Die fantastische Welt von Gumball

In the reviews of Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon series, there is a lot of speculation about what drugs their creators are on, which is fun, but unfortunately draws attention away from the essence of the whole thing. The final form of these series is not shaped by the consumption of hallucinogens (for the most part, people don’t create much under their influence), but by the simple fact that they are the collective works of creators who, regardless of their specialisation (from screenwriters and storyboard artists through character and background designers to animators and music composers), are tremendously creative and have great imaginations, which, thanks to enlightened producers, are given free rein. From interviews with the screenwriters, it is apparent that another important aspect is not a priori subordination to the child audience, but simply writing what they enjoy themselves or would appreciate if they were children. In combination with visual ideas from the cartoonists and animators and during joint brainstorming sessions with other creators, this gives rise to entertainment with various layers that will simultaneously appeal to various age groups. All of this is manifested with phenomenal effect in The Amazing World of Gumball, which, together with Adventure Time and Steven Universe, represents the absolute pinnacle of contemporary animated television productions. First, what makes Gumball appealing is its combined animation, where the most bizarre characters, created using every conceivable technique including drawing, computer animation, puppets, clay, photos and crumpled paper, as well as played by actors or parts of their bodies, are brought together in front of photorealistic backgrounds. This immense variety results from the original concept of series creator Ben Bocquelet, who wanted to give space to every possible character that he had created in the past as an advertising creative for various campaigns, but which had been rejected. The series is thus literally a glimpse into a world populated by the figments of Bocquelet’s imagination. This personal dimension is further enhanced by the overarching sitcom concept and the individual personalities of the main characters, who their creator says are very much based on his own family. Thanks to the involvement of the screenwriters, some of whom also work on British live-action comedy series, the result is a wild cyclone of visual, verbal, self-reflective, pop-culture and situational gags that liberate the school and family sitcom format from traditional clichés and instead populate it with breathtaking ideas. This subversive and broad-minded approach to genre and formulas can be partly explained by the fact that Gumball is not an American series, but is actually the first original project of Cartoon Network’s European division based in London. Especially in the second season, when the creators had already overcome the difficulties of production and could let their imaginations run wild, the boldness, inventiveness and self-reflection reaches levels that one would never expect even in a “series for adults” and whose ingenuity one can only stare at in disbelief (see the absolutely brilliant last six episodes of the second season starting with The Tape). (18.05.2014) (weniger) (mehr)