Project Gilroy (lost Cartoon Network animated pilot; 2007)

The teaser poster created by Shannon Tindle for the Project Gilroy pilot.

Status: Lost

Project Gilroy was a project that was pitched to Cartoon Network in the mid 2000s by television writers and story artists Shannon Tindle, Shane Prigmore, and Andy Schuhler. A pilot for the project was produced throughout 2006 and finished in 2007, and screened at the Cartoon Network Studios on August 24th of that year. The pilot would not be greenlit and a full series would not enter production.

History

The first image of Project Gilroy ever teased, released onto Shannon Tindle's blog on September 8th, 2006.

Project Gilroy was first pitched to Cartoon Network sometime in the mid 2000s by creators Shannon Tindle, Shane Prigmore, and Andy Schuhler, evidenced by the project being quoted as "3.5 years in the making" by the time the pilot was finished in late 2007. The Project Gilroy name would be filed for a trademark by Cartoon Network on July 17th, 2006. According to Shane Prigmore:

"Our goal was to bring some feature sensibilities to an animated TV show in story, tone, pace, and visual language. Oh, and to make it entertaining as hell. We just wanted to make something that we would have an absolute ball working on."

The project would be first teased to the public with various blog posts by creators Shannon Tindle and Shane Prigmore throughout 2006 and 2007. These blog posts often had accompanying stills, info, and updates about the project's ongoing development and eventual completion. On August 23rd, 2007, the pilot was announced to be complete on both blogs, with the corresponding posters stating that the finished pilot would be shown on August 24th at 2:30 PM in the main conference room of Cartoon Network Studios.

The second teaser poster created by Shane Prigmore for the Project Gilroy pilot.

The full 22-minute pilot was presented in two halves, with the first half being presented as a fleshed-out animatic, while the second half was presented in full color due to budget reasons.

Despite a completed pilot being completed and presented, Cartoon Network would not greenlight the Project Gilroy pilot and production on a full series would not begin. According to a comment on a Cartoon Brew article about another rejected Cartoon Network pilot titled Spang Ho, the Project Gilroy pilot was not picked up because it did not test well with Cartoon Network staff and executives, causing any plans of a full series to be scrapped.

Premise

Project Gilroy is likely named after the town of Gilroy, California, mostly known for its harvesting of garlic crops and garlic festival. The character on the various posters and development material is supposed to mirror a garlic clove, likely to function as an antagonist.

Not much is known about the exact premise and plot details of the Project Gilroy project and corresponding pilot. Various characters are shown in the available images, such as a kid with a raccoon tail named Ricky, an eagle named Rosie, and two spies named Phelps and Perkins respectively.

The concept art and stills regularly show a piece of farmland that Ricky lives on, likely in the town of Gilroy, California, a local elementary school, as well as a tent. The stills also features supernatural and science elements, with various alien-like monsters (the most common being the aforementioned garlic-like creature), test tubes, and a UFO being present.

Availability

The Project Gilroy pilot was only shown once at the Cartoon Network Studios on August 24th, 2007. Due to the project never being greenlit for a full series, the pitch pilot has not been seen since its first and only showing and remains inaccessible and lost to the general public.

Many images of the pilot (both concept art/storyboards and full color images) are available on the blogs of Shannon Tindle and Shane Prigmore. Two posters made by Tindle and Prigmore to advertise the pilot's showing at Cartoon Network Studios are also available on the blogs.

Gallery

Concept Storyboards

• 

  Ricky reading in the tent.

• 

  A man eating a garlic clove (likely in relation to the garlic-like creature).

• 

  Ricky's house.

• 

  The farmland near Ricky's house.

• 

  Phelps.

• 

  Perkins.

Full-Color Images

• 

  Perkins examining the farm.

• 

  Phelps inside a UFO.

• 

  Rosie talking on a phone.

• 

  Ricky in the sky.

• 

  Rosie controlling the UFO.

• 

  Phelps talking to Ricky.

• 

  Gilroy Elementary School.

• 

  A skeleton character on the farm.

• 

  A full-color image of the farmland concept art.

See Also

Anthology Series

• Big Bag (partially found Cartoon Network live-action animated puppet series; 1996-1998)
• Cartoon Network "Cartoon Network Responds!" (partially lost interstitials from TV channel; 1997-1999)
• The Moxy Show (partially found Cartoon Network CGI animated anthology series; 1993-1995)
• Sunday Pants (partially lost Cartoon Network animated anthology series; 2005)
• ToonHeads (partially lost Cartoon Network animation anthology series; 1992-2003)
• ToonHeads "A Night of Independent Animation" (partially lost special of Cartoon Network animation anthology series; 1996)
• Villainous (partially found Cartoon Network Mexico online animated short series; 2012-2013)
• What a Cartoon! (found Cartoon Network animated anthology series; 1995-1997)
• Youri, the Spaceman (found Cartoon Network France CGI animated series; 2002)

Audio

• Adventure Time (lost uncensored episode commentaries from Cartoon Network animated series DVDs; 2012-2014)
• Akazukin Chacha (partially found Cartoon Network Asia English dub of anime; 1998)
• Ani-Yoko: My Next Door Neighbor (lost Cartoon Network Philippines English dub of anime; 2008)
• Class of 3000 (found original English audio of Cartoon Network animated musical series; 2006-2008)
• The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy "Matinee Mandy" (lost original English audio of Cartoon Network animated short; 2007)
• Heidi, Girl of the Alps (partially found Cartoon Network India English dub of anime; 2001)
• Mojacko (lost Cartoon Network Asia English dub of anime; 2013)
• My Melody's Magical Adventure (lost Cartoon Network Asia English dub of anime; mid-2000s)
• Out of Jimmy's Head (partially lost original English audio of Cartoon Network teen sitcom; 2007-2008)
• Spaced Out (partially found Cartoon Network UK English dub of French animated series; 2000s)
• Sugar Sugar Rune (lost Cartoon Network Philippines English dub of anime; 2011)
• Uncle Gus (partially found original English audio of Cartoon Network animated pilots; 2000-2001)
• Yatterman (lost Cartoon Network Asia English dub of anime; 2011)
• Whatever Happened to... Robot Jones? (partially lost unreleased original voice audio and unfinished/unknown Cartoon Network animated series episodes; 2002-2003)
• Zoids Genesis (partially found Cartoon Network Asia English dub of anime; 2007)

Bumpers and Interstitials

• The Big Game XXVI: Tom vs. Jerry (found Cartoon Network marathon special; 1998)
• Cartoon Network (partially found "High Noon Toons" bumpers from TV channel block; 1994-1996)
• Cartoon Network (partially lost "Nood" bumpers from TV channel; 2008-2010)
• Cartoon Network NBA All-Star Slam (found interviews of marathon; 2003)
• Cartoon Planet (partially found bumpers of revival block of Cartoon Network animated variety series; 2012)
• Codename: Kids Next Door Mission Weekend (partially found marathon bumpers for Cartoon Network animated series; 2003)
• Fridays aka "Cartoon Cartoon Fridays" (partially found interstitials from Cartoon Network channel block; 1999–2007)
• Hotdog TV (partially found Cartoon Network interstitial series; 2010)
• Ice King Steals Christmas (partially found Cartoon Network UK Christmas themed bumpers starring "Adventure Time" character; 2015-2018)
• JBVO, Toon FM & Viva Las Bravo (partially found interstitials from Cartoon Network channel blocks; early-mid 2000s)
• Tickle-U (partially found Cartoon Network preschool block; 2005-2006)
• VBirds: Perfect (lost Cartoon Network UK interstitial series of British virtual girl group; 2003)

Pilots

• Ben 10 (partially found unaired pilot of Cartoon Network animated series; early-mid 2000s)
• Billy and Mandy in Trepanation of the Skull and You (found prototype short of "The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy" Cartoon Network animated series; 1995)
• Camp Lazlo "Monkey See, Camping Doo" (lost unaired pilot of Cartoon Network animated series; 2004)
• Captain Sturdy (found Cartoon Network animated pilots; 2001)
• Cartoon Network Development Studio Europe (partially lost pitch pilots from British animation studio; 2008-2011)
• Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi (found unaired pilot of Cartoon Network animated series; 2003)
• Imp Inc. (found Cartoon Network animated pilot; 2001)
• Jeffrey Cat: Claw and Order "All Dogs Don't Go to Heaven" (found Cartoon Network animated pilot; 2002)
• A Kitty Bobo Show (found storyboard of cancelled second animated pilot for Cartoon Network; 2002)
• Major Flake in "Soggy Sales" (found Cartoon Network animated pilot; 2001)
• The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack (partially lost unaired "Wedgies" pilot and short of Cartoon Network animated series; 2007)
• Mess O' Blues (partially found prototype short of "Johnny Bravo" Cartoon Network animated series; 1993)
• My Gym Partner's a Monkey (lost unaired pilots of Cartoon Network animated series; 2003/2004)
• The Powerpuff Girls (lost unaired pilot of Cartoon Network animated series reboot; early-mid 2010s)
• Regular Show (non-existent Flash pilot of Cartoon Network animated series; late 2000s-2010)
• Space Ghost Coast to Coast (partially found pilots of Cartoon Network adult animated comedy series; 1993)
• Squirrel Boy "Kite Makes Right" (lost unaired pilot of Cartoon Network animated series; 2004)
• What's Wrong With Ruth? (found Cartoon Network animated pilot; 2007)

Live-Action

• Bobb'e Says (partially found Cartoon Network live-action clip series; 2009)
• BrainRush (partially lost Cartoon Network live-action game show; 2009)
• Track Rats (partially found Cartoon Network reality short series; 2010)
• The Othersiders (found Cartoon Network paranormal reality series; 2009)

Other Cartoon Network Series

• The Amazing World of Gumball (partially lost deleted scenes of Cartoon Network animated series; 2011-2019)
• The Amazing World of Gumball "The Downer" (lost original draft of Cartoon Network animated series episode; existence unconfirmed; 2012-2014)
• The Amazing World of Gumball "The Rex" (partially found production material of cancelled Cartoon Network animated series episode; 2012)
• Ben 10 (partially found pop-up trivia version of Cartoon Network animated series episodes; 2008)
• Chowder (lost pop-up trivia version of Cartoon Network animated series episodes; 2010)
• Chowder (lost production material of cancelled Cartoon Network TV film; 2009)
• Codename: Kids Next Door (lost production material of cancelled Cartoon Network animated series episodes; 2002-2008)
• Dexter's Laboratory "Rude Removal" (found unaired Cartoon Network animated series episode; 1997)
• Droopy's Guide to the Cartoon Network (found launch preview of TV channel special; 1992)
• Ed, Edd n Eddy "Luck Be an Ed Tonight"/"A Room with an Ed" (rumored/lost unfinished Cartoon Network animated series episodes; existence unconfirmed; 2005)
• Ed, Edd n Eddy "Special Ed" (non-existent unproduced Cartoon Network animated series episode; late 1990s/early 2000s)
• Hall of Game Awards (partially found Cartoon Network award show; 2011-2014)
• I Heart Tuesdays (lost production material of cancelled Cartoon Network animated series; 2011-2012)
• I-10: The Ben 10 User Generated Experience (found Cartoon Network TV special; 2008)
• Mixels (partially found unaired/unproduced episodes of Cartoon Network animated comedy series based on LEGO toy line; 2014-2016)
• OK K.O.! Let's Be Heroes "Crossover Nexus" (partially found original 22-minute version of Cartoon Network animated series episode; 2010s)
• Skatoony (found original British version of Cartoon Network quiz show; 2006-2008)
• Space Ghost Coast to Coast (partially lost Gametap episodes of Cartoon Network adult animated comedy series; 2006-2008)
• Space Ghost Coast to Coast "Snatch" (lost script of ending of Cartoon Network adult animated comedy series episode; 1999)

External Link

• Wikipedia page on Cartoon Network Studios, listing Project Gilroy as a failed pilot.