Yesterday, the last day of New York Comic Con, Nickelodeon Max and the Midnight Rider The creators, voice actors and co-executive producers took the stage to give fans a sneak peek of the upcoming CG animated series. this Max and the Midnight Rider A panel of creators and best-selling authors Lincoln Pierce, co-executive producer David Skelly and Sharon Flynnand voice actors barrio blue (Max), Caleb Yan and Zeno Robinson (Simon) is also the moderator of the panel.
Pierce reveals the idea Max and the Midnight Rider After the release on the 8th Big Nate books, want a story involving adventure Sword in the Stone. At a fundraiser in Oklahoma with other cartoonists such as Stephan Pastis, Jeff Kinney and Dav Pilkey, they It suddenly occurred to me that the vast majority of their comics show pre-teen boys and discuss putting girls at the center. As Pierce said, “Girls can read anything, but boys can’t read girls’ books.” In order to attract more female readers to read his works, Pierce had the idea to keep the gender of the protagonist (Max) a secret until 50 page, which may surprise readers.
When the books were adapted into animation, producer Sharon Flynn was immediately attracted to the tone and comedy and loved creating a girl-centric medieval fantasy story. The first season consists of 20 episodes and is based on the first book in the series. The group showed off a map from the series, based on a map drawn by Peirce in Book Three. hobbit and Lord of the Rings Includes a world map.
Because the eponymous character’s voice resonated so strongly with Blue Del Barrio, he revealed that they encountered some difficulties during their childhood. This animated series is something they wished they had when they were growing up and are honored to be a part of it.
Joining Max is her friend, the eponymous Midnight Rider. Donnie Yen described his character Kevyn as cute and round, like a snowman. Kevin will experience adventure and step outside of his comfort zone for the first time while reading mostly comfort books. Robinson describes his character Simon as a sensitive, big-hearted man who is not only protective of his adopted sister Millie, but also of animals. The panel then showed footage of Simon’s love for animals and introduced breakout character Doris Sheep, voiced by producer David Skelly.
Skelly explained the three-step process of translating Pierce’s character from the comic page to animation. Most importantly, it all starts with Pierce’s art and fidelity to the canon of the story. For example, the dragon in the book is green. But Skelly came across a German version of the book Max and the Midnight Rider The books were available in different colors, so they chose that.
Something very unique about the design process of this collection, specifically the costumes, is that they utilized the talents of costume designer Mary Vogt, whose work includes batman returns and man in black. The final 3D design was completed by the series’ character designer Sang Jun Lee.
Pierce’s working life as a cartoonist was largely solitary. So as part of the collaborative nature of animation that started with Big Nate, he appreciated that, which is why he felt good going into Max and the Midnight Rider. Still, he knew there would be challenges in adapting it into animation, especially since the art was fairly simple. Pierce praised the team for enhancing not only the art, but also the themes. Each character is on a journey of discovery and will discover something new about themselves by the end of the season.
Since the first season had 20 episodes based on the first book, the team quickly realized there wasn’t enough content to fill an entire season. So they ended up creating new things that weren’t in the book, but still kept the spirit true while also fleshing out the characters. It was important to Flynn to respect everything there. Although the story takes place in the Middle Ages, Max is definitely a modern girl. Rather than portraying an aspirational character, Flynn thought it would be better to make Max relatable and show kids that it’s okay to make mistakes.
After filming Big Nate, Skelly was influenced by the look of classic stop-motion animation and wanted to continue that vibe Max and the Midnight Rider. Apparently, Skelly said the inspiration for using Unreal Engine software for the series came from watching his sons play video games. As an avid gamer, Robinson was impressed.
this Max and the Midnight Rider The group then played a video showing the team trying to escape a horde of zombies.
The panelists then revealed their favorite aspects of the show
Lincoln Pierce: See the Character. As a non-animator, he has great admiration for the art of animation and praised the series’ cinematic feel.
Caleb Yen: While a lot of recording is done individually or remotely, Yen enjoys being able to do ensemble work with voice actors in the same room.
David Skelly: Over the course of his animation career he has worked on many major projects and Skelly believes this is his favorite so is just enjoying the day job
Zeno Robinson: During a callback audition, Skelly recognized the Astro Boy character on Robinson’s shirt. Robinson was eager to get the starring role so he could work with someone he shared a fan base with.
Blu del Barrio: As they mentioned earlier in the group, del Barrio had a hard time growing up. So being a part of this series gives them the chance to relive their childhood and be a kid again. They find it very healing, especially since not everyone is lucky enough to have this opportunity. They feel very lucky and honored to be a part of this series.
Sharon Flynn: A major aspect of the series is the music, especially original songs inspired by rock and roll. Flynn praised the work of musicians Matt Mahaffy and Letitia Wolfe.
At this point, Max and the Midnight Rider The group eventually announced that Nickelodeon and Republic Records would release a soundtrack album, Max and the Midnight Rider (Music Series)the same day as the show’s premiere on Wednesday, October 30.
