My Dad the Rock Star

America

The story

My Dad the Rock Star is an animated television series created by Kiss bassist Gene Simmons, co-produced by Nelvana and Carrere Group for France's M6 and Canada's Teletoon (now known as Cartoon Network). The show aired from September 1, 2003, until July 5, 2004. Twenty-six episodes of two seasons were produced. In the US, the show aired on Nickelodeon and Nicktoons.

Plot

The series focuses on Willy Zilla, a timid teenage boy just trying to be a normal person, despite being the son of a flamboyant, rich and lively celebrity rock star named Rock Zilla.

Production

Gene Simmons wanted to create a cartoon series with a loud rock star for his children. The idea of the cartoon started when Gene's son, Nick, in his kindergarten days, brought in a picture of Gene drooling blood and spitting fire for a project of what his parents do, which may have influenced the character of Willy Zilla.
Before becoming a series, this concept became a book, My Dad the Rock Star: Rebel Without a Nose Ring (ISBN 1894786025) by Canadian author Liam O'Donnell in 2001. Because Gene loved Nelvana shows, he called the Canadian production company with a cartoon idea. It was initially about the band Kiss itself, but it was later changed to a family of rock-star parents, which were based on Gene's family.
The series went on hiatus after the episode "Blind Date", until it was announced that the show ended.

Main

William "Willy" Zilla (voiced by Joanne Vannicola) – The show's main protagonist; Rock and Crystal's son and Serenity's younger brother. Willy never had a normal life when he was on tour with his family until he came to Silent Springs. Throughout the series, Willy gradually becomes more comfortable in who he is and accepts his new, more normal lifestyle. Willy aspires to be a musician like his father and grandfather (see below) and has inherited their musical talent. Willy's music of choice is jazz, and he plays the trumpet in the school band. He realizes that he was living a normal life the whole time with his family, and he doesn't have to be literally normal; he is more mature and more responsible than his father, and he acts like a grown-up.
Rockford Amadeus "Rock" Zilla (voiced by Lawrence Bayne) – The title character. Rock has loved rock-'n-roll since birth. Even though Rock is the father of the family, he is very immature and behaves/acts like a teenager. His own father is a well-known classical cellist who still does not quite understand him. Despite this, Rock cares for his family very much and goes out of his way to be a decent father.
Crystal Zilla (voiced by Kathy Laskey) – Serenity and Willy's mother. Crystal is a pink-haired spiritualist.
Serenity Zilla (voiced by Stephanie Anne Mills) – Willy's older sister and Rock and Crystal's daughter. Serenity is the stereotypical teenage girl: spoiled, boy-crazy, egotistical, and ditzy. She picks on Willy, views him to be nothing more than a nuisance and easily gets lost in the mansion. Despite this, she does have a kind side (one of those examples being that when she grew attached to the elderly residents in the seniors' home in the episode "Rock Bottom"), and can also be supportive of her brother at times.
Nigel "Skunk" Fanshawe (voiced by Don Francks) – Ex-driver of the Zilla tour bus, friend/manager of the family. Skunk is from the United Kingdom (British) and has a long two-toned ponytail, hence his name. Skunk is often the voice of reason for the Zillas. He uses the tour bus, permanently parked on the mansion's grounds, as his apartment.
Alyssa (voiced by Sarah Gadon) – Willy's sarcastic best friend, and eventually girlfriend. She is an environmental activist.
Quincy Nesrallah (voiced by Martin Villafana) – Willy's other best friend, who is African-Canadian. Prefers to be called "Q" and often tries to act like he is from the ghetto. His father is an accountant and is often perceived as being narrow-minded, but is later revealed to be a talented band drummer whose love of numbers came first in his life. He also has an older sister named Caitlin just like Willy

Supporting

Robert "Buzz" Sawchuck (voiced by Rob Stefaniuk) – Lloyd's son and Willy's school bully. Although brutal and violent, Buzz often speaks in the manner of a Shakespearian actor, making long-winded speeches and monologues. Buzz has a crush on Alyssa, which is not reciprocated.
Principal Malfactor (voiced by Jim Millington) – A strict disciplinarian, with a particular dislike for Willy and his father. He once tried to have music class removed from school, and to have Willy expelled. Both times, he was foiled by Rock's intervention. Bears an uncanny resemblance to Ed Sullivan.
Mr. Kant – The Zillas' next-door neighbour. He utterly despises Rock for all the chaos he causes, but has a soft spot for Willy and appreciates the boy's maturity. He has two pets (a cat and a dog), Helga and Henderson, who are friends with Mosh.
Mosh – The Zillas' lovable purple-and-green pet Komodo dragon. Meant only to be a stage gimmick for Rock's performances, the family could not bear to send him away when it didn't work out, and so adopted him as the family pet.
Ms. Equiss – A strict teacher at Willy's school.
Scoop Baverdash – A reporter who regularly harasses Rock.
Lloyd Sawchuck – Buzz's father, the head of the school board, and a loyal fan of Rock's, owning all of his albums.
Angela D'Angelo - The first girl Willy fell in love with. Her parents are extremely overprotective and disapprove of Rock so much that when they learned that Willy was Rock's son, they moved to Alaska to get away from him.

Episodes

Canadian network Teletoon airdates in parentheses:

Reception

Common Sense Media rated the show 4 out of 5 stars, stating, "My Dad the Rock Star actually offers positive social messages, although they're subtle and blended in with wit and irony.... At its core, My Dad the Rock Star is a simple cartoon about the difficulties of staying yourself and still fitting in."