From the creators of Cartoon Network’s hyper-surreal comedy show The Amazing World of Gumball, Elliott From Earth introduces protagonists Elliott (human, kid), his mum Frankie (human, geologist), and his new best friend Mo (dinosaur, green), who find themselves suddenly transported into space and must now travel the universe to work out why. You know how it is.
As they try to solve this puzzle, Elliott and Mo explore the Centrium, a space station with lots of opportunities for adventure and impulsive decisions with unpredictable consequences.
I got to talk with Mic Graves and Tony Hull about their new project.
How have you guys made Elliott from Earth different from the random acid trip that is The Amazing world of Gumball?
MIC: We wanted to shake up the family dynamic with Elliott. It’s not a traditional family sitcom and we really wanted to embrace the excitement for adventure, whereas Gumball is very contained in comparison. Gumball sort of stays in the same place and interacts with the same people everyday. We saw the opportunity to take it to new places and environments.
TONY: The types of humour remain the same – we’re trying to hit the same line, but this time there’s an adventure aspect with a longer story week by week. It ends up being a deeper, bigger story, and it pays off if you come back.
What got you guys into the world of writing and directing?
MIC: Loved animation and I went to college to study it. But writing was out of my comfort zone! On Gumball, we realised that the best way to make the show you want to make is to write it yourself, and we’re all still learning. If your show doesn’t exist, you have to jump in with both feet and try and get your head around it and that’s part of making the show.
Mic, what was the first thing that went through your head when you found out you were chosen to direct Gumball? And the same for your BAFTA nomination?
MIC: Well, there were five shows, one of the shows was Gumball, and only one of them was going to be green-lit. I was already chosen to direct the one that was going to be green-lit, and the one I was hoping for was Gumball. In my career, the BAFTA symbolises acknowledgment from your peers and that feeling is amazing. But not the reason why we do it!
Tony, what was it like What was it like being a track reader for Fantastic Mr Fox (a guilty pleasure question, Wes Anderson please adopt me)? And do you enjoy voice acting for a show you’re also so closely involved in from the production side?
TONY: The track reader job I absolutely loved! It was such a experience seeing how it was made. I loved the book and it was such a treat doing even a tiny part in it. We have to do the voices when writing the show and it’s so much fun doing all the different characters. I got to be a piece of toast called Anton in Gumball. But my all-time favourite is Banana Joe! You can’t believe this is an actual real job for an adult.
Did you guys feel like the next natural step from Gumball was to create a new show like Elliott from Earth instead of a Gumball spin-off?
TONY: We built up such an amazing crew with Gumball, and we thought that a spin-off show wouldn’t give us something different to try out or to keep people interested with. Not to say that there won’t be a spinoff show…
As someone who grew up in a single-parent home with her mom, I really appreciate the relationship Elliott has with his mom. Unconventional family dynamics like this aren’t common in animated shows, though.
MIC: Absolutely, we wanted to shake off the typical nuclear family that’s a mom, a dad, the two kids, and a dog. Not everyone lives like that! But we wanted to make sure that Frankie also isn’t a typical mom, and that they’re more of a team so we don’t fall into the typical child-parent narrative.
TONY: In terms of family, there really isn’t such a thing as “normal” when it comes to the families in Elliott. Everyone is different and it’s brilliant! We were really keen to show the diversity of everything and everyone.
MIC: They show up on a space station where they quickly learn that what’s normal for you might not be normal for everyone else. We really tried to show this with different aliens and different things happening – like a type of alien who shatters when there’s a loud noise. Not normal for you, but normal for him!
Do you guys have a favourite moment or a favourite episode in the show?
TONY: I really, really like the second episode where they meet Mo in a crazy biosphere with light-up plants and stuff. All of the adventures are awesome.
MIC: There’s a character called The Hive Head, and it’s made out of thousands of little aliens that all form a huge head and everyone comes to him for his wisdom and the visual aspect of him is so, so good.
There you have it, intergalactic space travellers! Elliott From Earth rockets onto your screen on DStv’s Cartoon Network channel 301 on Saturdays at 09:35. Be there or your brain will make relive all of your awkward childhood moments every night before bed.