The Cheesy Adventures of Captain Mac A. Roni

The Cheesy Adventures of Captain Mac. A. Roni (or Captain Mac.A.Roni for short) is an American animated children's special that incorporates Christian morals alongside slap-stick, broad comedy. Originally developed as the pilot episode for a proposed series, it is a joint production by the Christian broadcaster Daystar Television Network and Larry Schwarz of Animation Collective. Even though the network airs children's animated programming in its Saturday morning line-up, this is Daystar’s first original animated program. The program first aired in its entirety on February 25, 2009.
On November 19, 2008, Daystar also aired a behind-the-scenes special episode of their flagship series Celebration, highlighting the creative concepts behind Captain Mac.A.Roni, introducing characters, and interviewing the key creative personnel.
Story
On a beautiful day of celebration on Liberty Island it is revealed to the crowd that Pirate Grime has stolen the Greatest Treasure in the World. The island is a mess as people worry and fret that the town will never be the same again. Sandy, Mikey, and Eddie, our heroic threesome, call upon the “greatest hero there is”, Captain Mac. A. Roni and his sidekick Cheese. The group sets sail to chase Pirate Grime down and bring the treasure home. Victory appears to be theirs after they quickly catch up to Pirate Grime and Sly (his partner in crime). However, the tables turn and Capt Mac A Roni gets tricked… has all hope been lost? Can the Greatest Treasure be returned to the people of Liberty?
Characters
*Narrator, voiced by Marc Thompson
*Captain Mac. A. Roni, voiced by Marc Diraison
:Orphaned and set adrift on the sailing sea on a simple dinghy, if it was not for a school of Mackerel, the legend of Captain Mackerello Aloysius Roni a.k.a. “Captain Mac. A. Roni” would never be sung. Rescued by the Ronzeroni Bros. Sailing Circus, Mackerello was skilled in the arts of Carnivale. Soon, he would become their featured attraction at sea, as strong man, gymnast, tight rope walker, chicken wrangler, and plate spinner. Mackerello was handsome, strong, charming and his eternal optimism made up for his childlike wits. Because of him the Ronzeroni’s were never richer. But, like every great show, soon it would all come to an end. One stormy night, while everyone slept, pirates who had heard of the Ronzeroni’s great wealth came and stole it all away. Mackerello woke to an empty ship. The Ronzeroni’s had abandoned their greatest attraction. They left behind only the young chicken Mackerello could not tame, a ringmaster outfit that no longer fit, the three foot spoon Mackerello used to stir the Ronzeroni’s bean soup with, and a single large macaroni noodle so he would not starve. It was that morning Mackerello vowed he would fight injustice, evil, and pirates as long as there was breath in his barrel chest. He fashioned a Captain's uniform out of the ringmaster suit, sharpened down the end his long spoon into a formidable Spoon sword, and began making changes to the ship left behind. Knowing a name like Mackerello Aloysius Roni would never strike fear into the hearts of his adversaries, he sewed the large noodle on his chest and called himself, Captain Mac.A.Roni! With a new identity and purpose, Mac.A.Roni stood tall on the bow of his ship, his walnut hair poetically blowing in the wind and behind his abnormally large jaw, the sun reflects off his pure-white, perfectly straight teeth. His deep blue eyes twinkle at the sea, as the huge muscles in his upper body flex above his skinny legs that swim in his neatly polished knee high boots. For years Captain Mac.A.Roni, and his trusted sidekick chicken friend, would sail the sailing sea looking to right every wrong. For where evil prevails Captain Mac.A.Roni and Cheese will always be there.
*Pirate Grime, voiced by Marc Thompson is the quintessential bad guy.
:As Grime sang rats and every foul beast came rushing to his side. Knowing he would never be accepted as he was, he befriended the rat and beast alike. He set up a dinner theater stage in the middle of that black island where the Dark Squid Lord cursed him. And every Friday night every foul creature, pirate, and evil doer alike, gather at Grime's School of Treachery and Performing Arts to watch the pirate perform. His voice was said to be so horrible, that the great Wallace the Scottish White Whale from Whales travelled into the dark squid lord's domain to put an end to this massacre of music as we know it. In a great duel, Grime and his black army fought Wallace the Whale back, but not before Wallace tasted Grime’s right leg and left him with a prophesy of a great Captain that would end Grime's terrible theatrical reign. That Captain’s name was Mac.A.Roni. With a pegleg made from a piano leg, and a hook on his hand, Grime would not rest until he made this Mac.A.Roni sit in the front row and applaud his greatness. But the years were unkind to the Pirate and with every inch his black beard grew, so did he forget the name Mac.A.Roni, until the Captain himself set out to find him.
*Cheese, voiced by Marc Thompson
:Always in the shadow of his eleven older brothers, (because all chicken eggs come in a dozen), Cheese was misunderstood, under appreciated, and mocked. The smallest in the family with the biggest heart, he and his brothers hailed from Brooklyn, New Yolk. His brothers became great stars in the Ronzeroni Circus. Their cream pie juggling was known throughout the land. Unfortunately for Cheese, his poor eyesight left him seeing double because of his crossed left eye. He could not catch the cream pies that were thrown. They ended up all over him. After days at sea the cream would sour and no one would go near him because of his cheesy smell. They began to call him Cheese, even though his mother named him Horace, for no other reason than because she wanted one of her boys to be smart. To please the only one who loved him Cheese would spend his days alone reading the only book his Mother left behind, the bible. He refused his cream pie juggling training. Instead he would escape into the crows nest to dream of the heroes in his mother’s old bible, like the shepherd King David. One night while reading quietly, his brothers gathered around him. They began pushing him and calling him names. He tried fighting them off, but he didn’t know who or what to fight. Finally a great "Yiiie Hiiie Hoo" was heard, young Mackerello, the Ronzeroni’s newest attraction came to Cheese’s aid. There was only one that the brothers hated more than Cheese, and that was Mackerello. As the brothers left vowing revenge one day, a loaded cream pie screamed threw air. Its impact was so great that it sent Cheese crashing into the deck. It was then that the impact knocked his eye straight and his eyesight was restored. Cheese was amazed, he could finally see straight. But not only that, from years of straining to see properly, his eyesight was more keen than an eagle, he could see farther than anyone before him. He and Mackerello became fast friends. With his new super sight, he no longer would he be the butt of another’s jokes. In secret he began to train in the mystical Szechuan Chicken arts. Soon muscles rounded out his chicken frame. He dyed his yellow pompadour feathers jet black. He created a mask to cover his eyes, so no one would know him and created a belt around his chest. He used this belt to store his favorite weapon of choice against evil, and his brothers if need be, the mini cream pie. Because of his great eyesight, his accuracy with those pies was impeccable, so much so that he had red stripes like a bullseye dyed on the ends of his wings. Cheese knew it was fate the day his brothers sold out the Ronzeroni’s and brought the pirates to their ship. When he saw Mackerello standing on the bow of the ship that day, he proudly took his side. And so, the legend of Mac.A.Roni and Cheese was born.
*Sly, voiced by Marc Thompson
:Standing at half the height of his boss Pirate Grime, this henchman is as sneaky as he is peculiar and as keen as his heightened sense of smell. If not for his weakness for the taste of chicken, he would have graduated at the top of his class at Royal Henchmen Academy for Performing Arts. Sly’s ballet teacher Miss Penny Poultry took offence to Sly’s constant attempts to eat her, which is why he was sent to study theatre abroad at the Grime School of Treachery and Performing Arts. There Sly became a skilled militarist, a seasoned navigator, and an accomplished tap dancer, which caught the eye of the Pirate Grime himself. From there it wasn’t long before he was doing the time step with his enormous feet alongside Grime at sea.
*Princess Sandy Clamsauce, voiced by Emma Woodbine
:Sandy Clamsauce is an only child, daughter, and heir to King and Queen's throne on Liberty Island. At the young age of eight years old, she shows more promise than any other child in the royal court. An accomplished ballet dancer and singer, Sandy is one of the most gifted artists in Liberty. She can often be seen twirling in her room while singing the latest top forty song on the Tortoise Countdown. Like any Princess, Sandy attends the “Cutie Putootie Princess Kiddy Academy” where she learns amongst other things, mathematics, the arts, grammar, and of course like any member in the Royal Court, archery and boomerang handling. Sandy excels in the later and is known for her pinpoint accuracy. As a graduation gift from first grade, the King commissioned his royal weapon maker to fashion Sandy’s Ruby and Diamond studded platinum tiara into a boomerang of its own right. But that is not the only nifty gadget in Sandy’s wardrobe closet. Liberty’s finest Scientist and inventor, “Eddie” (who is also Sandy’s closest friend) also placed cell phone and internet capability into the heels of Sandy’s slippers. Sandy always makes a grand entrance in her custom-made, rip proof, princess dress with the polish of a queen. The scalloping on the bottom of her dress flows back and forth as she walks, giving the illusion that she floats as she moves. With her deep-blue eyes, porcelain-smooth skin, and shoulder-length, curly-cue, almond-colored hair, it is no wonder Sandy dolls are the most popular toys among the kids of Liberty. Sandy has a deep love for her countrymen and women and honors her parents and the position she is in today.
*Mikey, voiced by Zoe Martin
:It may be said that Mikey has a bit of a crush on Princess Sandy, although he’ll never admit it. However, his actions could prove otherwise. When Sandy was taking dance, Mikey in private learned the same. When Sandy was learning the arts of archery and boomerang handling, Mikey was studying fencing because it would be an event in the Royal games. He is the only one of the children capable of getting in touch with Captain Mac.A.Roni because of his master decoder ring. On many a cold night, Mikey can also be heard playing a harmonica, which when played the music can calm the most savage of beast. All around, Mikey is the all American kid, and risk-taking goof ball, who is extremely cute and charming. You can’t help love the boy and laugh at him at the same time. He is not only the tallest of the three children he is also the most courageous. Mikey truly has a hero’s heart.
*Eddie, voiced by Rebecca Soler
:He is a perfect fit for his two best friends Sandy and Mikey.
*King Clamsauce, voiced by James M. Morris,
*Queen Clamsauce, voiced by Joni Lamb
*Greed and Pride are two otters who also work for Grime
:Both Greed and Pride have a southern accents blurt out whatever random thought crosses their minds at the time.
*Ship Rats, voiced by Marc Diraison, misc. people
:The Ship Rats seem to be the only characters able to enjoy Grime's terrible singing and delusional productions.
Production
The story and original designs were conceived and developed by Daystar, who hired Animation Collective to produce the animation. After initially conceptualizing a special two minute trailer and sample piece in CGI, the creative team of Lane Trammell, James M. Morris, and Justin Machacek determined that 3D CGI would not fit the slap-stick comedy and old toon styles that would best fit the content and character of Captain Mac A. Roni.
The creative team of Animation Collective developed the unique and creative visual style of Captain Mac A. Roni. The characters and props were designed and animated in Flash, with an influence of both anime and the Westernized style of Tex Avery. The backgrounds, ships, and the treasure chest remained in 3D.
The executive team of Marcus Lamb, Joni Lamb, Larry Schwarz, Doug MacLennan, Sean Lahey, Lane Trammell, and Justin Machacek supervised the production throughout the various stages of Development, Audio Record, Animatic, Layout, Animation, & Rendering to achieve a visually unique, high-quality, faith-based animation.

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