Things you would like to see Futurama parody

[Reply #40 on:]

I'd sooner see those ideas realised in a "Reincarnation #2" than an "Anthology of Interest III".

I'm dead against the idea of a full live-action Futurama with actors though. Live-action adaptations of cartoons never work. A good example would be the recent live-action TV movie based on 'The Fairly OddParents'. It was terrible, but it wasn't particularly worse written than the show has been in recent years. It was just that different styles of writing suit different realisations. For example, the comic timing of the thing was way off because it was written for animation. Animated jokes have complete and utter control over their timing -more so than a live-action equivalent. Then you've got things like the production design looking horrible because it's not built from the ground-up, rather it's imitating an unrealistic art-style. Also, chances are it'd look quite cheap. Futurama's budget makes for amazing animation -but would that cover a fantastically shot live-action segment with good production design, high-quality cameras and so forth? Bearing in mind that this isn't the show's usual bag, but rather a one-off, so it's not like sets, costumes, etc would even be re-usable.

So yeah. I don't like that idea, but I love the idea of a second "Reincarnation" with the likes of puppets and so forth.

 

[Reply #41 on:]

Then you've got things like the production design looking horrible because it's not built from the ground-up, rather it's imitating an unrealistic art-style. Also, chances are it'd look quite cheap. Futurama's budget makes for amazing animation -but would that cover a fantastically shot live-action segment with good production design, high-quality cameras and so forth? Bearing in mind that this isn't the show's usual bag, but rather a one-off, so it's not like sets, costumes, etc would even be re-usable.

I didn't say I'd like to see that.

I'd like to see it done well. There's a huge gulf between what I'd like to see, and what could realistically happen. The former is amazing, the second is crappy, and I don't want to see that at all.

[Reply #42 on:]

minecraft because its one of the things thy haven't don

[Reply #43 on:]

Pretty much every realistic art I've seen of her is usually a bit creepy...

Given your qualifiers above, might we infer that you have seen at least one or two realistic art renderings of Leela that weren't a bit creepy?

[Reply #44 on:]

Pretty much every realistic art I've seen of her is usually a bit creepy...

Given your qualifiers above, might we infer that you have seen at least one or two realistic art renderings of Leela that weren't a bit creepy?

I really can't think of any that didn't, no.  Once they start adding visible tear ducts and eyebrows, it just starts to go to hell.

[Reply #45 on:]

So-bad-it's-good live action Futurama sounds like a thing that can only ever actually be so-so-so-so-bad Futurama.

[Reply #46 on:]

Sock Puppet Futurama?
Lego Futurama?
Claymation Futurama?

Oh so many possibilities.

Claymation would be awesome, as for pop culture references/stories...I would love to see a Final Fantasy VII episode, all 22 minutes, the crew gets sucked into the FF7 world somehow, I don't care how...or what happens, I want it to be a surprise. I do have some of the cast worked out though:
Cloud- Fry
Tifa- Amy
Barrett- Hermes
Aeris- Leela
Sephiroth- Mom
Vincent- Bender

[Reply #47 on:]

Or FFX:

[Reply #48 on:]

Morgan Proctor as Lulu with Hypnotoad doll?  Oh god yes. 

I would love to see a Legend of Zelda spoof though. 
Fry = Link (Duh)
Bender = Ganny
Leela = Zelda
Amy =  Saria?  Malon? Ruto? Din? Midna? (Though if Midna is onboard, then Leela should play her and Amy can be Princess Zelda.) 
Zoidberg = Tingle.
Fansworth = Great Deku Tree
Hermes = ....Navi.

[Reply #49 on:]

Or FFX:

Awesome.

One of my favourite sci-fi series is the Hitchhiker's Guide by Douglas Adams. I was always a little disappointed that they never made any references to that (at least not any I was bright enough to notice). The humour is often quite similar to Futurama.

[Reply #50 on:]

One of my favourite sci-fi series is the Hitchhiker's Guide by Douglas Adams. I was always a little disappointed that they never made any references to that (at least not any I was bright enough to notice). The humour is often quite similar to Futurama.

Well, there is the recurring theory that Zapp is based at least a little off Zaphod Beeblebrox (note the same initials and similar personality). But I can't think of any overt references off the top of my head, which, yeah, is weird. Seems like something Futurama would be keen to at least mention.

[Reply #51 on:]

Well, there is the recurring theory that Zapp is based at least a little off Zaphod Beeblebrox (note the same initials and similar personality).

Damn, I really should have noticed that. I even had this idea of how an AoI Douglas Adams episode would be like and of course Zapp would have been Zaphod... unbelievable that I didn't see that similarity before.

[Reply #52 on:]

One of my favourite sci-fi series is the Hitchhiker's Guide by Douglas Adams. I was always a little disappointed that they never made any references to that (at least not any I was bright enough to notice). The humour is often quite similar to Futurama.

Well.."Watching the End of the Universe while having some drinks" in TLPJ should have rang a bell...

[Reply #53 on:]

I was immediately reminded of the Hitchhiker's Guide in that scene, that's true, but wasn't certain whether it was really a reference to that. It was similar, sure, especially the whole concept of "watching the universe end". But when you compare those two scenes and especially the underlying mood (gloomy in Futurama vs. big spectacle in Hitchhiker's Guide), I just thought that beside the idea of observing the world end, those two scenes had nothing in common and that all similarity might be accidental.

[Reply #54 on:]

Edit: Stupid double post. Delete me! Erase me! Kill me!

[Reply #55 on:]

I still think there should have been a line about a restaurant either in TLPJF or in Bendless Love when they visit the end of the universe. Cos the cowboy world was kind of dumb, but there being a restaurant there would have been really funny.

[Reply #56 on:]

I find the cowboy universe funnier.

One is an original joke whereas the other is a "Family Guy"-esque, let's do that bit from that other story joke.

[Reply #57 on:]

True, but it's not like Futurama never parodies things and the parodies are usually funnier when they're of other sci-fi stories.

[Reply #58 on:]

I'd like to see an X-files parody.  Or maybe Sherlock Holmes, though that's not really scifi.  But I don't have more developed ideas like some of you do.

Read the comics, there's a whole X-Men issue with a half-assed ending.

This reminds me of a thread from yesteryear where we were talking about things we would like to see in Futurama. While I think it's fun to think of personal 'what if's?' for the show, I like leaving the ideas to the writers, because it's their universe. And I like to be surprised, I prefer parodies done when I'm not expecting them (like whenever Family Guy references Airplane!). I don't know, this thread just reminds me of my fan-fiction days and it leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

PS. Haven't read a Futurama comic in ages, but Jimminy Christmas the drawings are terrible (from what I saw on the last page). The art direction of the comics is a parody of the animation on the show for God's sake!

[Reply #59 on:]

PS. Haven't read a Futurama comic in ages, but Jimminy Christmas the drawings are terrible (from what I saw on the last page). The art direction of the comics is a parody of the animation on the show for God's sake!

Yes, that.  Bongo Comics Group should hire Freako, perhaps as a ghost writer ghost illustrator.

[Reply #60 on:]

Not all of the comics illustrations are bad. There are a lot of different artists who work on the comics and some of them are pretty good. Some of them suck. Freako's pretty much better than all of them, though.

I agree that surprise parodies are a lot of fun and I like to see what the writers can throw into the episodes. It's just fun to think up ideas they could throw in.

[Reply #61 on:]

Agreed, Freako's art is pretty awesome.

Also I'd love to see an episode that parodies Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.  Like the PEShip is transformed into some sort of super duper wuper ship that can do everything from go underwater to zip into hyperspace.  Or something similar. 

Oh you, Shippy shippy bang bang we love you.

[Reply #62 on:]

Bump.

I would actually love to see a parody of Murder on the Orient Express.   I was thinking maybe the episode could take place on the Trans-Atlantic tunnel?   I've been fascinated by the concept of building a tunnel London/New York ever since i saw the Extreme Engineering tv show (since my entire extended family live on the other side of the pond, there's a lot of blatant wishful thinking in it on my part).  It could be the tunnel is actually a fairly new construction, and our not so lucky crew have won tickets as passengers.  Plus in the spirit of teh book, it could be a great ensemble episode, with characters like Sal, Mom and Hatty all as suspects (and we could have background characters like Angelyne, Victor and Glab as passengers/suspects too.)

Another idea could be that due to cars being able to fly you to Mercury and Europa, the tunnel has long been in decline, and is now desperately trying to reinvent itself as an ocean floor Orient Express (murder on the Ocean Express?), despite there barely being enough funds for basic safety procedures in the tunnel, let alone luxurious travel conditions, and the crew barely averting a high speed smash somewhere in the Mid Atlantic Ridge or something.

I was actually considering this to be a two parter, with the crew arriving in London in the next episode.

[Reply #63 on:]

Surely I'm not the only person who thinks a "Cube" parody would be awesome?

[Reply #64 on:]

I think there needs to be more Firefly references, it took a long time for their first one to appear via Mobius Dick.

I'd like to see Leela portrayed as Lara Croft, but that sounds more of a comic/fanfic area if that hasn't been done already.

[Reply #65 on:]

Since Eric Rogers is a full time staff writer now according to Danny...The Walking Dead

We've already established zombies exist with Zombie Jesus and Hanukkah Zombie. They could travel to a planet for a delivery that's infested with only zombies, or something. And use music to make it way overly dramatic.

[Reply #66 on:]

according to Danny...

Look at his Twitter profile picture...

[Reply #67 on:]

I don't have Twitter Twitcher.

[Reply #68 on:]

Don't need it unless their profile is protected...

[Reply #69 on:]

I'd really like to see an episode in which John Hammond's head re-opens Jurassic Park on a small planet and invites a couple scientists (Farnsworth & Wernstrom) and five star General Zapp Brannigan in for a test tour. I think it'd be great to see those three interact throughout a life or death struggle, but I'd still have the PE crew/ship zoom in to rescue them in the end (leaving the planet overrun by dinosaurs).

[Reply #70 on:]

Interesting idea, except not dinosaurs. I would like to see an island of Bone Vampires, just for the sake of continuity.

[Reply #71 on:]

Yes, if nobody sets up an island of Bone Vampires, Futurama's continuity will be ruined.

[Reply #72 on:]

It will actually.  The Wongs intergalactic fortune was built not just on colonialism, but on trade in viagra made from Bone Vampire bone marrow and powdered weasel slug pelts.  

[Reply #73 on:]

I would like to see a spoof on the typical detective story (not cop movie..film noir style), as (loose) sequel to "Law and Oracle". That episode's more competent Fry was a nice change from the overplayed stupidness in 6B. Also, he might still have contacts to the NNYPD.

[Reply #74 on:]

Yes, if nobody sets up an island of Bone Vampires, Futurama's continuity will be ruined.

I just loved FATEM a lot, so I would really love more Bone Vampires. It would be a good subject for continuity.