Animation Guild | We are 839 Digital Magazine
Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1485933
water-slash-sewage, modernize it, add a heist into it," Lung says. "Todd the Toad is a closer inspiration," says Lo. "Then Sewer Koi is a very loose interpretation. That's what was so fun about it." The writers also brought their personal stories and perspectives into the series. Both lived with their Chinese grand- mothers when they were young, and when Lung's Nai Nai passed away and was cremated, she was kept in an urn in the family's home in America until she could be taken back to her homeland. "I just remember going into the study and talking to her all the time. There was solace for me," says Lung. This memory found its way into an episode where Yi visits her deceased father in a temple filled with urns. "Yi showed up and talked to her dad, said, 'Hi dad, I need some advice,'" says Lung. "It was definitely therapeutic for us to have that storyline." Personal to Lo was the bigger-picture idea of making sure the show has an emo- tional heartbeat. "How we deal with our emotions," she says. "What we have to face. What we carry with us, and how it affects how we connect with other people. That's something we didn't have growing up, culturally." She thinks a lot of people can relate because "this is not a specifical- ly cultural thing—it's just a human thing." F E AT U R E "How we deal with our emotions. What we have to face. What we carry with us, and how it affects how we connect with other people. That's something we didn't have growing up, culturally." — Tiffany Lo above: Seen here with Yi, Peng, and Sewer Koi, Everest is Lo's favorite character. "Every time I see him I just want to cry and hug him," she says. opposite: Spirit Rangers creator Karissa Valencia with Spirit Ranger Eddy. 36 KEYFRAME