Reddit AMA Recap: Moynihan brothers talk up influences for ‘Manly’

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Manly

 

Vic RAVED about the new animated short Manly which premiered on Cartoon Hangover last week, so let’s get to know producers Jesse and Justin Moynihan! Recently the brothers from the same mothers (I’m assuming) took part in a Reddit AMA where they answered a bunch of fan questions about not only their brand-new short, but a bunch about the other projects that they are working on.

For starters, it was nice getting to know the guys, so how did Jesse Moynihan break into the business? Well he didn’t do it the popular CalArts way, rather he WORKED:

It seems like there are a lot of people in the animation world who studied at CalArts. I think the combo of that school, talent, and ambition land a lot of people work. Then there are people like Jesse and a handful of story board artists on AT who didn’t study animation, but are dedicated comic book artists. You might remember Jesse kind of answering this question at the Bee and Puppycat panel “pick up a pen and draw.” To expand on what he was saying, he quit his job and sat in a cafe for like 10 hours a day making comics. I had to pay his rent half the time while he was pushing to make his comics better. He pushed the business side for sure, but more importantly he was developing his craft as an artist. And in the end it was recognized by Pen Ward, and he landed the job at AT. For sure that is the rarer approach, but the message is, make art the priority, you have to be dedicated to craft, whether or not it pans out to pay your bills. -justin

If you watched the Manly series, you may notice a scene where the aliens seem a tad hestitant to be around Earth-plants and animals. Well, there’s a reason for that:

Jesse: Yeah I wanted to convey the idea that these aliens live on worlds where nature has been pretty much wiped out. They don’t know how to deal with animals or plants. I thought it would be a funny element to have in the story, where these super advance beings are freaked out by lions and ants.

Eventually fans started coming up with different ideas on how to expand on the Manly franchise, and I gotta say, I thought there were some good ideas. How about a musical?

No thoughts of a Manly musical, but we did shape the story of Manly to include opportunities for more songs, and poetry readings and what not. If we get an opportunity to make a series with longer episodes maybe we’ll go a little deeper with the union between score and ambitious composition. Thanks for the shout out to Make a Rising. We are hoping to complete a few more songs in the next couple of months for MAR and eventually a full album release of these sessions. -justin

Alright, maybe that was pushing things a bit, but is a comic book more likely? We have comics for other Cartoon Hangover shows like Bee and Puppycat and Bravest Warriors, so maybe one for Manly?

If Manly does well as a pilot, there is a possibility of developing a comic. Although at the moment I’m mostly just hoping we can explore the story in animated format. I want this thing to be tight and heavy! -Jesse

There was a bunch more insight to be had from the producers of Manly, as there were a bunch of anecdotes on how to get into the animation game, and a whole lot more. Read the rest here then check out Cartoon Hangover’s Manly.

 

 

About John Schwarz

John is the Chief Editor and Founder of Bubbleblabber.com. While at first a part-time project, Bubbleblabber quickly grew into a full-fledged operation and officially became a company in 2014. When John isn't running a business full-time, he likes to go to concerts with your mother.