Honey! look! an animation festival... better lock up the kids

Spike and Mike’s Twisted Animation Festival Visits Missoula

By Colin Hickey, 3-23-07

Spike and Mike’s Twisted Animation Festival is not for the weak of heart (or stomach).  After I finished the 90 straight minutes of animation I was desensitized to everything around me.  Some one could have come up and kicked me right it the groin and I wouldn’t have noticed.  I can’t remember in what part of the movie I stopped having feeling.  Was it the part when the little chicken ate the magic mushrooms and had sex with a horse?  Or was it the 11-minute-long street fight with zombie mother’s stomachs exploding and little zombies jumping out only to get kicked in the face and exploding into a pool of blood?  I just can’t remember anymore. 

If you are a fan of Adult Swim on the Cartoon Network then this festival is for you.  Imagine Adult Swim but with lots of nudity and more gore.  I’m a fan of animation and I actually really liked this movie but it really is hard to take at times.  The festival started in 1990 as a place for showcasing short animated pieces that were just too naughty for the mainstream.  Animation giants like South Park, Beavis and Butthead, Powerpuff Girls and Celebrity Death Match all got their start at this festival. 

I won’t ruin anything for you but I’ll mention some of my favorite moments:  Finding out that George Washington ate brains and invented cocaine was a plus.  Another great moment is watching an old school Nintendo style video game where one of the finishing moves is calling down Christopher Walken down to kill everyone.  Last but not least, the chicken and the horse is by far one of the most disturbing things I’ve ever seen in my life.

Here are some what some people say about Spike and Mike.

“Spike and Mike’s Sick and Twisted Animation Festival is like Disney with tits.”
- Robin Williams, Actor

“And on the 13th day, God created Spike and Mike, so sayeth the D.”
- Jack Black of Tenacious D

“Spike and Mike are to animation what salad dressing is to sex.”
- Matt Stone and Trey Parker, South Park co-creators

Spike and Mike’s Twisted Animation Festival will be at the Crystal Theater in Missoula from March 27th to April 1st.  It will cost you a couple bucks but for me, it’s totally worth it.  Does that make me a bad person? 

NOTE: You must be 18+ to come to this event.

Colin Hickey is New West’s Events Editor. Keep an eye out for his “MVP Events” or check here to find your own: www.MissoulaEvents.net.

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