Best Cartoon Parodies

I love it when television shows and movies reference or parody other television shows or movies. The result gives the viewer the feeling like they are a part of some big Hollywood in-joke. This phenomenon can be demonstrated simply by thinking about the constant cutaways that occur during an episode of Family Guy. The writers play off our own knowledge of other shows and movies to create a comical satire of pop culture that rewards the viewer for being informed. However, an almost equal and opposite reaction occurs when the viewer is unfamiliar with the source material. Nobody likes when a joke goes over their head, so the writers of these parodies must walk a tightrope, trying to find source material that is both original and well enough known that viewers don't feel alienated (a balance I personally believe the Family Guy writers have missed on many occasions).

Accordingly, more often than not, the most successful parodies tend to play off of extremely popular movie and TV franchises. With this in mind, I decided to make a list of some of my favorite TV parodies of other shows and movies. As it turns out, they are ALL cartoon shows imitating live actors and actresses. Not sure what that really says; perhaps we find it funny to see things we've seen done by real people recreated in cartoons. Maybe not. Who knows. At any rate, here's what I came up with:

South Park: "The Return of the Fellowship of the Ring to the Two Towers"
At the beginning of the new millennium, the world was aflame with Ring-fever. Comic geniuses Trey Parker and Matt Stone took note of this, and in the thirteenth episode of South Park's sixth season, the duo turned their satirical eye to Tolkien's universe. The episode sees Stan, Kyle, and Cartman tasked with returning a rented copy of The Fellowship of the Rings to the Two Towers video store a few towns over. This requires a long trek, and all the while the boys continue to pretend they are traversing the harsh terrain of Middle-earth as a human, elf, and wizard. What they don't know is that, due to a mix up at Stan's house, they are actually carrying a copy of the raunchiest and most perverse porno in history: "Backdoor Sluts 9." It all plays out quite hilariously, especially with Butters filling the role of Gollum, who after seeing the dirty movie, follows closely behind the boys, constantly crying about his precious.

America Dad: "Meter Made"
I am strong believer that this show has not gotten the respect it deserves, and this Goodfellas parody episode is a great example of how underrated it is. The episode follows the exploits of patriarch Stan Smith who, after being demoted from his job at the CIA to a lowly Meter Maid, begins siphoning quarters from parking meters and starts living like a high roller. The episode is a perfect parody of the brilliant Scorcese mob movie. Anyone who has seen the movie will immediately appreciate how the Smith's decorate their home and the hilarious scene depicting Stan trying to flush the embezzled quarters down the toilet, both of which are highly reminiscent of parts from the film. Also, some of the lines, such as Francine's monologue or Stan's closing remarks about once again being a "regular shnook," are lifted almost word for word from the movie. And any episode that features Officer Turlington (voiced by Forest Whitaker) is a winner in my book. A great episode and a fantastic parody from an underrated show.

The Simpsons: "24 Minutes"
While many shows have attempted parodies of action-drama show 24 (also known as the Now-Sour Jack Bauer Hour), none have done it better than The Simpsons. Instead of making fun of how ridiculous the show tends to be (which the South Park version "The Snuke" did quite well), "24 Minutes" instead chose to shrink 24's fast-paced action down to fit within the humble town of Springfield. While Marge races against the clock to bake a cake in time for the school bake sale, Bart (in the role of Jack) is enlisted by Lisa and the Springfield Elementary's Counter Truancy Unit (CTU, duh) to prevent the detonation of the worst stink bomb in history. This parody borrows heavily from the source material, and even features Martin as the cliche mole inside CTU. The prank call Bart makes to the actual Jack Bauer is just icing on the cake. Oh, and did I mention that throughout the whole episode, Homer and Milhouse are zooming down the street, locked in a dumpster? Priceless.

Family Guy: "Blue Harvest"
I had trouble deciding which Star Wars parody should win this slot: Family Guy's or Robot Chicken's. But in the end, the Griffin version takes the cake because it is essentially a shot-for-shot remake of the first movie, instead of just a bunch of random references. With Chris as Luke, Peter as Han Solo, and Stewie as Darth Vader, this hour long walk down memory lane reminds the viewers of how awesome the movie was, while still injecting it with a large dose of Family Guy's off-the-wall humor. Some highlights include Stewie arguing with the Death Star crew about the space station's only weakness, Leia (Louis) struggling to record a message for Luke using R2D2 (Cleveland), R2 and C-3PO (Quagmire) enjoying some marijuana while waiting in the control room, and Han and Chewie (Brian) trying to load a large used couch onto the Millennium Falcon during a firefight. I have yet to see the sequel-- a direct to video episode called "Something Something Dark Side"--but I am sure it is just as clever and hilarious.