Cartoon Network has provided the following stills and plot synopses for new episodes premiering the week of March 31, 2014. Click any thumbnail to enlarge:
UNCLE GRANDPA
Uncle Grandpa moves to 7 p.m. ET/PT starting Tuesday, April 1.
On this week’s episode of Uncle Grandpa, Tuesday, April 1 at 7:00 p.m. (ET/PT)… “Prank Wars”– When Pizza Steve and Mr. Gus engage in a prank war, Mr. Gus ends up pulling the biggest prank, only realizing too late that it will get Pizza Steve eaten.
BEN 10 OMNIVERSE
Ben, Rook and Rad Dudesman are off to face Lord Transyl in the conclusion of the Monster Planet story arc.
On this week’s episode of Ben 10 Omniverse Saturday, April 5 at 9:00 a.m. (ET/PT)… “The Vampire Strikes Back”– Ben, Rook, and Rad Dudesman come face to face with the evil Lord Transyl, a vampire-like alien who can make anyone his loyal slave!
LEGENDS OF CHIMA
Laval must battle the Spiders, Bats and Scorpions
On this week’s episode of Legends of Chima Saturday, April 5 at 9:30 a.m. (ET/PT)… “The Eagle and the Bear”– Our heroes are now using their rescued Legend Beasts as well as their vehicles to battle the Spiders, Bats, and Scorpions. However, as they fight, they keep seeing the Eagle Legend Beast circling overhead.
Cartoon Network Gets Pranking on April Fool’s Day with Uncle Grandpa
This April Fool’s Day, tune-in to Cartoon Network to see all your favorite characters joke and jest for six straight hours of comedic gold and tom foolery! Favorite episodes of Johnny Test, The Amazing World of Gumball, Adventure Time and Regular Show have been hand-picked to bring the laughs and build up to a brand-new episode of Uncle Grandpa, “Prank Wars!”
Pizza Steve, the self-declared King of Pranks, goes a bit too far teasing Mr. Gus and realizes it’s all fun and games until someone gets eaten. Will he learn his lesson or continue his shenanigans? Watch Cartoon Network tomorrow to find out! In the meantime, enjoy a taste of Pizza Steve’s mischief here.
The fun begins on Tuesday, April 1 at 2 p.m. (ET/PT) and leads to Uncle Grandpa at its new time 7 p.m. (ET/PT). Year-to-date, Uncle Grandpa has ranked as the #1 program on Tuesdays versus ALL television among boys 6-11, and is #1 in its time period among all boys 2-11, 6-11, and 9-14. See why the show’s a hit during “Prank Wars” on April 1!
Cartoon Network is announcing new seasons of its most popular children’s programming this weekend at San Diego Comic Con, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Both Adventure Time and Regular Show will return for seventh seasons, while Clarence has been greenlighted for another 13 episodes. Uncle Grandpa and Steven Universe will both receive second seasons as well.
In regard to Steven Universe, show writer Matt Burnett has clarified on his blog that the show’s first season was picked up for 52 eleven-minute episodes, while season 2 means another set of 52 episodes for the series.
Cartoon Network has released clips, stills, and episode synopses for episodes premiering on August 21, 2014.
TEEN TITANS GO!
Starfire is studying to be a star student.
On this week’s episode of Teen Titans Go!, Thursday, August 21 at 6:00 p.m. (ET/PT)… “Knowledge”– Starfire is tired of not fitting in with the other Titans, and asks Raven to help her to learn more about human culture. Raven casts a spell to give Starfire all of human knowledge, which turns Starfire into the total bummer.
STEVEN UNIVERSE
After seeing Garnet and Amethyst fuse together into the powerful Sugilite – Steven becomes determined to get super strong.
On this week’s episode of Steven Universe, Thursday, August 21 at 6:30 p.m. (ET/PT)… “Coach Steven”– After seeing Garnet and Amethyst fuse together into the powerful Sugilite – Steven becomes determined to get super strong.*Guest Voice: Nicki Minaj*
THE AMAZING WORLD OF GUMBALL
Gumball and Darwin help Rocky land an office job.
On this week’s episode of The Amazing World of Gumball, Thursday, August 21 at 6:30 p.m. (ET/PT)… “The Boss”– Gumball and Darwin help Rocky land an office job so that his dad, Mr. Robinson, will be proud of him. After a health scare the kids decide to reunite Mr. Robinson with his son. Mr. Robinson has always seen Rocky as a disappointment so when Gumball and Darwin help him land a corporate job at Chanax, he is thrilled. However the Chanax Corporation is not quite what it seems. Can Gumball and Darwin rescue Rocky before he becomes a corporate drone for all eternity…
UNCLE GRANDPA
Pizza Steve is ready for his ride to outer space.
On this week’s episode of Uncle Grandpa, Thursday, August 21 at 7:30 p.m. (ET/PT)…“1992 Called” – Uncle Grandpa travels back to the year 1492 to retrieve a pair of pants. “Bezt Friends” – Uncle Grandpa goes to extreme measures to surpass Pizza Steve as Pizza Steve’s best friend. GUEST STAR: Tone Loc
Cartoon Network has released new clips, stills, and plot synopses for shows with new episodes premiering the week of August 25, 2014.
TEEN TITANS GO!
Starfire loves two adorable destroyers
On this week’s episode of Teen Titans Go!, Thursday, August 28 at 6:00 p.m. (ET/PT)… “Love Monsters”– Raven warns the other Titans not to go near a box containing the Twin Destroyers of Azarath. Starfire can’t help it and opens the box, giving hugs and snuggles to the two tiny, adorable Destroyers … but love only makes the Destroyers stronger.
When Lars pawns off all his work on Sadie, Steven helps out by working a shift at the Big Donut.
On this week’s episode of Steven Universe, Thursday, August 28 at 6:30 p.m. (ET/PT)… “Joking Victim”– When Lars pawns off all his work on Sadie, Steven helps out by working a shift at the Big Donut.
THE AMAZING WORLD OF GUMBALL
Gumball and Darwin confront Clayton about being a compulsive liar
On this week’s episode of The Amazing World of Gumball, Thursday, August 28 at 6:30 p.m. (ET/PT)… “The Move”– Clayton is a compulsive liar, but Gumball discovers he wasn’t lying about his awesome martial arts move. Gumball confronts Clayton about his fabled Seven Pressure Point Heart Exploding Technique, assuming it’s another one of his outlandish claims. Darwin and Gumball intervene to help Clayton start embracing the truth. However, when they discover the move is as effective as he claimed, they really wish he’d been lying.
UNCLE GRANDPA
New episodes of Uncle Grandpa continue every Thursday at 7:30 p.m. (ET/PT)
On this week’s episode of Uncle Grandpa, Thursday, August 28 at 7:30 p.m. (ET/PT)…“Food Truck”– Greed causes Pizza Steve’s latest business venture to backfire.
MIXELS
More Mixels equals more mixes, more madness, more fun.
On this week’s special for Mixels, Sunday, August 31 at 6:00pm (ET/PT)… “Epic Comedy Adventure”- When General Nix tries to stop the annual Mixfest, it’s up to Flain and friends to bring back mixing! “Murp Romp”- There is a Murp on the loose and the Mixels must catch it before it destroys everything!
Cartoon Network has provided clips, stills, and episode synopses for new premieres for September 4, 2014.
TEEN TITANS GO!
Starfire gets two twin destroyers for the price of one.
On this week’s episode of Teen Titans Go!, Thursday, September at 6:00 p.m. (ET/PT)…“Love Monsters”– Raven warns the other Titans not to go near a box containing the Twin Destroyers of Azarath. Starfire can’t help it and opens the box, giving hugs and snuggles to the two tiny, adorable Destroyers… but love only makes the Destroyers stronger.
Steven needs a musical partner for an upcoming show, and uses a time travel device to recruit the perfect bandmate – HIMSELF!
On this week’s episode of Steven Universe, Thursday, September 4 at 6:30 p.m. (ET/PT)… “Steven and the Stevens”– Steven needs a musical partner for an upcoming show, and uses a time travel device to recruit the perfect bandmate – HIMSELF!
THE AMAZING WORLD OF GUMBALL
Gumball jaywalks and is pulled over by Donut Cop.
On this week’s episode of The Amazing World of Gumball, Thursday, September at 6:30 p.m. (ET/PT)… “The Law”– Donut Cop shows Gumball and Darwin that the smallest misdemeanor can lead to a breakdown in law. Gumball jaywalks and is pulled over by Donut Cop. When Gumball objects he is told that even the smallest misdemeanor can lead to a breakdown in law. In an effort to impress the kids Donut Cop takes them for a ride-along in his cop car and gets carried away, progressively breaking the law himself. He soon proves that the tiniest offense can indeed snowball into complete lawlessness!
UNCLE GRANDPA
New episodes of Uncle Grandpa continue every Thursday at 7:30 p.m. (ET/PT)
On this week’s episode of Uncle Grandpa, Thursday, September at 7:30 p.m. (ET/PT)…“Hide and Seek” – A game of hide and seek uncovers a neglected remnant from Uncle Grandpa’s past.
Cartoon Network has released the following clips, stills, and episode synopses for new premieres set to debut on September 11, 2014.
TEEN TITANS GO!
Robin gets ready to mold the amnesiac Titans.
On this week’s episode of Teen Titans Go!, Thursday, September 11 at 6:00 p.m. (ET/PT)… “Baby Hands”– Brother Blood zaps Cyborg, Raven, Starfire and Beast Boy with a device that erases their memories of being a Teen Titan, which gives Robin exactly what he wants: a chance to retrain the team his way.
STEVEN UNIVERSE
Steven accidentally releases a monster from a gem bubble, and attempts to tame its wild, violent instincts.
On this week’s episode of Steven Universe, Thursday, September 11 at 6:30 p.m. (ET/PT)… “Monster Buddies”– Steven accidentally releases a monster from a gem bubble, and attempts to tame its wild, violent instincts.
THE AMAZING WORLD OF GUMBALL
Darwin starts sneezing repeatedly and it seems he can’t stop.
On this week’s episode of The Amazing World of Gumball, Thursday, September 11 at 7:00 p.m. (ET/PT)… “The Allergy”– Gumball needs to find a cure for Darwin’s allergy before he sneezes Elmore off the map. Darwin starts sneezing repeatedly and it seems he can’t stop. The Wattersons figure maybe he’s allergic to something. After a few guesses, they come to the conclusion that he is allergic to stupidity. Being surrounded by stupid people, this is something of a problem. And they need to find a solution before Darwin’s increasingly explosive sneezes destroy the town.
UNCLE GRANDPA
It’s a wrestling match for the record books in the next episode of Uncle Grandpa!
On this week’s episode of Uncle Grandpa, Thursday, September 11 at 7:30 p.m. (ET/PT)…“The History of Wrestling”– A look back on The Nuttiest Match Ever, a historic wrestling event revolving around legends Chicken Man, The Best, and Mysterious Gus.
Cartoon Network has released clips, stills, and plot synopses for new episodes premiering on Thursday, September 18, 2014.
TEEN TITANS GO!
Trigon takes his anger out on Robin.
On this week’s episode of Teen Titans Go!, Thursday, September 18 at 6:00 p.m. (ET/PT)… “Caramel Apples”–Trigon arrives to wreck the Earth, but only because his daughter Raven didn’t get him anything for Father’s Day. Starfire misses the fatherly relationship, so she starts spending time with Trigon.
When Amethyst cracks her gemstone, Steven and the Crystal Gems go on a mission to heal her.
On this week’s episode of Steven Universe, Thursday, September 18 at 6:30 p.m. (ET/PT)… “An Indirect Kiss”– When Amethyst cracks her gemstone, Steven and the Crystal Gems go on a mission to heal her.
THE AMAZING WORLD OF GUMBALL
Gumball and his friends have their moms compete to see who the World’s Greatest Mom is.
On this week’s episode of The Amazing World of Gumball, Thursday, September 18 at 7:00 p.m. (ET/PT)… “The Mothers”– It’s Mother’s Day and kids put their moms through a series of tests to determine who has the World’s Greatest Mom. It’s Mother’s Day, and Gumball and Darwin discover that Tobias and Banana Joe have both made a card for “The Best Mom in the World.” Clearly Nicole Watterson is the Best Mom, but Tobias and BJ just won’t admit it… So they organize a mom-off at the mall between Nicole, Banana Barbara and Jackie Wilson. Needless to say it gets pretty intense. Note: Mother’s Day themes.
UNCLE GRANDPA
Belly Bag is under the weather in an all-new episode of Uncle Grandpa
On this week’s episode of Uncle Grandpa, Thursday, September 18 at 7:30 p.m. (ET/PT)…“Sick Bag”– Uncle Grandpa journeys inside Belly Bag to cure his friend of a mysterious illness.
Cartoon Network has released clips, stills, and plot synopses for new episodes premiering on Thursday, September 25, 2014.
TEEN TITANS GO!
Robin creates the perfect sandwich in the next episode of Teen Titans Go!
On this week’s episode of Teen Titans Go!, Thursday, September 25 at 6:00 p.m. (ET/PT)… “Sandwich Thief”– Someone has stolen Robin’s perfect sandwich, and he’s on the hunt to find it.
STEVEN UNIVERSE
Steven befriends a magical mirror that can mysteriously communicate with him.
On this week’s Special Half-Hour Episode of Steven Universe, Thursday, September 25 at 6:30 p.m. (ET/PT) “Mirror Gem”– Steven befriends a magical mirror that can mysteriously communicate with him. “Ocean Gem”– The ocean disappears on the first day of summer and Beach City is in a panic.
THE AMAZING WORLD OF GUMBALL
Gumball and Darwin try to figure out the computer password.
On this week’s episode of The Amazing World of Gumball, Thursday, September 25 at 7:00 p.m. (ET/PT)… “The Password”– Gumball and Darwin are shocked to discover that Anais is Dad’s favorite child. Mom has forced Dad to install a password on the computer. The pop-up clue advises them that the password is the name of Dad’s favorite child. After trying “Gumball” and “Darwin” unsuccessfully, they discover the answer is, in fact, “Anais”. They are determined to become Dad’s favourites by any means necessary, even if it means undermining each other, plotting against Anais or driving a wedge between mom and dad…
UNCLE GRANDPA
Rest, relaxation and hotdogs – the perfect vacation for Uncle Grandpa.
On this week’s episode of Uncle Grandpa, Thursday, September 25 at 7:30 p.m. (ET/PT)…“Vacation”– Uncle Grandpa goes on vacation only to discover that being Uncle Grandpa is a full time job.
Cartoon Network has released clips, stills, and plot synopses for episodes premiering on October 2, 2014.
TEEN TITANS GO!
Zapped into an episode of Pretty Pretty Pegasus, the Titans must fight their way out using love and friendship.
On this week’s episode of Teen Titans Go!, Thursday, October 2 at 6:00 p.m. (ET/PT)… “Friendship”– Control Freak zaps the Titans into the latest episode of Pretty, Pretty Pegasus, and the team has to figure out how to help the creatures in order to get home.
Jeff struggles to adapt to his new classroom environment in this week’s episode of Clarence.
On this week’s episode of Clarence, Thursday, October 2 at 6:30 p.m. (ET/PT)… “Average Jeff”–Jeff suffers an identity crisis when a standardized test lands him in the lesser of the classes academic groupings.
STEVEN UNIVERSE
Steven experiences life under one roof with Greg in the next episode of Steven Universe.
On this week’s episode of Steven Universe, Thursday, October 2 at 6:45 p.m. (ET/PT)… “House Guest”– After injuring his leg, Greg comes to live with Steven and unintentionally interferes with Steven’s powers.
THE AMAZING WORLD OF GUMBALL
New episodes of The Amazing World of Gumball premiere Thursdays at 7:00 p.m. (ET/PT)
On this week’s episode of The Amazing World of Gumball, Thursday, October 2 at 7:00 p.m. (ET/PT)… “The Procrastinators”– Gumball and Darwin go to extraordinary lengths to avoid taking out the trash. Gumball and Darwin are offended when Mom calls them “procrastinators”, once she’s told them what it means. They promise to take the trash out by the time she gets home. As the clock slowly counts down, they discover that they will go to extraordinary lengths, no matter how inane, to avoid the task in hand.
UNCLE GRANDPA
Uncle Grandpa and the gang attempt to stop a wicked imposter.
On this week’s *Half-Hour* episode(s) of Uncle Grandpa, Thursday, October 2 at 7:30 p.m. (ET/PT)…“Aunt Grandma”– The gang must stop a nefarious imposter from rendering Uncle Grandpa obsolete.
Uncle Grandpa helps a grounded teen go to a party.
“Grounded” - Uncle Grandpa must fix his mistake after he helps a grounded teen go to a party.
The freewheeling Cartoon Network Anything panel hit in the middle of the last day of New York Comic Con 2014, with an array of panelists so large it overwhelmed the extended table set up on the Empire Stage at the Javits Center. The good news is that if you weren’t at New York Comic Con, missed the panel, or couldn’t get in the room, Cartoon Network got you covered by releasing many of the clips screened for attendees along with videos of some of the panel’s shenanigans. We’ve embedded them as they occurred in the panel; for the accurate New York Comic Con experience, sit about 20 feet away from your monitor and get 800 of your friends to sit with you and make a lot of noise while you watch. Maybe also get a big pillar to block part or all of your view, too.
Hosting the panel was actor Eric Bauza, who screened a video greeting from Adam Devine (who couldn’t attend the con). Devine revealed he’s actually the talent behind everything at Cartoon Network from the writing to the voice acting to the animation. He’s also probably responsible for pushing every last bit of digital information into the coaxial cable that feeds the signal to your cable box. Afterwards, Bauza brought out Uncle Grandpa creator Pete Browngardt and then actor Tom Kenny. Browngardt revealed that guest talent in upcoming episodes of the show will include Tommy Chong (quipping, “Ask your parents who he is” to the audience), Henry Rollins, and Weird Al Yankovic. A special Halloween episode was promised for October 28, where Uncle Grandpa and friends turn their RV into a haunted house. There are also several guest directors coming soon, with some renowned names in animation coming to play in the Uncle Grandpa sandbox. One short was screened for the panel, but I couldn’t make out who the director was and Cartoon Network didn’t release the video for it.
Tom Kenny was sure happy to be there, even if it looked like someone gave him Marcos Siega’s nametag by mistake:
Adventure Time was the next show spotlighted for the panel, with Head of Story Kent Osborne and actors Jessica DiCicco (Flame Princess) and Jeremy Shada (Finn) taking the stage. After some clowning to show off what Adventure Time characters would sound like with New York accents:
Osborne showed off some behind-the-scenes material showing how the show’s crew comes up with ideas for episodes. They’ll play games in the studio where someone will draw something and pass it to the next person, who has one minute to tell a story from it. They also showed two different clips from upcoming episodes: “Jake the Brick” and “Astral Plane”:
After Adventure Time clips were done, Bauza held a dance contest for audience members (who, entirely coincidentally I’m sure, all seemed to be cosplaying characters from Cartoon Network shows):
It did make for some amusing stills, too:
That’s Hanari Cosplay as Opal, there, too; we photographed her the day before.. I thought she deserved bonus points for dancing with multiple arms, but apparently Marcelline’s hair-whip-with-wig trumped her.
Next, Steven Universe took the stage with series creator Rebecca Sugar joined by voice actors Zach Callison (Steven) and Estelle (Garnet). A question about how Sugar writes music for the show quickly led to her ukelele appearing for a duet with Estelle:
Not one to be left out, Zach Callison sang a song also, opting for the “Cookie Cat” theme:
Stills are nice too:
Rebecca Sugar and Estelle duet
Zach Callison singing “Cookie Cat”
Season 2 of the show is well into production, with the season 1 episodes airing now introducing a new gem, Lapis Lazuli; a question to the audience if they wanted to see more gems led to a thunderously positive reaction, as did the following clip from the episode “Island Adventure:”
The next visitors to the panel were Regular Show supervising art director Paula Spence and actor Sam Marin (who voices Benson, Pops, and Muscle Man). Spence briefly described how she ended up working on the show and how her concerns about the lack of visual flash were assuaged by series creator J.G. Quintel. Sam Marin then performed a classic voiceover actor trick that sent Pops, Benson, and Muscle Man to New York City for the first time:
Tom Kenny joked that doing this voiceover trick was all about “making your multiple personality disorder work for you.”
And clips! There were clips. This sizzle reel ran before the panelists came on stage:
This clip is from the upcoming Halloween episode, where Muscle Man takes the gang goes to visit his mom, on the condition that they tell him scary stories on the way:
The next panelist was Spencer Rothbell, writer and voice actor for the title character of Clarence. Comments about the innocent attitude of the show (with Tom Kenny comparing it to Leave it to Beaver in keeping the kids real if not the adults) were followed by three clips from upcoming episodes:
The last show to be highlighted at the panel is the upcoming Over the Garden Wall, with creator Patrick McHale and voice actors Collin Dean, Melanie Lynskey, and Elijah Wood appearing.
The three actors discussed their characters and how they got cast, with all of them hailing the creativity and style of the show. Then they aired clips:
Of the audience Q&A, the most interesting response came from Rebecca Sugar to the question of what her favorite song she’d written for Steven Universe was. She replied that we haven’t heard it yet, but it will be coming soon and is full of spoilers.
Hey, how about some more photos?
Kent Osborne and Jessica DiCicco from “Adventure Time”
Rebecca Sugar and Zach Callison from “Steven Universe”
Elijah Wood at the “Over the Garden Wall” segment of the Cartoon Network Anywhere panel. Courtesy of Cartoon Network
Cartoon Network has released clips, stills, and plot synopses for their “Hallo-Week” of premieres starting October 27, 2014.
LEGO DC COMICS: BATMAN: BE-LEAGUERED
Superman pesters Batman to join The Justice League.
Cartoon Network presents the world-premiere of LEGO DC Comics: Batman: Be-Leaguered, Monday, October 27 at 6:00 p.m. (ET/PT)… “Batman Be-Leaguered”– Batman prides himself on being a loner, a totally self-sufficient one-man-band. Just ask anyone; Batgirl, Robin, Nightwing, Alfred… anyone. So, he is understandably irritated when his nightly cleanup of Gotham City villains is interrupted by Superman, who pesters Batman to join his new superhero team, The Justice League. After Batman makes it quite clear to the Man of Steel that his invitation has been declined. Superman flies off disappointed… whereupon he is overcome with a strange energy and vanishes!
ADVENTURE TIME
Jake is haunted in this special Adventure Time Halloween episode.
On this week’s special Halloween episode of Adventure Time, Tuesday, October 28 at 6:00 p.m. (ET/PT)… “Ghost Fly”– Jake and the tree house are haunted by a vengeful specter.
UNCLE GRANDPA
The gang takes advantage of Tiny Miracle’s generosity.
On this week’s special Halloween episode of Uncle Grandpa, Tuesday, October 28 at 6:15 p.m. (ET/PT)… “Haunted RV”–Tiny Miracle allows the gang to take advantage of his generosity at the expense of his own health.
TEEN TITANS GO!
Raven attempts to bring back the Halloween spirit.
On this week’s special Halloween episode of Teen Titans Go!, Thursday, October 30 at 6:00 p.m. (ET/PT)… “Halloween”– When the other Titans say they’re over Halloween, Raven conjures the Halloween Spirit to give them a good fright.
NEXT PAGE: Clarence, Steven Universe, The Amazing World of Gumball
Cartoon Network had quite a presence at New York Comic Con last October when it brought in a host of guests to attend its massive “CN Anything” panel, which you can read all about here. In attendance was creative and voice acting talent behind all of the channel’s latest big productions: Adventure Time, Clarence, Over the Garden Wall, Regular Show, Steven Universe and Uncle Grandpa. During the convention the guests were also made available for a service of roundtable interviews, and Toonzone was there with many other outlets to discuss their work.
Following below are edited transcripts for a series of four roundtable interviews conducted over the course of an hour. First up is a roundtable for Regular Show and Uncle Grandpa with Pete Browngardt, Paula Spence, Eric Bauza and Sam Marin. Second is a discussion of Adventure Time with Kent Osborne and Jessica DiCicco. After that is Steven Universe and Clarence with Rebecca Sugar, Spencer Rothbell, Zach Callison and Estelle Fanta Swaray, and then last and far from least is an interview about the mini-series Over the Garden Wall with Patrick McHale, Melanie Lynskey and Collin Dean. Read on for them all!
Regular Show and Uncle Grandpa Roundtable Interview
Guests – Pete Browngardt (creator and voice of Uncle Grandpa), Eric Bauza (voice of Belly Bag in Uncle Grandpa), Sam Marin (voice of Pops in Regular Show), Paula Spence (supervising art director, Regular Show)
Q: My first question is geared more towards Regular Show. Pops, where did you come up with the voice for it?
SAM MARIN: I think just looking at sketches and drawings first and then probably just playing around with it. I think his voice started a little bit more lower and just more of my own voice and then it kind of got higher sounding, probably just to make him different from Benson.
Q: You also do Muscle Man, right?
Eric Bauza, voice of Belly Bag in “Uncle Grandpa”
SAM MARIN: Yes.
Q: Two different variations, right? (laughter)
SAM MARIN: Muscle Man is all in the throat.
Q:How about Pops? Where’s Pops?
SAM MARIN: Pops, I think, is all in my head (laughter)
Q: Sam, if you wouldn’t mind, could you do any of the voices that you do on the show?
SAM MARIN: (laughs, as Pops) Oh, of course! I’m Pops…(as Benson) I’m Benson, hello. Nice to meet all of you. (as Muscle Man) And I’m Muscle Man. Hey. How’s it goin’?
Q: Pete, how was your work on Futurama?
PETE BROWNGARDT: It was good! It was my first job. I was 19, and I did the character layout, which is sort of pose characters out in the scene, and then they time it out and send it to Korea to be animated. But it was amazing. I’m really grateful for that experience, and super proud to have worked on that show. I worked on it mostly in the second and third seasons. Looking back on it, it was really just a great show.
TOONZONE NEWS: Would you say there was anything from the past that influences your work on Uncle Grandpa?
PETE BROWNGARDT: Everything! Really, I mean -
TZN: Anything special, though?
PETE BROWNGARDT: I don’t know, The Far Side, Gary Larsen, MAD Magazine, old Looney Tunes cartoons, Max Fleischer and Tex Avery. All that stuff.
Q: I was going to ask you because it’s such a weird, far-out show that it’s very MAD magazine friendly. How does it feel to just put everything out there and just go for weird?
PETE BROWNGARDT: It’s awesome, it’s super-freeing. I can’t believe they let me do it half the time.
PAULA SPENCE: You have to tell them that story from yesterday.
PETE BROWNGARDT: Which one?
PAULA SPENCE: Sergio Aragones.
PETE BROWNGARDT: Oh, yeah, yeah. Speaking of MAD Magazine, at the WonderCon in Anaheim, Sergio Aragones from MAD Magazine, brilliant and everything, was there, and I was like, “Oh, I have to go and say “hi” to him,” and he was at the booth and nobody was really coming up. So I went over and I talked to him and he recognized my name off the bat, and he was like, “Ah, where is that name?” And I told him about the show, and he had seen the show and he said, “You’re crazy.” (laughter) He was like, “Yeah, something’s going on up there with you.” And that was the greatest compliment that anyone could ever give. This is someone who, when I was like 8, I’d stare at his drawings in MAD Magazine for hours and try to copy them in my notebooks and stuff. And he knew something I had made, it was amazing. It was cooler than meeting, oh, I don’t know, Bruce Springsteen or something. For me, it was a big deal.
Q: Do you ever feel like you have certain limitations to just how out there you go with what it is that you create?
PETE BROWNGARDT: The only thing that we try to stay consistent is character and archetypes. We try to make the characters consistent, so if they do weird stuff, it’s “how would they react to it?” specifically. But no, not really any limitations. “No limitations” is our mind and it’s like, “OK, what do we do next?” And it’s challenging when you do a TV show and you can do so many episodes. It’s always like you do a really good storyboard for an episode, and you’re like, “Yeah! That was a good one!” and then “OK, let’s do it again, let’s be funny again. Let’s be funny again, and again, and in a different way, and again and again and again.” So, that’s challenging. We have little writer retreats where we get together and we try writing games and stuff like that, and come up with ideas and brainstorm.
Q: Eric, how was your work in Batman: Arkham City?
ERIC BAUZA: Oh, man. I’m rarely asked to do action video games, because come on. (laughter) But I guess that’s the best part about being a voiceover artist, you can just throw yourself into different situations. The same people that usually voice direct regular shows – but not Regular Show! – was Kris Zimmerman. She’s another woman who does a lot of video games. Collette Sunderman brought me on to do Batman and I played an Asian doctor on that, because come on (laughter). But it was great. There will be hardcore fans of that stuff, that were like, “Yeah, I was playing that game and you were that Asian doctor who was kidnapped by the Riddler! Cool! OK, I’ll see you later!” (laughter) It happened in the restroom, like, 5 minutes ago. It’s crazy. But yeah, I’m super happy to be called in to work whenever I can.
Q: I have a question for you, Sam. Being three major voices on Regular Show, what’s it like when you’re recording an episode, if you go back and watch it and see what a big amount of the episodes you are. What does that feel like? It’s Almost like a one-man show kind of thing.
SAM MARIN: Well, the first time it just made me laugh to hear my voice coming out of a cartoon. Even in school, when J.G. [Quintel] would just show me the animatics, he’d show me first because he was really secretive, but he’d be like, “Oh, Sam already worked on it so I’ll show him at least.” And I’d be just sitting in the computer lab laughing, and nobody would know what I was laughing at (laughter). I think I just get a kick out of it.
PAULA SPENCE: It’s pretty funny watching it. I haven’t seen it that often, but he talks – you go back and forth without thinking.
Q: Yeah, do you do that? Do you do runs? Or do you actually switch characters and have them talk to each other?
SAM MARIN: We do, at least the first time. I mean, I’m sure sometimes it doesn’t work out, but sometimes we do.
ERIC BAUZA: He’s the Mel Blanc of that show, you know? Literally. All the characters.
Q: So when you record, do you do them individually or do you go from character to character? Like you’ll be having a conversation with yourself?
ERIC BAUZA: We’ll do that once, and then we’ll just pick up one line at a time usually. Sometimes I’ll just read for one character through the scene, and someone else will read for the others just so I can focus on a character.
Q: Paula, what should we expect this year for Regular Show?
PAULA SPENCE: There’s been a few episodes that really killed me and my art team, just because it’s really fun to work really hard for J.G. He works really hard himself, and then hey throw these episodes at us and I’m like, “GAAAAAH! So many characters, so many wild things happening.”And, of course, a lot of stuff gets destroyed, but there’s going to be a lot of emotional drama in that love triangle, with Mordecai, Margaret, and Cloudy J. There’s some big stuff happening for Muscle Man, some big drama with Muscle Man, some really big special characters. We’ve got some half-hour specials, it’s going to be amazing.
TZN: Paula, could you talk a bit about the approach you take to the art style on this show?
PAULA SPENCE: As Sam said, J.G. likes to keep things to himself. Pretty secretive with his work, but he and I have worked together on Camp Lazlo and Flapjack, so he came to me and said, “I don’t know how to do the art, can you help me?” And that was it. We just worked together from there. He had some artists that influenced him. He had a very specific look in mind, it’s called Regular Show for a reason. He wanted those backgrounds to seem like everyone’s life. Everyone’s home, like…my job as the art director is to make sure that those backgrounds and all the artwork support the animation and the writing. Just help tell the story, plus it out, and then I have to make sure that we can actually produce the show. An 11-minute episode every week. I think it all worked out. I was kind of worried during the pilot stages that the backgrounds and the artwork might have looked a little boring, but he kept reminding me, “It’s called Regular Show for a reason.” And then when we actually screened all those Cartoonstitute shorts, the first few that came on, I was like, “God I can’t look at anything, I can’t concentrate!” But when Regular Show started, that theme music started, and it worked. I was so happy, and I’m glad that people like the look of the show. It’s fun to work on.
Q: I have a question for Pete. What was it like when you pitched an idea like Uncle Grandpa to Cartoon Network?
PETE BROWNGARDT: It was pretty terrifying (laughter). They asked me, Craig McCracken at the time, actually asked me – he saw I pitched something to him a long time ago, before he asked me, and it was an incarnation of Uncle Grandpa. He came to my cubicle and was like, “You should try to pitch this for the shorts program.” And I was like, “OK.” You listen when someone like that says something like that, someone I look up to. So I went back and I kept trying to come up with an idea, I kept postponing my pitch. I can’t postpone it again, I have to do it. So I just sat down and from beginning to end did it, storyboarded it out. And the reason there’s a photo of a tiger is because I can’t draw tigers, so (laughter). I was just like “Oh, I’ll fix it later for the pitch, it’ll get the idea across.” And then everyone loved it, so I was like (Uncle Grandpa voice) “Yeah! I did that on purpose.” It’s just funny because you’re under the gun just to get something done, it’s a happy accident kind of thing as Bob Ross used to say. And then I went in there, and I showed it to my girlfriend at the time, wife now, and she said, “This is really great!” “It is? Good, because I got to get in my car and speed to the studio directly from home,” and I went in and I pitched it and it went really good. And they told me that day that they were going to make it – not the series, but the pilot at that time. It was amazing. For a kid who just grew up loving cartoons and wanting to do this, and finding out it was an actual job you can do and to have a career in. To actually have a show now? I don’t know. It’s surreal.
Q: Where did you get the Pizza Steve idea from?
PETE BROWNGARDT: You know, you really want to know? I had another show – nobody’s ever asked me this, but it’s a great story. I had another show and it didn’t go well, and I was a little bummed out. I was a little confused at the time about what to do next. There was a buddy of mine I was in the office with and I had a dry-erase board in my office, and I was like, “You know what? I’m just going to draw a pizza with sunglasses.” (laughter) Who could not like a pizza with sunglasses? It’s so iconic, it’s simple, and then I was like, “Nobody’s ever done this before.” Kind of like a weird mascot for a food chain or something. I always loved how cheesy those type of mascots from the 80′s, 90′s, 70′s, all through the time. And I did it, and I called him “Stu Slice,” (laughter) and then it went to Pizza Joe and we couldn’t do Pizza Joe because of legal concerns or whatever.
PAULA SPENCE: We ate there last night.
PETE BROWNGARDT: Yeah, exactly (laughter). So K.C. Alexander, who is my creative director now on the show, was like, “Steve’s kind of a jerk.” We knew the character was kind of an egomaniac kind of a jerk, and he’s like “I hope no one’s named Steve here. It kind of has a jerky sound. Pizza Steve, because it doesn’t really go.” And he named him. So it was literally like “I’m gonna sell this dumb idea,” and then you’re like, “You know what, this could actually work.” And Uncle Grandpa is this weirdo old magical man with a thing, so of course he’s going to have a friend that’s a dinosaur and a piece of pizza, it’s kind of a Pee-Wee’s Playhouse thing. It all kind of worked together. Another one of those accidents, you know? You just don’t know where inspiration will come from. You just have to be yourself, do stuff, and something will hit you.
PAULA SPENCE: And if people laugh at it -
PETE BROWNGARDT: Yeah, exactly. That’s what it is. As pure as that.
Q: So what’s it like coming up with ideas for that show? What goes into that, when you come up with episodes?
PETE BROWNGARDT: A lot of different types of episodes. We do ones that are a helping a kid episode, we have a structure for those kind of things. Then we do kind of Seinfeld-esque ones, where they go to the movies. How would these characters go to the movies? And you write to their character. Like how would Uncle Grandpa eat popcorn? He wouldn’t eat it like a normal person, he’d eat it weird or something. You try to figure it out that way, and write from there. We have brainstorming group sessions, I really give a lot of responsibility to my storyboard artists and writers to invest in the show and let their ideas shine through. To empower them so they get inspired, and then they’ll bring a lot of ideas to the table. So we all try to go away and come up with ideas, and then have meetings.
Q: What do you feel like the role of the magic is in your show?
PETE BROWNGARDT: Probably, it’s for imagination. The idea of Uncle Grandpa is that he comes and he’s sort of a facet of the world’s imagination or something. The magic sort of makes him unique, special in the normal world, but also he can bring items along or take them out of belly bag here, and then it helps support the adventure and tell the story and be creative in terms of story. I use it that way.
Q: In Regular Show, there was an episode where Rigby changed his name to Trash Boat. Why Trash Boat?
SAM MARIN: (as Muscle Man) Who knows? Because Rigby is stupid.
PAULA SPENCE: He did look around the room. He saw a pile of trash, he saw a picture of a boat on the wall, and that’s where he got the name. Well, I had to do the artwork. The background, the photo of the boat or the painting of the boat.
Q: That’s one of my best friend’s nicknames. “Trash Boat.”
PAULA SPENCE: Really? That’s awesome.
Q: What are the chances of a crossover between Uncle Grandpa and Regular Show?
PETE BROWNGARDT: I don’t know, I don’t -
PAULA SPENCE: Nobody’s ever asked you?
PETE BROWNGARDT: No, no one has.
ERIC BAUZA: It’s happening right now! (laughter)
SAM MARIN: Well, this is STRAAAAANNGE! History in the making.
PETE BROWNGARDT: It would have to come somehow organically. I’d have to be hanging out with J.G. or seeing him somewhere, and some kind of joke would happen. Yeah, that would work, but it hasn’t happened yet.
Adventure Time Roundtable Interview
Guests: Head of story Kent Osborne, voice actress Jessica DiCicco (Flame Princess)
Q: My first question is probably straight from left field, but personally I would like to see an Adventure Time / Regular Show crossover episode. Has anyone ever come to you guys about that idea?
KENT OSBORNE: I think you just did (laughter). I think, aside from a casual mention, the executives kind of sit down with us at the beginning of each season and just go over a bunch of stuff. It might have been suggested, but they’ve never said, “You have to do this.” But I don’t think Pen [Pendleton Ward] is too interested in that. I don’t know if J.G. is either, but yeah. We could. We hear that a lot from fans, too. “Please do it!”
From left to right: Jeremy Shada (voice of Finn, Adventure Time), Jessica DiCicco (Flame Princess, Adventure Time) and Zach Callison (Steven, Steven Universe)
Q: Listen to the fans!
KENT OSBORNE: Yeah, I like crossovers. I think they’re really fun. I think that if there’s a way to do it, they can be really fun, but I don’t know that we’ve come up with a way and a reason to do it.
Q: Now’s the time.
KENT OSBORNE: Yeah? OK, all right, let’s do it.
Q: Jessica, how did you start with voiceover? Because you’re in Pound Puppies and playing Flame Princess. What’s it like getting into it?
JESSICA DICICCO: It just happened very organically. I moved out to LA to produce and direct TV, and I was auditioning on the side for voiceovers, and all of a sudden, I booked like 5 pilots and 3 of them turned into shows. And I was like, “OK, I guess this is my calling. I guess I’m going to voice act.” And I’m so happy that happened, it’s been so much fun.
Q: Adventure Time has a history of characters like Princess Bubblegum and Ice King and Lemongrab who started out as standard fantasy tropes and get characteristics added to them that bring them out of those spaces. Most recently, we saw that with Finn and Jake’s dog parents that we’ve seen mostly that their mom was being the protective mom, and then we got a whole episode about her being this kickass adventurer. Is this a concerted effort on the part of the crew to flesh out these side characters, and add sort of niches that they come from? And are there any on the docket to take a second look at?
KENT OSBORNE: Definitely. With the Ice King and trying to figure out “What’s his backstory and why did he end up like that?”, you don’t want to tell the same story over and over. He was this kind of bumbling villain, but I think that’s part of the process for the kind of board-driven show that gives creative freedom to the boarders. They get an outline that’s pretty basic, and that episode where we revealed that Ice King was once Simon, that came from the boarding. That wasn’t in the outline, and we had a whole different idea for that, we were trying to board it and it wasn’t working, and Pat McHale, actually, he kind of wrote that whole monologue at the end and we were like, “Oh my God! This is going to be great!” So we’re kind of organically doing it as we’re figuring it out, which I think is the way to do it. That being said, we don’t really plan it ahead of time, but we talk about things. The whole Simon and Marcy storyline came because there was an episode where Ice King was doing the Fry song, and I think someone said, “have we ever had an episode with Ice King and Marceline?” And were talking about, “What’s a good reason why they haven’t been in an episode together?” We kind of started talking about, “Well, maybe they have a history. Maybe something painful happened. So yeah, I think kind of trusting in the process, that’s where a lot of the storytelling and the mythology building is from.
Q: What goes into writing a character like Lemongrab, who’s so far out there he’s just downright crazy?
KENT OSBORNE: I mean, we wrote that outline and it was just supposed to be this weird weirdo who shouldn’t be in charge, and then Tom Herpich and Jesse Moynihan boarded it and it was even more weird. He was right in that weird camel horse thing, and he was kind of a weirdo. And then when Justin [Roiland] came in to the booth and just started screaming his head off, we were like, “What the?” It’s like 80% him, that character. We thought it was just going to be a one-time thing, and we’re like, “nobody’s going to want to watch this guy who’s just screaming and set off the whole time.” And he’ll come in, and after the record you go to hug him and he’s just covered in sweat (laughter). He’s just super-sweaty, and he’ll just do take after take and really just shreds his throat. And he’s doing Rick and Morty. I think the next episode that we had, we’re like, “Oh, and now Lemongrab has a bunch of mutants! And they’re all going to be you! They’re all your voice.” He’s like, “What?” He would have to break it up into 2 different sessions, we don’t do that for anyone else. But yeah, hats off to Justin for being a lunatic.
TZN: So there have been some pretty significant events in recent episodes, like Simon and Betty, and everything that Finn went through with his dad and the side-effect of the Lich becoming a giant baby or what have you. Down the line, are there any adventures you can share with us that you would consider a big moment?
KENT OSBORNE: Well, there’s definitely going to be more episodes dealing with those things, like the Lich and Betty. I don’t know if we’re completely done with Finn and what he’s gone through with his dad. I can’t get into specifics, but we’re going to continue some of the stuff we set up. Sometimes we like to plan something and just put it out there and have it sit there for awhile. In the writer’s room, we had a piece of paper that said, “Unresolved Stories,” and I think we had “The Lich” and “Finn’s Dad.” After awhile they started really adding up, so we were like, “OK, we gotta start dealing with some of these.” So we’d just pick one and start talking about it and stuff. But it happens very slowly and organically. But yeah, definitely. Season 6 is going to end and deal with a lot of that stuff pretty well.
TZN: One thing that just came to mind, you’ve done some experimental episodes like “Food Chain” with Masaaki Yuasa. How does that kind of arrangement come about?
KENT OSBORNE: Well, first of all it was David O’Reilly, and I think it was Pen and Adam Muto being fans of those guys. I think because we’re pretty successful, the executives at Cartoon Network. – we ask them, “Hey can we do something cool like this?” and they’re like “Yeah, do whatever you like.” They’re really good, they kind of trust us. I mean, they still want to see, “Well, what’s the story going to be and what’s it going to look like?” It goes through all the stops, we have to submit everything at every stage. Yuasa just came to LA and met with us a couple of times. That was all his idea, “Food Chain” had all these beautiful watercolor illustrations that he does, it was incredible. We kind of helped a little bit and shaped the story, but it was all him. Then we recorded and sent it to him and he animated it. We’re doing a couple more of those with guest directors, it’s pretty exciting.
Q: So, Kent, what’s it like working when you have a celebrity guest stars on the show? I remember Andy Milonakis.
KENT OSBORNE: Well, Andy’s great. He’s been back a bunch and he’s always really funny and he’s happy to be there (laughs). Sometimes, I’m pretty starstruck. We’ve had some people from The Office, I’m a big fan of that show. So any time someone from The Office comes in, I get all creepy-man or something. Like, Tom Ever, I asked him “can I take a picture with you?” He was like, “OK.” But Rainn Wilson, he actually contacted us, he’s a big fan of the show and he watches it with his son. So he contacted us. I got a post-it one day that said, “Rainn Wilson wants to do a voice,” so we’re like, “Oh! OK.” We kept it in mind. We didn’t want to just shoehorn him into something. And it got to a point where he called again, the next Post-It came in all-caps: “Rainn Wilson really wants to do a voice.” And then we did Rattleballs, and when Rattleballs came we said, “Rainn would be perfect for this,” And he was great because he was really interested in it. He wanted to look at the board, and when he wasn’t recording he was watching us direct the actors. So that was great. But I get really star struck. We get a lot of funny comedians and stuff. They’re really nice. Stephen Root plugs the show, and Andy (Dale). They’re all super fun to work with.
Q: This is for both of you. It seems like Finn cares enormously whether Flame Princess is evil or not. Do you think that Flame Princess really cares?
JESSICA DICICCO: I think she knows she’s not. She’s just such a complicated, dynamic character and I feel I learn more about her every episode that she’s in. I don’t think she’s evil.
KENT OSBORNE: No, she’s…chaotic neutral? (laughter)
JESSICA DICICCO: She’s passionate.
KENT OSBORNE: There’s a great Flame Princess episode coming up this season. It’s one of my favorites, Jessica is amazing in it.
Q: Now that she’s the monarch of the Flame Kingdom, I imagine there’s a sort of a change from the wandering and living in this wooden teepee that Finn made.
JESSICA DICICCO: Is she is considered Flame Queen now, or is she still Flame Princess?
KENT OSBORNE: I think we’re calling her Flame King. (laughter)
JESSICA DICICCO: Nice. And Keith David. He’s so awesome.
KENT OSBORNE: You were really upset when they [Flame Princess and Finn] broke up.
JESSICA DICICCO: I was. I thought it was such a good – I really liked them together. But I don’t know, I think Finn has so much room to grow. Flame Princess has been locked up in a lantern her whole life, for 16 years. So it’s just interesting to see how she navigates and what her compass is, and…I don’t know. I’m interested to see where you guys take her.
Q: Any real concerted efforts to explain the world that Adventure Time happens in? You have the Simon and Marcy episodes that happen more in the past. Personally, I think those are some of the most well thought-out, most amazing stories. They’re ones that I really look forward to. Are we going to get any kind of indication of what happens to the world? Is this the same world? Especially the zombies?
KENT OSBORNE: I don’t know if we’re ever going to get super-specific, and explain everything where you can go by dates and see everything that happens. But, we are gong to revisit that stuff and try and add more to it and maybe connect things and explain things. But usually, we’re more interested in just telling a good story, and it happens to be, “Oh, we can set this in the past and have a flashback or something.” And it’ll tell the story. I like those episodes, too. “Simon and Marcy” makes me cry.
Q: Me too!
KENT OSBORNE: It makes Pen cry. Everybody cries.
Q: On the opposite side, do you ever stop and think about a few of the episodes you make? You do have your standard one-shot episodes where nothing really seems to happen ultimately, and then you have episodes like “A Glitch is a Glitch,” where as a viewer and as a fan I don’t know how to interpret something like that.
KENT OSBORNE: That’s stuff like a one-off, and that’s all David O’Reilly. If didn’t work on the show and I was just a fan, I’d just be like, “Oh, I”m watching someone else’s interpretation of something.” Like I’m watching…how would you describe it?
Q: Fan fiction?
KENT OSBORNE: Yeah, fan fiction. Yeah, yeah. You get to watch someone you really like, who’s a really good animator in a different style, do some fan fiction.
Q: That’s a good way to put it.
KENT OSBORNE: Yeah. Good job! (laughter)
Q: On the matter of bringing up Pen switching roles. Are we looking at it with fresh eyes now? Is that going to change the direction of show in any way?
KENT OSBORNE: Yeah, well he – you’re talking about the Rolling Stone interview? Yeah. I think, when he got to season 5, he was pretty exhausted, he’d been working on it non-stop. I don’t know if it was as dramatic as they kind of made it sound. I think that guy was kind of – he was doing his job (laughs). SpongeBob was my first job, and Steve Hillenburg did 3 seasons and did the movie and then he kind of stepped away, and Paul Tippet started running the show. And I know that’s kind of similar to Matt Groening and The Simpsons. So to me, it seems kind of normal, nobody can keep that up. When he stepped down he did it in a gradual way, and he’s still in the writer’s meetings.He’s boarding episodes, he’s writing songs, he’s still there. And Adam Muto has been on since the beginning, and he’s definitely like…that guy can do that job, but for some reason he drinks coffee and is just always there and always working. You never see him on Facebook or anything, he’s just constantly working (laughs). But yeah, it was funny to…I think Pen, he just wants to keep being creative. He wants to make video games and he wants to write a movie and make music. I think he just wants to not be doing this day to day grind. It’s really tough, it’s a full-time job and it takes a lot out of you. But, I don’t know if it says…that Rolling Stone interview came out and then Cartoon Brew was like, “Pen Ward was going nuts!” And there was a picture of him, like -
TZN: Not so much?
KENT OSBORNE: Yeah. It’s weird because that picture, he’s tired of having his picture taken because he always makes that face. If you search for him, there’s just all these pictures of him going, “Rraharr” you know? He was like, “I don’t want to do that anymore. I’ve already done it.” So yeah, it’s not as dramatic as they were making it sound. It’s not like they rushed him out in a straitjacket!
Steven Universe and Clarence Roundtable Interview
Guests: Rebecca Sugar (creator, Steven Universe), Spencer Rothbell (Head of story and voice for Clarence), Estelle Fanta Swaray (voice of Garnet in Steven Universe), Zach Callison (voice of Steven in Steven Universe)
Q: How did the idea of Steven Universe come to fruition?
Rebecca Sugar, creator of Steven Universe
REBECCA SUGAR: I started with wanting to do something about my younger brother Steven. We were both big sort of fantasy nerds growing up, so I wanted to try and combine the feeling of the stuff we grew up with – the kind of video games we used to play and the stuff we used to watch – with how it actually felt to be growing up with Steven. To sort of have my best friend be my sibling, that to me was the feeling I wanted to capture with the show.
Q: The show’s sort of taken its time rolling out the larger details of the gem’s world, but we’ve had a couple of episodes recently that really sort of started things off, and started revealing some of those things. Is this the beginning of more frequent hints at the larger world, or is it going to maintain the same pace of exposition?
REBECCA SUGAR: Well, I think the snowball is kind of rolling now, in an unstoppable way. There are things that are pretty complicated that are going on with the gems. Things that they don’t really think Steven is ready to know about, but it’s becoming impossible to ignore. And it’s going to become more impossible, increasingly impossible to ignore as the season rolls out. So you can just watch it. You’re going to learn everything that he does, and see it.
Q: How did you come up with the storyline of Clarence, particularly the pilot episode?
SPENCER ROTHBELL: I actually didn’t work on the pilot, that was Skyler Page who created the series. I was brought on, basically, about 4 or 5 episodes into the series. But in general, coming up with stories, usually it comes from either something that happened to me or one of the other crew during childhood, or something that we’ve never seen represented on TV. We try to take a small story and make it bigger, using our own characters and the world we’ve established.
Q: Estelle, How did you get involved with Steven Universe? Are you excited about the new album coming out?
ESTELLE: Oh yeah, of course. Her people called my people. *laughter* They called my agent and from what I got to hear about the character, I was like, “I think I could do that. It sounds like me.” *laughter* And getting into it, it really is that. I come from a huge family. I have five sisters and three brothers, and they’re all younger than me, so I understand taking care of them and being responsible for them screaming every 3 minutes. Being like, “If you don’t come here, you’re going to get your head knocked!” I understand that, so it was pretty easy. It’s been fun. I’m waiting, I’m excited for the new album. I’ve been working on that in between the movie. I kind of started this process at the end of the last album. It’s fun, it just gives me extra – I’ve known I had extra vocal abilities, and I get to work them here. It’s kind of cool. It’s an interesting balance.
TZN: Is there a chance for Garnet to get her own musical number?
ESTELLE: Ha-HAH! *laughter* I’ll tell her that. I’ll tell her that.
REBECCA SUGAR: There’s a PRETTY good chance. *laughter* But do you think I’m going to rush a song for Estelle?
ESTELLE: But she is an awesome songwriter, and she and her team have been doing songs on the show so far. I love her work. The theme song in itself is brilliant.
ZACH CALLISON: I actually had the ending for my original audition, the extended theme song. It had a little bit up front. She actually had me sing it for the audition when I recorded it and sent it in, in addition for doing the dialogue for the original pilot. And I was already impressed by that when I first saw that, when I first heard the song.
Spencer Rothbell, head of story and voice of Clarence
Q: What’s it like being the main character on this show, being Steven?
ZACH CALLISON: Well, it’s the first time I’ve had the lead on a show before, but it’s really fun. Getting to come in every week and work on a character like this on a show like this that’s so much fun, it’s like the shows that I watched growing up on Cartoon Network. It’s kind of a dream come true. It’s a blast and I’m having a lot of fun with it.
Q: To you, how important was it that you actually enjoyed this show yourself?
ZACH CALLISON: I think it makes it more fun to be part of the project. If you don’t enjoy the product that you’re working on, can you say that you can get any satisfaction working on it? Sometimes, there are things that are tougher to do, maybe that I don’t like to do, but in the end it all leads to an integral part of your career that you really really enjoy working on and that you’ll cherish.
Q: Seems like you’re always a superhero. You’re Billy Batson, you’re Steven Universe. It’s a good way to do things, man.
ZACH CALLISON: Yeah, you gotta play the hero man. Although, I would like to do more villain stuff. I haven’t really done much of anything in the actual villain thing. I’ve done some characters with attitudes, or smart mouths, but never a villain, so that might be an interesting path.
REBECCA SUGAR: It’s fun that Steven with Stevens. Because Steven, well, our main timeline Steven learns to understand that he’s obnoxious, and at that point, he becomes jaded and basically a jaded Steven can’t exist or it breaks the show, so he has to be destroyed. But there’s this 5 minutes of a seriously jaded, and then a criminally insane Steven, that he did an amazing job with. Also three very passive-aggressive Stevens, all of that very new. That kind of Steven had never existed.
ZACH CALLISON: And then eventually Steven mass-murders at the end of the episode, and then we’re left with Steven.
TZN: Rebecca, is there any animated works that you and the team consciously try to reference or pay homage to? There was one episode where Pearl clones herself, and Steven has to deal with it. And some fans observed that some of the action choreography seemed to resemble things out of Revolutionary Girl Utena. Is there anything to that?
REBECCA SUGAR: I used to love that show. *laughter* I love that show. That was storyboarded by Joe Johnston, who is a brilliant artist. I love a lot of anime, I love a lot of the cartoons. I suppose, we make a lot of references to things that we love in cartoons, but I try to have it be from so many different things that together, they really make something really new. That’s really my goal.
Q: Garnet’s very tight-lipped and a taciturn kind of character and yet she’s taken on the leader role in the absence of Rose Quartz. Do you think that was a difficult transition for her to sort of take on a role that meant she had to interact more with the other gems?
ESTELLE: Again, I understand completely, we identify. I think she does a good job of it, and you see more and more and more that she becomes a bit more open and a bit warmer to Steven. It’s cool to see. When you look at what the characters do, it’s people who need to identify with that. When you get around people that you love, you become more open. She gets to it, it just takes her a minute. *laughs*
TZN: For Spencer, it often feels like an episode of Clarence is a chance to drop in the everyday life of this carefree kid. When I first saw the first episode, I thought it was like visiting a summer vacation. Do you think the goal of Clarence is kind of showcasing someone very relatable, or representing a sort of childhood ideal?
SPENCER ROTHBELL: I don’t know. I think for a lot of the people on the crew, it’s sort of this weird, oddball, outcast group. Him and Jeff and Sumo are all these characters that are really bizarre and flawed and they don’t really fit in. but they find a way to fit in with each other. But it’s definitely about childhood in a lot of ways and just kind of this weird sort of Napoleon Dynamite timeframe, where it’s not really now and it’s not really the 90′s or the 80′s. It’s sort of ambiguous – there’s technology, but it doesn’t really work well. But [we're] just sort of focusing on kids and playing outside and being real kids, that sort of thing. Keeping it grounded and having it feel like a real world.
Q: So Spencer, what kind of prank calls did you do in college?
SPENCER ROTHBELL: Prank Calls. Oh yeah, that’s sort of what I attribute getting the job to in a weird way. Pat[rick] Harpin was one of the original writers on the show and Skyler Page created the show, and I would do weird prank calls. I would call, like, I’d call product hotlines and stuff and see how long I could keep them on the phone. [I'd'] just make these weird claims about the products that don’t make any sense. Because they’re trying to make a sale so they’ll keep you on for hours. I don’t know why I would do that, I guess I was really bored. *laughter* Between animating, I think if you’re staring at paper and screens for too long, you just start to entertain yourself in between not so well.
Over the Garden Wall Roundtable Interview
Guests: Creator Patrick McHale, voice actress Melanie Lynskey (Beatrice), voice actor Collin Dean (Greg)
Q: I was going to ask you a question. How did you come up with the idea for Over the Garden Wall?
From left to right: Collin Dean (Greg), Patrck McHale (creator of Over the Garden Wall), Melanie Lynskey (Beatrice)
PATRICK MCHALE:: A lot of it is kind of personal experience and sitting and daydreaming about things that and – I don’t know. A lot of it is just daydreams, I think, and thinking about this kind of place to escape in and get lost in. It’s very fall-themed, so being in Los Angeles for like, 8 years without the autumn season was part of it, too. Just kind of daydreaming about that fantasy version of it.
Q: How’s it like working with Elijah Wood?
PATRICK MCHALE: It was amazing, it was so good. Yeah. He was exactly who I wanted. I said this earlier, but when I was looking for a voice for Wirt, the older brother, I said, “Oh, like, an Elijah Wood-type voice.” And they just asked him and he was like, “Yeah, sure.” *laughter* He just brings so much emotion to the emotional scenes and comedy to the comedy scenes. I feel like the cast that we got was exactly what I would have written on a list of, “If I could get anyone in the world, I would get this person and this person,” and those were the people we got! It was amazing. Everyone we got is so well suited to their character and their voice. Elijah’s character is sort of the central character and he goes through maybe the biggest journey in the series, so just his talent of being able to find those emotions. A lot of the acting ideas came from him, he’d be like “Oh, can I do it in a different way?” He would find just what was needed.
Q: Melanie, you’ve been in so many great movies and TV shows. My favorite is Detroit Rock City.
MELANIE LYNSKEY: That’s so random! (laughter)
Q: How’d you get involved?
MELANIE LYNSKEY: I got an audition. My manager said, “Do you want to go audition for this?” and I looked at it and thought it was so beautiful and so special and I know Elijah a little bit through Peter Jackson, so that was exciting for me. We got to work a little together one time, but that was OK. I was just super-excited about it and I went to audition, and the asked me to do it.
TZN: I’d like to ask both Collin and Melanie, what do you think are really defines your characters in the show? What’s the dominant traits for them, in your opinion?
COLLIN DEAN: Well, Greg is kind of clueless. They could be in crazy danger and he’ll just be like, “Duh-duh-duh-duh-duh!” and then Wirt is like, “We’re in Danger! We gotta get out of here!” And Greg will be like, “Have you been listening to anything I’ve been saying?” *laughter* He just spaces off and he’ll be like, “Let’s go this way,” and he’ll be like, “OK. We’ll go THIS way.” If they’re in trouble, he’s kind of the…I’m trying to think of the word.
He’s the comic relief, he’s kind of the comic relief.
MELANIE LYNSKEY: The thing that I really love about this show is that it sort of subverts your expectations a lot of the time. When you’re watching the story and there’ll be a little twist in it, you’ll be like, “Oh, that’s not what I expected.” So the fun thing about Beatrice is that she’s very grumpy and impatient, but the lovely thing is that there’s something underlying that and she has her own agenda and her own past. So it’s not just a grumpy character but there’s a lot of layers to it, which was a lot of fun to play with.
Q: You’re Cartoon Network’s first original mini-series. Why was that the choice for the show as opposed to a whole series or a movie?
PATRICK MCHALE: Well, it’s sort of a difficult show to make. The amount of musical variety and we’re using real instruments for all the music, not synths. And the backgrounds are so complicated. And the animation quality we wanted to be a bit higher, and it’s not something that could be really sustained for a long and ongoing series. Also, it was nice to have the arc of the mini-series where you can tell one large story and kind of explore the characters as you would in like a feature or something, but then because every episode has this little new place that they go, it made sense to have it be episodic and not just one long-form story. And it was hard to write.
Q: Do you ever want to work on something like this again in the future with Cartoon Network?
PATRICK MCHALE: Possibly. It was really hard. *laughter* So right now, it feels like, “Oh, I want to do something that’s easier.” But maybe.
Q: Now, what does the show, to you at least, say about family and especially about brotherhood? Because that seemed to be the most important [thing].
PATRICK MCHALE: I think some of the lessons in that, you’ll learn as you watch it and I wouldn’t want to say now. I don’t want to give too much away, but family and responsibility are pretty good themes in it.
TZN: You were talking about music a minute or two ago. How would you describe the role of music in this miniseries?
PATRICK MCHALE: Well, the mood of the show is a really important aspect of it, so the music sort of paints with the color scheme and all that stuff. The music kind of finishes it off and makes it the right feeling for the audience for their experience of this place. Sometimes genres of music that might not match what you’re watching, but give you a certain feeling.
TZN: Is there a sort of mood or genre of music you want to reference?
PATRICK MCHALE: There’s all sorts of stuff in there. It’s all kind of pre-1950′s kind of music, so there’s two opera singers we have doing music, and then there’s old-time jazz and there’s jug-band music and there’s all sorts of stuff. It’s pretty diverse. The Blasting Company is the band that did all the music, and they’re incredible. Just all the instruments that they can play and the talent that they personally know that they hired to do strings. It has lush string arrangements and stuff that they layered and pieced together. It’s really incredible.
Q: Collin, did you hear any of this kind of music before working on this show? Because it seems like you’re bringing a generation of bluegrass and things like that who haven’t heard it before.
COLLIN DEAN: Well, yeah, I’ve heard some bluegrass before. My mom was just going on channels because she got kind of bored of her old alternative music, so we found bluegrass and we were like, “Ah!”
Q: So what should we expect to see during this series? Any kind of messages or an overview of what’s going to be going on?
PATRICK MCHALE: Well, the overarching story is that it’s just these brothers trying to get home. They’re lost but there’s some twists and turns and some reveals about who these characters are, these two brothers, and about the woodsman who’s this mysterious guy in the woods and you can’t really tell if he’s a good guy or a bad guy sometimes.
Q: You had fun working as a bluebird, Melanie?
MELANIE LYNSKEY: It was really fun. Yeah, I liked it a lot.
The UK family of Cartoon Network channels (CN, Boomerang and Cartoonito) have announced their schedule highlights for the final festive month of 2014.
From 1st-22nd, the Mega Mondays lineup will be restyled as Mince Pie Mondays promising festive and funny episodes of Adventure Time, The Amazing World of Gumball, Regular Show, Johnny Test, Billy and Mandy, Ed, Edd n Eddy and Chowder. Teen Titans Go! will always premiere brand new episodes. The Christmas holidays will also include the likes of Clarence, Uncle Grandpa, Ben 10: Omniverse, Steven Universe and Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitsu. Funsize Fridays will continue to offer bite size selections of the network’s best comedy shows, with 15 minute segments of Adventure Time, Regular Show, Clarence, Uncle Grandpa and The Amazing World of Gumball.
Boomerang’s Bounce morning block (airing 1st-19th December, weekdays from 7am) offers episodes of Scooby-Doo, Tom and Jerry, Looney Tunes, The Jungle Bunch, Mr Bean and The Garfield Show. The channel will also be airing weekend long marathons, offering two solid days of classics such as Looney Tunes, Tom and Jerry, Scooby-Doo and a selection of animated Christmas specials.
Cartoonito will be airing a brand new Christmas special for Masha and the Bear, focussing on the pair out to save the forest from a ruined Christmas. Weekends across the month will offer special marathons of Fireman Sam and Baby Looney Tunes.
Cartoon Network Sets DVD Debut for Uncle Grandpa with Release of Uncle Grandpa: Tiger Trails
Everyone’s favorite uncle and grandpa is making his DVD debut later this month, in the all-new Cartoon Network DVD release, Uncle Grandpa: Tiger Trails. Created by Pete Browngardt, who also voices the eponymous character, Uncle Grandpa is a show about everyone’s “magical” uncle and grandpa who travels around the world in a mystical RV. An eternal optimist, his glass is always full of something delicious and he’s always ready to greet the day (and everything and everyone) with his signature, “GOOD MORNIN’!” Joined by a cast of friends including Pizza Steve, Mr. Gus, Belly Bag and Giant Realistic Flying Tiger, Uncle Grandpa brings his magic to home entertainment for the first time ever – just in time for the holidays!
The Uncle Grandpa: Tiger Trails DVD will be available on December 16 for the suggested retail price of $14.97, and features a collection of 12 episodes from the series, including:
Belly Brothers
Tiger Trails
Funny Face
Space Emperor
Afraid of the Dark
Drivers Test
Uncle Grandpa for a Day
Uncle Grandpa Sitter
Treasure Map
Charlie Burgers
Perfect Kid
Future Pizza
Uncle Grandpa debuted in September 2013 and quickly became a ratings success. Uncle Grandpa ranked #1 on Mondays among kids 6-11 and boys 2-11 & 6-11, and #1 in its 8 p.m. timeslot among all key kids and boys. Across first quarter 2014, Uncle Grandpa claimed the #1 program on Tuesdays among boys 6-11. Uncle Grandpa is created by Pete Browngardt with Audie Harrison (The Golden Compass) serving as creative director and is produced by Cartoon Network Studios.
About Cartoon Network:
Cartoon Network (CartoonNetwork.com) is regularly the #1 U.S. television network in prime among boys 6-11 & 9-14. Currently seen in 97 million U.S. homes and 194 countries around the world, Cartoon Network is Turner Broadcasting System, Inc.’s ad-supported cable service now available in HD offering the best in original, acquired and classic entertainment for kids and families. In addition to Emmy-winning original programming and industry-leading digital apps and online games, Cartoon Network embraces key social issues affecting families with solution-oriented initiatives such as Stop Bullying: Speak Up and the Move It Movement.
Turner Broadcasting System, Inc., a Time Warner company, creates and programs branded news, entertainment, animation and young adult media environments on television and other platforms for consumers around the world.
Cartoon Network has been on a major creative tear in the past few years, turning out some of their best animated series since their first heyday turning out the likes of The Powerpuff Girls, Dexter’s Laboratory, and Johnny Bravo. The initial wave of success with Adventure Time and Regular Show led to more creative experimentation, and eventually the new series Steven Universe, Clarence, and Uncle Grandpa. The last show has just received its first DVD release with Uncle Grandpa: Tiger Trails, containing 12 episodes of the show. Unfortunately, it’s show that I admire more than I really like. Its gleefully surreal sense of humor appeals to me in principle, but it never really manages to hit home with me in the same way as the likes of Adventure Time or Regular Show.
The title character of Uncle Grandpa is the magical uncle and grandfather of everyone in the world (voiced by series creator Pete Browngardt), who wanders from place to place in his trusty RV with his traveling companions: the sentient and seemingly bottomless Belly Bag (Eric Bauza), the smart-aleck Pizza Steve (Adam DeVine), his dinosaur bodyguard Mr. Gus (Kevin Michael Richardson), and his trusty steed Giant Realistic Flying Tiger. Judging by the selection of episodes offered on this disc, the only consistent thing about Uncle Grandpa is that there isn’t much consistency between episodes of Uncle Grandpa. Any given episode starts with someone having a relatively mundane problem (failing to get a T-shirt on, being afraid of the dark, flunking a driver’s license test) which leads to 11-minutes of energetic nonsense as Uncle Grandpa comes up with a bizarre magical intervention to turn the world upside-down and sideways to solve the problem.
Uncle Grandpa does a whole lot of things right. It has a distinctive brand of anything-goes, surreal humor that’s always delivered with great gusto and a freewheeling sense of madness. It’s also mated to an art style that’s highly reminiscent of classic MAD magazine, and when someone like MAD luminary Sergio Aragones thinks Uncle Grandpa is a weird show, you must be doing something right. At it’s very best (which, to my mind, are the episodes “Space Emperor,” “Uncle Grandpa for a Day,” and “Uncle Grandpa Sitter” on this disc), Uncle Grandpa can feel like classic Looney Tunes, with Uncle Grandpa drifting through a surreal situation both causing and deflecting chaos with Bugs Bunny’s unflappability. It’s extraordinarily clear that the cast and crew are having a total blast making Uncle Grandpa, and the show is a testament to the power of animation to bring the quirky and bizarre to vivid life perhaps better than any other on-screen medium.
However, I also find Uncle Grandpa to be more exhausting than genuinely funny. It’s akin to my reaction to shows like Chowder or The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack or even SpongeBob SquarePants: all these shows can make me laugh, but not as hard as I think they really ought to. Of course, this begs the question of what it is about other recent shows like Adventure Time, Regular Show, Steven Universe, Breadwinners, or Gravity Falls, all of which can be every bit as strange as Uncle Grandpa but which I also find much funnier. It’s a bit frustrating that I can’t quite pinpoint what I find missing from Uncle Grandpa (and the other shows cited) — I have a vague thought about character serving the insanity vs. insanity that comes with characters attached, but it’s full of holes and so half-baked it collapses almost immediately.
Uncle Grandpa: Tiger Trails is as good as one might hope for in a standard-definition home video release. The show’s colorful palette is reproduced vividly by the anamorphic widescreen DVD, showcasing the show’s high production values quite nicely. The running time of 2 hours and 20 minutes also means it’s an excellent value for the money, especially for a “soccer mom” release like this one. The only complaint one might have about the DVD is that it has no extras of any kind.
As I mentioned, I find I admire Uncle Grandpa more than I really love it. Its madcap sensibilities always ensure a fun and unpredictable experience, but I still find myself wishing that it connected more solidly with me. Of course, humor is highly subjective, and the fact that I’m not laughing as much as I think I should be might just be on me. If you are a fan of early-era SpongeBob, I expect Uncle Grandpa will have more to offer you.
Cartoon Network has released clips, stills, and plot synopses for new episodes premiering on Thursday, January 8, 2015.
THE AMAZING WORLD OF GUMBALL
Gumball and Darwin learn about the butterfly effect.
On this week’s episodes of The Amazing World of Gumball, Thursday, January 8: at 5:00 p.m. (ET/PT)… “The Butterfly”– In Biology class, Gumball and Darwin are waiting for a butterfly to emerge from its chrysalis. Miss Simian warns them about the butterfly effect whereby the flap of an insect’s wings can start a tornado on the other side of the world. Paying no heed, Gumball releases the emergent butterfly into the wild, where it causes havoc in Elmore.
Gumball and Darwin travel to another galaxy
“The Question” – Gumball and Darwin seek the answer to the biggest question of all: what is the meaning of life? After Gumball and Darwin have too much sugary cereal they begin thinking about the mysteries of the universe. They need to understand the point of their lives, so resolve to seek advice from everyone in Elmore. They ask people, animals and even planets but their answer comes from an unexpected source.
UNCLE GRANDPA
Pizza Steve risks it all to save his diary.
On this week’s episode of Uncle Grandpa, Thursday, January 8 at 5:30 p.m. (ET/PT)… “Pizza Steve’s Diary” – When his diary winds up in the hands of Mister Gus, Pizza Steve goes to great lengths to get it back before Mister Gus can read all of his deepest, darkest secrets.
TEEN TITANS GO!
Robin goes on a quest to gain a new power: whistling.
On this week’s episode of Teen Titans Go!, Thursday, January 8 at 6:00 p.m. (ET/PT)… “Mouth Hole” – Robin goes on a quest to gain a new power: whistling.
STEVEN UNIVERSE
The Crystal Gems comfort Steven on a special trip.
On this week’s episode of Steven Universe, Thursday, January 8 at 6:30 p.m. (ET/PT)… “Warp Tour” – Steven thinks he sees something creepy traversing the warp streams and the Gems try to ease his paranoia.
ADVENTURE TIME
Finn and Princess Bubblegum disappear into the unknown.
On this week’s episode of Adventure Time, Thursday, January 8 at 7:00 p.m. (ET/PT)… “The Pajama War” – A Candy Kingdom slumber party devolves into panic when Finn and Princess Bubblegum vanish.
REGULAR SHOW
Mordecai tries to get back in the groove of things
On this week’s episode of Regular Show, Thursday, January 8 at 7:30 p.m. (ET/PT)… “Sad Sax” – Mordecai wants to get back together with C.J.
Cartoon Network has released clips, stills, and plot synopses for new episodes set to premiere for the week of January 12, 2015.
THE AMAZING WORLD OF GUMBALL
Gumball, Darwin and Anais make a special discovery
On this week’s episodes of The Amazing World of Gumball, Thursday, January 15: at 5:00 p.m. (ET/PT)… “The Oracle”– Gumball, Darwin and Anais discover that Banana Joe’s mom paints pictures that predict the future. When they find one that portrays Gumball running naked through the mall, Gumball is determined not to let it come to pass. However, events conspire against him, and Gumball learns that sometimes you can’t fight fate.
UNCLE GRANDPA
Uncle Grandpa, Pizza Steve and Mr. Gus take it to the courts
On this week’s episode of Uncle Grandpa, Thursday, January 15 at 5:30 p.m. (ET/PT)…“Ballin” – Uncle Grandpa, Pizza Steve, and Mr. Gus must win a basketball game against a super-awesome b-ball crew in order to keep the RV.
TEEN TITANS GO!
When the Titans try to get Beast Boy to clean his room, they discover that there’s more to garbage than just trash
On this week’s episode of Teen Titans GO!, Thursday, January 15 at 6:00 p.m. (ET/PT)… “Hot Garbage” – When the Titans try to get Beast Boy to clean his room, they discover that there’s more to garbage that just trash.
STEVEN UNIVERSE
Steven finds himself in an awkward position
On this week’s episode of Steven Universe, Thursday, January 15 at 6:30 p.m. (ET/PT)… “Alone Together”– The Gems try to teach Steven to use his fusion powers.
ADVENTURE TIME
Wizard’s got the power.
On this week’s episode of Adventure Time, Thursday, January 15 at 7:00 p.m. (ET/PT)… “Evergreen”– In a distant age, the wizard Evergreen quests to save the world.
REGULAR SHOW
Rigby, Mordecai and the park guys meet with Benson
On this week’s episode of Regular Show, Thursday, January 15 at 7:30 p.m. (ET/PT)… “Park Managers Lunch”– The park guys want to make sure Benson gets back safe from his lunch with Gene.
SONIC BOOM
Tune in Saturday, January 17 at 7:00 a.m. (ET/PT) for an all-new episode of Sonic Boom.
On this week’s episode of Sonic Boom, Saturday, January 17 at 7:00 a.m. (ET/PT)… “Guilt Tripping”– Sonic and Tails save a village from bandits — and then find it difficult to leave because the villagers guilt them into staying.
Cartoon Network has released new clips, stills, and plot synopses for new episodes premiering the week of January 19, 2015.
THE AMAZING WORLD OF GUMBALL
Darwin tries to teach Gumball a thing or two.
On this week’s episodes of The Amazing World of Gumball, Thursday, January 22: at 5:00 p.m. (ET/PT)… “The Safety” – When Mr. Small shows a health and safety video in class, Darwin becomes obsessed with the idea of keeping the Wattersons safe. He tries to protect them from the world around them and soon Darwin’s over-protectiveness spreads to every corner of Elmore. The Wattersons have no choice but to overthrow his despotic regime.
UNCLE GRANDPA
Uncle Grandpa gets a bright idea.
On this week’s episode of Uncle Grandpa, Thursday, January 22 at 5:30 p.m. (ET/PT)… “Big Trouble for Tiny Miracle” – Tiny Miracle allows the gang to take advantage of his generosity at the expense of his own health to keep the RV.
TEEN TITANS GO!
Nibor and Robin trade places.
On this week’s episode of Teen Titans GO!, Thursday, January 22 at 6:00 p.m. (ET/PT)… “Robin Backwards” – The Titans decide they should keep an eye on Nibor, the Bizzaro World’s Robin, when he arrives in Jump City.
STEVEN UNIVERSE
Steven makes a run for it.
On this week’s episode of Steven Universe, Thursday, January 22 at 6:30 p.m. (ET/PT)… “The Test” – Steven finds out that his mission to the Lunar Sea Spire was a test and demands a new quest.
ADVENTURE TIME
Finn finds himself in limbo.
On this week’s episode of Adventure Time, Thursday, January 22 at 7:00 p.m. (ET/PT)… “Astral Plane” – Finn has an out-of-body experience that takes him all over Ooo and beyond.
REGULAR SHOW
Rigby and Mordecai make a special call.
On this week’s episode of Regular Show, Thursday, January 22 at 7:30 p.m. (ET/PT)… “Mordecai and Rigby Down Under” – Mordecai and Rigby have to catch a flight to the USA.
SONIC BOOM
Tune in Saturday, January 24 at 7:00 a.m. (ET/PT) for an all-new episode of Sonic Boom.
On this week’s episode of Sonic Boom, Saturday, January 24 at 7:00 a.m. (ET/PT)… “Dude, Where’s My Eggman?”– Orbot and Cubot wake up with no memory of the previous day and discover that Dr. Eggman is missing. The two bots must set out to find him.
February of course brings Valentine’s Day and the UK family of Cartoon Network channels are aiming to give viewers enough treats to love all of them.
From 2nd Mega Mondays will lead with new episodes of Uncle Grandpa (4pm), Clarence (5pm) and Steven Universe (6pm). Also airing new episodes will be LEGO Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitsu (from 10th Tue-Thur at 6pm and from 14th 10am & 6pm weekends) and Teen Titans Go! (from 3rd Tue-Thur at 6:30pm and from 8th 10:30am and 6:30pm weekends), in addition to a brand new Regular Show special airing as part of a ‘Regular Love Affair’ marathon (14th & 15th, 11am-4pm).
Funsize Fridays continues to start the weekend from 4pm and the half term week (Monday 16th – Friday 20th) serves as a ‘Best Of The Best’ comedy marathon (9am-6pm).
On Monday 16th (half term week) Boomerang will launch with a new look to highlight their revised focus on airing a mix of modern and classic animated shows, led by new CGI animated Inspector Gadget at 8am with new episodes of The Tom and Jerry Show following at 8:30am. DreamWorks Dragons: Defenders of Berk starts a new season weekdays at 4pm from Monday 2nd and the weekend of 14th-15th offers a Scooby-Doo marathon, including showings of the new movie special Scooby-Doo and the Spooky Scarecrow.
Cartoonito will be dedicating the weekdays of half term to all day marathons of the ever popular Fireman Sam. The marathon starts at 8am each day and will show episodes from episodes 6-9 and the film special Great Fire of PontyPandy.
