- Title: USA: WORLD PREMIERE OF FILM "SOUTH PARK" BASED ON CONTROVERSIAL TELEVISION SERIES
- Date: 3rd July 1999
- Summary: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (JUNE 27, 1999) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) MATT STONE SAYING: "I think it just started out with the idea of, like, what if the kids snuck in to see an R-Rated movie? That was the first question, like, what if they did? You know, because we were right in the middle of the storm with "South Park" the tv show and the whole censorsh
- Embargoed: 18th July 1999 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES AND FILM LOCATIONS
- Country: USA
- Topics: General
- Reuters ID: LVA51N7AZ3P1OVBWO4CT5ZQSQJX3
- Story Text: Coming right in the middle of a fierce debate over the influence of Hollywood movies on America's teenagers comes "South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut," a feature film length version of the controversial animated television series created by Matt Stone and Trey Parker.They attended the film's World Premiere on Wednesday, June 23.
The film version of "South Park" picks up where the popular television series leaves off, with its four main characters, Stan, Kyle, Kenny and Cartman trying to sneak into an R-rated movie featuring their favorite off-colour comedians "Terance and Phillip."
But the film contains vulgar language and toilet humour, and soon the peaceful community of South Park is ablaze with controversy over the effect the film is having on the impressionable young children of the town.Add to this a love affair between Saddam Hussein and Satan, a huge female reproductive organ that speaks, a baked potato/heart transplant gone awry and an all-out war between the United States and Canada, and you have the makings of a typical South Park storyline.
As in the television series, the film is created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, who began the whole "South Park"
phenomenon back in 1994 when they animated a five minute comedy short featuring four foul-mouthed kids as a video Christmas card.
After copies of it flooded Hollywood and became the talk of the town, the cable network "Comedy Central" signed a deal for a weekly series with Parker and Stone.The show debuted on August 13, 1997 and has gone on to be the highest rated original series in the network's history, winning the Cable ACE award and being nominated for a primetime Emmy.
However, this success didn't come without its share of controversy.Because of the graphic language and adult situations in the show, and because its primary audience was young teens, industry watchdogs and parents groups were outraged.In fact, some school districts even went so far as to ban "South Park" t-shirts on campuses around America.
In the middle of all of this, Parker and Stone reached a deal with Paramount Pictures to make a full-length feature film out of the show.They wrote the script almost a whole year before the most recent round of controversy over movies and teenagers, which was sparked by the massacre at Columbine High School in Colorado.Once again, Parker and Stone have demonstrated impeccable timing.
In addition to writing and creating the series and the film, they also provide voices for almost all of the main male characters.For the female characters, they turn to Mary Kay Bergman, who voices a total of 16 different women in the film, including the lead role of Sheila Broflovski, the leader of the militant parents' group out to stop smut from affecting the children of South Park.
"South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut" opens in theatres throughout the United States on Wednesday, June 30. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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