NYCC: Adventure Time Pt. 1

 

What time is it? Time to go to New York Comic Con! In anticipation of premiere of the upcoming season, the cast of Cartoon Network’s hit show Adventure Time stopped by at the con last week. After previewing the season with fans at the Hammerstein Ball, the cast took some time to speak with the press. The Motion Picture Club was granted the opportunity to participate in some interviews with the cast. We interviewed the cast in two separate sessions, so due to that, I will split the articles into two parts since they were essentially two separate interviews. You can see part two with Executive Producer Adam Muto, Composer/Lyricist Rebecca Sugar, and the voice of BMO and Lady Rainicorn Niki Yang here.

In the first session I sat with Jeremy Shada, the voice of the protagonist Finn, and Olivia Olson, the voice of fan-favorite Marceline the Vampire Queen. They discussed the upcoming season with great enthusiasm while trying not to spoil too much. Shada’s character Finn will be dealt with a little differently this season. Last season focused heavily on Finn’s struggles with dealing with his less than stellar father. This season, Shada says, will “be a little lighter for Finn” because he’ll be spending most of his time “dealing with other people’s problems.” Finn will be back to rescuing people. However, when asked about Finn’s love life, Shada stated that Finn needed to move on and “get over Flame Princess. He’s not picky, he said that “he doesn’t care who it is,” Finn just “really needs to get a girlfriend” whether it be “some new princess or just anybody.” Shada also added a fun bit of character info for Finn stating that Finn’s favorite rapper would be MC Hammer, because “you just can’t touch Finn.”

Olson’s character Marceline will have a greater focus on her this season. For the first time ever, the show will have an eight part miniseries, which will focus on Marceline’s past. Called “Stakes”, the eight parter will start to air on November 14th, after the premiere of the new season. Olson said that from the start, all of the characters will be focused on “dealing with the Marceline issue.” Fans will finally get to see Marceline’s mother and understand what happened with her parents. When asked about Marceline’s love life, Olson stated that “no one is on her level.” However, she also stated that the miniseries will further her friendship with Princess Bubblegum. Like Shada, Olson added a fun fact about Marceline, stating that Marceline would play Rock Band with Nirvana because they were similarly grungy.

The two voice actors shared with us a very funny anecdote about how “shipping” has affected them in their real lives. Shada said that most of the female fans would ship “them with him.” This has caused a little awkwardness at times. Shada said that one time he and Olson were having dinner, along with their families, after a convention. Olson took a picture and put it on Instagram. She said that she immediately gained “800 hate followers” who weren’t too pleased she was having dinner with him. She laughed and said that they “could have him.”

Olson and Shada also addressed questions about the show as a whole. They noted the shift in tone from the wacky episodes of the first season to the more serious themes in more recent seasons. Shada also said that he has learned to differentiate between the funny and serious moments as the scripts call for it. Regarding Marceline, Olson said that she had been the “heavy, emo one.” from the beginning that those kind of scenes have become “almost second nature.” Shada stated this change in tone was the “natural progression as the fans got older” with Olson chiming in “and more invested in the characters.” With a whole generation growing up with the show, they understand that they are introducing many themes to young people for the very first time. Olson stated that “it was wonderful” that the show addresses ideas of sexuality and gender identity and that it was really important that the show is “making it more acceptable.” Shada added that Finn’s relationship with his dad and “all of the issues … where Finn had to come to a point of forgiveness and reconciliation” is something that was admirable and relatable for those with strained relationships with their parents. He also stated that he was happy that the show was growing with him and that it would continue to address important issues through Finn’s early adulthood. He hopes the show will continue “as long as they want him.”

You can see part two of our Adventure Time interview, with Executive Producer Adam Muto, Composer/Lyricist Rebecca Sugar, and the voice of BMO and Lady Rainicorn Niki Yang here.

Tune in to the premiere of season 7 of Adventure Time on November 2nd on Cartoon Network!