It’s not the easiest task to keep track of all the new superhero projects that Marvel Studios has been cooking up, with new shows and movies hitting our screens and TVs to secure the title of true comic book king. One of the new heroes set to debut in tandem with Marvel’s fifth film phase has been overshadowed by the bigger mantle bearers, but is no less worthy of it. Her name is Lunella Lafayette, a thirteen-year-old roller-skating genius who uses her high-tech gadgets and a giant T-Rex to rid her beloved Lower East Side of criminals and supervillains. She is also known as Moon Girl and she is getting her very own TV series in a few days.
Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur called the animated family show, something few seem to be familiar with. This is what Laurence Fishburne wants to change, especially considering that he is one of the creators and voice actors of the series. Fishburne really needs no further introduction; the New York-born actor has captured the imagination of moviegoers as Matrix mentor Morpheus and reunited with Keanu Reeves in the popular John Wick films. Fishburne also made his Marvel debut as Dr. Bill Foster in the sequel Ant-Man and the Wasp, but whether that character returns for the next Ant-Man film is still unclear. Or rather, Fishburne was much more excited about his new project when we got the chance to speak with him for a few minutes. We are also joined by Steve Loter, an Emmy-winning animation veteran known for the spy hit Kim Possible.
This is an ad:
For people unfamiliar with Moon Girl, what would be the best comparison to your show? What are the biggest sources of inspiration?
Fishburne: Gosh… there is no comparison! That’s what’s so wonderful about our show, it’s simply unique. There hasn’t been a show – or a character – like this in animation or anywhere else. For those who really have no idea about the comic I think the big draw would be the big red dinosaur!
What made you think ‘I want to do a show about THIS character’? Why Moon Girl?
Fishburne: Why Moon Girl? She is the first African-American teenage superhero ever! It’s a big deal, especially for young girls who look like her. I’m from New York, Steve is from New York, we both love animation – it’s an opportunity to create something that simply hasn’t existed yet but that people have longed for without even knowing it!
This is an ad:
This is of course not the first time that Fishburne has dipped his toe into the superhero genre. In addition to also voicing the series’ antagonist The Beyonder, a self-centered lurifax, he has voiced the Silver Surfer in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer and has played Perry White in Zack Snyder’s Superman reels. He was even considered as Luke Cage in a Tarantino-directed film, but it never materialized. In other words, superheroes and cartoon characters have always been a big part of Fishburne’s upbringing.
Who are your favorite superheroes, besides Moon Girl, and did they inspire the show?
Fishburne: It started with Hong Kong Phooey… there is probably not a single cartoon character that hasn’t touched my life and made my life better. Silver Surfer, Bruce Banner, Peter Parker… it just goes on and on.
Lots: Growing up, Chris Claremont’s John Byrne era of X-Men was a huge inspiration to me. It was a huge inspiration because it really felt like it was grown up, I felt like you could tell more serious stories through the superhero genre. It was a really formative experience for me.
What are the biggest challenges in making an animated show?
Lots: You want to make sure it stands out, because Lunella Lafayette, Moon Girl’s story, deserves it. We tried to infuse a new style to the show that was unique and stood out, but we also knew that the music was a strong component of the show. When we hired composer Raphael Saadiq, it really elevated the series to new heights. I feel like it’s a show that parents will enjoy, kids will enjoy, grown kids who don’t have kids of their own will enjoy. It’s a show for everyone because it’s the culmination of so many inspirations and so many different worldviews and it’s unique in itself.
What advice would you give fans who want to work in animation?
Lots: What’s interesting now is that there are so many tools at my disposal, so much technology available, that you can pretty much experience every aspect of creating animation at home, from storyboarding to design. Someone once told me that there are at least ten thousand funny drawings in you, so do as many as you can to get those funny drawings out!
Fishburne laughs in the background.
Lots:I honestly believe so. Just create, create, create and hone your skill. And we need people! The animation industry is a running machine, so it feels like there’s room for everyone. Just get well and work on it!
I’m about to ask my perhaps most important question to Fishburne and Loter- Do you think that’s air you’re breathing now? – but time has just run out. I also don’t get to hear about the many projects that Fishburne mentioned at the beginning of the interview that he had in his head. He and Loter have simply set their sights on an exuberantly colorful and music-filled teenage adventure about finding their inner hero – and in time to take down a ten-ton horror lizard. Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur premieres on Disney Plus on February 15.
