FanX 2021: Rob Paulsen on the importance of fun and educational cartoons

 

The following interview took place during the opening press conference for FanX Salt Lake Comic Convention 2021:

Signs of the Times: Hello! Thanks for coming back, first of all. My name’s Aaron. I work with the FanX social media team. A lot of things have happened in the past two years since we had a convention – I got married and had a kid.

Jess Harnell: Good for you!

Jim Cummings and Rob Paulsen, in background: Woo hoo!

SotT: Having a child and working from home, I watch a lot of TV, but my choices in entertainment have changed quite a bit. So, my question for you guys is: what is the importance in making – I guess, producing – content that is both fun and educational? … I remember, growing up, watching “Animaniacs” and other shows. I learned a lot, and I still remember some of your songs, you know?

JH: Oh, great!

SotT: So, what is the importance for you making things that are fun and educational for kids?

JH: Rob, do you want to take that?

RP: Why is it important? I think you’ve already touched on it. The fact is that you’re now willing to share this with your children because it has enough subversive humor to entertain you, and I would submit you probably got jokes down the road from “Animaniacs” that you didn’t get when you first watched when you were a little guy.

JH: You won’t believe what’s coming.

RP: That was, as Mo [LaMarche] and everyone has said [earlier in the press conference], that is utterly by design – and not just on “Animaniacs” and “Pinky and the Brain.” I think that there are other shows that strive to do that, as well. But also, we have a big orchestra, we get to do great music – a lot of them are “earwigs.” I can sing, “Tunisia, Morocco, Uganda, Angola, Zimbabwe, Djibouti, Botswana…” a capella, and it doesn’t matter. It’s such a remarkable tune that Randy Rogel wrote.

JH: And he does it live, too, all the time.

JC: I can feel him stopping himself. [laughter] Must… not… sing… full… song!

RP: Can I give you my own anecdotal evidence? My son is now 37, surprisingly. When my son was little, he lived for "The Muppets." I could watch "Muppets" all day.

JH: Yeah.

RP: I loved it. If my kid wanted to watch “Teletubbies,” I would have had a real problem.

JH: Oh, yeah!

RP: …Not with my child – and I understand why the rudimentary nature of “Teletubbies” and “Barney”… I understand why they work. But if I’m, in some respects, doomed to watch television with my kid, I could watch Big Bird all day. My kid can learn stuff – he can learn how to be kind and generous and count and all of that, without [me] thinking, “There’s not enough wine in the world for me!”

JC: And his youngest is 25, so it’s hard for [Rob] to… still learning stuff.

RP: Still learning!

JC: It’s tough!

RP: So, you’ve kind of answered your question for us because you’re the example, and thank you for that.

SotT: No, thank you!

JH: The one thing I’ll add is: I’ve always said that “Animaniacs,” in particular, is a Trojan horse because it’s an educational social satire masquerading as a kids’ show. That’s what it is.