Butch Hartman | |
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Born | Elmer Earl Hartman IV January 10, 1965 Highland Park, Michigan, U.S. |
Alma mater | California Institute of the Arts (BFA) |
Occupations |
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Years active | 1984–present |
Known for | The Fairly OddParents Danny Phantom T.U.F.F. Puppy Bunsen Is a Beast |
Spouse | Julieann Hartman (m. 1992) |
Children | 2 |
Elmer Earl "Butch" Hartman IV (born January 10, 1965) is an American animator, illustrator, writer, producer, director, and actor. He is best known for creating the animated television series The Fairly OddParents , Danny Phantom , T.U.F.F. Puppy , and Bunsen Is a Beast for Nickelodeon. He founded the company, Billionfold Inc. in 2003, to produce the shows. Hartman was an executive producer on The Fairly OddParents for the entirety of its 16-year run.
In February 2018, Hartman announced his departure from Nickelodeon after almost 20 years; [1] this resulted in the end of production on Bunsen Is a Beast after one season. [2] In 2021, he returned to the studio to produce The Fairly OddParents: Fairly Odder , a live-action Fairly OddParents reboot which premiered on Paramount+ the following year and aired for one season. In 2023, his first non-secular animated program, The Garden, premiered on the Christian streaming service Pure Flix.
Hartman was born in Highland Park, Michigan. [3] He received the nickname Butch as a young boy and continued to use it as an adult. Hartman spent his childhood in Roseville, Michigan, and his teenage years in New Baltimore, Michigan. [4] He graduated from Anchor Bay High School in New Baltimore in 1983, [4] and subsequently attended the California Institute of the Arts in Valencia, California. [5] He graduated in 1987 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. [6] As a young student, he appeared on The Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour; he won close to $3,000. [7]
While still attending CalArts, Hartman interned as an in-between animator on the Don Bluth film An American Tail . Before graduating, he was a contestant on the Match Game-Hollywood Squares Hour for three episodes and shortly after graduating, he was hired as a character designer and storyboard artist for an unidentified My Little Pony animated series. As he had no previous experience with storyboards, he was soon fired. [8] Afterwards, he found work with Ruby-Spears, where he worked on It's Punky Brewster and Dink, the Little Dinosaur . He was also a member of the video reference crew for the Disney film Pocahontas .
In the early 1990s, he was hired as an artist in the model department at Hanna-Barbera, and was eventually contacted by studio president Fred Seibert to create the shorts Pfish and Chip and Gramps for his animated incubator series What a Cartoon! . Eventually, he became a writer, director and storyboard artist for several of the early Cartoon Network shows, including Dexter's Laboratory , Johnny Bravo , Cow and Chicken , and I Am Weasel . After his contract with Hanna-Barbera expired, he went to work with Seibert at his newfound Frederator studio, on his successor incubator series, Oh Yeah! Cartoons for Nickelodeon. [9]
During his time working at Hanna-Barbera, he became acquainted with future Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane. The two would later go on to make the short Zoomates together for Oh Yeah! Cartoons. The character Dr. Elmer Hartman in Family Guy was named after Hartman. He also voiced various characters in the show's first seasons. [10]
His biggest success came in December 1997, when he created The Fairly OddParents . The series originally started out as a series of shorts on the anthology show Oh Yeah! Cartoons. Eventually, Nickelodeon decided to pick the shorts up as a full series. Premiering in 2001, the adapted series ended up becoming a huge hit, second only in the ratings to SpongeBob SquarePants (and it briefly even passed SpongeBob's ratings). [11] [12] Following the third The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius crossover The Jimmy-Timmy Power Hour 3: The Jerkinators, the series ceased production in 2006, but it was announced on Hartman's forum on February 2, 2007, that 20 more episodes would be produced; the 6th season of Fairly OddParents aired on February 18, 2008, starting with the one-hour special Fairly OddBaby. From May 1, 2009, to May 3, 2009, the three-part special Wishology aired; [13] although that too was originally intended as a series finale[ citation needed ], the series was renewed for another season. A tenth season was eventually ordered in 2015. [14] The Fairly OddParents is Nickelodeon's second longest-running animated show behind SpongeBob. [15]
Due to the success of The Fairly OddParents, Hartman was asked to create another show for Nickelodeon; Hartman says the President of Nickelodeon asked him if he had an idea, and before he could say the title he was given the greenlight. The show would later become Danny Phantom . [16] To produce the show, Hartman founded his own production company Billionfold Inc. in 2003, which he also used to produce his other projects. Danny Phantom received his furthest critical acclaim throughout his career, with Hartman himself acknowledging it as perhaps the best of his programs while acknowledging its cult following. Danny Phantom ended production in early 2007. [17]
Around 2008–2009, Hartman began production his third show for Nickelodeon, T.U.F.F. Puppy , which premiered in 2010 alongside the Jimmy Neutron spin-off Planet Sheen . [18] The series received mixed to positive reviews and ran for three seasons before being cancelled.
His final show, Bunsen Is a Beast , aired on Nickelodeon and Nicktoons from January 16, 2017, to February 10, 2018. On February 8, 2018, Hartman announced on his Twitter and YouTube accounts that he had left Nickelodeon as of February 2 after a 20-year run. [1] [2]
In 2015, Hartman launched a "kid-safe [online] network of live shows and cartoons" called The Noog Network. [19] [20]
In October 2017, Hartman launched the podcast Speech Bubble, on which he talks about pop culture. Several voice actors have appeared on the podcast, including Rob Paulsen, Tara Strong, Jerry Trainor, Grey Griffin, and Vic Mignogna. After initially posting excerpts on his primary YouTube channel, the podcast videos were later moved to its own dedicated YouTube channel, now including full episodes. [21] [22]
In June 2018, Hartman started a Kickstarter campaign for OAXIS Entertainment, a "family-friendly" streaming service. After the fundraising goal had been reached, it was revealed that OAXIS was planned to be a Christian-themed network, which was not disclosed during the fundraiser. [23] However, Hartman later claimed that, while faith would continue to be a part of his personal life, OAXIS would not be a faith-based service. [24] As of 2024, Hartman has yet to give any updates on OAXIS.
On June 22, 2019, Hartman released the animated web series HobbyKids Adventures . This series, produced by PocketWatch Inc., was created for YouTube channel HobbyKidsTV. [25] On 13 July, Hartman released a book, Mad Hustle, which details the ins and outs of pitching and selling a show in Hollywood. [26]
In 2019, Hartman created the Christian animated web series The Garden, which he co-produced with his wife Julieann. Hartman has planned at least two seasons of the series and plan to launch a subscription-based app for The Garden in late 2022. Hartman's further plans for the property include creating a VBS curriculum for churches and illustrating a children's Bible published by Thomas Nelson, titled The Garden Children's Bible, which stars the characters from The Garden and is scheduled to release in 2023. [27] [28] [29] The series premiered on Pure Flix on January 1, 2023. [30]
In February 2021, Hartman was accused of plagiarism when he published his commissioned artwork of Attack on Titan character Mikasa Ackerman, in which similarities were noted to a 2018 artwork of a Japanese artist. The artist confirmed Hartman did not receive permission. [23]
Hartman was credited as an executive producer on The Fairly OddParents revival series The Fairly OddParents: Fairly Odder [31] [32] and The Fairly OddParents: A New Wish.
As of 2024, Hartman lives in Bell Canyon, California, with his wife, Julieann, and daughters, Carly and Sophia Hartman. [33] He also has three younger brothers. [34] Hartman is an openly devout born-again Christian [35] and young-Earth creationist, [36] converting in 2000 after hearing a sermon by Frederick K. C. Price. [37]
In 2005, Hartman, along with his wife, co-founded Hartman House, a non-profit organization which supports those in developing nations, as well as poverty stricken areas in the United States. [38] By 2017, Hartman House has built two homes for families in Guatemala, fed nearly 7,200 families with Thanksgiving meals in the U.S., and funded aid projects for orphanages in Uganda and Haiti. [39] [40] At Hartman House events, Hartman usually draws and autographs items related to his work for children. [41]
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1986 | An American Tail | In between artist | |
1992 | California Hot Wax | Eddie | Credited as "Shiloh Pettibone" |
1994 | Scooby-Doo! in Arabian Nights | Character designer | |
1995 | Pocahontas | Video reference cast | |
1997 | Annabelle's Wish | Storyboard artist Direct-to-video | |
1998 | Adventures in Odyssey: Baby Daze | Storyboard artist | |
Adventures in Odyssey: A Stranger Among Us | Storyboard artist | ||
2006 | Doogal | Writer and Voice Director | |
2011 | A Fairly Odd Movie: Grow Up, Timmy Turner! | Waiter | Writer and executive producer |
2012 | A Fairly Odd Christmas | Christmas Caroler, GingerFred, GingerEd, GingerNed and GingerJed | Writer and executive producer |
2014 | A Fairly Odd Summer | Crazy Guy | Writer and executive producer |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
1984 | Match Game Hollywood Squares Hour | Contestant | |
1985 | Body Language | Contestant | |
1985–1986 | It's Punky Brewster | Models | |
1987 | Growing Pains | Robert Jordan | Episode: "Michaelgate" |
1988 | Just the Ten of Us | Rod Grossman | Episode: "Close Encounters" |
Police Academy | Models | ||
1988–1989 | Days of Our Lives | Henry Jake | 7 episodes |
1989 | Dink, the Little Dinosaur | Storyboard artist | |
1990 | Piggsburg Pigs! | Key model designer | |
1990–1991 | Generations | Sean Masters | 16 episodes |
1991–1993 | Tom & Jerry Kids | Character designer | |
1993 | Droopy, Master Detective | Designer | |
1995 | What a Cartoon! | Creator: "Pfish & Chip", & "Gramps"; writer/director "Hillbilly Blue" | |
1996–1999 | Jumanji | Storyboard artist: 3 episodes | |
1996–1997 | Dexter's Laboratory | Storyboard artist/background designer/layout artist | |
1996–1998 | The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper | Storyboard artist | |
1996 | Timon & Pumbaa | Storyboard artist: "Beast of Eden", 1 episode, credited as Elmer Hartman | |
1997–1999 | Johnny Bravo | Storyboard artist/writer: story/director | |
1997 | Cow & Chicken | Models/storyboard artist | |
1997 | I Am Weasel | Models/storyboard artist | |
1997 | 101 Dalmatians: The Series | Character/storyboard design | |
1997 | The Weird Al Show | Pizza delivery guy | Episode: "Bad Influence" |
1998–2002 | Oh Yeah! Cartoons | Creator: "The Fairly OddParents" and "Dan Danger"; director/producer: "Terry and Chris"; director/storyboard artist: "Zoomates" | |
1999–2002 | Family Guy | Jonathan Weed (pilot pitch only) / Additional voices | 8 episodes |
1999–2002 | The New Woody Woodpecker Show | Storyboard artist: "Temper, Temper", 1 episode | |
2001–2017 | The Fairly OddParents | Dr. Rip Studwell / Additional voices | Creator/story/writer/director/storyboard artist/voice actor/theme music composer/executive producer |
2002 | The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron, Boy Genius | Writer: "See Jimmy Run" | |
2004–2007 | Danny Phantom | Football Announcer 1 (episode: "What You Want") | Creator/story/writer/storyboard artist/voice actor/director/theme music composer/executive producer |
2010–2015 | T.U.F.F. Puppy | Agent Weaselman / Agent Rodentski / Escape Goat / TV Voice | Creator/story/music composer/voice actor/executive producer/writer/storyboard artist/director |
2010–2013 | Big Time Rush | Himself | Episode: "Big Time Cartoon" Guest animator on "Big Time Christmas" |
2017–2018 | Bunsen Is a Beast | Fido / Beast Ball / Pete / Memory Pete / Kitten | Creator/writer/storyboard artist/executive producer/theme music composer |
2022 | The Fairly OddParents: Fairly Odder | Executive producer [42] [43] | |
2024–present | The Fairly OddParents: A New Wish | Executive producer |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2017 | The Fairly Odd Phantom | Internet short that reunites characters from all Butch Hartman shows created for Nickelodeon [44] | |
2019–2020 | HobbyKids Adventures | SlobbySnake (episode: "The Drawing Board") | Creator/executive producer/director/writer/designs/voice actor |
2019 | The Garden | Miniseries; Creator/story/writer/storyboard artist/director/executive producer [45] | |
2023–present | The Garden | Mr. Toothacher / Cuckoo Charlie / Employee #101 / Various Animals | Creator/executive producer/director/story editor/writer/voice actor [46] |
2024 | The Big Blue Book | Oven Mitt | Executive producer/director/writer/lyrics by/background designer/set designer [47] |
Year | Title | Publisher | ISBN | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2017 | Butch Hartman: Sketchbook 1: Stuff I've drawn or am drawn to. | CreateSpace | 978-1975613396 | Author and illustrator | [48] |
3 O'Clock Club Vol. 1: School's Out... of Control! | ROAR Comics | 978-1941302583 | Co-author with Jordan B. Gorfinkel | [49] | |
2018 | Vision: Possible! | CreateSpace | 978-1727377453 | Co-author with Julieann Hartman | [50] |
2020 | Hannah and the Beanstalk: A True Story of Faith | Harrison House Publishers | 978-1680315011 | Illustrator | [51] |
Mad Hustle: How to pitch & sell shows in Hollywood | CreateSpace | 979-8639551123 | Author | [52] | |
2023 | The Garden Children's Bible | Thomas Nelson | 978-0785241812 | Illustrator | [29] |
The Fairly OddParents is an American animated television series created by Butch Hartman for Nickelodeon. The series follows the adventures of Timmy Turner, a 10-year-old boy with two fairy godparents named Cosmo and Wanda who grant him wishes to solve his everyday problems.
Oh Yeah! Cartoons is an American animated anthology series that aired on Nickelodeon. Created by Fred Seibert, it was produced by Frederator Incorporated and Nickelodeon Animation Studio, running as part of Nickelodeon's Nicktoons lineup. In the show's first season, it was hosted by a variety of schoolchildren, and the second season was hosted by Kenan Thompson of All That and Kenan & Kel, and later Josh Server of All That in the third and final season. Bill Burnett composed the show's theme music.
Danny Phantom is an American animated superhero action adventure television series created by Butch Hartman for Nickelodeon. The series premiered on April 3, 2004, immediately after the 2004 Kids' Choice Awards, and ended on August 24, 2007. The series follows Danny Fenton, a teenage boy who, after an accident with an unpredictable portal between the human world and the "Ghost Zone", becomes a human-ghost hybrid and takes on the task of saving his town from subsequent ghost attacks using an evolving variety of supernatural powers. Danny is aided in his quest by his two best friends, Sam Manson and Tucker Foley, and later by his older sister Jazz, who for most of the series' run are among the only people who know of his double life.
Nicktoons is a collective name used by Nickelodeon for their original animated series. All Nicktoons are produced partly at the Nickelodeon Animation Studio and list Nickelodeon's parent company in their copyright bylines.
Frederator Studios is an American animation television production studio founded by Fred Seibert in January 1997. It is a division of Frederator Networks, Inc., itself apart of Kartoon Studios' Canadian holding company Wow Unlimited Media. The studio's slogan is "Original Cartoons since 1998."
Guy Vernon Moon is an American composer.
Mike Milo is an American animator, director, storyboard artist, writer, and producer in the television industry. He is currently directing the new series Scooby-Doo and Guess Who? at Warner Bros. Animation. He was an animation director on Uncle Grandpa as well as Craig of the Creek, both for Cartoon Network. He was also a story artist on Curious George for Universal. In 2012, he worked as a storyboard artist for The Fairly OddParents, and developed a pilot with Butch Hartman. Before that, he directed the animated series Randy Cunningham: 9th Grade Ninja at Titmouse, Inc. for Disney XD. He is also known to have designed the characters for the Comedy Central series Brickleberry, although he is uncredited. Before that, he was a story artist on the show Phineas and Ferb for Disney Channel and co-wrote nine episodes for that series. Growing up in Old Tappan, New Jersey, he began his animation career in 1990 animating commercials for Broadcast Arts in New York City. Subsequently, he worked for Sierra On-Line and Warner Bros., again as an animator working on Tiny Toon Adventures, Animaniacs, Tazmania, Pinky and the Brain and Histeria!. He has also worked for Disney Television Animation, Frederator Studios, Film Roman, Hanna-Barbera, Universal Animation Studios, Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network Studios, DIC Entertainment, Saban, Mike Young Productions, and other smaller studios.
Stephen Silver is a British artist, cartoonist and character designer. He is best known as the lead character designer for animated series such as Kim Possible and Danny Phantom.
Steven L. Marmel is an American television writer, producer, and stand-up comedian who has worked on many animated television series, including The Fairly OddParents, I Am Weasel, Danny Phantom, Family Guy and Yin Yang Yo!. During his work on The Fairly OddParents, he frequently co-wrote episodes with creator Butch Hartman. Marmel also created the live-action series Sonny with a Chance, So Random as well as the series Mech-X4.
The Fairly OddParents originated from a mini-series of 7-minute shorts on the Oh Yeah! Cartoons showcase. The series premiere, appropriately named "The Fairly OddParents!" is the pilot of the series which showcase the debut appearances of Timmy Turner, Cosmo, Wanda, and Vicky.
After a year long hiatus in 2007, The Fairly OddParents returned for a sixth season of 20 episodes, which aired from February 18, 2008, to August 12, 2009. The season had one movie, Fairly OddBaby. This was the first season of the show to be co-produced by Billionfold Inc., along with Frederator Studios and Nickelodeon Animation Studio. It is the first season not to be distributed by Nelvana or air on Jetix or any Disney channels.
"Wishology!" is a trilogy of television films serving as the ninth special of the animated television series The Fairly OddParents. The first part of the trilogy, "The Big Beginning", originally aired on the cable network Nickelodeon in the United States on May 1, 2009; the second part, "The Exciting Middle Part", aired on May 2; and the last of the three parts, "The Final Ending", aired on May 3. The trilogy was written by Kevin Sullivan, Scott Fellows, and series creator Butch Hartman, who also served as director. According to Nielsen ratings, the first and third parts of the trilogy were viewed by 4 million people, while its second part garnered 3.6 million viewers. Critical reviewers displayed mixed reactions to how three-dimensional objects interact via computer animation with the series' usual two-dimensional artwork in the trilogy. Composer Guy Moon, who has worked throughout the series, won an Annie Award for his music in the first part of the trilogy in 2010.
A Fairly Odd Movie: Grow Up, Timmy Turner! is a 2011 live-action/animated teen comedy television film based on the animated series The Fairly OddParents. It first aired on Nickelodeon in the United States on July 9, 2011, to celebrate the series's tenth anniversary. Unlike the previous animated films of the series, this film is live-action with CGI animation. The television film was viewed by 5.8 million viewers during its original airing.
T.U.F.F. Puppy is an American animated action children's television series created by Butch Hartman. It premiered on October 2, 2010, along with Planet Sheen, which premiered a half hour earlier. T.U.F.F. Puppy is Hartman's third animated show for Nickelodeon, after The Fairly OddParents and Danny Phantom and also before Bunsen Is a Beast. The show was cancelled after 3 seasons and aired its final episode on April 4, 2015.
A Fairly Odd Christmas is a 2012 American live-action/animated Christmas comedy television film. It is the sequel to the 2011 live-action TV film A Fairly Odd Movie: Grow Up, Timmy Turner! and the second live-action adaptation of the Nickelodeon animated television series The Fairly OddParents.
Bunsen Is a Beast is an American animated television series created by Butch Hartman for Nickelodeon. It revolves around a small eccentric blue monster named Bunsen who begins attending a middle school that previously only admitted humans. In spite of prejudice against beasts, Bunsen befriends a human boy named Mikey Munroe and his homeschooled companion, Darcy. Together, Bunsen and his friends attempt to navigate through school life while outsmarting a student named Amanda who wants to rid society of Bunsen's kind.
The Fairly OddParents: Fairly Odder is an American comedy live-action/animated television series developed by Christopher J. Nowak that premiered on Paramount+ on March 31, 2022. It is a sequel of Nickelodeon's original animated series The Fairly OddParents.