"Oh Yeah!": Family Guy as Magical Realism?
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“Oh Yeah!”: Family Guy as Magical Realism?
alison crawford
the premiere episode of family guy, titled exclaim, “Oh no!”—first Lois, then the family ’s
“Death Has a Shadow,” was first broadcast talking dog, Brian, followed by oldest son Chris,
on the FOX Network on 31 January 1999, after and then daughter Meg. The scene reaches its
Super Bowl XXXIII. It begins with patriarch Peter climax when a giant anthropomorphized jug of
Griffin preparing for the bachelor party of a Kool-Aid bursts through the courtroom wall and
work colleague and promising his wife, Lois, bellows, “Oh, yeah!” Everyone in the courtroom
that he will not overindulge. He does, however, stares, nonplussed, at the large talking jug,
to the tune of thirty-seven beers, which his son and then, as if realizing the impropriety of his
Chris heralds as a “new family record.” Despite outburst, the Kool-Aid Man backs slowly out of
suffering from a hangover, Peter goes to work the room via the hole he just punched through
the next morning and falls asleep while moni- the wall.
toring the production line at the toy factory. The scene continues, and Peter is exoner-
Following a subsequent local news report on ated of his crime with the help of his baby son,
the large number of unsafe toys suddenly being Stewie, but it is clear that the climax of the
sold, Peter is fired for negligence. To keep Lois episode was reached with the interruption by
from finding out, he applies for welfare support this magical figure. Although it is not explained
and, because of a bureaucratic error, receives within the episode, the intruder is the icon of
a weekly check for $150,000. He tells Lois he Kool-Aid, an artificially flavored soft drink. The
has been given a big raise at work and starts Kool-Aid Man is a gigantic frosty pitcher filled
spending the money extravagantly. When she with the red liquid and marked with a smiley
discovers Peter’s deception, she orders him face, as seen in advertisements for Kool-Aid.
to return the money, and he decides the best In television commercials, the Kool-Aid Man is
way to do this is by throwing the cash from a known for suddenly bursting through walls after
blimp during the Super Bowl, which causes a being magically summoned wherever children
riot in the stadium. After being arrested and are making Kool-Aid and yelling “Oh, yeah!”
spending some time in jail, he appears in court As an ardent fan of all kinds of animation
where the judge sentences him to twenty-four for many years, I recall watching this episode
months in prison for welfare fraud. The family around the turn of the millennium and finding
reacts badly to the news, each taking a turn to the appearance of this intruder startling, as it
disrupted the narrative so violently. It left me
feeling bemused. The episode offers no expla-
alison crawford is a PhD candidate at the Uni-
nation for this sudden incursion and hardly
versity of Ulster in Northern Ireland and a lifelong
any time to dwell on it because as soon as the
student of animation of all kinds. Her primary field
of research is American animation, and she is cur- invading creature exits the scene, the episode
rently writing her dissertation on the possibility of continues apace, forcing the viewer to move on
postmodern satire in American animated sitcoms. with the renewed flow of narrative. This was a
52 journal of film and video 61.2 / summer 2009
©2009 by the board of trustee s of the universit y of illinoisfamiliar sensation, however, one I recognized sitcom format in 1960, its aim was not strictly but never before from animation. In fact, I was realism; the Flintstones shared their world with reminded of works from the literary world, dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures, some particularly those that use a technique called of which acted as modern conveniences for the magical realism. families and could even talk. The creators of The Strange, inexplicable events are common- Simpsons, however, deliberately set out to make place in what is arguably magical realism’s their show as realistic as possible, and it is this most famous novel, Gabriel García Márquez’s realism that forms the basis of my argument. One Hundred Years of Solitude, first published This commitment to realism changed viewers’ in Spanish in 1967. For example, José Arcadio perceptions of television animation, which Buendia stumbles upon a Spanish galleon became very much the status quo. Combining marooned in the midst of the jungle. Never realism, the sitcom, animation, and a satirical explained, it leaves the reader to wonder how, attitude “works to elevate the position of The in the midst of a realist narrative, this can be? Simpsons within cultural hierarchies” (Mittell How can it be possible that a marvelous cloud 25) from its lowly status as “just for children” of butterflies follows Mauricio Babilonia wher- and opens up a wider audience, providing ever he goes and that Remedios the Beauty more opportunities for other television anima- can miraculously ascend into heaven? All these tion, such as Family Guy, to make it to the air. magical events are dealt with in a matter-of-fact Subsequently, a strong foundation audience for way, grounded in a realist narrative, which is a animated sitcoms allows writers to be more ad- hallmark of this type of fiction. venturous with different comedic styles. In short, The difficulty is that these magical occur- The Simpsons provides the “realism” on which rences break the rules of what are, in every the “magic” of Family Guy is based. other way, realistic narratives. Similarly, the I realize that suggesting a correlation be- problem with Family Guy seems to be how to tween Family Guy and magical realism raises read the Kool-Aid Man incident. But Family two contentious issues: whether realism is a Guy is animation. How much does animation reasonable or even possible aim for an ani- have to do with “realistic narratives”? After all, mated program and whether the existence of animation is the realm of fantasy, the home of magical realism is feasible outside of literature. a cat and mouse duo that drop anvils on each First, there is the issue of realism. Rather than other’s heads, a wolf whose eyes bug out at the insist that animation be the domain of fantasy sight of an attractive woman, and a wise-crack- as animators in the past have done, the crea- ing rabbit who can walk on air as if he’s una- tors of The Simpsons were concerned with real- ware of the “gravity” of his situation. If realism ism from the outset. James L. Brooks, co-de- is not the natural rule of animation, then why veloper and executive producer alongside Sam be surprised and confused by an impossible Simon and Matt Groening, insisted that “we event, such as a huge advertising icon bursting ought to make people forget they ’re watching a through a wall? cartoon” (qtd. in Williams and Jones, “Cartoons Knowledge of the history of animated sitcoms, Have Writers?” 1). They set about developing a and sitcoms in general, is enough to solve the writing style for television animation that would mystery; it is not unreasonable to claim that attract a new, adult audience that would other- The Simpsons, the first animated show to be wise consider television animation the domain screened in prime time since The Flintstones in of children. Steve Williams and Ian Jones re- the 1960s, instigated a renaissance for animated mark that “[s]omewhat perversely for a 100% sitcoms, which include Beavis and Butthead, hand-drawn creation,” James L. Brooks was King of the Hill, South Park, Futurama, and of aiming for “realism, the everyday, and strong course, Family Guy. Although The Flintstones emotional resonance. For people to forget they was the first to combine animation and the were watching a cartoon, he argued, its charac- journal of film and video 61.2 / summer 2009 53 ©2009 by the board of trustee s of the universit y of illinois
ters had to behave—think, laugh, cry—like you Abu’s [sic] Quik-E-Mart [sic], Krusty Burger,
and me.” The first step toward this realism was the nuclear power plant, and Springfield
to create a recognizable world and situations to Elementary all irrevocably change our re-
lationship to the equivalent locales on our
which the average viewer could relate.
own suburban landscapes. They have been
As an animated program, The Simpsons can
recontextualized experientially. They are
create environments and develop situations
points of reference for social satire. They
that the average live-action sitcom cannot. are no longer functional façades, but have
The Simpson family is free to roam around the been transformed into breaks in the veneer:
fictional town of Springfield, allowing for a portals through which to deconstruct the rest
wider range of situations and larger number of of suburban experience. The tube that was
characters than are available to any live-action once used to sell us the suburban utopia is
situation comedy without a massive budget. now the lens through which we can demystify
These diverse situational characters come its symbols and smash its myths. (Rushkoff,
together to create what Nichola Dobson calls “Mediasprawl: Springfield USA”)
a “constructed reality” (86). This freedom was
This illusion of realism is not shattered by a
not lost on the team behind The Simpsons, with
cackling studio audience or canned laughter.
Groening describing the show as “a sitcom,
There is no tradition of canned laughter in
but there’s no ‘sit,’” (qtd. in O’Connor C18)
animation because a live audience would be
and with writer Jon Vitti attributing the wide
impossible, but in a sitcom, canned laugh-
variety of locations and fast pace of the show
ter is conspicuous in its absence. There is a
to “the flexibility of cartoons,” where the ac-
sense that this is born of a mutual respect: The
tion can take place outside of the living room.
Simpsons respects the intellect of the viewers
Vitti remarks that with “five minutes of cartoon
enough that the prompt of the laugh-track is
footage, it’s just as easy to have 12 scenes as
unnecessary, and it in turn commands a respect
three” (qtd. in Jankiewicz 54). A broad range of
that had been denied to television animation
characters and settings allows for greater depth
in the past. Even Seinfeld, the most progressive
and complexity than had been seen in televi-
sitcom of the 1990s, had not taken the coura-
sion animation before, making the animated
geous step of dispensing with canned laughter.
world a more familiar place for the viewer.
Along with dropping tired sitcom clichés
Esquire’s Tom Carson goes as far as to argue
such as a laugh track, many of the visual con-
that animated sitcoms surpass their live-action
ventions of traditional animation made for
counterparts in terms of realism: “in their literal
television had to be jettisoned in the quest
depictions of our contemporary environment no
for realism. In an interview with Erik H. Berg-
less than their jaundiced takes on it, animated
man, Groening specifies one such convention,
shows are more realistic than conventional
the practice in some Hanna-Barbera cartoons
ones.” Carson argues that when compared to
in the 1960s of using the same background
the static and budget-limited sets of live-action
repeatedly to save money while sacrificing a
sitcoms, the rich depiction of the Simpsons’
sense of spatial reality: “Some realism matters
hometown of Springfield recalls the gritty real-
because [as Groening says] ‘animation can
ism of the naturalist school of literature.
create an entire world.’ Fred Flintstone might
As the world opens up for the animated
run past 35 windows in his living room. ‘If the
sitcom, so does the possibility of social satire,
Simpsons ran 20 feet they ’d run into a wall.’”
which, through critique of the unsatisfactory or
Along with a stricter adherence to the solidity
taken-for-granted aspects of modern living, has
of the world around them than in most other
the potential to alter the way we perceive real-
animated programs, the Simpson family also
ity, bringing about yet another level of interrela-
has more stable physical bodies. They do not
tion between reality and the animated world:
enjoy the same resilience as many cartoon
54 journal of film and video 61.2 / summer 2009
©2009 by the board of trustee s of the universit y of illinoischaracters, such as Wile E. Coyote or Daffy social consciousness. In fact, it was part of a
Duck, who can survive plunging hundreds of crop of shows appearing in the latter part of the
feet into a ravine or a shotgun blast to the face. 1980s and early 1990s, including Married . . .
Groening was adamant about obeying the laws With Children and Roseanne, which focused on
of physics: “the characters’ heads do not get working-class families struggling with money
crushed by anvils. Their eyeballs do not pop out issues. This is not an entirely new concept,
of their heads, and their jaws do not drop to the of course; there have been sitcoms based on
ground” (qtd. in Schefelman 69). The creators working-class families since the late 1940s,
of The Simpsons made the conscious decision such as Mama, The Goldbergs, The Amos ’n’
to forsake the physical elasticity of anima- Andy Show, The Honeymooners, and later, All
tion, opting instead for the spatial freedom in the Family. Quite often the humor is bleak,
animation can provide. The only aspect of the and there is real conflict among family mem-
program that defies reality is the fact that the bers. In middle-class, conservative sitcoms of
Simpsons do not age. Bart is always ten years the 1950s and 60s, such as Father Knows Best,
old, Lisa eight, and Maggie a baby. Because the The Partridge Family, and Happy Days, and in
television audience has become accustomed more recent sitcoms such as The Cosby Show,
to real human actors in live-action sitcoms in a Home Improvement, and Everybody Loves Ray-
state of arrested development because of re- mond, wider social or economic problems do
runs, this becomes less problematic and does not tend to intrude. Furthermore, the minor dif-
not damage the illusion of realism. ficulties the characters face are resolved neatly
Jason Mittell says The Simpsons managed, within half an hour. The home and nuclear fam-
through mixing the genres of animation and ily structure provide a sanctuary from the real
situation comedy, to achieve a “paradox of world, shielding the characters from the stress
realism” (20). He focuses primarily on the early of social and financial hardship and thus keep-
years of The Simpsons, “as the show’s initial ing the ideal of the happy American family in-
novelty and controversial reception led to in- tact (Henry 265). Working-class or “ethnic” sit-
tense discussions and debates on how to make coms have fallen in and out of fashion over the
sense of this program” (17). Mittell argues that years, periodically giving way to middle-class,
it is the differing cultural values that are placed conservative sitcoms and what David Marc
on the sitcom and the animated cartoon that calls the “magicom,” a concentrated group of
trigger the paradox of realism he describes. sitcoms in the 1960s with fantastic premises,
The sitcom, being traditionally live-action, au- such as Mister Ed, Bewitched, The Munsters,
tomatically garnered more respect as a format The Addams Family, I Dream of Jeannie, and
than the animated cartoon, which had unfairly Green Acres. Megan Mullen suggests that the
gained a reputation as being an intellectual working-class sitcom moved out of fashion
vacuum suitable only for children. The live- for economic reasons, and the swing toward
action sitcom, “as an aesthetic form grounded depicting middle-class families living in idyl-
in realism and contemporaneity, has remarked lic suburbs with all the modern conveniences
upon almost every major development of was due to the sitcoms becoming showcases
postwar American history” (Hamamoto 2) and for advertising the sponsors’ products (66).
earned a passage into the category of “quality As for the instigation of the magicom, Marc
television” along with socially conscious sit- speculates, “Had an urge to zap America into
coms such as The Mary Tyler Moore Show, All in an alternative universe been liberated by the
the Family, and MASH in what was later known fears, promises, and changes in consciousness
as the 1970s “renaissance” of American televi- that accompanied the national confrontations
sion (Brower 165). with war, racism, drugs and hi-fidelity electric
The Simpsons continued this tradition of erotic music?” (107). Possibly, but as I will
journal of film and video 61.2 / summer 2009 55
©2009 by the board of trustee s of the universit y of illinoisdemonstrate, fantastical figures and storylines tween the shows, it is the actual behavior of
can be another way of approaching, rather than the characters that marks the real distinction
avoiding, the concerns of the nation in an indi- between the Simpsons and the Huxtables.
rect way. Johnny Carson commented that in terms of
This dichotomy of working- and middle-class their interaction with one another, the Simp-
sitcoms is evident in the contrasts between The son family “seems more realistic. Family life
Simpsons and The Cosby Show, the animated at the Simpson home probably reminds more
sitcom’s main rival in the early 1990s. FOX families of their own households than do the
decided to schedule The Simpsons in direct relatively homogenized antics of the Huxtable
opposition to The Cosby Show, which aired clan” (qtd. in Shales). It was important that the
on NBC, and the ratings for The Cosby Show characters behave in familiar, realistic ways,
went into decline and never recovered. It was and the banal, everyday situations they en-
eventually canceled in 1992, having already counter during the earlier episodes in particular
been criticized for being socially unrealistic at demonstrate this. In the DVD commentary for
a time when “almost half of all black children, “Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire,” Matt
46.5 percent, and 39 percent of Hispanic chil- Groening notes the importance of daily activi-
dren were classified as poor” (Hamamoto 134). ties such as Homer’s embarrassment at the
Although not an ethnic minority, The Simpsons meager Christmas presents he can afford from
live in the world of scarcity that The Cosby Show a convenience store in contrast to the lavish
seems to deny. The first season has many sto- gifts purchased by his more affluent neighbor,
ries about the family’s financial problems. In Ned Flanders. Groening’s attention to detail in-
“Homer’s Odyssey,” Homer loses his job at the cluded making the environments as realistic as
nuclear power plant and contemplates suicide possible because he “wanted this show to be
because he cannot provide for his family, and full of trash, and cracked walls, and imperfec-
in “The Call of the Simpsons,” he desperately tions in the pavement,” unlike the glossy, fea-
tries to keep up with more affluent next-door tureless backgrounds traditionally associated
neighbors, the Flanders, by buying a motor with animation. The trash and cracks are subtle
home he cannot afford. signs of the imperfection of reality, even though
In the first episode, “Simpsons Roasting on the Simpsonian world consists of nothing more
an Open Fire,” the family is preparing for Christ- than paint on celluloid.
mas when disaster strikes. Homer does not Ultimately, the issue of realism in any visual
receive his Christmas bonus, and Marge must medium, let alone animation, is highly conten-
spend all their savings having a tattoo removed tious. It could be argued that there is no such
from Bart’s arm. During the rest of the episode, thing as an unmediated real world (McKinnon).
Homer struggles to get presents for the fam- Realism is more about a “sense” of the real and
ily and steals a Christmas tree, a concept the relies heavily on the “suspension of disbelief ”
writers admit was controversial at the time. In that is required from the audience. There ex-
the DVD commentary for this episode, director ists an unquantifiable spirit of realism, and a
David Silverman reveals that it was James L. character’s behavior in a given situation either
Brooks’s idea to “anchor the Simpsons eco- will ring true or will not. Discussing the work of
nomically and keep them mired in their money Walt Disney, Sergei Eisenstein knows that the
problems to make it real, because in most characters he sees are not real but miraculous
sitcoms people have no money problems what- “tricks of technology . . . such beings don’t re-
soever, or the money problems aren’t real.” A ally exist. But at the same time: We sense them
cartoon family had become the most accurate as alive. We sense them as moving. We sense
representation in the sitcom landscape of the them as existing and even thinking” (qtd. in
financial hardship of many American families. Newman 193). Through its dedication to “mak-
Regardless of the fiscal differences be- ing people forget they ’re watching a cartoon,”
56 journal of film and video 61.2 / summer 2009
©2009 by the board of trustee s of the universit y of illinoisThe Simpsons provides that “sense” of realism, to hesitate—not over the ontological status of the bedrock on which Family Guy can build its the fantastic items, as would be the case in “magical” realism. fantastic fiction, but over which set of conven- Magical realism, as the seemingly paradoxi- tions are to guide the reading of this narrative” cal term suggests, is a technique of storytelling (Hegerfeldt 66). This is a key point in my argu- that exploits the juxtaposition of realism and ment for Family Guy ’s strange relationship with the fantastic. Although the term is now more magical realism: the viewer hesitates, much as commonly associated with literature, Franz I did while watching “Death Has a Shadow,” Roh initially suggested the idea of “magic real- uncertain which set of conventions apply to ism” in 1925 to describe a “new, neo-realistic, the narrative: the laws of the traditional sitcom style in German painting” practiced by a group (realism) or the laws of animation (magic). of painters, categorized generally as post- Because of its ability to throw the hegemonic expressionists, for whom there was a sense realist narrative of the Western world into of magic in the everyday. In differentiating doubt, the magical realist form has been identi- the words magical and mystical, Roh said he fied as “an inherently postcolonial mode” that wanted to “indicate that the mystery does not seeks to “redress the cultural hierarchy im- descend to the represented world, but rather posed by the colonizer by revaluing the alterna- hides and palpitates behind it” (qtd. in Faris 1). tive, non-Western systems of thought, present- “Magic realism,” as Roh called it, and “magical ing them as a corrective or supplement to the realism,” which is now the accepted term de- dominant world view” (Hegerfeldt 63). This has scribing a literary movement, are very different, been especially applicable to Latin American however (Roh 112). In the eyes of many literary writers, such as the aforementioned Márquez, critics, including Anne Hegerfeldt, the idea of Mário de Andrade, Laura Esquivel, and Jorge magical realism has a “rather remarkable, if Luis Borges. Despite magical realism’s preva- not actually miraculous, lease on life which, lence in Latin America, the critical trend has through the simplifying glass of retrospective been to extend the mode beyond that region, vision, is frequently dated to the publication of and the term is continually being applied to Gabriel García Márquez’s One Hundred Years of writers of varying nationalities, such as Salman Solitude in 1967” (62). Wendy B. Faris explains Rushdie, Jeanette Winterson, Kurt Vonnegut, that “very briefly defined, magical realism and Haruki Murakami. Hegerfeldt explains combines realism and the fantastic so that the that magical realism is much more than just marvelous seems to grow organically within a postcolonial mode because it “argues for a the ordinary, blurring the distinction between revaluation of alternative modes of thought not them” (1). Hegerfeldt clarifies this, asserting only from within a specifically postcolonial per- that “these non-realistic items cannot be ‘re- spective, but already on a more general level,” contextualized,’ explained away as dreams, vindicating the use of the term outside of South hallucinations, metaphors, or lies; presented America and, indeed, outside of literature as “a in a strikingly nonchalant and matter-of-fact fictional counterpart to anthropological or so- manner (often even demonstratively so), there ciological studies: tracing the various strategies seems to be no option but to accept them as by which individuals and communities try—and part of the fictional world” (66). Although fan- always have tried—to make sense of the world” tastical fiction takes magical happenings for (64). This is clearly a need that transgresses na- granted in somewhat the same manner that tional and cultural boundaries, but can it make magical realism does, magical realist fiction the leap from literature to the visual medium of stresses mundanity to fragment the hegemonic television? realist narrative and so “paradoxically manages Roh, the originator of the term magical real- to flaunt these elements as transgressions of ism, seems to imply that it can when he argues realist conventions, thereby causing the reader that it constitutes “a special way of intuiting journal of film and video 61.2 / summer 2009 57 ©2009 by the board of trustee s of the universit y of illinois
the world and, as such, can apply to all the the mind can more easily attain with literary
arts, even music” (“Magical Realism” 27). texts. For example, poorly executed special
Many films have been based on the novels of effects can shatter an audience’s suspension
magical realist writers, and the appearances of disbelief. Imagination does not rely on spe-
of such films as The Witches of Eastwick, Field cial effects, rubber prosthetics, or whether the
of Dreams, Like Water for Chocolate, Wolf, and strings are visible; as Wolfgang Iser writes, “the
Chocolat “in the cinematic mainstream, further reader’s imagination animates” the text in his
attest to its increasing dispersion throughout or her mind (276). Animation is just as much
all contemporary culture” (Faris 29). Neither an entirely constructed reality as literature,
do they all have a postcolonial subtext; many the difference being that the visual imagery in
major American motion pictures, such as City animation is constructed externally. Prime-time
of Angels, Being John Malkovich, Donnie Darko, animation, such as The Simpsons and Family
and even beloved Christmas classic It’s a Won- Guy, is so good at being “about the real” (Dob-
derful Life, could be described as examples of son 89) that it does what James L. Brooks al-
magical realism, acting as “a means of initiat- ways intended and makes the audience forget
ing questions concerning philosophical issues it is watching a cartoon, distorting its objective
such as the existence of God, the role of fate, purity. Because of its status as a completely
and the idea of the self that extend beyond the constructed reality, the insertion of magical
film’s capacity to divert and entertain” (Bowers elements into animation is seamless, like the
115). Positing magical realism as a descriptive picture painted by the mind’s eye.
term for film and television remains a conten- Although Family Guy ’s comedic style does
tious argument. Garrett Rowlan, while not not completely dispense with narrative struc-
closed to the possibility of a magical realist ture, it does not place as much importance on
film, explains that he finds literature to be the plot as some other shows have done, such as
most suitable medium because the reader is South Park, King of the Hill, and The Simpsons.
“a conspirator with the author in a way that [he Instead, Family Guy takes a more fractured
is] not in other genres [to give] the world that approach, relaxing or completely deconstruct-
exists on the page an imaginative correlation.” ing the rules of narrative structure to allow for
On the other hand, visual magical realism “is pop-culture references and non sequiturs. Non
boxed magic, lacking organic vitality, without sequitur translates from Latin as “it does not
that substratum that exists in that juncture follow,” and the term signifies a conclusion
between the reader’s imagination and the that defies the logic of the preceding events.
writer’s, a bond that joins the quotidian and A perfect example of the comic non sequitur
fantastic.” Although I do not wish to argue for occurs in the second-season episode “Holy
the superiority of either medium, there are rea- Crap.” This episode centers on Peter’s at-
sons to believe that animation in a form such tempts to get closer to his stridently Catholic
as Family Guy can fall into the category of magi- father, Francis Griffin, who believes Peter is
cal realism. The thing that unites both literary work-shy and resents him for marrying Lois, a
and animated magical realism is that they both “Protestant whore.” All of Peter’s efforts have
exploit entirely constructed realities. failed, however, and he has even been fired
Literature allows the reader to make use of for his troubles. While sitting miserably at the
the mind’s eye to construct the world that the kitchen table wondering how to reconcile with
magical realist author describes in meticulous his father, he sees a news report on the televi-
detail and to add the magical element seam- sion about the Pope’s arrival in Quahog. At the
lessly with the use of some imagination. Part of end of the report, Peter exclaims, “Hey, I just
the reason that some are skeptical about film’s got a crazy idea!” The viewer makes the logical
ability to be magical realist is the fact that it is assumption that Peter has formulated a plan
difficult to achieve the “seamless” integration to get closer to his father, inspired by the news
58 journal of film and video 61.2 / summer 2009
©2009 by the board of trustee s of the universit y of illinoisof the Pope’s visit. Instead, Peter clamps his popular” and “most often-cited” gags on the hand in a red-hot waffle maker. After screaming show. in pain, he exclaims, “Hey, I just got another Before speculating about the underlying is- crazy idea!” This is the plan that the viewer was sues related to the use of magical realism in expecting all along: Peter will kidnap the Pope Family Guy, it is important to look at the major and ask him to convince Francis of his son’s stylistic criteria that Faris recommends as in- worthiness. dicative of magical realism. She suggests five There is a big difference between this logi- primary characteristics of magical realism that cal diversion and the narrative disruption of serve as a way of identifying the mode: the magical realism, however. Family Guy ’s non text must contain an “irreducible element” of sequiturs can be even more dramatic, cutting magic; the descriptions of magical events are away from the main story to another place or strongly grounded in the phenomenal world; time, as the plot is interrupted and segues the reader may have difficulty reconciling con- into unrelated, self-contained sketches of vari- tradictory understandings of events; different able length. These are often introduced when realms or dimensions impinge on the narrative; a character refers to a past event, using such and accepted beliefs about time, space, and phrases as “I haven’t felt like this since . . . ,” identity are disrupted. “This is worse than the time . . . ,” or “Like that The first characteristic—that the text must time when . . .” An example of a dramatic cut- contain an “irreducible element” of magic— away occurs in the same episode, “Holy Crap.” describes an event that cannot be explained When Peter does kidnap the Pope, he brings in accordance with logic, experience, and the him back to the Griffin home. Lois is furious laws of the universe. Key to this is the fact that with Peter over this foolish stunt and declares the irreducible element of magic is accepted that this is the most reckless thing he has ever as normal, even humdrum. “The narrator’s done. Peter challenges her on this, however, presentation of the irreducible element on the saying, “What about the time I was on that same narrative plane as other, commonplace, airplane?” The scene cuts to Peter standing happenings means that in terms of the text, in the cabin of the aforementioned airplane, magical things ‘really ’ do happen” (Faris 8). next to the emergency exit. Beside the door This matter-of-fact attitude facilitates the as- handle is a large sign warning “DO NOT PULL.” similation of extraordinary incidents into the Peter stares at the sign, obviously contemplat- fabric of the realistic text and, in turn, encour- ing the warning and the ramifications that will ages the reader to follow by example and ac- ensue if he chooses to ignore it. He decides to cept as real what seems magical. There is a pull the handle anyway, certain death proving paradox at work here because even as these to be an insufficient deterrent. He plummets to strange happenings confound the reader, they the earth, giggling all the way. And of course are so bold in their presentation that they say there is also the type of magical non sequitur “in [an] almost existential fashion, ‘I EKsist,’ that occurs when a whimsical figure, such as ‘I stick out’” (Faris 8). The case of the Kool-Aid the Kool-Aid Man, breeches the narrative. This Man is a good example of this. A gigantic, central event around which I have formed my anthropomorphized jug bursts through a court- impression of Family Guy as “magical real- room wall, and the characters react more out ism” was almost cut from the episode. In the of annoyance than out of shock or amazement. DVD commentary for “Death Has a Shadow,” This happens often in Family Guy, as figures executive producer David Zuckerman tells how from advertising, film, television, pop music, he had to fight to save the Kool-Aid Man be- and religion (including Jesus and God) regularly cause the network thought that this narrative intrude on the Griffin family ’s everyday reality. transgression would “totally alienate the audi- In the episode “Screwed the Pooch,” Jesus ap- ence.” In fact, it has become one of the “most pears to help Peter out, but he also indulges journal of film and video 61.2 / summer 2009 59 ©2009 by the board of trustee s of the universit y of illinois
in less savory activities, such as hustling pool, the fantastical is concerned, animation could
cheating at golf, and turning water into “funk” prove to be a very suitable medium for magical
as a party trick. God is seen using his power realism because of its links to a child’s willing-
to light a cigarette with a bolt of lightning for a ness to believe. Magical realism’s beginnings
woman he is trying to pick up in a bar (“Blind are entrenched in the early days of childhood
Ambition”). Unfortunately, a stray bolt of light- “with its attendant wonder at the splendor
ning causes her to burst into flames, and God of the world, whose multitudinous variety of
and his wingman Jesus have to make a quick actual and potential manifestations within it
getaway in their Escalade. In “Kiss Seen Around engenders extraordinary corresponding flights
the World,” Peter films a plastic bag floating in of the human imagination” (Danow 70).
the wind while rhapsodizing about its magnifi- Despite Family Guy ’s frequent flights into
cence (a parody of a scene in the film American fantasy, there are, surprisingly, those who com-
Beauty). The scene shifts to Heaven where an mend it for its realism. M. Keith Booker argues
irate God shouts down at Peter, “It’s just some that it is in fact one of the most realistic ani-
trash blowing in the wind! Do you have any mated shows, even more so than The Simpsons
idea how complicated your circulatory system in some respects. For example, there is the
is?” God’s regular appearances and everyday issue of location; the Simpsons live in the fic-
emotions and motivations help naturalize his tional town of Springfield (called this because it
appearances in the genre of animated sitcoms, is one of the most common town names in the
which are a violation of the “rules” as estab- United States) in an unspecified state. It could
lished by The Simpsons. be argued that living in Anytown, USA, makes it
The second characteristic of magical realism easier for viewers to relate to the Simpson fam-
is that “its descriptions detail a strong pres- ily. The Griffins might live in the fictional sub-
ence of the phenomenal world. This is the real- urb of Quahog, but that is within the very real
ism in magical realism, distinguishing it from setting of Providence County in Rhode Island.
much fantasy and allegory” (Faris 14). Family Booker points out a visual reference in Family
Guy owes much of its air of realism to The Guy: “the skyline of Providence can be seen
Simpsons; it is on the basis of The Simpsons’ in most of the series’ establishing shots of the
hard-won realism that Family Guy can take the Griffin home” (86). Some of the characters have
comic risks that it does, utilizing elements of recognizable New England accents, and in “Le-
fantasy and the absurd. The Simpsons’ adher- thal Weapons,” they complain about “leafers”
ence to realism elevates TV animation’s cultural from New York City invading every fall. Much of
value, making it acceptable as a form of adult this is attributable to the fact that creator Seth
entertainment, rather than perceived as only MacFarlane used to be a resident of the state,
for children. Animation will always have a con- and “rather than being a limitation this specific
nection to childhood, however. Creator Matt setting adds richness of the show, which gains
Groening recognizes that a generation reared considerable texture from its overt immersion
with Saturday morning cartoon shows reached in Rhode Island culture” (Booker 86). This de-
adulthood around the time The Simpsons first tailed engagement with a real place helps es-
came to air, which could account for the some tablish the phenomenal world and, in contrast,
of the popularity of prime-time animation. throws any magical elements into sharp relief.
Groening says, “Cartoons are invariably a cel- Faris’s third characteristic states that the
ebration, the colors bright and simple. There’s reader may have difficulty reconciling conflict-
a whole generation of people in power at the ing explanations of events (7). Family Guy
networks who were exhilarated by great car- wanders the line between realism and fantasy
toons as kids and are ready to emulate them” with such aggression that often the viewer is
(qtd. in Kellogg 8). Although adults tend to be left confused as to what exactly has happened
more difficult to convince than children where or how to explain it. In its early years, The Simp-
60 journal of film and video 61.2 / summer 2009
©2009 by the board of trustee s of the universit y of illinoissons, unlike Family Guy, had to be more careful from season two, Brian and Peter are having about explaining seemingly fantastical happen- a conversation when Peter exclaims apropos ings because it initially made a greater commit- of nothing, “Oh my God! You can talk!” They ment to realism. During DVD commentary for stare at one another for a few seconds and then the fourth season episode “Homer the Heretic,” continue the conversation as if nothing had George Meyer tells of the difficulties inherent in happened. Although both are very advanced drawing clear lines between reality and fantasy. for their age and species, Stewie and Brian In the episode, Homer decides to stop going still retain their characteristics as a baby and a to church and begin his own religion. During dog, respectively. Stewie is still very dependent the course of this experiment, he meets God on Lois for feeding and diaper-changes, much and discusses his theological ideas in dreams to his chagrin. He still enjoys a complicated several times. Meyer complains about having relationship with his teddy bear, Rupert, and to manipulate the story for Homer to fall asleep a game of hide-and-seek. Occasionally, Brian so often because he did not want to imply that will lapse into stereotypically canine behavior, God was literally appearing to him. He jokes usually for comedic effect. Like any normal dog, that it happens so often, it seems as if Homer he has trouble standing up on the back seat is suffering from narcolepsy. If it were Family of a moving car, drags his rear on the carpet Guy, God could just meet Peter directly. God (which Peter hates), and is afraid of the vacuum and Jesus appear fairly often in South Park too, cleaner. and all the boys need to do if they want divine There is conflicting evidence throughout the guidance is call into the show that Jesus hosts series as to whether Stewie can be understood on their local cable access television station. by adults or whether the audience and Brian Two characters in the show have highly are the only ones privy to his rants. It has been developed language skills where they should a source of much speculation for fans, and this have none at all: Stewie and Brian. Stewie fact was acknowledged in a meta-reference at speaks eruditely at an adult level with an Eng- the end of the episode “E. Peterbus Unum.” lish accent that MacFarlane based on the voice The action cuts away to a classroom 200 years of Rex Harrison’s Henry Higgins in the feature in the future, and like the viewers, the class has film My Fair Lady (1964). In early episodes, just finished watching that particular episode Stewie relentlessly plots to take over the world of Family Guy. The teacher asks if there are any and escape Lois’s matriarchal tyranny by mur- questions, and a student raises his hand, echo- dering her, only to be thwarted at every turn, al- ing the question on the minds of many viewers: though that side of his character seems to have “So, like, can the family understand the baby, faded later in the series. Apparently, the family or what’s the deal with that?” Although the am- can hear his threats of world domination and biguous status of Stewie and Brian leaves view- Lois’s demise, but most (except the family’s ers conflicted as to what is going on in the way dog, Brian) dismiss it as baby talk. Likewise, Faris describes, one thing is clear: the charac- Brian displays marvelous linguistic skills; he is ters of Stewie and Brian are certainly allusions also the only member of the family who really to magicom stars of the past, such as Mr. Ed, engages with Stewie on an adult level instead the talking horse. Darrell Hamamoto suggests of treating him like an infant. Brian displays all that the fantastic characters and premises in the characteristics of a sophisticated middle- some magicoms were not just simple flights aged human male: he walks on two legs, his fa- into fantasy but reflected societal tensions: vorite drink is a dry martini, he drives a car, he Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie revealed enjoys The Utne Reader, and he has attended conflicting viewpoints over women’s rights Brown University. The family takes his ability to (62–65), and Mr. Ed was representative of black speak for granted, and it is only remarked on as Americans struggling against a society that still unusual once. In the episode “Brian in Love” saw them as second-class citizens (60). Family journal of film and video 61.2 / summer 2009 61 ©2009 by the board of trustee s of the universit y of illinois
Guy has flirted with the concept of Brian as a comes from there and become lost” (qtd. in
symbol of black oppression. Driven to violence Faris 21). The suburb is, of course, a popular
because of his social standing as a subordinate location in the vast majority of sitcoms; per-
animal in first-season episode “Brian: Portrait haps Family Guy ’s depiction of dimensional
of a Dog,” he is hassled by police for walking slippage is symptomatic of the “placelessness”
the streets without a leash, frowned upon for of American suburbs.
drinking from a human’s water fountain, and The fifth characteristic of magical realism
denied a fair trial for biting when called a “bad states that logical notions about identity,
dog” one too many times. space, and time are upset (Faris 7). In a post-
According to the fourth characteristic of mag- modern world of the fragmented self and ac-
ical realism, different dimensions and fantasti- celerated culture, these are themes that occur
cal realms overlap with reality, disrupting the again and again in popular culture. Family
narrative in some way (Faris 7). An alternative Guy is full of instances when time becomes
dimension is never too far away in Family Guy, stretched or meaningless, space is distorted,
and these are usually fictional worlds from pop- and identity becomes questionable. Peter
ular-culture sources. For example, Peter finds frequently appears in roles and at times in his-
the coffee mugs in the alternate dimension that tory when it should be impossible. In “Death
is the “beyond” section of the homewares store Has a Shadow,” Peter joins the unknown rebel
Bed, Bath and Beyond (“North by North Qua- standing in front of the tanks in Tiananmen
hog”). In the episode “Breaking Out Is Hard to Square in 1989. He does not stand his ground,
Do,” Chris is pulled into a different realm while however, because he “just came over to buy
shopping for groceries when Lois asks him some fireworks.” When Lois claims all British
to get her a milk carton from the back of the men are charming in “One if by Clam, Two if by
refrigerator. Chris is beckoned into the refrig- Sea,” Peter counters, “Yeah right, that’s what
erator by a pencil-drawn hand that leads him they said about Benjamin Disraeli.” There is
to the animated comic-book world of the music then a cutaway to Disraeli seated at his desk
video “Take on Me” by 1980s pop band a-ha. writing. He looks up at the camera and says,
He dances with the band’s front-man, Morten “You don’t even know who I am!” (Disraeli was
Harket and is chased by crooked motorcyclists prime minister of England in 1868 and again
armed with wrenches, mirroring the plot of from 1874 until 1880). In “A Hero Sits Next
the video. He escapes through a hole torn in Door,” it is revealed that the Griffin residence
the paper wall and falls out of the refrigerator hides a full-size Batcave complete with Batpole
back into the supermarket. Lois asks where in the basement, like fictional superhero Bat-
he has been, and scared and confused, Chris man. In “Blind Ambition,” Peter pokes his head
shrieks, “I don’t know!” In the third-season through the bowling ball return and finds actor
episode “One if by Clam, Two if by Sea,” Peter Judd Hirsch building a nuclear weapon in the
recalls the one time he has ever been defeated: impossibly cavernous space. It is later revealed
in the fictional computer-system world of the that Hirsch is building the nuke for the Keebler
1982 film Tron. There he rode a light cycle and Elves, who plan to use it in an attack against
was “the green guy” beaten by “the red guy,” the iconic Rice Krispies’ Snap, Crackle, and
whom he recognizes as an old friend from Pop. Unfortunately, the attack proves fatal for
high school. Interestingly, Marie Darrieussecq Snap.
regards the feeling of living between worlds as Family Guy ’s magical realism is a more
symptomatic of certain aspects of contempo- extreme form of the referentiality that is very
rary life, for example, living in a suburb, given much in evidence in The Simpsons. The refer-
that it “is a rather undifferentiated in-between ences to film alone in The Simpsons are far too
. . . a space of all possibilities, sometimes numerous to list but include A Streetcar Named
frightening, since one can forget where one Desire, Rear Window, The Great Escape, The
62 journal of film and video 61.2 / summer 2009
©2009 by the board of trustee s of the universit y of illinoisBirds, The Graduate, Cape Fear, and Thelma & that the postmodern writer experiences. The Louise. During a Web chat Groening even sug- postmodern writer feels there is nothing left to gested that “you could probably construct an say so resorts to “speech in a dead language entire episode made up of the references to . . . without any of parody ’s ulterior motives, Citizen Kane.” This can help unite audience and amputated of the satiric impulse, devoid of writer via the shared experience of nostalgia. laughter and of any conviction that alongside Tim O’Sullivan notes that “most people have the abnormal tongue you have momentarily memories of their early encounters with televi- borrowed, some healthy linguistic normality sion. Many of these recollections function as still exists” ( Jameson 18). This is pastiche, quite powerful points of symbolic, biographi- famously described by Frederic Jameson as a cal, and generational reference” (202). Family toothless blank parody. Addressing Jameson’s Guy trades heavily on pop-culture nostalgia, main complaint about postmodernism—that with most of the fantastic elements that intrude it does not treat the past or present as fixed, on the narrative coming straight out of televi- ultimate objects—Linda Hutcheon contends sion, film, or general pop-culture history. The that postmodernism and its related offshoots, show appeals to people who grew up with tele- such as magical realism, cast doubt on our vision, and episodes are steeped in the memo- ability to ever really grasp with certainty the ries of old sitcoms and commercials. The payoff reality of the past (24). The past is unstable for the viewer is the pleasure that accompanies (an important theme in magical realism), and the “knowingness” of recognizing an obscure although the postmodern text acknowledges reference and the status elevation this can this, it also acknowledges that it is a product bring within a community of fans. There is also of that past, which is open to interpretation the delight and shock that can accompany the and mischief, bringing to light “the historical, unexpected reminiscence of “when television social, ideological contexts in which they have viewing became ‘the essential social habit of existed and continue to exist” (24–25). Family the age.’ There are deep forms of cultural and Guy has been accused of all the crimes of blank emotional (in)security in play here, often in parody: meaninglessness, plagiarism, banality, tension with the ‘kitsch,’ slightly disturbing or laziness, and being formulaic. comic-archaic qualities revealed in the juxta- Trey Parker and Matt Stone are perhaps the position of the ‘dated’ old within the flow of most vociferous of Family Guy ’s critics. When the new” (O’Sullivan 203). Evoking nostalgia in asked, “What’s the meanest thing ever said this way closes the gap between television and to you before, during or after a gig?” Stone its viewers, creating a type of “participatory” answered, “When people say to me, ‘God, you television, one that to my mind goes some way guys have one of the best shows on television. toward countering Garrett Rowlan’s complaint You and Family Guy.’ That fucking hurts so that visual magical realism lacks a sense of the bad.” Parker agreed, comparing it to “a kick in conspiratorial between writer and viewer, as the balls” (qtd. in Dix). This issue comes up in it does “away with the distance between itself the two-part episode of South Park collectively and its viewers” (207), mocking itself and the known as “Cartoon Wars Parts I & II,” which viewers’ shared cultural history in an affection- takes its inspiration from the furious reaction in ate manner. the Islamic world to Danish cartoons depicting Although Family Guy is essentially a situation the Muslim prophet Mohammad. The main con- comedy, and comedy is the prime objective of cerns of the episodes over the right to satirize the show, the concerns of the postmodern age religious beliefs and the importance of doing are evident in the pop-culture magical realism so even in the face of terrorist threats took it utilizes. The fact that Family Guy and many somewhat of a backseat as the media became other prime-time animated sitcoms are so so- more interested in the perceived hostilities phisticated intertextually is due to the anxieties within the world of prime-time animation. journal of film and video 61.2 / summer 2009 63 ©2009 by the board of trustee s of the universit y of illinois
In “Cartoon Wars,” the boys watch a criticism is a trait that runs throughout the ani-
mocked-up episode of Family Guy, which mated sitcom genre; the writers are almost as
parodies all the defining characteristics of the ready to poke fun at themselves as they are at
show: the non sequitur cutaways and quick- others in a suitably postmodern fashion.
fire nostalgic pop-culture references, including Parker and Stone are not the only ones who
Knight Rider and its star David Hasselhoff, Mr. T have a problem with Family Guy. Parker claims
of The A Team, and Star Trek’s Captain Kirk fill- that “the day after [‘Cartoon Wars’] aired, we
ing in as one half of 1970s pop duo Captain and got flowers from The Simpsons. We got calls
Tennille (Peter plays Tennille). The Griffin family from King of the Hill, saying we were doing
constantly has to recap the plot of the show, God’s work. It’s not just our opinion” (qtd. in
presumably because Parker and Stone deem Goldman). The Simpsons has criticized Family
it difficult to follow as a result of the cutaways. Guy on more than one occasion. In the elev-
Kyle, who enjoys Family Guy, assumes Cartman enth-season episode “Missionary: Impossible,”
also likes it because he perceives Cartman’s a telethon is held by the FOX Network to raise
humor to be similar to that of the show. This an- money. As she stands in front of a T V display-
gers Cartman, and he expresses the source of ing the Family Guy logo, celebrity telethon par-
his, and Parker and Stone’s, ire: “I am nothing ticipant Betty White says, “So, if you don’t want
like Family Guy! When I make jokes, they are to see crude, low-brow programming disappear
inherent to a story! Deep situational and emo- from the airwaves, please, call now.” In “Tree-
tional jokes based on what is relevant and has house of Horror XIII,” Homer creates an army
a point, not just one random interchangeable of clones that are each more dim-witted than
joke after another!” Ultimately, it is revealed the last. One of the clones appears to be Peter
that Family Guy ’s writers are manatees living in Griffin, suggesting that Family Guy is guilty of
a tank in the FOX studios; the writing process plagiarism. MacFarlane’s second animated
consists of the manatees randomly choosing sitcom—American Dad!—has also been in the
“idea balls,” each one representing a compo- firing line. In The Simpsons episode “The Ital-
nent of a Family Guy joke. The “writers” are ian Bob,” Peter Griffin is pictured in a book of
shown choosing three balls, “Mexico,” “Gary criminals, charged with “plagiarismo” (plagia-
Coleman,” and “date,” which, when combined, rism). On the next page, Stan Smith, patriarch
construct a joke about Peter going on a date of American Dad!, is pictured with the charge
with Coleman in Mexico. of “plagiarismo di plagiarismo” (plagiarism of
Even though this seems like harsh criticism, plagiarism). In the next “Treehouse of Horror”
ultimately Parker and Stone’s attitude to the episode, the fourteenth, Executive Producer Al
show is basically “live and let live.” Family Jean is credited as Al “Family Guy ” Jean in the
Guy ’s struggle against censorship in “Cartoon Halloween tradition of giving the staff horrific,
Wars” is a metaphor for South Park’s own scary, or unpleasant name variations; the writ-
struggle; they also use the episode to satirize ers of The Simpsons seem to think Family Guy
the ethos of their own show. For example, Kyle qualifies as all three. Kevin Smith and David
defends Family Guy, arguing, “I know it’s just Mandell, creator and coproducer of the short-
joke after joke, but I like that. At least it doesn’t lived Clerks: The Animated Series, described
get all preachy and up its own ass with mes- MacFarlane as a “nemesis” and Family Guy as
sages, you know.” This is clearly a self-reflexive “Emmy-nominated shit” during the Clerks DVD
joke at South Park’s expense, given that many commentary for “The Last Episode Ever.”
of the show’s episodes deal with contentious But all this criticism is a fertile source of
issues, and some close with a moral or lesson satire for MacFarlane and the Family Guy writ-
of sorts, usually signified by Kyle’s comment, ers. Although they have not directly returned
“You know, I’ve learned something today. . . .” South Park’s fire in an episode, MacFarlane
This tendency toward self-awareness and self- has taken the opportunity to address the ac-
64 journal of film and video 61.2 / summer 2009
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