Originally debuting back in 1959, The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle is now back in a big way thanks to DreamWorks Television Animation, DHX Media, and Jay Ward Productions, debuting this Friday on Amazon Prime Video. It's a super-silly and expertly animated comedy series that's sure to please returning fans as well as a whole new generation of audiences meeting Moose and Squirrel & Co. for the first time.
I had a chance to chat with The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle co-creator, writer, and executive producer Scott Fellows (The Fairly OddParents, Big Time Rush) about bringing the classic cartoon into the modern era. We talked about the quantum leap in the evolution of animation technology since the original series' debut as one of the first cartoons produced specifically for television, finding the right cast for these iconic roles, and landing on the right tone to please returning fans and hook modern audiences. It was a great talk for a great show, so I hope you enjoy both!
What is your first memory of the original ‘Rocky & Bullwinkle’?
Scott Fellows: Well, I think when I started watching Rocky & Bullwinkle, it must have been in syndication, so I’m going to guess like around ’73 or so is when I really started getting into cartoons. I just remember that show’s open: you remember the song, you remember the whistling, you remember Rocky’s soaring sound effects and how they popped up amongst the daisies after the crash, so you knew right away what a playful, fun, silly cartoon it is. And then I think the other thing I always remembered was truly how chaotic the show was when they went to all the different factions like Fractured Fairy Tales and zipped away to other parts. The bigger thing I remember was how lovable Bullwinkle was and how great that voice was, just making me giggle.
Why is this the right time for a ‘Rocky & Bullwinkle’ reboot?
Fellows: First of all, they’re such legendary characters and they haven’t had enough screen time, so we need more Rocky & Bullwinkle. And let’s not forget, we talk about Rocky and Bullwinkle, but right behind them in the Cartoon Hall of Fame is, of course, Boris and Natasha. The four of them together really have been so much fun to write for. The other thing is, the 2D artistry that they’ve put in, not just DreamWorks and our art director Chris Mitchell but DHX [Media], is … the technology to build cartoons has been so great that you really get a chance to give Rocky and Bullwinkle the animation they deserve. If you know the history of it, one of the brilliant things from Jay Ward, not just creating that world, but creating the animation studio to make it affordable to air on television, which was unheard of in the late 50s and early 60s. Just like George Lucas wants to go back and fix special effects in the early Star Wars because the technology now is so great, we really have a chance to put the vision that he had, and the writing, and the characters, and maybe give it the animation it so richly deserves.
It’s amazing. I was at DHX the other day and was like, “Are those cloud shadows just scrolling across?” They layers that we can do and really just the beauty, it’s stunning. It’s an amazing-looking cartoon. And I can’t take any credit for that!
What experiences did you bring from previous shows you’ve worked on that help in the production of Rocky & Bullwinkle?
Fellows: That is a two-word answer: Guy Moon. I worked with Guy, who’s our composer, on Big Time Rush and Fairly OddParents. It’s something in the background, but music is one of the most important elements in a cartoon. Bringing Guy Moon onto this show just elevated it because of the orchestration, the nods to the classics of Carl Stalling, their interpretation of EDM when Rocky and Bullwinkle need to dance or whatever, that was really terrific. Guy came in with the music and really brought it to another level.
How did you balance the modern look versus the classic characters?
Fellows: The tone, I don’t think, has really changed. These are still two best friends who love each other and go on wild adventures and will do anything for each other, and then you’ve got the world’s most famous cartoon spies chasing them and causing havoc. That tone really hasn’t changed. So when the animation came back, all I was really looking for was something that expressed to a 21st century audience, something that conveyed that same warmth and mirth and playfulness and adventure. It was easy. The minute I walked in and saw the designs for Rocky and Bullwinkle, I just laughed. I thought they were great. They just captured the sweetness, the playfulness, and the insanity of that cartoon. That’s Chris Mitchell our art director who really worked that. As far as my influences in the artwork, it was mostly along the lines of storytelling to make sure our backgrounds were connecting and, because we sort of did these mini-movies or arcs or adventures, a lot of my tasks were to make sure everything was lining up because we weren’t just doing these half-hour episodes that were stand-alones, we were doing these arcs that all had to tie in together.
Can you talk about the original title sequences that tie into the specific arcs?
Fellows: You’re going to get three different title sequences, [one] for each arc. I think that I said, “Why did you do that?” and they said, “Because we’re idiots!” Three title sequences on a cartoon … you know how hard those are to get approved and to capture the tone, but because we’re in a new world right now, we’re in a new way that shows are watched or viewed or consumed or enjoyed, we thought, “If we’re going to do three different adventures, let’s just keep going and give them all their own feel and their own sequence to make them stand out.” There’s a lot of content out there and we want everyone to watch and love this cartoon as much as we loved making it. We didn’t hold back. This was a crew, not just here at DreamWorks but our animators at DHX in Vancouver, just continually blew my mind by going above and beyond; they really were such lovable characters that we all grew up with and want to make sure that they get the cartoon they deserve.
Our first three arcs are: a silly spy arc, if you want to think like a 007-esque adventure; our next one, we went to outer space, so you can imagine that’s going to be kind of a space-themed title sequence and song; and our last one is, we kinda went with spooky monster arc where we have a really fantastic title sequence that pays tribute to classic monster movie posters from the 50s and 60s with a modern take on the music.
The animation … if you’re a fan of animation technology in cartoons, you’re going to be blown away. We knew that this wasn’t a show we could let grow a little bit and let an audience build. We had to land strong right off the bat to make sure everybody loves this as much as we do. That show open … we kept massaging right up until they literally pulled it out of our hands; it was fantastic. A lot of that goes to Chris Mitchell and his team who were phenomenally dedicated and incredibly artistic.
Speaking of landing strong, pun intended, can you walk me through the casting process of this show, including Tara Strong?
Fellows: The cast was pretty much in place when I got here because DreamWorks has their own casting department. I couldn’t have been happier. Two of the actors I had worked with on The Fairly OddParents and my live-action show: Daran Norris and Tara Strong. And then I got to work with Ben Diskin and Piotr Michael and Rachel Butera, and there’s a lot of happy accidents on this show; things sort of line up a little bit beyond expectations. The way this cast was, we barely had to go outside for other voices. Nobody’s going to top Mel Blank’s record of doing every voice, but we have such a great ensemble. It was like a vocal group with soprano, alto, mezzo, bass, we had it all covered.
Their professionalism just blew me away; it was so much fun. I think the biggest challenge was Tara Strong, who obviously had to fill the shoes of, probably nobody more legendary than June Foray, but I can’t think of anybody more ready to take that role than Tara. I was inspired and blown away by her dedication to not only honor June Foray but know that we’ve got a modern, 10-year-old audience with their parents and teenage brothers and sisters as well, so we really have to hook them with characters who are playful and funny. I thought she found just an incredible balance.
As the voice was developing, around episode four or five, I really thought that Tara was in a groove. And then when we were doing ADR for the first episode, she was like, “We gotta go back!” She wanted to make sure that that first episode was as strong. Our poor engineer was running and finding cues and lining it up, and she would just say these lines before we ran out of time. It was really fun for me because it was nice and chaotic as production can be, but also a sign that everybody knew how special this property was.
What do you hope new and returning fans of ‘Rocky & Bullwinkle’ get out of this new version?
Fellows: I hope they just laugh! That’s kind of why we’re in this industry. Very early on in my career at Nickelodeon, I was reading up on “Termite Terrace” and Chuck Jones and Robert McKimson, and somebody asked them, “How did you know that kids were going to love your cartoons?” and they said, “Well, we were just making ourselves laugh every day and just hoped that somebody else would laugh along with us.” That’s really what was happening here at DreamWorks, whether it was the writers room, board pitches with our storyboard artists, we were all laughing. The goal is that everybody will laugh along. These stories, these adventures, don’t pander to any one audience. We’re just out there creating something really fun and adventurous.
My goal is that, the neat way that we package these mini-movies that you can sort of binge-watch if you want, I hope mom and dad and the kids and grandma bake some cookies, sit down with some popcorn and watch it together. First of all, the cartoons are so easy on the eyes; they’re beautiful. And I think there are great, inspired performances by our cast. And the whole thing is just silly and makes you feel good. I sure hope everyone has as much fun watching them as we had making them.
What’s been the most rewarding experience in bringing this new version about, for you personally?
Fellows: The most rewarding experience to me was that I couldn’t believe I got to write a script and in the Final Draft doc with Bullwinkle and a character. I got to write the words, “Hokey smokes!”, you know what I mean? That was probably the neatest thing for me, to write for these legendary characters. The most rewarding was meeting new people at DreamWorks and DHX and just experience everyone’s love of cartoons and what they do. Together, we did something we all really love. That’s a really neat thing.
Did I see a plumbus in an early episode?? [Editor's Note: No, but it's kinda close? See for yourself!]
Fellows: Well, you know that board artists are some of the most spectacular and crazy people out there, so that’s very possible. We really did put some playful Easter eggs there on purpose and we hope that [people] find them. I didn’t find that one, but that’s very possible. With our technology, you’ll be able to freeze-frame perfectly, but we did hide a lot of stuff in there, some Jay Ward stuff, I think Peabody and Sherman make a maybe nine-frame cameo. There’s lots of playful stuff in there. I don’t know that! That might be new information, but keep watching, because everybody just packed all kinds of playfulness and silliness into this show and that’s something that you discovered that, maybe it was intended, maybe it wasn’t, but you enjoyed it! So that’s all the better.
The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle arrives on Amazon Prime Video this Friday!
