I had the chance to attend a round
table interview with creators Matt Groening and Josh
Weinstein. We had a talk about "Disenchantment",
their new animated fantasy sitcom!
Jake: Can you
remember the moment when you first had the idea for the
show?
Matt: Back in high school I used to draw a
comic book called "Tales of the Enchanted Forest". It was
filled with little talking animals. I always loved that idea
of creatures that could speak. I'm very much inspired by the
comic strip Pogo by Walt Kelley. However, I was not such a
good drawer, so none of my friends could tell what the
animals were, except for the rabbit. There was a rabbit in
the forest so that's why I started drawing rabbits. That's
basically the idea. Shooting ahead to 2018, there is an
enchanted forest in Disenchantment. That's where it first
began.
Jake: Why was this idea set in the past?
Matt: Well, *is it* set in the past?
Jake: Hmm,
go on.
Josh: There are a lot of secrets hidden within
the show. That's what we're especially excited about because
it's a serialized show that we've never gotten to do before.
It's kind of like a newer thing in animation. You get ten
episodes at once so we get to tell these deep-reaching story
arcs. With twenty episodes, we know where the series will
end as well. There is a clue in the very first episode. When
put together, it will explain things. Or more likely, in
hindsight, you'll be like "oh my god. I can't believe it was
right there in the beginning."
Matt: I'm gonna say
something enigmatic. There is a secret hidden clue in the
very first animation that you see that reveals a lot.
Jake: The first frame?
Matt: That's the enigma.
Hang on to that idea, and we'll talk about it as soon as
someone figures that out, whenever that happens.
Jake: Interesting. By secrets do you mean within the world
of Disenchantment, or are there Easter eggs from your other
shows?
Matt: I would say that there are both.
Josh: There are secrets and there a lot of symbols that have
to do with deep running arcs, but there are also sly little
references to other things.
Matt: When you got a
cartoon show, you have to hide stuff, you know? And
certainly in the fantasy genre. In every good fantasy,
things are not what they seem to be. Certainly that's the
case with Disenchantment. Now, if you're just a casual
viewer, the show is fine, and we think it's very funny. But
if you're the kind of obsessive who comes to Comic Con, you
will find little things to look for.
Jake: Thank you
for your time. I'll keep my eyes peeled.
Hollywood, CA - July 25, 2017 --
Netflix, the world's leading internet TV network, has
ordered twenty episodes of Disenchantment, an
adult animated comedy fantasy series from the mind of
Matt Groening.
In Disenchantment,
viewers will be whisked away to the crumbling medieval
kingdom of Dreamland, where they will follow the
misadventures of hard-drinking young princess Bean, her
feisty elf companion Elfo, and her personal demon Luci.
Along the way, the oddball trio will encounter ogres,
sprites, harpies, imps, trolls, walruses, and lots of
human fools.
“Ultimately," says Matt Groening,
"Disenchantment will be about life and death,
love and sex, and how to keep laughing in a world full
of suffering and idiots, despite what the elders and
wizards and other jerks tell you."
The series will feature the voice
talents of Abbi Jacobson (“Bean”), Nat Faxon (“Elfo”)
and Eric Andre (“Luci”), along with John DiMaggio, Billy
West, Maurice LaMarche, Tress MacNeille, David Herman,
Matt Berry, Jeny Batten, Rich Fulcher, Noel Fielding,
and Lucy Montgomery. Animation is being done by Rough
Draft Studios (Futurama).
Disenchantment will
premiere on Netflix ten episodes at a time, starting in
2018, and is produced by The ULULU Company for Netflix,
with Matt Groening and Josh Weinstein (The Simpsons,
Futurama) serving as executive producers.
"Matt Groening's brilliant work
has resonated with generations around the world and we
couldn't be happier to work with him on
Disenchantment," said Cindy Holland, Vice
President, Original Content for Netflix. "The series
will bear his trademark animation style and biting wit,
and we think it's a perfect fit for our many Netflix
animation fans."
About Netflix
Netflix is the world’s leading
internet television network with 104 million members in
over 190 countries enjoying more than 125 million hours
of TV shows and movies per day, including original
series, documentaries and feature films. Members can
watch as much as they want, anytime, anywhere, on nearly
any internet-connected screen. Members can play, pause
and resume watching, all without commercials or
commitments
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