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2 • September 25 - October 1, 2016 • Brainerd Dispatch By Jacqueline Spendlove TV Media I t's an age-old story: absentee fa- ther appears out of the blue to make good with the wife and kids and winds up upending every- body's lives. Such a figure is sel- dom able to make a seamless re- entry into the lives of those he's been away from for years on end, but in some families it's an espe- cially jarring event. Like in "Son of Zorn," for in- stance. The partly animated come- dy joins Fox's cartoon-packed Sun- day night lineup this fall and fea- tures the voice talents of Jason Su- deikis. The "Saturday Night Live" alum stars as Zorn, an animated barbarian hailing from the far-off island of Zephyria, who returns to Orange County to reconnect with his live-action ex-wife and son. The series premieres Sunday, Sept. 25, on Fox. Poor Zorn. The long-haired, hulking, muscle-bound toon may be hot stuff in his homeland, but in suburban California, he's pretty much at sea. The animated island nation of Zephyria is located somewhere in the Pacific Ocean and is utterly chaotic. Its land- scape is dotted with ice caves and lava pits, it's teeming with mon- sters, and killing and violence are part of everyday life. What a shock, then, to make the move to sunny Orange County, where he learns that his ex-wife, Edie (Cheryl Hines, "Curb Your En- thusiasm"), is engaged to a mild- mannered psychology professor named Craig (Tim Meadows, "Sat- urday Night Live"), and his teenage son Alangulon (Johnny Pemberton, "21 Jump Street," 2012) is a sensi- tive, slightly dweeby vegetarian. Undaunted, Zorn is determined to establish himself in the 'burbs, where he can begin to be a father to Alangulon (who goes by Alan) in earnest, which is terribly enter- taining. Evidently, what consti- tutes an impressive résumé in Zephyria doesn't go far in Orange County, but Zorn manages to land an assistant job at an industrial soap company, where he pairs an office-appropriate shirt and tie with his knee-high boots and furry briefs. He's delightfully oblivious to the fact that his boss is female, the concept of a woman being his superior being entirely foreign to him. For her part, Linda (Artemis Pebdani, "Scandal") takes her subordinate's eccentricities in stride, displaying the patience of a saint. As for the fact that Zorn is clear- ly a cartoon, nobody in the live-ac- tion world is too phased by it, and that's exactly the way showrun- ners wanted it. Zephyria's a far-off land, but it's not a secret — the general population is aware that some of the world's inhabitants are simply animated. "We never wanted to call him a cartoon," co-creator and execu- tive producer Reed Agnew ex- plained at this summer's Television Critics Association press tour. "We talk about it as if you were to see someone from Liberia who would seem strange and look weird." Says Sudeikis of his character: "He wears a battle strap and furry underpants. Other than that, he's just a normal guy." Ten years is a long time to be away, but Zorn's desire to be a fa- ther to Alan is sincere and fun to watch. He takes him to dinner, where Zorn is baffled and dis- mayed by his son's refusal to eat meat; he helps Alan with girl prob- lems; he buys his son an enormous "death hawk" — which Edie quite understandably balks at — much as a father might buy his son his first car. The series boasts some respect- able star power in front of the cam- era, but there are some big names behind the scenes as well. Execu- tive producers Christopher Miller and Phil Lord have their names at- tached to a number of funny and successful projects, and "Son of Zorn" isn't their first foray into the cartoon world. The pair wrote and directed the animated films "Cloudy With a Chance of Meat- balls" (2009) and "The Lego Mov- ie" (2014), both of which scored Golden Globe nods for Best Ani- mated Feature Film. They also di- rected "21 Jump Street" (2012) and its 2014 sequel, and have sev- eral writing, directing and produc- ing credits, including "Clone High" (which they also co-created and lent their voice talents to), "How I Met Your Mother," "The Last Man on Earth" and "Brooklyn Nine- Nine." Expect some big names on the list of guest stars this season, too. Sudeikis's "SNL" castmate Fred Armisen guests as Vulchazor, Zorn's evil, vulture-headed nem- esis, who's been wreaking havoc in Zephyria since Zorn left. "Parks and Recreation" star Nick Offerman plays a cave- dwelling doctor, and "Key & Peele's" Kee- gan-Michael Key plays Zorn's warrior pal Go- bos the Great. Sudei- kis's fiancée Olivia Wilde ("House") voices Zorn's ex-girl- friend, Radiana, whom our desper- ate hero brings as a date to Craig and Edie's engagement party. All in all, "Son of Zorn" sounds like a good time. After all, there's nothing like a good fish-out-of- water story, and this is one to a tee. "[Zorn] comes from a world where, every day, there's a bat- tle and monsters to be slain," said Agnew at the TCA panel. "Now he can't figure out how to work a vending machine. These are the battles he's fighting now." Don't miss the series premiere of "Son of Zorn" when it airs Sun- day, Sept. 25, on Fox. Artemis Pebdani as seen in "Son of Zorn" New toon in town Fox blends animation with live action in 'Son of Zorn' Cover Story this week 001467745r1 11633 State Hwy. 18, Brainerd, MN 56401 218-829-3278 www.isemanhomes.com Dealer License #MD05870 You're Home Now Iseman Homes an industry leader since 1920 providing value, service, stability and quality. 501 W Washington St, Brainerd 218-828-1823 Free loaner cars available with most services! www.heartlandtireservice.com FULL SERVICE OIL CHANGE Up To 5Qts Oil & Filter. Top Off Vital Fluids. 44 Point Inspection. Check Air Pressure. plus tax & fees SAVE UP TO $ 120 Passenger, Van, Pick-Up, Performance See associate for details. Expires 9-31-16 BRAKE SALE $ 18.95 CONVENTIONAL OIL GOOD $ 49.99 FULL SYNTHETIC OIL BEST HIGH MILEAGE OIL BETTER $ 34.99 Expires 9-31-16 Save up to $50 $25/Axle Brake Fluid Flush $ 69.99 With any other Brake Service Reg. $94.99 See associate for details Expires 9-31-16 ON A SET OF 4 INSTALLED GOODYEAR TIRES

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