this was an animated short film created by JG Quintel as one of two student films created during his time at The California Institute of Arts. He would later go on to create Regular Show for Cartoon Network, but this initial short actually aired on rival network Nickelodeon. it was included as part of their "short breaks", and later on their "random cartoons" block on sister channel Nicktoons. Both were used to showcase various original works and pilots from various creators, a showcase of indipendent animation.
these types of shows were common during the 90s and 2000s, and sometimes shows debuted would be turned into full series by the network if they became popular enough, like with Cartoon Network's "What A Cartoon" block. As the internet became more video capable, these types of shows fell out of style. As many creators would opt to upload their work to sites like Youtube or Newgrounds.
The short is simple and follows The Naive Man, aka Pops, who is the embassidor from a British esque country called Lolliland. During his first visit to The United States things go aray when he attempts to pay for his meal using lollipops. After a brief altercation Pops flees having left with a poor experience of the states, but as he departs, he does hope that one day he and the United States can be friends.
overall, I liked the short and so did many who watched it. i empathised with Pops who seems to look on the brighter side of things in spite of how badly he got treated, and holding out hope one day things will get better. reminds me a lot of myself, the world can often be an unkind place, but it's all what you make of it.
if you want to watch the short today, it's available on Youtube both in original animatic and reanimated by fans. it's also included in the Regular Show Season 2 and complete series DVD sets, but notably this version has some audio missing. A version of Pops would be included in Regular Show, even briefly visiting his original counterpart's world in Regular Show's "A Regular Epic Final Battle".
The Naive Man From Lolliland - Animated short film
