Veteran TV, film and stage actor Laurence Fishburne takes a seat in the producer’s chair with the original animated series Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur, debuting on Disney Channel February 10.
The series, based on the Marvel Comics franchise of the same name, follows a gifted 13-year-old girl who doubles as a superhero protecting her New York City neighborhood with the help of a huge red dinosaur, according to Disney Channel.
The Emmy and Tony Award-winning Fishburne, who has appeared in such television shows as Black-ish and such films as The Matrix, Tuskegee Airmen and Marvel Studios’ Ant-Man and the Wasp, is an executive producer for Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur along with Steve Loter. He also has a guest appearance in the show as the voice of the all-powerful character the Beyonder. Fishburne discussed the series with B+C Multichannel News in an interview edited for space and clarity.
B+C: What drew you to the Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur project?
Laurence Fishburne: [Series main character] Lunella Lafayette is the first teenage African-American superhero in the MCU, which is unique and special. It made people very excited, so we thought, ‘Let’s roll up our sleeves and get to work on the project.’ It’s one of the most fantastic animated experiences that has come along in a long time.
B+C: How important was it for you to be involved both behind the scenes as executive producer as well as on-screen as one of the characters in the series?
LF: I initially came on board as executive producer, and someone asked, would you think about doing a voice [for the series], so I said OK. [Laughs.] I’ve always loved animation and cartoons. [Looney Tunes voice actor] Mel Blanc is one of my heroes, and [Hanna-Barbera voice actor] Daws Butler was one of my heroes. They were great animated actors who worked in animation way back in the day. So the opportunity to perform one of the voices in this show was something I couldn’t say no to.
B+C: The Marvel Universe has so many fans across multiple platforms. Do you think Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur can reach beyond the tween Disney Channel target audience and draw in Marvel fans?
LF: Like Lunella’s family, our target audience is the entire family. Both [Steve Loter] and I are Marvel fans, so we have aimed to please our fellow fans as we’ve made this show. ■
