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Hi, we are the creator & designer of BoJack Horseman, Ask Us Anything!
Hi Redditors! I'm Lisa Hanawalt (production designer) and I'm here with Raphael Bob-Waksberg (creator). We're excited to answer your questions about BoJack Horseman, now streaming on Netflix! Or anything else! (Except Rampart, we will not be answering any questions about Rampart.)
Lisa is /u/ponytv and Raphael is /u/rbwrbw
Our Proof: https://twitter.com/lisadraws/status/515238200445378560
EDIT: Yes there will be a Season 2, not sure what the release date is yet. We are working on it RIGHT NOW! :))))
ponytv489 karma
I'm suuuuper Zoe until I warm up and then toootal Zelda until I get tired and then I'm suuuuch a Zoe
busted_up_chiffarobe548 karma
You've managed to create some very touching and powerful scenes for a show with this... comportment, so to speak.
BoJack's childhood. Hitting us with the Charlotte and Harper 'what might have been' was incredible. And then Pinky got to see his kids!
Please don't compromise. Keep this up. In some ways it reminds me of MASH - the dark undercurrents, the goofy humor, the jokes, and then now and then the chicken on the bus.
When you're putting such things together, how sure are you about the punch to the gut?
And Lisa, how much fun is it to come up with those character designs? They make my girlfriend cry out with glee, particularly the female characters - the clothes, the shop names!
And we consider the way the 'animal' characters hold their heads up (Tom Jumbo-Grumbo, for example) to be pure genius.
Thanks!
ponytv415 karma
IT IS SO MUCH FUN. I love drawing crazy animals and weird clothes so this is a dream. The more awkward the characters look, the better. This show is also a great outlet for all of us to flaunt our worst puns.
ponytv324 karma
I cry every time I watch episode 11. Even the script and animatic made me cry. Every time!!! So I definitely wanted Harper to look heartbreakingly cute.
Youareposthuman487 karma
According to this, the Japanese word bōjakubujin means arrogance or audacity. Not sure how much validity that holds though.
JohnnyNewtonia315 karma
I thoroughly enjoyed this show, especially as I am very big into cartoon-esque shows for adults.
Onto my question: I love the millions of background jokes that you have going on in the show. Which of them is your favourite that you think many people could have missed?
Mine is the wolf in a sheep t-shirt, or the little cat toys Princess chases in the gym.
ponytv268 karma
I am partial to all the sporty shirts that Diane's family members wear. T-shirt slogans in general.
SunshineWaking301 karma
Raphael Bob-Waksberg and Lisa Hanawalt? What is this a crossover episode?
I really liked BoJack Horseman, it keeps bringing joy to my life even after the 5th binge watch. I finally watched the great Orange is the new black to get the BoJack audition references. little by little all my friends cave in to watch it.
Raphael, can you talk about the writing process/shout out to the other writers contributing?
Lisa, can you tell your perspective of making an episode?
Me and many other fans would be happy if you could release several of the show music segments (theme, ira ringtone, 80&90 establish songs...)
Thank you, can't wait for season 2.
ponytv182 karma
From my perspective, first I get an early script draft and I read it feverishly because I can't wait to see what happens next. I make a lot of loud noises while reading. I am viscerally affected by what happens to these characters! Then I always start sketching the new characters that seem like the most fun and save the more boring/background/extra characters for last. Backgrounds get fleshed out after storyboards and I get to do a lot of google image searching and create parodies of paintings I like, etc.
knexkid235 karma
Why did you guys decide to leave off tails for the anthropomorphic characters?
ponytv321 karma
It was a stylistic choice, really. I don't usually draw tails in my own work so we just stuck with that!
HannShotFirst142 karma
Hey, I love the show, looking forward to the next season!
I'm planning on doing a Bojack costume this Halloween, is there anything you think is integral to a good costume? Besides the horse head and self loathing.
ponytv152 karma
I hope to see some people dressed up as Wallace-Shawn-in-costume-as-BoJack!
mintypineapple49 karma
Hey! Big fan of the show and a big fan of Olde English. Have a few questions and a story to share.
1.) I know that some Olde English people do voices on the show. Any plans to use more Olde English people?
2.) What was the process of getting this on Netflix? Did you approach Netflix? Did Netflix approach you?
3.) As a guy who makes YouTube videos but wants to write for TV, any advice?
4.) Who was the easiest character to design? Who was the hardest?
And now, a story. So I just recently got married. My wife and I had just finished watching BoJack and decided to do Thank You notes. We were getting tired out of it and started goofing around. My wife wrote "Suck a dick, dumbshits! Phbbbttt!" in one of them and I added a drawing of BoJack sticking his tongue out. Then I proceeded to almost seal and mail it to my father-in-law's boss. Luckily I caught it in time before wacky hijinks ensued.
ponytv77 karma
BoJack was actually one of the easiest characters to design. Raphael described him to me and I just immediately envisioned the sweater, the shoes, his grumpy expression, everything. The most difficult characters by far were Diane and Todd!
ponytv55 karma
Yeah! I'm getting better at drawing people but drawing animals is always more fun and comes more naturally to me.
AWESOMENAR49 karma
Hi guys, I loved the show and can't wait for season 2.
I have one question for you. Are the characters in the show actually meant to be animals, or are the animals just representations of the characters' personalities?
ponytv144 karma
They are actually animals! And Hello Kitty is actually a cat, I don't care what Sanrio says
ponytv88 karma
I sketch in Photoshop, animators here use Flash. I keep trying to learn Flash but I suck at learning!
indecisivecrab39 karma
Raphael: How much creative freedom do you get with Netflix? What I love about the show is how it's very much a comedy but it also tackles some very unfunny subjects without trivialising them at the same time, which isn't all that easy.
Lisa: I know nothing about animation/production, but the design/art on this show is my favourite on any cartoon. It's pretty cool. How long does it take to get the work done for each episode?
ponytv57 karma
It depends on the complexity of the ep - we knew 11 (the drug/dream sequence) was going to be a big one and that it had to look AWESOME so we put extra time and energy into it! This is my first time working in animation/production so now I'm noticing the huge difference between episodes that take place mostly in BoJack's home, for example, vs. scenes in entirely brand-new locations.
gr00ve8865 karma
I just watched that one last night. Usually I dislike the long drawn out drug sequences where the artist thinks, "hey the weirder i can make this the more they will like it!", but it turned out to be a drug sequence / expression of what BoJack had on his mind throughout the entire series thus far and it was really great! Also, that part of the episode where he buys like 5 vacuums to vacuum eachother had me dying.
Mstolly26 karma
Congrats on a great show!!! Do you have a favorite anthropomorphic character creation on the show? If so, who is it? (Mine are the paparazzi birds)
ponytv44 karma
I'm partial to the birds, Virgil Van Cleef, and also anything slimy/scaley. Charley Witherspoon and his Dad! Bob Maggot!
n4shy15 karma
Hey guys! I love the show, so I'm super glad you've come to reddit to answer our Q's.
What are your favorite background gags?
Can we expect more of Vincent Adultman in season 2?
ponytv40 karma
I laugh every time I see the fountain in front of Elefante. I thought "there's no way we'll get to keep this elephant peeing into a crocodile's mouth in here" but nobody had a problem with it!
luisbv2311 karma
Do you have any alternative artwork to show? or a blog or something to follow? i loved the show :)
ponytv20 karma
You can follow me at www.lisahanawalt.com and supervising director Mike Hollingsworth is at http://stufffedanimals.tumblr.com . I've been slowly posting artwork from the show (with links to the sites of our incredible character/background designers and storyboard artists and directors)!
pibby_8 karma
What freedoms or challenges have you encountered by doing the show on Netflix, as opposed to a tv network or cable network? Love the show, thanks!
ponytv7 karma
I don't know what it's like doing a show for a regular tv/cable network but I'll say that Netflix doesn't give a ton of notes, and the notes they do give all make sense. I'm not even trying to be an ass kisser. We're tremendously lucky to be working with Netflix, creatively.
Seburrstian8 karma
Hey, guys! Love the show. Thanks so much for your work! Can't wait for season 2.
I guess my question is, is Diane is inspired by Daria (and that's the reason why she wears that green jacket)?
Also, which star would you consider BoJack to be based off of?
And, how is it like working with stars such as Aaron Paul and Alison Brie? Any funny stories?
We need more Vincent Adultman! One of my favorite characters in a tv show, definitely.
Again, thanks for your work :)
ponytv16 karma
Great question! She isn't inspired by Daria, but after tweaking her appearance a bunch of times (she had to look smart...but cute/sexy. Mostly smart! But still attractive!) we got some visual similarities to Daria by coincidence. Green reads as "intelligent-yet-slightly-offbeat" to me.
DJPizzaBagel6 karma
Hello amazingly talented people, and thanks for answering questions for us! Let me start by saying that I instantly loved the show (and the Baby Geniuses podcast, Lisa!) Were there any scenes in the show that you found particularly difficult (either because they were really emotional or because it was hard to get them just right)?
ponytv13 karma
I know I keep yapping about episode 11 but it was really important to us that the cabin in Maine be insanely picturesque and inviting and that Charlotte/Harper be so sweet in appearance that it breaks your heart. I love working on any background or character that needs to evoke something specific. For example, Herb's house needed to look really fancy in a way that was better than BoJack's (our lead background designer Walter Mancia knocked that architecture out of the park).
ever_the_stoic3 karma
Hi there, Lisa and Raphael! Thanks for all your hard work making such a a great show.
Among the many things I love the about the show were the episodes that shifted focus to supporting characters such as Princess Caroline. I would like to see more of that in season 2.
Which supporting characters do you feel have the most potential for their own episodes in future seasons?
ponytv16 karma
I feel like that frog-like human in the mariachi band from episode 1 could use his own episode
ColJohn2 karma
This one is for Lisa!
Do you consider yourself more of a Clydesdale or a Clyde?
Majortimtom2275 karma
Greatest intro song ever! What are your opinions on calling dibbs in the grocery store?
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