Animation Guild | We are 839 Digital Magazine
Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1378252
SUMMER 2021 27 D E PA R T M E N T STEVEN THEIS DIRECTOR CENTRAL PARK APPLE TV+ WHAT DO YOU THINK MAKES CENTRAL PARK UNIQUE? The cast, the settings, and the musical element of the show. The Tillermans, a mixed-race family, living in the middle of Central Park, open an unlimited amount of stories and experiences that can be told. New York is huge and populated, and there are so many places to go and people to see. The music is catchy, and the animation paired with it is on another level. I often find myself singing or humming the music on my off-time. DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE MOMENT YOU CREATED FOR YOUR SHOW? Without giving too much away, in the upcoming season there's a song sequence I directed where two of our characters have a trippy fantasy. It's my favorite because I had such a great time coming up with ideas and thumbnailing it. It allowed me to think outside of the box, draw from some of my favorite inspira- tions, and go a bit wild. Finally, when I saw it in color and fully animated, I was more than pleased with the way it turned out. WHAT ANIMATED SHOWS INSPIRED YOUR CAREER? Growing up in the '80s and '90s, I was inspired by all sorts of shows, from DuckTales, Animaniacs, and Batman: The Animated Series to Beavis and Butt-Head and The Simpsons. They were just so darn good. When I was young, I wanted to be a comic book artist, but as these shows started airing, I fell in love with animation. I was so fascinated with the stories and the characters. It became a dream of mine to work in animation, and luckily I got my foot in the door with an internship on The Simpsons. I was inspired all over again when I finally got to meet the artists and see the process. WHAT ANIMATED SHOW HELPED YOU GET THROUGH THE PAST YEAR? That would have to be Star Wars: The Clone Wars. I had never watched it before and noticed there are 133 episodes. So it took a very long time to finish, and it kept me excited and lifted my spirits. CECILIA ARANOVICH SUPERVISING DIRECTOR HARLEY QUINN WARNER BROS. ANIMATION WHAT DO YOU THINK MAKES HARLEY QUINN UNIQUE? If I had to pick one thing, I would say the comedy is what sets it apart from other shows. Every script is hilarious, and the dia- logue between the characters is so sharp and witty, I often find myself laughing out loud as I read through the scripts. I feel the comedy also comes from the way the characters interact and relate to each other in this version of the DC Universe: having traditionally established characters and taking them out of their comfort zone makes for a lot of comedic situations. DO YOU HAVE A FAVORITE MOMENT YOU CREATED FOR YOUR SHOW? Back in Season 2, I had a chance to plan and storyboard a musical piece for the "Bachelorette" episode, where a lobster tries to lure King Shark back to the Shark Men Kingdom—and his main argu- ment is nothing other than the ability to poop in the sea anytime he pleases. The song was conceived as a parody of another famous animated crustacean who also sings about the benefits of living underwater. I personally love staging and choreographing musical numbers, and we generally do not get to do songs in the show, so bringing this tune to life was a real treat for me. WHAT ANIMATED SHOWS INSPIRED YOUR CAREER? When I was young … I was very drawn to the work of Hayao Miyazaki in particular. Series like Sherlock Hound, Future Boy Conan, and Heidi, Girl of the Alps were some of my favorites. Later I became familiar with his feature work with Studio Ghibli, and I loved Castle in the Sky, Kiki's Delivery Service, and Porco Rosso, to name a few. … To me each one of these movies was— and is—a work of art, and they were extremely influential in my decision to pursue a career in animation. WHAT ANIMATED SHOW HELPED YOU GET THROUGH THE PAST YEAR? I have three young children, so it has been a particularly difficult year with the pandemic. Most of the animated shows I watch Top left: Image courtesy of Apple TV+. Top right: Image courtesy of Warner Bros. Animation. Opposite Page: Image courtesy of Netflix. Inc. "Skater's Circle" captures the spirit of park living in Central Park. Batman and the Justice League fight evil in Gotham City in Harley Quinn's "Lover's Quarrel."