MH:  When did you open up aka Cartoons?

DA:    We opened it on April Fool’s day, 1994, in Vancouver BC, and away we went. I’ve been there ever since. The Brothers Grunt wrapped up in 1995, and we got into doing more spots again. I really love doing commercials; they’re short and sweet, in a variety of styles and it’s fun. I really enjoy it. Then in 1996 I did this drawing of these three guys—the Eds—and all of a sudden I knew these guys were a show. I spent about a year developing it and getting it to the state you see now.

MH:    How’d you get the idea for the Eds?

DA:    The idea basically came from my going through adolescence. It’s not just that you’re kids, it’s the aspect of puberty, of not knowing what class you fall into— you’re still a kid but you want to be an adult. It’s the confusion aspect. I draw on my growing up as a homebound nerdo drawing comics and cartoons, as well as watching my two boys and stealing their schtick.

MH:    That’s a good idea to change it to three boys in the show so it will be original.

DA:    Yeah, if I used my two boys they would have sued me, and taken me for every box of macaroni and cheese I’ve got.

MH:    Are you going to do that Hanna-Barbera thing where they run by the same tree and the same barber pole about five times?

DA:    Hasn’t that just become a standard?GW; I think Genndy picked that up for Two Stupid Dogs, where they went for that really retro Hanna-Barbera look.

DA:    It depends on what we’re doing. Repeat pans have always been a standard in the industry. Some repeat pans are built so it doesn’t look like it’s being repeated, and some are built so it does look like it’s being repeated. You’re not supposed to be looking at the background anyway, you’re supposed to look at the characters. Eddy’s sort of the hyperactive, obnoxious scammer, and the class clown kind of guy, Edd the introverted homebound wit and shy guy of the three, with Ed being the big lummox who’s into ‘B’ monster movies and lives in a basement.

The whole styling of the show is derived from a kid’s point of view. The backgrounds are almost UPA-ish in a sense. They’re kind of flat line drawings and blocks of color with nothing really being detailed because I don’t really remember as a kid looking at texture. I never sat in my mom’s living room and looked at the floral pattern on the couch—it wasn’t what I was interested in, so that’s the viewpoint the show takes as well. Nothing’s very detailed unless it’s something that they’re really interested in. We used very vivid and vibrant colors because the show takes place in summer. Every episode takes place as if summer vacation has just started. It will warm you up and make you nice and toasty.

MH:    That’s good since we’re watching it in winter. So Hanna-Barbera didn’t make you make one of those little World Premiere Toon things first?

DA:    Originally we were going to do that with the first show, which was the pilot, but Cartoon Network loved it so much they wanted to go for a series. Now we’re in cahoots in creating a cartoon show--thirteen episodes with two eleven minute segments per half hour. This is a whole different ballgame for me. Probably because of my commercial stuff, every time I approach something, I always deal with it like a new canvas. This is a whole new genre for me, which is basically straight ahead, gag-driven cartoons. The influences for Ed, Edd and Eddy are the original influences of animation—Buster Keaton, Hal Roach, Max Sennett, slapstick, Vaudeville, The Three Stooges—that whole era—that’s what’s driving this show.

It’s been a long time coming and I’m stoked. I’m having a great time doing a show for these guys. The Cartoon Network is the coolest network. For anybody to have the sensibilities to put on stuff like Late Night Black and White, Toonheads, The Tex Avery Show—it’s amazing the sensibilities this network has.