Class of 3000

Class of 3000 is an American animated children's[1] musical television series created by André 3000 (best known as a member of the hip hop duo Outkast) and Thomas W. Lynch for Cartoon Network.

Produced by Tom Lynch Company and Moxie Turtle for Cartoon Network Studios, the series follows superstar and music teacher Sunny Bridges (voiced by André), who teaches a group of students at Atlanta, Georgia's Westley School of Performing Arts.

While on a trip to Turner Broadcasting in Atlanta to pitch projects, Thomas Lynch met with vice president of programming for Cartoon Network Mike Lazzo, an old friend of his.

Diversity was an important element from André's experience that he wanted to incorporate as well: "I'm in school with the mayors kids, my friends were East Indian, people from France.

The series was planned to begin featuring guest musicians after several seasons, including Big Boi, Gwen Stefani, Pharrell or Snoop Dogg among others.

[8][9] Lynch and André were familiar with Cartoon Network's other series, like Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi, and wanted to give the show "a flowy kind of look" in contrast to their more "boxy and squarey" style.

Several artists who directed music videos include John Kricfalusi, Bill Sienkiewicz, Kyle Baker, Jorge Gutierrez, Peter Chung and Charlie Bean.

[10] Mike Lazzo noted the show was a victim in a change of leadership at Cartoon Network, which began earlier that year after the resignation of Jim Samples over the 2007 Boston Mooninite panic.

[5] Class of 3000 was also the final show Lazzo greenlit before he left Cartoon Network to become senior executive vice president of Adult Swim.

A series of coincidences leads the group to believe that Sunny is a pirate, and they follow the map to discover the supposed riches (and meet some of their teacher's old bandmates along the way).

When the "treasure" turns out to be a monstrous blob monster Sunny and his senior year band accidentally created from a mixture of Sloppy Joe meat and toxic waste, the kids learn that you can't run away from your mistakes, and use classic funk to banish the blobby beast.

Sunny tries to teach the class how to play and sing the blues, but Eddie can't figure out how, as he's never wanted for or desired anything in his life due to his riches.

Sunny gifts him with a compass that he claims will send him to the greatest present of all, and Eddie and Li'l D embark on a quest through Atlanta to find it--and discover how to appreciate what you have.

After meeting "Big D" (who is suspiciously Satanic), Li'l D joins Soul Stack and slowly loses his artistic integrity and sense of self as he becomes a pitchman for "Extreme Ham," hawking the product rather than actually making music.

Luna asks Sunny for help in writing a song to declare his feelings, but when Madison discovers a draft, she mistakenly believes that the music teacher loves Miss Squattenchowder.

Her attempts to set the pair up on a date creates an increasingly complicated love quadrangle that eventually involves a dance battle, kitchen utensils, and a bomb hidden inside a giant meatball.

Avoiding practice in favor of being 'stars', trouble sets in when the color fades and Philly Phil's machine breaks down after the Westley kids have learned their lesson.

Sunny encounters a mad scientist named Dr. Nefario who tries to destroy him, while he also sets up a concert dedicated to his old mentor, who he believes has no faith in him, after their original Student-Teacher relation.

The trip is followed by an extremely boring science lecture, and Kim makes an assumption--if a celebrity like Sunny made music more fun, than surely other stars could improve the remaining subjects at the school.

Song: "On the Farm" When Sunny is forced to go on a bonding retreat with the rest of the school staff, he strikes a deal with Li'l D: if the kids do his chores, he'll let them use his recording studio.

A cocky Li'l D throws away the directions Sunny gives him regarding the tasks, and pairs the other students up to handle the seemingly simple list: feeding the fish, watering the plants, and washing clothes.

But Sunny's gigantic house is far from normal, and the lack of instructions soon has Tamika and Madison battling a horde of angry aquatic life, Eddie and Kam fending off sentient plants, and Philly Phil and Kim being attacked by living laundry.

After costing his class the chance at winning various awards during Field Day, Philly Phil feels disheartened that he can't be as "normal" as his classmates.

Song: "Philly Phil Come Home" "The Beast", an eighth grader who's the stuff of the legends, causes a stir when he charms Tamika and is suspected of vandalizing the school.

Song: "Drum Off" Eddie is to star in a Rapunzel play with Tamika, but after the Westley auditorim collapses, his parents are concerned with his safety and make major changes to the script.

I wanted to expose them to different sounds, and instruments they might not be hearing … on the radio.While recording a song, André would lay reference tracks by saying/singing lines meant for the children characters in the show before sending it to Cartoon Network for the actors to replace.

The New York Times called it "an eclectic, speedy and fun-enough cartoon that combines styles from anime, shimmying iPod ads and the merrily slapdash work of Filmation in the 1970s.

"[15] Regarding André 3000's influence, they said "[his] energizing music combines funk and crunk and every other style, knows from cacophony, and the show... is kept under control with witty, pointed dialogue and kid-friendly punch lines about, say, Clay Aiken or Big Pharma."

[16] Emily Ashby of Common Sense Media gave the series four out of five stars, saying: "Class of 3000 offers a rich cast of diverse characters, colorful animation, and fun (if sometimes somewhat far-fetched) storylines.

In November 2024, André 3000 expressed interest in reviving the series during an interview at Camp Flog Gnaw festival, which stems from a phone conversation with Tyler, The Creator.