John Kricfalusi Quotes

Powerful John Kricfalusi for Daily Growth

About John Kricfalusi

John Kricfalusi, born on December 15, 1955, in Chicago, Illinois, is an influential American animator, cartoonist, and director, best known for his work in the world of animated television. His career spans over four decades, leaving a significant impact on modern animation, particularly with his creation of Ren & Stimpy, a groundbreaking adult-oriented animated series. Raised in Toronto, Canada, Kricfalusi developed a love for cartoons at an early age. He was influenced by the work of Walt Disney, Chuck Jones, and Friz Freleng, but it was Hanna-Barbera's Yogi Bear that truly captivated him. After returning to the United States in 1975, he began his career in animation at Hanna-Barbera Studios, working on shows such as Scooby-Doo and Jabberjaw. In 1986, Kricfalusi created Ren & Stimpy, a surreal, satirical series that pushed the boundaries of what was considered appropriate for television. The show's distinctive art style, dark humor, and unconventional characters quickly made it a cult classic. Kricfalusi left Nickelodeon in 1992 due to creative differences, but the show continued to air until 1995. Post-Ren & Stimpy, Kricfalusi worked on several projects, including The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy and Class of 3000 for Cartoon Network. He also directed episodes for shows such as SpongeBob SquarePants and Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends. In recent years, he has been involved in the revival of Ren & Stimpy and has worked on various independent projects. Kricfalusi's influence can be seen in modern animation, with many contemporary animators citing him as a major inspiration. His innovative style, unique humor, and commitment to pushing boundaries have cemented his place as one of the most influential figures in the world of animation.

Interpretations of Popular Quotes

"Animation can explain everything that's difficult to understand."

This quote by John Kricfalusi emphasizes the unique ability of animation, as a medium, to simplify complex ideas and make them more accessible to a wide audience. It suggests that through creative visual storytelling and symbolism, animation can effectively convey abstract or difficult concepts in a way that is engaging, understandable, and appealing to the viewer's imagination. This makes it an ideal tool for education, entertainment, and communication across various fields.


"I believe the best way to learn is by making mistakes."

This quote suggests that one should embrace mistakes as an essential part of learning, recognizing that they are opportunities for growth and improvement rather than setbacks. The implication is that through trial and error, we can gain valuable insights and develop new skills more effectively than if we simply followed a rigid instruction manual or avoided risks altogether. Therefore, to learn optimally, it's essential to be open to making mistakes as they serve as stepping stones on the path towards mastery and personal development.


"There are no rules in animation, only good ideas and bad ones."

This quote suggests that in the realm of animation, there aren't strict guidelines dictating what is 'right' or 'wrong'. Instead, the quality of an animation project depends on the creativity and originality of its ideas - whether they are engaging, innovative, and well-executed. In other words, the best animations come from good concepts, not adherence to rules or conventions.


"The more you simplify your drawings, the better they look."

This quote suggests that simplicity in artistic drawing can lead to a more effective and aesthetically pleasing result. By reducing the number of details and focusing on essential elements, artists can make their work easier to understand, recognize, and appreciate. Simplification can bring clarity to complex subjects, making them more accessible to viewers. In this context, "simplify" does not mean a lack of skill or effort, but rather a strategic approach to design that emphasizes the most important aspects while minimizing unnecessary elements.


"Animation is about making people laugh."

John Kricfalusi's quote emphasizes that the primary purpose of animation as a medium is to elicit laughter from its audience. This suggests that humor is an essential element in successful animated content, with the goal being to entertain people by making them laugh. This could mean creating characters, stories, or visual gags that resonate with the audience's sense of humor, ultimately fostering enjoyment and engagement.


The generic Canadian style of illustration is different from the generic American style.

- John Kricfalusi

Style, American, Canadian, Illustration

I find it very hard to sit down and create an idea or especially a new character on command. Usually my characters evolve by accident out of some story context.

- John Kricfalusi

New, Some, Very, Context

My style is very strong poses and expressions.

- John Kricfalusi

Strong, Style, Very, Expressions

There's tons of people with talent; it's the system that's all screwed up.

- John Kricfalusi

Talent, System, Screwed, Tons

From 20 years of experience hiring artists out of the schools, I know-they get worse every year. They're absolutely ridiculously retarded now.

- John Kricfalusi

Year, Hiring, Ridiculously, Retarded

The only character I ever remember actually creating in a flash of inspiration was George Liquor. God planted that in my head in an instant.

- John Kricfalusi

Inspiration, Liquor, Planted, Flash

To make something look real and alive, nothing can be symmetrical because nothing in real life is symmetrical. You have to make it look organic.

- John Kricfalusi

Alive, Real Life, Nothing, Symmetrical

One guy records the voices, another guy times the storyboard, another guy times the sheets, one guy is the story editor. All these jobs should be covered by the director.

- John Kricfalusi

Director, Records, Editor, Sheets

George Liquor is really the richest character I have. I'm amazed there aren't 365 episodes about him on TV already.

- John Kricfalusi

Liquor, TV, About, Episodes

Schools are really bad now. Schools are not only bad in reading, writing and arithmetic, they're worse in cultural aspects, like in music and art. They don't teach you anything.

- John Kricfalusi

Art, Bad, Like, Arithmetic

The storyboard department doesn't talk to the layout department, which doesn't talk to the writing department. They're all jealous of each other.

- John Kricfalusi

Jealous, Layout, Which, Department

In old movies, the cinematography is a thousand times better than anything today. Writing, a thousand times better.

- John Kricfalusi

Movies, Better, Times, Cinematography

If you're a kid wanting to be a cartoonist today, and you're looking at Family Guy, you don't have to aim very high.

- John Kricfalusi

Aim, Wanting, Very, Family Guy

You can draw Family Guy when you're 10 years old. You don't have to get any better than that to become a professional cartoonist. The standards are extremely low.

- John Kricfalusi

Old, Guy, Draw, Family Guy

Joe Barbera's s always complaining that he can't get humor into cartoons anymore. Just do it. You've got your money. Why do they let the networks run their lives?

- John Kricfalusi

Always, Joe, Lives, Just Do It

I don t think cartoons are only for kids, but I think kids will love anything as long as it's visually interesting.

- John Kricfalusi

Love, Think, I Think, T

Cartoonists are untrained artists, while illustrators are more trained.

- John Kricfalusi

Cartoonists, Trained, Untrained

I'll let you in on a secret: I can't stand Jay Ward. I hate being compared to Rocky and Bullwinkle. It's just a different style of humor.

- John Kricfalusi

Secret, Being, Jay, Ward

Open a magazine from the 1930s and '40s and look at the illustrations in it. There's nobody alive that could touch the way they could draw back then.

- John Kricfalusi

Alive, 1930s, Illustrations, Magazine

You buy any book on color theory today, and it's just complete poppycock. Everybody comes out of school painting pink, purple and green. The whole damn cartoon industry has pink purple and green on their mind.

- John Kricfalusi

Color, Pink, Everybody, Purple

I influenced the BG style by not being able to draw perspective. The BG artists developed cool graphic painting styles to make my bad backgrounds look like they were that way on purpose.

- John Kricfalusi

Purpose, Bad, Like, Backgrounds

As soon as I found out how compartmentalized the industry was, I realized, Well, no wonder the cartoons are so bad.

- John Kricfalusi

Bad, Realized, Industry, No Wonder

Most cartoons are those colors. They have been for 35 years.

- John Kricfalusi

Been, Most, Those, Cartoons

My intended audience was everybody. I just want to make cartoons for human beings.

- John Kricfalusi

Audience, Everybody, Cartoons

All artists get better with age. The more you draw, the better you're going to get.

- John Kricfalusi

Better, Artists, Going, Draw

Not very many people can draw who are illustrators today.

- John Kricfalusi

Today, Very, Many, Draw

Kids cannot follow stories. They don't know what the hell is going on in a cartoon. They like to see funny visual things happening.

- John Kricfalusi

Like, Going, Stories, Cartoon

Mel Blanc has been gone for 30 years, even though he's still around.

- John Kricfalusi

Been, Still, Though, Blanc

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