Larry the lion is feeling frisky. The fat cat is ready to go, and his lovely lioness Kate is in heat. The kids are away, the house is quiet, and he’s even gone to the bathroom, he tells the less-than-impressed Kate.
Such is foreplay in this new half-hour animated TV series brought to life by DreamWorks, producer of the “Shrek” movies.
Larry and his family live in Las Vegas, behind the neon lights of the strip and the Mirage hotel, home of Siegfried and Roy’s magical extravaganza. The lions are just part of the menagerie whose daily antics are the focus of “Father of the Pride,” which premieres at 8 p.m. Tuesday. The animals star in Siegfried and Roy’s show and reside in a tropical oasis–based on the real Secret Garden set up by the magicians.
Jeffrey Katzenberg, 53, creator of “Pride” and a partner at DreamWorks, said he’s been friends with the illusionists for years and has seen their show 14 times.
About two years ago–knowing NBC was interested in airing an animated show that used computer-generated imagery–the idea for “Father of the Pride” came to him.
“Roy [Horn] has done an extraordinary thing with these animals,” he said. “His love and care for them, and how he creates a world for them, is really spectacular and inspiring. All this together had left an impression for me about what it must be like living in Las Vegas, raising a family, and working for Siegfried and Roy.”
The show was already in production when Horn was mauled by a tiger and then suffered a stroke in October 2003. After a period of uncertainty about the show’s future, it was Horn who persuaded Katzenberg to go on with “Pride.”
“From the moment he was conscious and able to communicate, he was for it,” Katzenberg said. “It was something for him to be excited about, to root for.”
On screen, the animated Siegfried and Roy are parodies of the real pair. The magicians are hardly the only crack-up characters in this motley crew. John Goodman lends his voice to Larry, and Cheryl Hines (“Curb Your Enthusiasm”) is Kate. Carl Reiner is Larry’s live-in father-in-law Sarmoti. Other famous faces will lend their voices to guest spots on “Pride.” Eddie Murphy will return as the donkey from “Shrek.” Cameron Diaz voices Foo-Lin the panda. And Danny DeVito is a political-activist lobster.
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Edited by Cara DiPasquale (cdipasquale@tribune.com) and Victoria Rodriguez (vrodriguez@tribune.com)
