The Life of Larry and Larry & Steve are two animated short films created by Seth MacFarlane in the mid-1990s that eventually led to the development of the animated sitcom Family Guy . He originally created The Life of Larry as a thesis film in 1995 while attending the Rhode Island School of Design. [1] [2] His professor at RISD submitted MacFarlane's cartoon to Hanna-Barbera, where he was hired a year later. [3]
Later that year, MacFarlane created a sequel to The Life of Larry called Larry & Steve that features the main character of his first film, the middle-aged Larry, and an intellectual dog named Steve. MacFarlane was also hired as a writer for Disney's Jungle Cubs . The short was broadcast as one of Cartoon Network's World Premiere Toons in 1997. Executives at Fox saw both Larry shorts and contracted MacFarlane to create a series based on the characters, to be called Family Guy. [4]
Peter Griffin, one of the main characters in Family Guy, is largely based on Larry, [4] while Steve is the main inspiration behind the Griffin family dog, Brian. [5] Fox proposed MacFarlane complete a 15-minute short, giving him a budget of $50,000. [6] MacFarlane stated that the pilot for Family Guy took half a year to create and produce. [3]
Recalling the experience in an interview with The New York Times , MacFarlane stated, "I spent about six months with no sleep and no life, just drawing like crazy in my kitchen and doing this pilot." [7] Upon completion of the pilot, the series went on the air. [8] The network executives were impressed with the pilot and ordered thirteen episodes, seven of which aired during the first season of Family Guy. MacFarlane was offered a $2-million-per-season contract. [9]
The Life of Larry | |
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Directed by | Seth MacFarlane |
Written by | Seth MacFarlane |
Produced by | Seth MacFarlane Davis Doi (supervising) |
Starring | Seth MacFarlane Chang S. Han |
Edited by | Seth MacFarlane |
Music by | Seth MacFarlane |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Rhode Island School of Design |
Release date |
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Running time | 11 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
The Life of Larry is a 1995 animated film directed by Seth MacFarlane, who also stars as the majority of the characters. It also features a brief appearance from American politician Newt Gingrich in a cutaway gag that employs audio of one of Gingrich's speeches. The short features a middle-aged everyman named Larry Cummings, his cynical talking dog, Steve, patient wife Lois, and overweight teenage son Milt.
The film also features live-action segments shot at MacFarlane's home in Kent, Connecticut, where he describes the film and its characters in the form of a pitch to a television network. During the live action segments, MacFarlane is being served cheesecake by his Asian servant, Wang, played by fellow student Chang S. Han.
The Life of Larry was created as MacFarlane's thesis film during 1994–1995, while he was studying at the Rhode Island School of Design. [1] [2] The animated film was created almost entirely by MacFarlane alone, with the exception being the live action sequence, which was filmed by classmates Sean Leahy and Greg Scalzo.
Many jokes and cutaway gags used in The Life of Larry were later used in the first season for the television series Family Guy.
The Life of Larry and Larry & Steve | |
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Also known as | Larry & Steve |
Written by | Seth MacFarlane |
Directed by | Seth MacFarlane |
Starring | Seth MacFarlane Lori Alan |
Music by | Ron Jones Gary Lionelli (Theme) Bodie Chandler (director) |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
Production | |
Executive producers | Larry Huber Sherry Gunther |
Running time | 7 minutes |
Production company | Cartoon Network Studios |
Original release | |
Network | Cartoon Network |
Release | February 5, 1997 |
Hanna-Barbera's head of development, Ellen Cockrill, saw The Life of Larry and met MacFarlane during a senior screening at RISD, and offered him a development position at What a Cartoon! to create a sequel of sorts to The Life of Larry, which Cartoon Network broadcast in 1997. He went on staff at the studio afterwards, developing a still-born revival of The Jetsons and becoming a staff writer on the Johnny Bravo series, partnered with writer/director Butch Hartman, under story editor Steve Marmel.
The plot of Larry & Steve is that Larry adopts Steve from the dog pound, after noticing that he was the only talking dog (although to everybody else throughout the cartoon, Steve is just barking), and the two have a drawn out, slapstick-filled misadventure trying to buy furniture and appliances for Larry's apartment.
There is also an airline pilot in this cartoon, whose voice and appearance is very similar to the Family Guy character Glenn Quagmire who is also a commercial airline pilot in Family Guy. Larry mentions a furniture store called "Stewie's", a name that will later be used for the character of Peter Griffin's infant son.
A man who resembles Peter's father (in reality his stepfather) Francis also appears in the short.
In basic form, The Life of Larry is very similar in format to Family Guy. Steve would be the main inspiration behind Brian. [5] MacFarlane based Peter's voice, which was similar to Larry's, [5] on the voice of a security guard he once overheard talking while he was attending the RISD. [10] While Larry and Peter's wives share the same name, they do not resemble one another.
Larry's son Milt, by contrast, harbors a basic design similarity to Peter's son Chris. The pilot of the plane that crashes in the store in Larry & Steve has a chin and voice that are both similar to Quagmire's, who is also a pilot. Two characters from both films, Shelley Boothbishop and Larry, made their way into the Family Guy episodes, with Shelley appearing in "There's Something About Paulie", "North by North Quahog" and "Long John Peter". Larry also appeared in the episode "Happy Holo-ween" as one of the forms a malfunctioning Holo-Peter takes on upon his demise.
Family Guy is an American animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series premiered on January 31, 1999, following Super Bowl XXXIII, with the rest of the first season airing from April 11, 1999. The show centers around the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois, their children, Meg, Chris, and Stewie, and their anthropomorphic pet dog, Brian. Set in the fictional city of Quahog, Rhode Island, the show exhibits much of its humor in the form of metafictional cutaway gags that often lampoon American culture.
Seth Woodbury MacFarlane is an American actor, animator, writer, producer, director, comedian, and singer. He is best known as the creator and star of the television series Family Guy and The Orville (2017–2022), and co-creator of the television series American Dad! and The Cleveland Show (2009–2013). He also co-wrote, directed, and starred in the films Ted (2012) and its sequel Ted 2 (2015), and A Million Ways to Die in the West (2014).
StewartGilligan "Stewie" Griffin is a fictional character from the animated television series Family Guy. He is voiced by the series creator Seth MacFarlane and first appeared on television, along with the rest of the Griffin family, in the episode "Death Has a Shadow" on January 31, 1999. Stewie was created and designed by MacFarlane himself, who was asked to pitch a pilot to the Fox Broadcasting Company, based on The Life of Larry and Larry & Steve, two shorts made by MacFarlane featuring a middle-aged man named Larry and an intellectual dog, Steve.
Christopher Cross Griffin is a fictional character from the animated television series Family Guy. He is the second of three children of Peter and Lois Griffin and is also the older brother of Stewie Griffin and the younger brother of Meg Griffin. He is voiced by the American actor, producer, and writer Seth Green and first appeared on television, along with the rest of the Griffin family, in the episode "Death Has a Shadow" on January 31, 1999.
Peter Löwenbräu Griffin Sr. is a fictional character and the protagonist of the American animated sitcom Family Guy. He is voiced by the series' creator, Seth MacFarlane, and first appeared on television, along with the rest of the Griffin family, in the episode "Death Has a Shadow" on January 31, 1999. Peter was created and designed by MacFarlane himself. MacFarlane was asked to pitch a pilot to the Fox Broadcasting Company based on Larry & Steve, a short made by MacFarlane which featured a middle-aged character named Larry and an intellectual dog, Steve. For the series, Larry was renamed Peter.
Lois Patrice Griffin is a fictional character from the animated television series Family Guy. She is voiced by Alex Borstein and first appeared on television, along with the rest of the Griffin family, in the episode "Death Has a Shadow" on January 31, 1999. Lois was originally created and designed by series creator Seth MacFarlane for his 1995 student film, The Life of Larry.
Brian Griffin is a fictional character from the American animated sitcom Family Guy. He is one of the main characters of the series and a member of the Griffin family. Created, designed, and voiced by Seth MacFarlane, he is an anthropomorphic white labrador retriever who is the best friend of both Peter and Stewie and comic foil with the ability to speak, drive, and stand on two legs.
Cleveland Orenthal Brown Sr. is a fictional character from the animated television series Family Guy, and its spin-off series The Cleveland Show. He is a neighbor and friend of the Griffin family and is best known for his mild-mannered deadpan delivery. His established profession was that of a deli owner, before he switched over to being a postal worker after his return to Family Guy.
"Death Has a Shadow" is the series premiere and the first episode of the first season of the American animated television series Family Guy. Written by series creator Seth MacFarlane and directed by Peter Shin, the episode aired as a sneak peek on Fox in the United States on January 31, 1999, following Super Bowl XXXIII. In this episode, Peter loses his job after drinking too much at a stag party, causing him to fall asleep at work. He signs up for welfare to keep his wife Lois from finding out but gets much more money than he expected. After spending his money foolishly, Lois finds out and Peter decides to dump it from a blimp at the Super Bowl. He is arrested for welfare fraud and must await his family's rescue, as well as various performers who would later serve as frequent recurring and guest voices on the series.
"When You Wish Upon a Weinstein" is the twenty-second and final episode of the third season of the American animated series Family Guy, and the 50th episode overall. The episode was intended to air on Fox in 2000, but Fox's executives expressed concern due to the content's potential to be interpreted as anti-Semitic, and did not allow it to air on television that year. The episode originally aired on Cartoon Network's Adult Swim on November 9, 2003, and on Fox on December 10, 2004. In the episode, Peter prays for a Jew to help him with his financial woes. After befriending Jewish accountant Max Weinstein and discovering the wonders of their religion, Peter gets the idea of converting Chris to Judaism so he will be successful in life. Lois attempts to stop him, believing that success is not based on religion.
"Whistle While Your Wife Works" is the fifth episode of season five of Family Guy, the last episode produced for Season 4. The show originally aired on Fox on November 12, 2006. The plot follows Peter losing his fingers after an accident while holding fireworks. Behind on his work and threatened with the possibility of dismissal, he asks Lois to catch up on his work for him, to which she agrees. However, he repeatedly attempts to seduce her, eventually succeeding, distracting her from the work. Meanwhile, Brian begins dating a woman named Jillian who, much to Stewie's delight, lacks general knowledge and intelligence.
"Airport '07" is the twelfth episode of season five of the animated sitcom Family Guy. The episode originally broadcast on Fox on March 4, 2007. The plot follows the Griffin family's neighbor Quagmire being dismissed from his job as a pilot after Peter sabotages his airplane by emptying the fuel tank, causing it to crash. Peter, Joe and Cleveland make a plan to get Quagmire his job back and, although the plan itself fails, Quagmire is re-hired.
The first season of Family Guy aired on Fox from January 31 to May 16, 1999, and consisted of only seven episodes, making it the shortest season to date. The series follows the dysfunctional Griffin family—father Peter, mother Lois, daughter Meg, son Chris, son Stewie and their anthropomorphic dog Brian, all of whom reside in their hometown of Quahog, a fictional city in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The show features the voices of series creator Seth MacFarlane, Alex Borstein, Seth Green, and Lacey Chabert in the roles of the Griffin family. The executive producers for the first season were David Zuckerman and MacFarlane. It is also the only full season to feature Chabert, before she was replaced by Mila Kunis for the rest of the series' run, starting with the season two episode "Da Boom".
Glenn Quagmire, often referred to by just his surname, is a fictional character from the American adult animated sitcom Family Guy. He is a neighbor and friend of the Griffin family and is best known for his hypersexuality and his catchphrase, "Giggity Giggity". The show's creator and voice actor Seth MacFarlane describes him as "an appalling human being who is still caught in the Rat Pack era" based on anachronistic 1950s party-animal clichés. The episode "Tiegs for Two" revealed that the surname Quagmire was originally the Polish surname Quagglechek or Quaggleczyk, the suffix -czyk indicating a diminutive in the Polish language.
The Griffin family is a fictional family and main characters in the animated television series Family Guy, and who also appear in The Cleveland Show. The Griffins are a dysfunctional family consisting of the married couple Peter and Lois, their three children Meg, Chris, and Stewie, and their anthropomorphic dog Brian. They live at 31 Spooner Street in the fictional town of Quahog, Rhode Island. Their family car resembles a red seventh-generation Ford Country Sedan. They were created by Seth MacFarlane, in model of his two animated films, The Life of Larry and Larry & Steve. The family and the show itself debuted on January 31, 1999, after Super Bowl XXXIII, in the episode "Death Has a Shadow".
"Road to the Multiverse" is the first episode of the eighth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy. Directed by Greg Colton and written by Wellesley Wild, the episode originally aired on Fox in the United States on September 27, 2009, along with the series premiere of The Cleveland Show. In "Road to the Multiverse", two of the show's main characters, baby genius Stewie and anthropomorphic dog Brian, both voiced by series creator Seth MacFarlane, use an "out-of-this-world" remote control to travel through a series of parallel universes. They eventually end up in a world where dogs rule and humans obey. Brian becomes reluctant to return to his own universe, and he ultimately ends up breaking the remote, much to the dismay of Stewie, who soon seeks a replacement. The "Road to" episodes which have aired throughout various seasons of Family Guy were inspired by the Road to ... comedy films starring Bing Crosby, Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour, though this episode was not originally conceived as a "Road to" show.
"Quagmire's Dad" is the 18th episode of the eighth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on May 9, 2010. The episode features Quagmire after his father, Dan Quagmire, returns to the fictional city of Quahog and comes out as a trans woman. Dan has decided to have gender-affirming surgery and changes her name to Ida. Meanwhile, Brian travels to a seminar and, upon returning, has sex with Ida, who he does not realize is Quagmire's father.
Family Guy is an American animated comedy franchise created by Seth MacFarlane and originally developed for Fox. Consisting of two television series: Family Guy (1999–present) and The Cleveland Show (2009–2013), the franchise primarily focuses on the Griffin family and their friends and associates. The franchise also shares a fictional universe with American Dad! (2005–present), another series developed by MacFarlane with the same art style, to which it features numerous crossovers and shared characters.
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