'Family Guy' Creator Seth MacFarlane's Speech Rescheduled
By Jay Goyette Article published March 8, 2005
A talk by Seth MacFarlane, creator of the Emmy-nominated animated series "The Family Guy," originally scheduled for April 22, has been rescheduled to April 28.
MacFarlane will be the featured speaker for the University of Vermont Student Speaker Series at 8 p.m. in Patrick Gymnasium (doors open at 7 p.m.). The UVM Senior Class Council, in conjunction with the Office of Student Life and UVMPM, is sponsoring the event as the senior class gift to the university community from the Class of 2005.
Tickets are free to the members of the UVM Class of 2005 and will be available to all others for $10 per person on a first-come, first-served basis. Advance ticket sales will be handled through the UVM ticket office.
As the inventive mind behind "The Family Guy," MacFarlane built a cult following around the Griffins, a dysfunctional family whose dog is the smartest of the bunch. Fox cancelled the show after only three seasons despite a strong and devoted following, but reruns on Cartoon Network were unexpectedly successful, especially among young people. The series then became one of the best-selling television shows on DVD, selling millions of copies. In a rare case of television resurrection, Fox decided to return the show to the network, and new episodes of “The Family Guy” will air this year.
MacFarlane produces another series for Fox, "American Dad," which premiered after the Super Bowl in February 2005. "American Dad" involves a conservative C.I.A. agent, his ultra-liberal daughter, a space alien, and a German-speaking goldfish.
In his speaking engagements, MacFarlane, who is also the voice of many of his characters, takes audiences inside the most raucous, innovative show on TV for a hilarious behind-the-scenes peek at everything from the writer's many neuroses to the only "Family Guy" episode that Fox refused to air.
A cartoonist since his childhood in Kent, Connecticut, MacFarlane graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design. His student film there was an 11-minute bit of animation that would eventually turn into "The Family Guy."
The student film attracted the attention of Hollywood, and MacFarlane immediately joined the Hanna-Barbera animation studio, where he worked on the cartoon series "Johnny Bravo" and "Cow and Chicken." He also worked for Walt Disney Animation as a writer on "Jungle Cubs" and revised his student script to turn it into "Family Guy," which Fox purchased.