Creator of ‘The Amazing World of Gumball’ speaks out

BENJAMIN “Ben” Bocquelet (BB) is a French-British animator, director, writer, and producer. He is best known as the creator of The Amazing World of Gumball of which he also co-writes alongside James Lamont and Jon Foster. He was also the director of a short film called The Hell’s Kitchen. He has been chosen as the ambassador of Imagination Studios. He spoke to The Financial Gazette’s Online Editor Paul Nyakazeya (PN) from his base in London, England.

PN: I have always wondered how you came up with the characters in The Amazing World of Gumball?

BB: It comes from the time when I was working in advertising – very unsuccessfully – and I ended up with a whole bunch of characters from pitches that had been rejected by clients. They all ended up in my drawer. When I got hired by Cartoon Network and was asked to pitch a show idea, I sold to them the characters that I had already be paid to do. The characters are also inspired by my family. My dad is called Richard, my mum Nicole, my sister Anais… so I definitely used my experiences of my family to develop the Wattersons too.

PN: What was the motivation or story behind choosing a cat and fish as the main characters in the story?

BB: I wanted to have two very unlikely friends and it is very rare for a cat and a fish to be friends. I wanted to show that friendship could transcend any situation.

PN: Looking back at this amazing series, is there anything you sometimes tell yourself you could have done differently?

BB: Yes we could have made it a thousand times easier without the mish mash of techniques. But at the same time, the reason the show got noticed was for its visual quality so I guess no, not really. We made lots of continuity mistakes when we started and the fans pointed these out to us but we then took these to shape the show. A lot of the ideas in the show came from the mistakes we made. It literally gave us the idea for how we will end the show one day.

PN: What advice would you give to someone who has had characters or work rejected for a proposed series

BB: Hang in there. It is always difficult to work hard on something and then have it go through the process of being criticised because it does not fit certain formats or expectations. Receiving outside advice or perspective is useful but I believe it is important to remain true to yourself and your work. It is what will make it special in the long term. This is what I love about Cartoon Network: they put the artist and his/her passion at the centre of the production. The best advice I could give to any creator is, look into your inner child to speak best to your audience.

Also I would say accept what you do is not for everyone, but if you do something that you truly believe is good, it will definitely speak to someone at some point.

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PN: How many cartoon programs have you made so far and which one was the hardest to compile and produce?

BB: Gumball is the only TV show I ever made – to be honest, it is the only thing I ever made ever. At the end of Season 5 we will have 196 episodes of Gumball so that is a lot of episodes. And it has definitely been a hard thing to produce – TV schedules are demanding and sometimes we have to revise our expectations of what we want to achieve. At the same time, it’s a very satisfying thing to see ideas from your head finally take their place and exist on screen. So the pain is easy to forget.

PN: How would you describe yourself as human being and as a creator of programs?

BB: I am sort of like a chubby French guy and also like a chubby show creator.

PN: Can you tell us something people do not know about you?

BB: Usually when kids ask me this I tell them I’m allergic to cats – which is kind of ironic since my chosen hero is a cat.

PN: What can the world (especially children) expect from you this year?

BB: We have more Gumball coming – we are currently working on season five. In Africa, new episodes will be launching in June, Monday to Friday at 14:35 CET. I have got a whole bunch of other ideas too but none that I can share right now.

PN: You have been chosen as the ambassador of Imagination Studios. Can you tell us a bit more about this initiative?

BB: Imagination Studios is actually inspired by an African campaign called Animation Generation which ran for 10 years in South Africa and ended in 2015. The exciting, nationwide initiative aimed to harness the passion for creativity of all Cartoon Network enthusiasts in schools across South Africa, to be able to give something back to the local communities in which Cartoon Network operates.

Imagination Studios is a more extensive concept. Firstly it lives on the web and is available to any kid passionate about Cartoon Network that wants to discover the behind the scenes of how cartoons are made. They can learn about scripting, voice overs, story boarding, stop motion etc through watching videos, playing games or doing activities.

Do as many things as possible, finish them and take the time to look at what you have achieved and then grow from there.

Imaginations Studios Awards is a contest that invites kids in Africa to submit their own creative artwork. The competition just launched at the end of March and will run through April. What is exciting is that the competition is open to all of English speaking Africa, not just South Africa.

PN: Creativity is a true philosophy for Cartoon Network. What would be the best advice for African kids who want to become creator themselves?

BB: A lot of people ask me how they can get a show made and really the answer is you just have to do it. What is most important is to have something finished, so you just have to get on and do it. Do as many things as possible, finish them and take the time to look at what you have achieved and then grow from there. Also have fun. The process is hard so you have to invest in ideas that you really believe in.

PN: How does Imagination Studios promise to help kids grow their creativity?

BB: Cartoon Network’s own artists and creators, myself included or Rebecca Sugar (Steven Universe) and many more will accompany kids on their journey through the site, with tips and guidance on how to create their own characters, animate and tell stories. Kids will then be able to enjoy a wide range of activities featured on the site, including drawing, colouring, story boarding, music, special effects, voiceover, movement and animation leaving them best-equipped to begin working on their very own creations. The content is refreshed and there are always new surprises to discover.

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