So as we now know Dominator has no interest in conquering the galaxy but is determined to destroy it once and for all. This direction for her really established her as a serious and legit villain but it also presented us with some challenges in telling her story in a show targeted towards 6 to 11 year olds. There is no way broadcast standards and practices would allow us to produce an episode with her violently eliminating planet after planet striking fear and terror throughout the galaxy. But we realized we could tell stories about her victims and how they felt and dealt with her. So tonight we present two episodes that explore that idea. First up…
Since the show began folks have been curious about Wanders past and as I have stated may times before I really believe in the power of mystery. I think it’s more interesting to present pieces of the puzzle than to simply presenting the finished picture. Thinking of the story in THE LEGEND as pieces really presented us with an interesting way to tell this story. Inspired by the classic Batman comic story “The Batman Nobody Knows” and the multiple animated versions that followed, we explore wanders story as myth and tall tales that have spread throughout the universe. This approach also presented us with an opportunity to explore different visual styles for each story. Each story segment was designed and created by individual members of the Wander crew and I’d like to thank them for taking the lead on these pieces. I think it’s their unique contributions that really make this episode special. Also special thanks to Disney Channel Star Sabrina Carpenter for coming in to play the role of Melodie!
Segment 1: by Storyboard Revisionist James W. Suhr,
Segment 2: by Storyboard Artist/Animator Justin Nichols,
Segment 3: by Storyboard Artist/Director Ben Balistreri
Segment 4: by Writer/Bg Painter Noelle Stevenson.
Written by: Frank Angones
Storyboard by: Mark Ackland, Justin Nichols, James W. Suhr
Directed by: Dave Thomas
After the devestating events of Hatey we felt that our main villains needed a chance to pause and regroup after escaping the wrath of Dominator. So we thought it would be a really stupid and funny idea if she freaked them all so much that they essential retreated to a completely different show. So with THE BAD NEIGHBORS we turn our weird sci-fi show into an even weirder domestic sitcom. And as you can see Dominator didn’t actually kill Awesome (much to Noelle’s frustraton) not because she wouldn’t do it but because again standards and practices do not allow killing in shows geared towards kids 6 to 11. For some reason robots do not fall under this same rule. R.I.P Beep Boop.
Written by: Sam Riegel, Frank Angones, Craig McCracken
Storyboard by: Riccardo Durante
Directed by: Eddie Trigueros