Interview with Ashlyn Anstee (“Obsidian” Storyboard Artist)!
While plenty of information floated around online during the production of Adventure Time’s initial run, the crew of Distant Lands were very, very careful not to let anything slip. As such, the production of these specials has gained a fun air of mystery. Well, some of the story is about to be told! I’m happy to share today an interview I did via email with Ashlyn Anstee, one of the storyboard artists who worked on “Obsidian” (as well as an award-winning children's book illustrator)! While this chat didn’t answer all our questions, it did reveal a bit about what storyboarding was like during this unique project!** **
GF: How did you get involved in Distant Lands? What was that process like, and what were you feeling at the time? I’m really curious as to what the ‘mood’ of the crew was like when this was all coming together.
Ashlyn: I was brought in as a freelance storyboard artist, and so were most of the storyboard artists on the crew. It was really cool to see people collaborate across the country, and we would email each other to make sure our sections lined up.
I was brought in because I had experience doing board-driven shows (which is when you work from an outline, and create your own dialogue). I was intimidated to be working on such an influential and famous property, but actually most of the crew for Distant Lands were new, so we all were in the same boat!
GF: “Obsidian” was different from previous episodes in that it was one giant episode storyboarded by 8 people. What parts were “yours,” and how did you coordinate with everyone else?
Ashlyn: We have a great showrunner, Adam Muto, who really wrangles all the bits and makes sure they're working together. After the first thumbnail pass, he makes sure everything is lining up (and that we have designs for everything that we need), and from there, you really just have to focus on tweaking to make sure everything is as funny as possible.
GF: Were there a lot of discussions about “Bubbline,” the past controversy, and what you all thought people wanted to see with the relationship? Did you feel pressure to ‘get it right’?
Ashlyn: Honestly—I wasn't part of the Adventure Time fandom before working on Distant Lands, so I had no awareness about the controversy or what people might be expecting! I think that helped me just do what we felt might be good for the characters instead of for the fans. TBH, that's why I think superfans should never work on the shows they love- you get too deep in the discussion around it instead of just focusing on the work.
Also, when we were working on it, no one really knew it was happening (it was kept very much under wraps), so there was no pressure from outside fans.
GF: Were there any aspects of the production that surprised you, or that you find interesting/worth a mention?
Ashlyn: I definitely think it's surprising that we were all freelance/not full-time in office! It made for a whole new, different crew, and the fact that they all came together despite a bunch of [Adventure Time] newbies as well as doing it all in our extra time is pretty darn special!
A HUGE ‘thank you’ to Ashlyn for talking with me about storyboarding for Adventure Time. (Us fans love it!). Also! Go visit Ashlyn's website (https://www.ashlyna.com/) and don't forget to follow her on Twitter, too (https://twitter.com/ashlynanstee)!
