As I said when Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters was released in April, the film is essentially review proof, which is why I loved it and a lot of critics hated it. I was drawn to the series since it first appeared in 2000, because it fed my love for the absurd and nonsensical. Quite honestly, if the feature film had been a critical favorite I might have considered that a failure in many ways. Aqua Teen Hunger Force gained popularity precisely because it was a weird little show buried in the late night schedule of Cartoon Network, a diamond in the rough fans had to discover on their own. Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters, and the aptly titled Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters for DVD are for those who are already in on the joke . . . or really high.

Here's some cool animation news from the past week or so:

First, if you dig the heavy metal sounds of Dethklok, the brutal (but rather stupid) band from the Adult Swim series Metalocalypse, you'll be happy to know the band is doing a tour of some college campuses, according to Toon Zone and Adult Swim HQ. I'll keep you posted as more information becomes available. Other yet-to-be-announced bands will also be touring to promote Adult Swim.

So there I was poking around this blog when I came across this post I did back in April where I relayed the news to all of you that the Aqua Teen Hunger Force movie would be out in September. 'Wait a second,' thought I, 'we're already halfway through September and I haven't heard or seen anything about this movie at all.' I had to do a lot of digging, because Adult Swim makes it nearly impossible to find any information on their shows, but I finally found this posting on the AS messageboards from BrandMerrill, who I think might be Andy Merrill, who provides the voice of Oglethorpe on the series, and apparently in the movie, too. Anyway, he's listed as a "Swim Insider" so let's assume this missive he left is true:

The movie is actually almost done. I've seen part of it. The stuff I saw was really good. But the people who distribute movies said we should put it out in February, so since they do movies all the time and we do not, we are going to listen to them.

So there you go, the movie will be out in February, or so I shall assume. Oh yeah, and if this was mentioned on any of the bumps during the AS block you'll have to forgive me. Since I watch everything on Tivo I tend to skip over those.

Do you enjoy Adult Swim programming but wish you could watch it on a much smaller screen that you hold in your hand? Well, you just got your wish because Adult Swim has added three shows to the iTunes store. Now you can watch episodes of Aqua Teen Hunger Force, The Venture Bros., and Sealab 2021 on your video iPod or on your computer screen. I think Venture Bros. may suffer somewhat visually if viewed on a tiny screen, but shows like Aqua Teen and Sealab 2021 are just minimalist enough for that not to matter. Hopefully they'll add more shows in the furture. The episodes will cost the usual $1.99 per download.

Also, Cartoon Network has added episodes of Johnny Bravo and Squirrel Boy.