A representative from Animated News was recently invited to DreamWorks Feature Animation in Glendale last Friday and got to see two episodes of their upcoming CGI-animated television series Father of the Pride. A full report, plus new and exclusive images from Father of the Pride can be found here:

The show was very funny and some moments were beyond hysterical. It keeps up a good, brisk pace that never gets boring. The humor is rather raunchy and Shrek-like but we were told that the pilot episode (the one about the lions trying to get two pandas to mate) is probably the raunchiest out of all 13 episodes they have done so far. The show really parodies and pokes fun at Siegfried and Roy . . . A LOT. It is almost shocking how much it does and all the press people were wondering what the real Siegfried and Roy thought of it and we were told that they absolutely loved it and thought it was great. The second episode we saw had some very funny moments focused on a rivalry between Siegfried and NBC’s Matt Lauer and a very funny line by Roy at the climax of the episode.

While what I saw was very funny I’m not quite sure that Father of the Pride can turn into another long-running comedy series in the same vein as The Simpsons, since it does not have as broad of a focus and not as much potential to develop a strong supporting cast. But NBC’s ambitions may not be to try to milk it that long. They are nearing completion of Season 1’s thirteen episodes and doing some very preliminary work on twenty-two episodes for Season 2. If they have a brief, glorious run and cut it off before any sharks are jumped then it will likely leave people with a good impression. Plus I’m looking forward to the episode where lion couple Larry and Kate resort to drastic measures to replace the zebra pelt mat they used to have on their living room floor that got ruined!