Animation Guild | We are 839 Digital Magazine
Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1493292
D E PA R T M E N T 27 KEYFRAME Siciliano was sure there was no way that was going to make it on the air, but "not only did we nurture it, we made it even lon- ger than it was in the first draft," he says. It was his first solo episode he wrote for Rick and Morty, and it taught him "that if you're passionate about something, even if it's the craziest idea, you can get it on the show." The steady spike in the series' popularity (its sixth season debuted in 112 countries and 38 languages) has caused each new episode of Rick and Morty to become increasingly cinematic, while also making the team even more determined not to repeat things they have already done. "Every episode is like a unique movie, so we're having these massive produc- tion meetings to scale up," says Marder. "Everyone is breaking their back to make the most beautiful new cityscape and galaxies and aliens that we've never seen before. It's really amazing how you can let your imagination run wild on this show in terms of the art." Rick and Morty has also made creative use of a sci-fi trope—the multiverse that enables multiple versions of characters to live different lives (or be killed off) in different dimensions. It's hardly a new concept. Comics of the mid-20th century popularized the idea. But in the last 10 years it has become a hallmark of main- stream storylines throughout animation, from Marvel's Spider-Verse to DC's Flashpoint Paradox. "It's so cool how this show planted a flag there," says Marder. "Ten years ago, when we started, people didn't understand the difference between that and time travel. [It's] crystal clear now, which feels like a success of this show in a lot of ways." SLOW AND CEREBRAL Pantheon While animation in the west is changing, it still has this reputation of being a kid- centric medium, says Juno Lee, Executive Producer and Supervising Director at Titmouse. "So if you say 'adult animation,' what does that mean?" He notes primetime comedies often have super- violent or hyper-sexual storylines. "But if you said, 'Let's make something heady [like] long-format sci-fi,' nobody would pick that up," he says. Or so he thought until he was presented with Pantheon. The series is based on the short fiction of fantasy and science fiction author Ken Liu about a high school girl, her deceased father, and a corporate con- spiracy to upload human consciousness. From concept to presentation, everything about the series felt different to Lee. First there is the longer format: epi- sodes up to 45 minutes long allow the story to unfold gradually, giving charac- ters room to think and talk thoughtfully. It's very different from the show he was on before Pantheon—Star Trek: Lower Decks. "It was a prime-time comedy that was 1,000 miles per hour," he says. "Boom, boom, boom. If there was any sort of dead air, we couldn't have that. We had to tighten all that up." While slow and steady might be a lot to ask of audiences used to TikTok clips, Lee says, "I think you can enjoy both." Unfortunately, at the time of press, the opportunity for viewers to fully expe- rience the story was cut short when AMC+ cancelled Pantheon after one sea- son and pulled it from its streaming service as part of a tax write-down mea- sure—a negative trend across animation genres these days as studios cut costs. Pantheon was the first adult animated show to premiere on the service, and Titmouse says: "We were blown away by the fans and critics' positive response. We remain hopeful that the second sea- son will find a home so we can continue to imagine and expand upon the limitless digital worlds presented in the series." SPRING 2023 27 While animation in the west is changing, it still has this reputation of being a kid-centric medium, says Juno Lee, Executive Producer and Supervising Director at Titmouse. above and top left: While there are visual elements of Pantheon that suggest traditional sci-fi, the story explores the bigger question of what it means to be human. bottom left: UI, or "uploaded intelligence," offers an opportunity to explore the ethics of uniting computers and human consciousness. Pantheon images courtesy of Titmouse Inc. & AMC Network Entertainment LLC. All Rights Reserved.