Is It College Yet?

Is It College Yet?
DVD cover
Created by	Glenn Eichler Susie Lewis Lynn
Written by	Glenn Eichler Peggy Nicoll
Directed by	Karen Disher
Voices of	Tracy Grandstaff Wendy Hoopes Julián Rebolledo Marc Thompson Alvaro J. Gonzalez
Theme music composer	Splendora
Composer	Janet Wygal
Country of origin	United States
Original language	English
Production
Executive producers	Glenn Eichler Abby Terkuhle
Producers	Cindy E. Brolsma Lemon Krasny Andrea Wortham
Editors	Karen Kunkel Karen Sztajnberg
Running time	75 minutes (original) 66 minutes (DVD edit)
Production company	MTV Animation
Release
Original network	MTV
Original release	January 21, 2002 (2002-01-21)
Chronology
Preceded by	Is It Fall Yet?

Is It College Yet? is a 2002 American animated comedy-drama television film written by Glenn Eichler and Peggy Nicoll, and directed by Karen Disher. The film was the second film-length installment of MTV's animated series Daria, after 2000's Is it Fall Yet?, and served as the series finale, chronicling the end of high school as the characters prepare for college.^[1]

Is It College Yet? was produced in lieu of an abbreviated, six-episode sixth season requested by MTV. Series creator Glenn Eichler planned to wrap the show with the fifth-season finale "Boxing Daria", believing that there was no more story to tell.^[2] Eichler agreed to write Is It College Yet? in order to have a true series finale for Daria.^{[citation needed]}

The film was first broadcast by MTV on January 21, 2002, released on both VHS and DVD formats on August 27, 2002,^[3] and was included on the DVD release of Daria: The Complete Animated Series on May 11, 2010.^[4] The film has yet to see a Blu-ray release.

Plot[]

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Daria applies to prestigious Bromwell University and the less famous but respected Raft College (possibly based on Tufts University, regarded as a safety school for those who are not accepted by Ivy League universities) for her second choice. Her boyfriend Tom Sloane also applies to Bromwell, where his family have legacy status. Tom's mother agrees to drive them to tour Bromwell in fictional Newtown, followed by Raft in Boston.

At Bromwell, Tom charms the admission officer with stories about his family's experiences there, while a nervous Daria initially musters only short responses. Daria and the Sloanes leave Bromwell later than planned after a boisterous professor holds them up. To Daria's dismay, they arrive at Raft after the admission office has closed.

Daria is accepted by Raft, but wait listed by Bromwell. Tom reveals he got into Bromwell and doesn't congratulate Daria for getting into Raft, upsetting her. Daria admonishes Tom for the privilege his family's wealth and status affords and accuses him of looking down on her and Raft. After reconciling, Tom offers to have his parents write Daria a letter of recommendation to Bromwell, but she declines.

Jane wants to attend Boston Fine Arts College (BFAC), but is overwhelmed with creating a portfolio. Instead, she applies to less demanding colleges, but is rejected. She considers skipping college entirely and argues with Daria over the necessity of higher education. Jane agrees to submit a portfolio to BFAC in exchange for Daria accepting Tom's parents' offer to recommend her to Bromwell. Jane's brother, Trent, accuses Jane of 'selling-out' as an artist, before admitting he's afraid of losing her.

Despite the Sloanes' letter, Daria is rejected by Bromwell. However, she proudly announces to her parents that she will attend Raft. Soon after, Daria breaks up with Tom, explaining that their lives are diverging and the relationship has run its course. Tom initially argues before recognizing that Daria is right, and the two agree to stay in touch as friends. Daria is also thrilled to discover that Jane was accepted into BFAC, and will join her in Boston.

Mack and Jodie worry about becoming a long-distance couple after high school. Jodie, exhausted from being the model minority student at Lawndale, wants to attend Turner College, a historically black university, while her parents expect her to attend the exclusive Crestmore University. Mack applies for Vance College, but needs a scholarship to afford it. Jodie is accepted by Crestmore and Turner, but is distraught because she doesn't believe she can attend Turner if her parents don't accept her decision. Mack contacts Jodie's father to explain her distress, leading to her parents changing their minds. Mack also receives his scholarship. While they will be geographically separated, Jodie is convinced this experience has brought them closer.

Brittney is accepted to local Prairie State University, but boyfriend Kevin will need to repeat his senior year due to abysmal grades. Embarrassed, Kevin tries to hide this from Brittney before coming clean, and asks if she'll stay with him through college. Brittney promises she will, while secretly crossing her fingers.

Daria's younger sister, Quinn, gets her first job as a restaurant hostess and befriends an older coworker named Lindy. Quinn's work causes her to miss several Fashion Club meetings, and the clique drifts apart; after club president Sandi is rude to her, Stacey secret wishes that Sandi would "just shut up" and feels guilty when Sandi suffers a vocal chord injury that causes her to lose her voice. Quinn notices Lindy has a drinking problem, which culminates with Lindy arriving at work drunk and getting fired. Quinn implores her to seek help, but Lindy angrily denies Quinn's assertions. Lindy later apologizes, but still insists she's not an alcoholic. At an end of year party, after Sandi tries to punish Stacey for her bad thoughts, Stacey bluntly says she'd rather take a "sabbatical" like Quinn did for her job, and Tiffany joins in, followed by Sandi in an attempt to save face. The group then agrees to hang out as friends without the club banner.

At graduation, Daria unexpectedly wins an academic award and improvises a speech in which she reiterates her contempt for high school, but ends with a summation of her life philosophy and expresses gratitude for Jane and her family, drawing applause from the crowd.

Afterwards, Daria and Jane meet for pizza as usual, and muse on what they'll find once they arrive at college and begin a new era in their lives.

During the end credits, various "alter ego" renderings (more detailed than at the end of the regular episodes) depict possible future careers and scenarios for nearly all of the series' characters.

Soundtrack[]

The first music video for "Breaking Up the Girl" by Garbage premiered as part of the film, featuring a Daria montage, and the song was promoted as the "theme song" for College;^[5] the song used during the title sequence of the film was Splendora's last-ever song "College Try (Gives Me Blisters)".

Alternate version[]

An edited version of this TV-movie was cablecast by MTV in reruns, which cut several minutes from the original broadcast version. A VHS was distributed in 2002 by MTV Home Video/ Paramount. Both DVD releases (the original single-disc release and the Complete Animated Series release) include the edited version, not the original which is presumed to be lost.^[6]

In 2020 a home-made restored version with all the lost parts was released on the web. This version was created using the original DVD release with the inclusion of the previously cut parts recovered from an old MTV recording, making it finally possible to watch the movie in its entirety.^[7]

Cast[]

• Tracy Grandstaff as Daria Morgendorffer
• Wendy Hoopes as Jane Lane, Helen Morgendorffer and Quinn Morgendorffer
• Julián Rebolledo as Jake Morgendorffer
• Alvaro J. Gonzales as Trent Lane
• Russell Hankin as Tom Sloane
• Marc Thompson as Anthony DiMartino, Timothy O'Neill, Kevin Thompson and Jamie White
• Tim Novikoff as Jeffy
• Steven Huppert as Joey
• Jessica Cyndee Jackson as Jodie Landon
• Amir Williams as Michael Jordan "Mack-Daddy" Mackenzie
• Janie Mertz as Sandi Griffin, Brittany Taylor and Andrea
• Sarah Drew as Stacy Rowe
• Ashley Albert as Tiffany Blum-Decker and Janet Barch
• Geoffrey Arend as Charles "Upchuck" Ruttheimer III
• Nora Laudani as Angela Li
• Bart Fasbender as Andrew Landon
• Laurine Towler as Michele Landon
• Rand Bridges as Bill Woods
• Jessica Hardin as Lindy
• Daniel Milledge as Angier Sloane
• Amanda Fox as Katherine Sloane
• John W. Lynn, Jr. as Sick, Sad World Announcer

Reception[]

In a review of the movie and the show in general, Slate reporter Emily Nussbaum said Is It College Yet? was "a bit of a classic" for showing its "sharply funny exploration of social class... the high-schoolers head off to very different paths in life, based on their economic prospects — unlike, say, the characters on 90210."^[8]

See also[]

• List of incomplete or partially lost films

References[]

External links[]

Wikiquote has quotations related to: Is It College Yet?

• Is It College Yet? at IMDb