Comic-Con: Animation Special

Of course, it’s not Comic-Con without some animation being presented, right? From adult favorites to kids’ fare (a.k.a. programming that also attracts the stoner crowd), many panels were held for fans over the four-day event. Here’s a quick synopsis on what went down:

– Though this time without Seth MacFarlane or Mila Kunis, Family Guy made the trek to Comic-Con once again to preview its upcoming season… in a surprise that shocked the audience, the producers stated a member of the Griffin clan would die and be replaced with a new character. While its obvious which one would likely get the heave-ho (Meg, who would not be missed), don’t read too much into this. After all, it’s animation – characters die and come back all the time. The producers confirmed Cleveland and his family would move back to Quahog now The Cleveland Show has been “allegedly canceled”. The producers also discussed the Simpsons/Family Guy crossover taking place in the fall 2014. Guest stars this season include Liam Nesson and Ashton Kutcher.

– While the talk in the adult animation world has been about Family Guy crossing over with The Simpsons, believe it or not, there’s a second one of these coming on the horizon: this time between the Simpsons and Futurama, two of Matt Groening’s shows whose get- together occurred only in the comics. The crossover was announced at the Simpsons panel, whose show is celebrating its 25th season this fall. Look for the Simpsons-Futurama joint venture to air in fall 2014. With The Simpsons all but guaranteed a 26th season, Futurama is ending its run this summer. Guest stars this season on The Simpsons include Stan Lee (who made a voice cameo in season twelve), Kristin Wiig, and MSNBC personality Rachael Maddow.

Simpsons writers and producers – including Groening – declined to address their show’s characters appearing on Family Guy.

– American Dad followed Family Guy’s panel and addressed the show’s move to TBS in 2014, noting the show wouldn’t change – the producers even joked about a Tyler Perry crossover (not sure if anyone told them, but Perry’s projects are now on OWN.) In addition to preview clips, guest stars announced were Zooey DeSchannel, Mariah Carey, Oliva Wilde, and Stanley Tucci.

– Among the Adult Swim offerings served at Comic-Con were cult favorite The Venture Bros., as the cast and crew talked about the fifth season, which recently concluded. Here’s the panel where they talk about how the season was put together, and what’s next:

– Cartoon Network on Friday showcased new clips of Regular Show and Adventure Time at their respective panels. At the Adventure Time panel, Donald Glover made a surprise appearance according to Toon Zone. Click here to see both clips.

– While Marvel was kicking ass with the live-action movie and TV stuff at Comic-Con, its animated programs weren’t forgotten: Marvel TV President Jeph Loeb announced a third season renewal for Ultimate Spiderman, which has averaged 605,000 viewers so far this season. Loeb also screened a full episode of Hulk And The Agents Of SMASH and Avengers Assemble. All three shows are a part of Disney XD’s Sunday morning Marvel Universe block.

The episode of SMASH featured characters making “confessionals”, a fourth-wall plot device used in sitcoms such as The Office and Parks and Recreation, “mockumentary” style.