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| (left to right) The Amazing World of Gumball series creator Ben Bocquelet and series director Mic Graves |
The Amazing World of Gumball
is the first commissioned series out of Cartoon Network Development Studio Europe, receiving an order of eighteen half-hours worth of episodes, as well as a subsequent order for a second season and a spot at the 2011 Annecy International Animated Film Festival in June.
The unique show sprang from the mind of Ben Bocquelet, who worked in-house as a development artist at the Cartoon Network Development Studios Europe before creating Gumball
. Bocquelet was kind enough to answer a series of questions about his show via e-mail.
TOONZONE NEWS: When did you first come up with the idea for the show? With such a unique concept, how did you go about pitching it? Was it at all difficult to explain to others?
BEN BOCQUELET: I think that the idea for the show was somehow the fruit of a really lucky work experience.
Before joining Cartoon Network, I worked for a company called Studio AKA. Most of my time there was spent pitching for commercial jobs. AKA was a very inspiring place for me to work. I was drawing alongside people like Grant Orchard, Mic Graves, Marc Craste, Steve Small and even David O'Reilly at some point. I learnt so much from these guys. I was utterly incapable to win a job, but I got to explore a vast array of different graphic styles.
When I left Studio AKA, I was looking for a line of work where I would be a little more successful. Phil Hunt, the creative director there, encouraged me to join the new development studio created by Cartoon Network in London. I was very lucky to be hired. My job mainly consisted in helping people to pitch their projects to the network. While working on other artists' ideas, my desire to create something of my own was getting more and more urgent. As you probably know, people present tons of show ideas to a channel like Cartoon Network. I had no credits or experience in this industry. I needed to present something different enough in order to generate a minimum of interest.
I started looking back at the characters that I created for commercials. It was a big mash-up of 2D, stylized 3D, realistic 3D and even stop motion. I lined them up and the result looked varied and unusual. I really liked the idea of a show without graphic unity. All these characters had been rejected, they had no purpose. I found that quite endearing. I integrated them in the photo of a schoolyard and was quite excited with the outcome.
I pitched a show about a remedial school for hapless rejected cartoon characters set up in the real world. Daniel Lennard, who is in charge of the development studio, wasn't convinced. He thought that the concept was too sad and that it wasn't very cool to make jokes about remedial schools. I have to admit that in retrospect he was quite right. It felt like a mild cartoon version of
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest and the concept naturally lent itself to pessimistic and mean spirited stories. But he liked the look of it and encouraged me to pitch a different show with a similar design approach.
I went back to the drawing board and centered the show around the archetypal structure of a family sitcom. Now I wanted to explore the everyday life of these characters, treating the bizarre like its normal. In my head, the show would be character based and deal with the little problems of life. I pitched this to Daniel and I guess he liked this more whimsical approach. I'm not sure if I was making much sense at the time, but I suppose he felt like it was worth exploring.
TZN: The first thing that people will notice when they check out the show is its visuals. What inspired you to blend animation styles as you did and use live-action backgrounds? How much of a challenge was it to make all of the characters look natural in such an environment?
BEN BOCQUELET: As I said earlier, I think it comes from the fact that I worked in commercials as a designer and had to change style for almost every pitch. The idea of varied looking characters also opened the door to a certain freedom. From a practical point of view it allows us to put a spin on clichés stories and characters in a surreal or absurd way.
I don't think it is such a radically new idea to mix characters with live-action. There are countless examples of people who have done this in the past. But I still feel that there will always be something magic and wonderful about seeing animated characters invading the real world. I also secretly hope that the younger kids will be tempted to believe that Gumball and his family really do live somewhere in America.
The technical challenge is much more manageable now thanks to the constant advance in technology. That being said, it remained really difficult for us to set up a pipeline that accommodates the scale of a TV series. Antoine Perez, who is art directing the show with me, did a wonderful job with the backgrounds and the character integration. He approached it with techniques that are much closer to VFX in live-action than traditional cartoon compositing. This brought a really cinematic feel to the show. To be honest, none of this could have happened without the tremendous amount of talent and dedication that everyone who worked on
Gumball put into it.
TZN: There are a lot of strange characters inhabiting Gumball's world. How did you come up with all of them? Who is your favorite?
BEN BOCQUELET: It is hard to remember. I asked quite a few designers (including the great people from the European development studio) to come up with weird and funny looking characters. It was very much a collective effort in that respect. Some of them, like Bobert or Idaho, came from my old commercial pitches. Some others, like Tina, were created while developing the show. A whole lot more came from the stories and were designed during production.
My personal favorites are the Wattersons but I also love Sussy. She's an elusive character that look really funny. She's impersonated by my girlfriend Aurelie who is also a storyboard artist on the show.
TZN: While the show is a comedy and its ultimate goal is to be entertaining, has a concerted effort been made to ensure that the main characters are likable? I've always found myself enjoying shows more when I felt an attachment to the characters. Having created them, what do you like most about the Wattersons? How do they compare to other families in all of television?
BEN BOCQUELET: A lot of the Wattersons is based on my family. My own dad is called Richard, my mom is named Nicole and my sister is named Anais. I obviously love them with all my heart and I think it transpires in the way that their fictional counterparts are handled. Most story premises are also based on personal experiences. I believe that this brought a tangible dimension to the characters and made them endearing. I really hope that the Wattersons will resonate with the audience. I hope that people will recognize themselves in this family rather than compare it to another show and will love these characters as much as I do.
TZN: Nearly all of Gumball's classmates have been given an official description on Cartoon Network's website. How big of a role will they play in the show? Has it been difficult to juggle so many characters and give them all adequate screentime?
BEN BOCQUELET: Well, considering that this is the first series, I wanted to focus on the family in the first place. But there are a few episodes exploring the other characters that populate Elmore. You'll get to learn some more about Carrie, Miss Simian, Mr. Robinson or Bobert for example. The fact that the episodes are 11 minutes long doesn't really allow us to fully explore every single character from the cast right away, but Mic Graves and I plan on developing all the characters much further over the next season.
TZN: Gumball, Darwin and Anais are voiced by children from the United States (Logan Grove, Kwesi Boakye and Kyla Rae Kowalewski respectively). What decision went into the casting? Was it important for you to get actual children to voice the characters?
BEN BOCQUELET: It was absolutely capital for me to use real kids for the main cast. Practically, it's more difficult because they still have to go to school and stuff, but it brings so much charm to the characters. Logan, Kwesi and Kyla have been completely amazing. The choice was obvious that they were perfect as soon as we heard their audition tapes. In spite of their young age, they consistently surprised us with their acting skills and their sense of comedy. I think it is because kids are still used to play and pretend. Acting comes naturally to them. The rest of the cast was composed of adults who were fantastic as well.
TZN: It seems that the primary setting of the show is Elmore Junior High. There have been a lot of fictional works over the years with a school setting. How have you handled it? Does the show try to avoid the associated clichés or does it embrace them and have fun with them?
BEN BOCQUELET: The sports jock, the cheerleader, the nerdy guy etc... have all made their way into traditional storytelling to the point where they have become archetypes. I don't see them as clichés so much as a shorthand while writing. We usually try to play with the fact that people expect these characters to behave in a certain manner.
TZN: It isn't often that a television program gets renewed for additional episodes before it even premieres, yet Gumball has accomplished that feat. How surprised were you by the early success? Will it change how you prepare for the second season?
BEN BOCQUELET: I was super happy that Cartoon Network re-commissioned the show. I'm very grateful for their support and their trust. It's a little scary though. We better not flop. So I won't consider any of this a success unless the show finds an audience. We are already working on the second series at the moment. The changes I want to make are mostly technical. We're keeping what worked and fixing what needs to be.
TZN: What do you and the network have planned leading up to the premiere? A press release stated that the show has been testing very well; what can we expect to see in the days and weeks to come that will encourage potential audiences to watch the show and discover what has made it so enjoyable to others?
BEN BOCQUELET: So far the few screen tests that Cartoon Network ordered were good. But again, until it is aired and we get real feedback, it is impossible to know if the show will fare well. We recently finished a trailer and I hope that everyone will find it funny.
TZN: I understand that there is some made-for-online content meant to promote the show. Cartoon Network's website is already up and it has one such clip where Gumball introduces himself to the audience. Not every show has taken that approach, so what was the motivation to do that? Do you feel that this will give Gumball an advantage leading up to its premiere? How many of such clips have been made?
BEN BOCQUELET: Yes, Rebecca Denton (who is in charge of the online campaign) and the guys at Cartoon Network thought that it would be great to extend the universe of the show to the Internet. It's about telling more stories in various formats. The Wattersons will therefore have an online presence. We are creating bespoke content for various platforms like Twitter, Flickr, Youtube and I think we're also making a blog. The idea is to let the characters exist in the real world and to promote the show in a funny and surprising way. I hope it will make people laugh and make them want to see more. My guess is that there should be at least 20 clips. All of this is in process but we've written enough content to keep people coming back until September.
TZN: Cartoon Network aired its first promo for the show on April 4th, at the end of its prime time comedy block. Gumball will be a part of that block when it premieres May 9th at 7:30 PM. Have you watched the other shows that air on the block, such as Adventure Time and Regular Show? How well do you feel it will fit in on the block?
BEN BOCQUELET: I'm a fan of both
Adventure Time and the
Regular Show. Pen Ward And JG Quintel have managed to make cartoons that appeal to a vast audience We couldn't hope for a better slot. We try to do the same and make kids and adult laugh just as much. So I guess I hope we'll fit well together.
TZN: There are only a few weeks until the premiere of the show and you've been working on it for quite some time. What is going through your mind as you get closer to the premiere? Expectations seem to be very high, especially with the announcement of a second season, but what are your expectations? Decades from now, when people look back on Gumball, what is it you want people to most remember about your show?
BEN BOCQUELET: As you know, the UK premiere is coming on May 2, and I am absolutely terrified. We worked so hard and we poured so much of our heart into this show that I honestly don't know how I will react if people hate it. At the same time I can't wait. I'm very proud of what we have done and I want everyone to see it. I'm gonna have to stop talking about this, my hands are sweating and I can't type.
Toonzone would like to thank Ben Bocquelet for taking the time to speak with us, and to Rebecca Denton for arranging the interview. The Amazing World of Gumball
's world premiere will take place on May 2, 2011, at 10:00 AM BST in the United Kingdom, with encores airing throughout the day at 2:00 PM, 4:30 PM and 8:00 PM BST. The United States premiere is May 9 at 7:30 PM ET/PT. More information about the show can be found at its main international website, its show page on Cartoon Network's website, and its official Facebook page.
