What the Hellboy?

Wow, the news is out, everyone's excited and you've linked here to find out the latest about Hellboy's transition into animation.

Well, tough.  First you're going to learn about me. :)

I'm the guy who gets to play in Mignola's brain!  Sure it's dark and a little squishy but there's some really creepy stuff in there that I can't wait to toss against your TV screen.  My name is Tad Stones and I've been wanting to do this for a long time.

I first pitched Hellboy as an animated prime time show about ten years ago while I was still at Disney.  (Hey, they claimed they wanted fresh ideas!)  I even produced a little video reel on Adobe Premiere, complete with an animated Touchstone logo.  No interest, of course.  I was given several logical reasons why it wouldn't really fit on prime time television, most of which can be summed up in the sentence, "It's not The Simpsons."  Ironically, I now work at Film Roman Studios where the entire first floor is taken up by artists working on The Simpsons.

So I continued to produce fantasy and science fiction shows for Disney, most based on feature films.  Some of them let me explore some spooky material, albeit in a humorous way.  I also kept pitching various incarnations of "an animated X-Files."  The show was at its peak of popularity; proving there was interest in the material.  Why not try animating something similar?  Of course, what I was really doing was trying to create a show that would let me toy with the same subject matter that Mike Mignola was generating in Hellboy.

Years later I got really close.  Disney Features was working on ATLANTIS and using Mike Mignola as a story and art consultant.  As usual, there was talk of a series and I made sure I was their "Go-to-Guy."
We started work before the movie was released and that's when I met Mike Mignola.  Just as features had, we used him as a series consultant and had him design monsters and what not for us.  Cool beans!

But as we worked on the show, it became obvious the executives wanted it safer, calmer and much more kid-friendly than the movie.  My favorite exec quote: "Why do we need antagonists?"  Finally, after the feature film disappointed at the box office, our production was shut down, fittingly, on Friday the 13th.  Three episodes were linked into a feature length DVD which begins to show what the series might have been (make sure you watch the deleted, extra creepy, scene in the "extras" section.) but the DVD suffered from some of those same, "friendly" notes.

I kept in touch with Mike and when I finally left the Mouse House I felt I needed to write something for pure enjoyment.  And so I pitched Mike some premises and he generously gave me notes on two, half hour, Hellboy scripts!  It was very generous of Mike to take the time since I wasn't connected to any studio.  But I wanted to have something different to shop around as a writing sample.  Meanwhile Mike went to work on the Hellboy feature with Guillermo del Toro.

I was often on the Hellboy comic forums and when the Hellsite opened to promote the movie, I was one of the first on those boards.  Guillermo liked to include the fans in what was going on and I was one of the small group that he invited to a press screening and a dinner with Mike and Ron Perlman.  Guillermo and I talked animation at various book and DVD signings and he certainly knew my background.   

Fast forward to now, with me comfortably nestled in Mike's fog shrouded lobes, working at a studio that is as excited as I am that we're bringing Hellboy to animation.  I've never worked at a place that gives such support and encouragement to the creators.  And I was hired to bring Hellboy to animation, not a friendlier, blanded out, kid's version of the character but the guy who stalks the pages of the comic.  It seems the stars are aligned and the appropriate rituals have been performed and so the party can begin.

What's it going to be like?  How much is Mignola involved?  What's my favorite color?

That's for another time.        -- Tad

Comments

[David Petersen]

Wonderful intro Mr. Stones. I anticipate reading the progress of the project!!

[Seth Lombardi]

Awesome, Mr. Stones.

[Helen Chavez]

Lookin' gooood ... I can't wait for the rest!

[Matthew Barrios]

Hi Tad,
I too am a big fan of Mike and Hellboy and like you I worked on some animated pilots for the Mouse House as an animatics editor. I would love, love love, love, love, love, love, to work on this project. I am finishing up work on season five of Family Guy and I will be available. The Hellboy character design is absolutely awesome. I am drooling like a fanboy just looking at it. This project rocks!!!!

[Stavner]

Glad you're back producing a new series!

And congrats on CDRR coming out on DVD!

[marcos]

fantastic update! i can't wait to see the finished product.my only question is, will there be a 2nd live action hb film?

[Korkuss]

Wow, I can hardly wait. Congratulations, this will be such a fine project!!!

[BassMonster]

Incredible. Unbelieavable. 'Animation world' (i.e. 'The Suits') will never learn -- what did they say - 'Why do we need antagonists?'. WHY DO WE NEED DRAMA, STORYTELLING, ENTERTAINMENT? I used to be a cartoonist, worked in animation even and left the field[s] in disgust, not to return... But YOU, Mr Stones, raise hope for the medium and those working in there. Personally, I always saw Bruce Timm as The Guy to adapt Hellboy for the animation, but you appear to be quite a distinguished choice. Good luck & all the best!

[marilyne a big fan]

hi congluation for your movies when i saw the movie for the first time i'm conpletely fall in love with Red so i have poster and sticker and all of hellboy and i want to know if a hellboy 2 will appears in the theater? pleas answer to my question! bye bye and good luck!
p.s is Red a real person (but with makeup) or invented by computer?

[Tad Stones]

We have nothing to do with the Hellboy live action production. Check the Del Toro fansite for info. It's one of the links.

Hellboy was played by Ron Perlman in make-up.