If you haven’t been keeping up with the bonkers and surprisingly mature adventures of theBravest Warriors, now’s a great time to catch up. The current season of thePendleton Wardcreation is airing on VRV’s Cartoon Hangover, one of the streaming outlets for Frederator Studios productions. That’s a heck of a team-up of behind-the-scenes talent, as evidenced by the wild success of Ward’s previous creation,Adventure Time. And if you are a fan of that series but haven’t become obsessed withBravest Warriorsyet, trust me when I say that you soon will be.
to celebrate a whole bunch of new episodes ofBravest Warriorsthat will continue to debut in the coming weeks, I had a chance to chat withJohn Omohundro, actor and writer and voice of Danny Vasquez, andBenjamin Townsend, the show’s Executive Producer and Executive Story Editor. We chatted about the off-the-charts cuteness of CatBug, the (possible) return of Jelly Kid and RoboChris, ImpossiBear, how the new time format has affected the storytelling, and much more. It’s a very silly, very random, and absolutely hilarious read that I thinkBravest Warriorsfans will really enjoy.
FYI: Season 4 will feature 52 new 11-minute episodes. Here’s a look at the new episodes due out today onVRV’s Cartoon Hangover channel:
404A “This Dance Ain’t for Everybody”
404BA “Few Stolen Moments”
First and most important question for the both of you, how cute is CatBug?
John Omohundro: There is no fathomable way in all of the Wankiverse to define Catbug’s cute factor!
Benjamin Townsend: 7.2 Impossibears.
I have to say, I’m thrilled at the return of Jelly Kid, but can you tease whether or not he and Danny get to reunite this season?
Townsend: Jelly Kid is doing time for a crime he most definitely DID commit. If he can be rehabilitated, we may see him again. (Keep watching!)
Similarly, will RoboChris make a return, or is he just off on side-adventures?
Omohundro: RoboChris is actually one of my favorite characters, and we will absolutely be getting to see a little more ROBO!
Townsend: You can’t keep a good homicidal robot down. He just keeps going and going and killing and going.
Benjamin, how did the opportunity to write forBravest Warriorscome about?
Townsend: I think Frederator was looking for someone with a strong track record of working on shows with distinct perspectives, who was also flexible enough to help guide a group of newer writers with their own fresh voices. At least, that’s what I tell myself.
How did the experience or writing two 12-minute segments compare to, say, a full half-hour arc?
Townsend: It’s twice as much work. The amount of story in an episode remains the same, you just don’t have as much time to tell it. That’s why things move fast in theBravest Warriorsuniverse. More importantly, you have to think of two titles.
Did you feel any pressure with your scripts leading off Season 4?
Townsend: WritingBravest Warriorsis a really exciting challenge. Was I under pressure? Sure, maybe. But I have ice in my veins. It also helped to have the support of a team at Frederator who totally gets the show and really cares about the quality of the scripts.
We’ve got some interesting changes at the beginning of Season 4: There’s a new intro narrated by different members of the team, our heroes go through a number of multi-dimensional changes [ie Danny’s got radiation sickness] and somewhat more straightforward adventure stories. How did these changes come about and what was the story-breaking process like for this season?
Townsend: With 52 episodes and employing many more writers, we were free to send the Bravest Warriors on almost any adventure the writer dreamed of. (This isn’t true - EVERYONE just wanted to write about Impossibear). But there is a major series-long arc being told as well, which I took over from Breehn Burns and Jason Johnson [writers of the first three seasons]. I followed their lead and wove that saga into the individual stories. Basically, none of this is my fault. I’m handsome!
John, Danny has a rough go of it in this season; radiation sickness, having to kill his maggot clone, still being in Chris’ shadow, getting tossed aside at the dance, being imprisoned … What do you hope to see for Danny in the immediate/near/distant future?
Omohundro: Dan-Man has always had it rough, but I’d really like to see him get some more wins. I’m still shipping #TeamDeth (Danny+Beth)!
For both of you: The team gets to work out some aggression while murdering their maggot-clones. If you could hypothetically neutralize a maggot-version of someone, who would it be?
Omohundro: Oh, I’d murk myself so hard! Think about it! How do you outsmart yourself? “I’m gonna club him with a bat… wait, he’s gonna come at ME with a bat!” Aww, fun times would be had!"
Townsend: Let me get my list.
We’ve got 52 episodes to look forward to this season: What moments or episodes are you most looking forward to audiences seeing?
Omohundro: There’s an episode where Danny gets marooned on a far out planet and has to really fight to survive with a new companion! Part of what I love about this longer format, is diving into all the side characters that inevitably couldn’t make it within the constraints of a five minute show. I’m curious which one will be the fan favorite after this season!
Townsend: Chris and Beth making out, obviously. #ChrisandBeth4Eva (Don’t tell John ).
What can you tease about the future ofBravest Warriors?
Omohundro: SPOILERS: Dude, everybody dies. Well, they’re all dead. It’s complicated. Technically, these Warriors aren’t even the ORIGINAL Bravest Warriors! Didn’t you see the first episode, TIME SLIME?! If I say anymore I’ll risk creating a PARASOX! AH, I’ve done it! I just can’t help but PUT THESE ON! disappears
Townsend: How about the return of the Paralyzed Horse. What REALLY happened to the Bravest Warriors’ parents? The Rainbow Prince of Moop. Is True Love for real? HEY! WALLOW’S TOTALLY NAKED! Captain Meow’s revenge. Why is oblivion the greatest gift of all? Blue Willy. What IS The Concierge up to? Sexism getting punched in the nose. Does Chris REALLY have the pepper?! GAH! BETH IS SO COOL! Oh, so that’s what happens when you die… That sorta thing.
What awaits the both of you in your near future? Any other projects?
Omohundro: So many projects! I’ve started writing a lot more this year, and can’t wait to see where that takes me. On the acting front, you can catch me voicing characters on videogames and commercials here and there! Of course, if I said any more, you’d probably find me in an unmarked grave somewhere! (Half-joke)
Townsend: It’s back to NASA for me. (But keep an eye out for my name connected with the newSaint Seiya,Carmen Sandiego, andTransformers).
Bravest Warriors airs two new episodes today on VRV’s Cartoon Hangover channel!
