David Feiss's Jetsons

 Back in June of last year, I discussed a proposed Jetsons reboot that Hanna-Barbera was considering in 1996. At that time, all that was known publically about the project was that prolific TV writer Ed Scharlach did a pilot for the series, focusing on George and Jane replacing Rosie with a human maid and that it was shelved around the time of the Warner and Turner merger.

Now, we know a little bit more about this series. Brian A. Miller, a former producer at both Hanna-Barbera and Cartoon Network Studios, shared this piece of development art on his Twitter this past Friday. Below is the artwork, as well as Miller's comments on it.

"When I joined HB in 1996, they were exploring a reboot of THE JETSONS. During visual development we went out to several WAC creators to get their take. Here’s David Feiss’. Always so much life in his drawings. Unfortunately we never moved ahead with a series."

You heard that right, folks! David Feiss, known nowadays for creating Cow and Chicken and I Am Weasel, gave us this glimpse at what a version of the futuristic family would look like in his distinct artsyle. Funnily enough, Feiss was no stranger to Orbit City, as he had previously worked on the 1990 Jetsons feature as a key animator. As Miller mentions, Feiss was one of several artists who gave the project a shot. Who knows whether or not this is how the show would have actually looked had it gone into production (I think they would've gone back to something more classic), but it's a great glimpse into what could've been. I personally dig these designs and would have been totally down to see a full-fledged series using them. I also wonder if artwork from the other creators still survives. Imagine, say, Genndy Tartakovsky's take on The Jetsons. Perhaps Brian Miller will share more from this series in the near future!

UPDATE: Welp, barely an hour after this post went live, I find that Miller did indeed share more art from this project! Below is artwork featuring a new take on Judy Jetson, though Miller, unfortunately, could not remember who was behind this piece. Any readers who have an idea of the artist here?