Matt Braly On The State Of Animation And Lessons Learned In The Industry
“I learned so much coming into this industry but there’s so much I didn’t know,” Amphibia creator Matt Braly tells me ahead of this weekend’s penultimate episode. “I assumed that every network would be just chomping at the bit for that kind of content, whether it was Gravity Falls or Steven Universe or Adventure Time but I have learned that all of those shows have struggled to get those stories made and I too have struggled to get [Amphibia] made at many different points because of those ideas.”
Alongside a deep dive into the coming finale with Braly, we also found time to talk about where animation is right now in the wider zeitgeist, exploring how things have changed and need to continue evolving as we move forward and a new generation of creators are brought into the fold. Having previously worked on shows like the aforementioned Gravity Falls and Steven Universe, as well as Big City Greens, Amphibia was Braly’s first experience as a showrunner, and it seems the show brought with it some worthwhile lessons about how this industry works from such a position.
Related: Anne Boonchuy’s Parents Are One Of Amphibia’s Greatest Strengths
“I think that, especially for cable, what ends up playing really well for 6-11 is a little bit lighter, a little bit more fun, a little bit sillier and episodic,” Braly explains. “I didn’t know that, I just thought everyone was here to make cool shit but I learned so much about how the business actually worked. Replayability is such a big thing where it’s just reruns, utility, flexibility for all of these programs to just go at any time and kind of do great. Whereas stories like The Owl House and Amphibia require a little bit more knowledge and investment to watch them.”
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