Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared creators Joe and Charlie Pelling discuss their new Adult Swim short, Andrew Ganvickton, in this interview.
If you love Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared as much as my teenagers did, have no fear, the brilliant minds behind it are back with an Adult Swim SMALLS short, Andrew Ganvickton. The short, which stars Australian comedian Sam Campbell (Taskmaster), follows Andrew, who has to go to the doctor. What follows is a twisted yet hilarious romp as his back twin bursts out of him and upends his life.
Mama’s Geeky caught up with Joe and Charlie Pelling via email to discuss the new short and the inspiration behind it. The brothers talk about their work dynamic and whether or not there is any hope for a future for this character.
Joe & Charlie Pelling On ‘Andrew Ganvickton’
Mama’s Geeky: Where did the initial idea for this short come from?
JOE: I think we just wanted to make a short about a guy who is quite uncharismatic, somebody who would not naturally be the star of an animated show, like if it was on tv as a kid you would be disappointed if you couldn’t find anything else on another channel.
CHARLIE: The whole cyst thing is actually how I was born.
Mama’s Geeky: Much like Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared, your work often blends the incredibly mundane with the profoundly disturbing. How do you balance making Andrew’s situation genuinely horrifying while keeping it laugh-out-loud funny?
JOE: I think to me it’s all funny. Or at least that’s the idea. The disturbing moments are often there just so you can see how the characters react. Like when the doctor in the first scene just says ‘ Oh’ after the little twin jumps out Andrew’s back. I don’t think a doctor should behave like that, that’s not an appropriate amount of concern for a doctor.
Mama’s Geeky: The Adult Swim SMALLS program is legendary for letting creators run wild. Did knowing this was for Adult Swim change how dark or weird you were willing to let the narrative get?
JOE: Dave Hughes, who runs the smalls programme commissioned the short, has a good radar for finding creators that fit the adult swim tone, and letting them do their thing. I think Adult Swim are one of the very few places left that actually commission creator led short animations and it would be nice to see more people taking risks like they do.
Mama’s Geeky: What made full 2D animation the right vehicle for this specific story?
JOE: We did think about alternative techniques for this, but hand drawn animation often has a more personalised style. You can watch it and get the impression it was made by some weird guy in his bedroom rather than a studio. But also I hadn’t done any drawing for a while and just felt keen to get back to it.
Mama’s Geeky: How did you approach the soundscape for this short?
CHARLIE: We spoke a lot about the world of the show, as if you were watching the wrong part of an otherwise wholesome cartoon: the wrong main character and the wrong part of the world, where none of the real action is actually happening. With that in mind we wanted the soundscape to be a bit bleak and a bit dull. We’re hoping to release the Official Andrew Ganvickton Soundscape on Spotify soon!
Mama’s Geeky: Sam is an absolute force of chaotic energy. Did you write the character specifically with his frantic, unpredictable comedic delivery in mind?
JOE: Actually, we had done a temp vo ourselves but i happened to be working with Sam on MAKE THAT MOVIE so asked him if he would be up for giving it a go when we had a spare moment. At first he wasn’t keen but i told him it was a voice for a muscle bound warrior who saves all these supermodels from an evil Troll and he waived his fee.
Mama’s Geeky: How much of the dialogue was strictly scripted versus letting Sam and Kath Hughes riff in the recording booth?
JOE: Most of it was pretty scripted by the time I got Sam in, but he added a bunch of extra lines in the last scene and made it way funnier. Kath is a very funny comic and actor, she had worked with me before so I just asked her to record a few lines remotely at the last minute and she fired over some files using high speed internet.
Mama’s Geeky: You two have collaborated before, but how does the dynamic work when you’re co-writingand building a universe together from scratch? Do you ever find yourselves arguing over how weird a joke should be?
JOE: Our relationship has soured generally over the years, to the point where we have to be physically restrained each time we are in the same room. Most of the budget for this went on our individual body guards. Some people think that I’m stronger and some people think that Charlie is stronger but you would have to be present for all the fights to make an informed decision about who is actually the strongest brother. You can’t just see one fight where Charlie narrowly wins using illegal moves and then assume that he is the stronger brother. There have been plenty of other fights where I have clearly won easily but you just haven’t seen them.
CHARLIE’S LAWYER: Our client is fully aware of the ongoing public interest regarding this topic. However, out of respect for the integrity of the process and the privacy of all parties involved, they will not be making any statements or answering questions around this matter at this time. Suffice it to say, this is the main reason why this interview could not be conducted in person.
Mama’s Geeky: Do you see Andrew Ganvickton as a self-contained story, or do you have a grander vision for a full-length series following Andrew and his back-twin?
JOE: We would love to do more with the character of Andrew Ganvickton, and we have a few outlines ready to go. I wouldn’t say it’s a grand vision but it definitely has more stuff. I would love to see an entire series of Andrew and his back twin possibly going into business together and paying off Andrew’s debts which are substantial.
CHARLIE: I don’t want to give the Andrewheads too much false hope but… let’s just say that the potential of the Andrewverse is causing a lot of buzz in the biz right now.
Andrew Ganvickton, the new short can be watching on Adult Swim SMALLS YouTube channel.
