gone and forgotten that in short order viewers would be asking "Whatever Happened to Robot Jones?", and the rest is dubious history.
Another reason to refer to them as Chumptoon Network.
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