The Big World of Adult Swim Smalls – Sarah Schmidt on ‘Gassy’s Gas n’ Stuff’
Adult Swim remains one of the greatest curators of animated talent and it’s always exciting when they’re able to apply that passion to those that truly are in need of it. Adult Swim’s “Smalls” initiative has been around for years and in that time it’s introduced audiences to dozens of avant-garde animators and storytellers through bite-sized cartoons and surreal snapshots. 2023 is a bit year for Adult Swim’s “Smalls” and every Saturday marks the debut of a new animated short in this unique curation project.
This week’s addition to “Smalls,” Gassy’s Gas n’ Stuff, is a freewheeling look into the oddest gas station convenience corner in the world where there’s truly never a dull moment. Gassy’s Gas n’ Stuff comes from Sarah Schmidt, an accomplished animator, writer, and director whose work has appeared in a myriad of places. To celebrate Gassy’s Gas n’ Stuff Adult Swim premiere, Sarah Schmidt gets candid on the unique origins of her short, the differences between drawing people and animals, what influences her unpredictable comedy and storytelling, and if there might be any future trips to Gassy’s Gas n’ Stuff on the horizon.
Daniel Kurland: To begin with, what was the genesis of this short? Is it an idea that’s been gestating for a while in some form?
Sarah Schmidt: In some form, for sure. For many years now I wanted to do something that pays homage to my family’s gas station. It just so happened that I had this opportunity to pitch a couple SMALLS ideas, so naturally the one that packed the most punch with Adult Swim was the one about my family’s gas station. I definitely feel like I made up all of those characters in that pitch process and in the moment I didn’t exactly know what it would all look like until it was happening.
Daniel Kurland: I was going to ask if this short draws from real-life in any capacity. But that’s so fun. So you’ve worked at a gas station convenience store then, like Lulu?
Sarah Schmidt: Oh yeah. I’ve worked at one and I love going to gas station convenience stores. Ours, specifically, was in the middle of nowhere and it had this odd, vintage-looking gas pump that would confuse a lot of people. I worked there even before I could legally sell beer because I’d be helping my family stock shelves or whatever!
Daniel Kurland: That’s great. I love it. You definitely feel that authenticity in Gassy’s and it’s part of the reason why I think its energy is so infectious. I also truly love your art style here. It’s so unique and has this vibe of the underground comix of the ‘60s and ‘70s. What have you found to be your inspirations for Gassy’s or your other works?
Sarah Schmidt: The inspiration pinboard page for Gassy’s had a lot of CatDog and Rocko’s Modern Life, I remember. There was even some Mike Judge stuff sprinkled in there, too, plus this bodega cat channel. That was the main genesis for it, but it’s cool that you mention underground comix because I’ve been pretty into indie comics and jealous over it! Indie animation feels a little parallel, but still behind, in some respects. So that obsession, as well as an interest in post-punk music and its culture, has definitely been on my mind.
Daniel Kurland: I definitely saw a little Parappa the Rapper in there, too.
Sarah Schmidt: That’s awesome! I wanted Parappa! I have a vicious memory of seeing it on the shelf and being like, “I think I should get this game.” But I didn’t and I regret it now!
Daniel Kurland: Is the look in Gassy’s your preferred art style to work in or have you experimented in other styles or mediums?
Sarah Schmidt: I love drawing this way. Just layers layers, symbols and groups, and then animating it. That’s what I’m most comfortable with. I’m fastest in that style, but I’ve been trying to learn stop-motion during my grad program. So I’m trying to figure out stop-motion and how to channel all of my 2D energy into stop-motion work. It’s interesting, but I still feel most at home when I’m drawing in Flash.
Daniel Kurland: You create such fun anthropomorphic animal characters here. Have you always been more interested in drawing animals over people? Do you mix it up between the two?
Sarah Schmidt: I always like drawing humans and creatures, compulsively. All of my sketchbooks are just pages of characters that don’t make any sense. I basically wasn’t comfortable drawing people until I was half-way through my undergrad program and I realized that I couldn’t draw people. I thought they always looked horrible. So I became obsessed with drawing everybody in my classes, coffee shops, and eventually even concerts! I had a close friend who was promoting concerts and I was able to come to shows. I’ve basically only gotten good at drawing people through live drawing and forcing cartoon-ness into them!
Daniel Kurland: It’s funny because I feel like audiences are slightly more critical when it comes to humans, but you’re allowed to take more liberties with animals for some reason. There’s also this really natural stream of consciousness to the dialogue in Gassy’s. What informs your writing and the types of stories that you like to explore? Is there an improvisational quality to it at all?
Sarah Schmidt: I haven’t done too many scripts, so whatever came out for this felt like it was going to be very genuine for me. I just wanted to tie it to the most obvious, mundane, and relatable to a job like that, as well as all of the tiny conversations that pop up around that. A lot of working in situations like that has to do with weird social exercises where you’re trying to keep up with people. It’s all a little disjointed, but it eventually comes together. I just wanted to channel a weird work day.
Daniel Kurland: What types of stories do you find you’re the most interested in writing? Is it largely this slice of life stuff or do you want to go to more fantastical places and explore other ideas?
Sarah Schmidt: I really like the slice of life stuff, but I’m not opposed to more fantasy! I’ve played some D&D games! I think for now, as I’m still starting out, it feels important to tell stories that genuinely draw from my life as I get more comfortable with writing.
Daniel Kurland: You really create such a comfortable, lived-in world with Gassy’s Gas n’ Stuff. Would you be interested in doing a longer version of the short or even expanding it into a full series?
Sarah Schmidt: I would totally be down to make more episodes, or a longer episode, that’s still set in this world. I’ve got a lot of ideas written out and ready to go! I’ve also got a little set of characters that I wasn’t able to fit into this short that are waiting in the wings!
Daniel Kurland: It’s really easy to picture what an episodic version of this would look like. It’s so well-built. Do you have a favorite moment, animated detail, or piece of dialogue that really sticks out to you in Gassy’s?
Sarah Schmidt: There’s this moment where they’re putting all of this stuff away and the little goat character–Billy–goes to sneak and steal some stuff from the parking lot. I have the cat boss come around the corner. My partner animated the cat boss doing this weird thing with the broom that’s based off of some sword technique. It turned out so tight. Then I did the goat running away. There’s this little child’s scream that we put in there, too. When we put it all together we were just dying while watching it. It was very satisfying to use limited animation, but still put in sprinkles of tighter stuff. It was really fun!
