Kumail Nanjiani Isn't Returning To Adventure Time For The Crappiest Reason
There is an intricate balance when it comes to animated performances, with animators and voice actors working together to create memorable characters. Remove one of the two elements, and you get a completely different character. Look at Mark Hamill as Joker in "Batman: The Animated Series," Dante Basco as Zuko in "Avatar: The Last Airbender," or Robin Williams as Genie in "Aladdin": These characters work because of the team of animators infusing the characters with life, and because of the unique personality the actors bring to the roles (even if Williams' casting ended up causing a whole lot of problems).
This is to say that fans of "Adventure Time" were disappointed when the spin-off show "Fionna and Cake" released late last month with most of the cast returning to their roles, except one.
Kumail Nanjiani, who voiced a Wish Master named Prismo in "Adventure Time," did not return to voice the character, and was recast instead. On Twitter, Nanjiani shared his enthusiasm for the role and his disappointment over not returning to it.
"I would have loved to have voiced Prismo again. He's one of my absolute favorite characters I've ever had the honor of playing. He is very close to my heart," tweeted Nanjiani. "Unfortunately they never asked me to come back and voice him again. I would have done it for free."
Showrunner Adam Muto replied to the actor in a now-deleted tweet (via Instagram) clarifying that they did reach out to the actor and offered him the role, several times. "Hey, we would have loved to have you back. We were told by casting that several offers went out to your reps," Muto replied. "We said we could be flexible in scheduling but received a respectful pass. Sorry it didn't work out."
'Nuh-Nuh-Nuh-Nuh-Nasty! Nasty jazz!'
It appears the problem was with Nanjiani's representatives. "They never told me. That is ridiculous," Nanjiani wrote. "I am very sorry for that. And I will be talking to my reps." It sounds like there was a major miscommunication here, which resulted in an actor (and animation fans) missing out on an opportunity they would have loved. If things indeed as are as they appear from the outside, it seems like the consequences could be significant for Nanjiani's reps.
"Adventure Time" is one of the most celebrated and influential American cartoons of the 2010s, a show with stunning world-building and lore told across nearly 300 11-minute episodes. Its embracing of absurd humor and out-of-nowhere strangeness paved the way for shows like "Rick and Morty" and "BoJack Horseman" diving into bizarre scenarios of their own. The cartoon often handed episodes to guest animators like Masaaki Yuasa ("Devilman Crybaby") or James Baxter ("The Lion King"), the latter of whom made an episode with an animated horse named James Baxter, which aided in giving the show an exciting feeling of experimentation. It even influenced live-action shows like Donald Glover's Emmy-winning FX hit, "Atlanta."
More important, however, was the impact "Adventure Time" had on the larger animated industry because of how many notable animators who worked on the show went on to create their own acclaimed cartoons. In this regard, the show is reminiscent of early Cartoon Network shows like "Dexter's Lab." Some of the notable animators who worked on "Adventure Time" include "Over the Garden Wall" creator Patrick McHale; Kent Osborne ("Cat Agent"); "Steven Universe" creator Rebecca Sugar; former storyboard artist J.G. Quintel, who went on to create "Regular Show" and "Close Enough"; "Clarence" creator Skyler Page; and "City of Ghosts" creator Elizabeth Ito, among others.