Son of Series: The Spin Off

 From the Comments:

Angeline wrote: I have a question about pitching spin-offs, which is related to a rumor that has been flying around the Darkwing Duck community for a long time. Apparently, the rumor is that after the Darkwing series ended, you pitched another spin-off to Disney starring Gosalyn as the hero, long after Darkwing has retired. The pitch was apparently rejected because Disney didn't think kids would be interested in a female as the main action role. Is this true? 

Sadly you have to deal with the fuzziness of my memory.  Years after Darkwing, THE DISNEY AFTERNOON syndicated block ceased being viable because the market had changed so much.  Fox created its own kids block which took  the strongest stations away from Disney.  Fox notably turned to Warner Brothers for content who created their own classics like Tiny Toons and Batman.  Later, Disney reinvented itself as ONE SATURDAY MORNING,  a very Nickelodeon-like slate of shows.

I did a few sketches that revisited some of our DA characters but with a non Disney design style.  One was Gosalyn as Quiverwing Quack, her  Hawkeye/Green Arrow/archer hero alias.  There was no big presentation.  Just a testing of the water that never got past a hallway discussion.

I believe I posted that Gosalyn drawing, to the horror of the Disney Afternoon fans, in response to a similar question.  Fans of the DA shows really want more of the same show done the same way and prefer a tight continuity.  But I was attempting to see if there was room for the Disney characters in the new Nick-lite world of Disney.  There wasn't.  It had nothing to do with a female in an action role.

 Very few executives left at Disney understand how big the Disney Afternoon was.  But that was almost twenty years ago.  It only matters if you are working nostalgia into your business plan, like snagging adults to share their childhood experiences with their kids.

Angeline continued: And a general question about pitching: If one cartoon does extremely well on television, is there a higher chance execs will be open to another cartoon related to it? (either with some of the same characters, or placed in the same universe). Or does it go the opposite route, where they're looking for something fresh?

Anything can happen.  It's up to the network.  But generally, a network would rather have more episodes of a hit than a spinoff.   You can't get much bigger than SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS yet I haven't heard of a Patrick series in the work.  

Obviously, live action television doesn't feel this way.  Look at the number of CSI, Law and Order and NCIS shows.  And the Star Trek heritage is made up of variations on a theme.  But even in those cases, the original franchise is widened.  There may be guest appearances by the "original cast" but mostly the spinoff shows are made with new characters with new personality dynamics.  This is closer to your suggestion of placing a show in the same universe.

Batman is a character that is constantly reinvented in animation.  That's mostly for merchandising reasons.  A new take on Batman with a fresh design sense allows for a whole new line of toys.  Luckily for us, WB takes care to make sure the series themselves are well made.   I've enjoyed them all.

So in general, development executives are looking for "the next SpongeBob" or "the next Phineas and Ferb," phrases animation writers hear far too much.  If there ARE plans for a studio to revisit their library for ideas, the initiative comes from within.  You're much better off coming up with a new idea of your own.

But you can certainly be inspired by the shows you love.  SECRET SATURDAYS was pitched as JONNY QUEST meets THE HERCULOIDS, although the series is a long way from that.  What is it you like about your favorite?   Can you take those attributes and adapt them to a modern show in a different setting?

If I was creating Darkwing Duck today, I'd probably be more influenced by the flood of current superhero movies than the Silver Age of comics.  I'm guessing it would be a completely different show. On the other hand, BATMAN: BRAVE AND THE BOLD does a great job of mining old comics.  In any case, write for today's audience not the audience that made a show a hit in the last century.

Thanks for the column idea, Angeline!  -- Tad

 

Comments

[Angeline Shea]

Thank you so much for responding! A member on my forum actually sent me the image you drew, which had been posted on a DAFT Yahoo group. I wrote about it here: http://negaverse.net/index.php?pid=29

What I find interesting is that since the DVDs were released, the younger generation of kids aged 13-17 are now really getting into the old Disney Afternoon cartoons. The new comic by Boom! Studios seems to be drawing in new and old fans alike as well (although I'll bet they're selling more copies to older audiences). But I agree wholeheartedly that today's audience is very different from the generation of kids in the early 90's.

The parents on my forum who are die-hard DAFT fans like to
share their favourite cartoons with their children, and the results tend to be hit-or-miss. Sometimes the kids are interested, other times they'd rather watch Spongbob, or something else more current. It's all about the nostalgia factor, I think. We all seem to prefer the cartoons we grew up with. I wouldn't expect any television network to revive an old show just because there's so many adults who still love it -- they want to do it for the kids. I'm glad this doesn't apply to the comic industry as much, though!

[Tad]

Thanks for the link. I had forgotten the Darkwing with his bandaged foot bit and the type of humor I was thinking of using. One thing about your "missing episodes" post: I was involved in all episodes of Darkwing Duck. I misread the question in the other interview. I wasn't involved in the last episodes of Rescue Rangers.

Darkwing would be wilder in humor and more adventurous if I was writing him today. There are some episodes that do this: That Sinking Feeling and Comic Book Capers come to mind. But even with those, we'd try to make the action cooler when he finally charged into action. I'd also give him two guns, John Woo style.

[Angeline Shea]

Oh, I'll have to correct that then. Are those "missing" episodes actually real, or just one of those ancient Internet legends?

I can only imagine what DW would be like, haha! I always figured that because there's less violence in cartoons today (particularly the use of knives/guns/etc) he'd actually be softened down, to avoid complaints from parents. Heck, I even noticed that when I bought the DVDs, they included some footage that had been cut out of the episodes aired on t.v, because it was deemed "too violent". Unfortunately "Darkly Dawns The Duck" on the dvd was not the original, and had quite a few awesome scenes cut out.

But I suppose there are ways to be wild and adventurous without the gratuitous violence. I imagine it'd take a lot of creativity and ingenuity.

[JerRocks2day]

Hey Tad.

I'm curious about the cartoons today that try to appeal to kids.

For instance, CBN is bringing back Superbook via CGI. It's suppose to be based on the original anime that debuted in the early 80s, but I've noticed way too many changes [last names of the characters have been changed(i.e. Christopher Peeper has been changed to Chris Quantim, style of animation and drawing has changed[i.e. not anime]*, and the characters aren't exactly in character.

I have two question:
-Do you think the original cartoon's company, Tatsunoko Productions would file lawsuit?
-Do you also think the changes that I've mentioned are a sad attempt to appeal to kids today? If so, why is CBN allowing it?

*the show's character designer, happened to be the same person who worked in Teen Titans and The Batman.

[Tad]

I don't think Tatsunoko Productions owned any of the rights to Superbook. They were the production house hired to produce it. They have no grounds for any legal action. The biggest creative challenge of the original Superbook was to insert two kids and a robot into bible stories without warping the original material. The series was hugely successful.

It is a perfect candidate for updating since CBN still has a mandate of teaching bible stories to kids and the original 1981 series looks so dated. The idea of the series is the same. The names of the kids don't matter (I assume "Peeper" was changed because of the connection to "Peeping Tom" or worse).

You wouldn't want the kids to act like kids from the eighties so personality makeovers are probably necessary. After all, the new producers are creating a show for 2011. It's not a "sad attempt" at all. From what I've read, they're taking the central idea and making it more adventurous and exciting. That's perfect if you're trying to convince an audience of kids that the bible isn't boring.

[JerRocks2day]

I still feel like too many changes have been made. I guess it's just my gut opinion. Plus, I thought it had connection to the type of cartoons kids wanted today, which are different from the cartoons kids wanted in the 90s.

The CGI series was one of the biggest reasons why I've decided to develope Trouble Shooters [crossover between Superbook/Flying House]. (of course you said you can't critique that because ur still in the television industry.)

Through it, I could reinvent/update the characters [such as Chris Peeper], and give them revamped roles that best suits them.

That's one of the few details I can give away [especially u said u can't critique it] because it's still a work in progress.

[JerRocks2day]

Hey again Tad. JerRocks here again.

This past year, the first few volumes of Darkwing Duck: Duck Knight returns was released. If Darkwing Duck makes a comeback with the comics, have you considered in getting involved with Boom! Studios on the project, considering you created DW?

[Tad]

I'm currently at the San Diego Comic Con and today I'm doing a signing at the Boom Studios booth at 3 and tomorrow I'm moderating their Kids Get a Drawing panel. I may be doing some covers for them, so I'm way ahead of you. The comics are great, check 'em out.

[Angeline]

Hi Tad,

Just wanted to say thank you for the autograph! I couldn't make it to SDCC myself since I'm all the way up in Canada, but my friend got one for me and took photos of the comics she'll be sending me (She had you guys sign them to "Malicia" which is actually a character of mine, haha).

Hope the rest of the con is a good one!

[stavner]

How about pitching ideas for comics, would that be easier than pitching for animation? It is cheaper to do comics than animation, after all.

I've got a great idea for a revamp of Gadget and some other DA characters, and I'd like to pitch it to Boom! if they ever decide to do DA comics.

[Tad]

Boom Studios is full of Disney Afternoon fans, plus when Darkwing was announced, a ton of DA enthusiasts made their desires known about what they'd like to see. Boom has plenty of great stuff lined up, it's just a matter of timing as to when they'll announce it.

Boom actually pitches ideas to Disney Publishing who decides whether they're allowed to move forward with them.

Although comics are cheaper than animation, everything is relative. They're still careful about what they decide to publish. Putting a new comic out is still a risk.

[Damien]

Tad,

I'm in the process of creating my own show and I have nagging question. How long does it usually take for a TV series to produce a show from manuscript to television screen. I know the network orders a certain amount of show each season and how do they get it done week to week? I know it's a lot rewrites and meetings but what is the average length of this process? Let's say for show that have master the process like Family Guy or Simpsons...Thanks in advance...And Thank you for sharing this information in you blog...