Creator Matt Maiellaro is someone that is best known for his work creating classic Adult Swim series, 12 oz. Mouse, but has also worked on other iconic series on the programming block. Some of his works include Space Ghost Coast to Coast, a series that helped usher in Adult Swim to the mainstream, and Aqua Teen Hunger Force, a show so iconic it is still referenced today.
Recently, an announcement was made revealing that 12 oz. Mouse would have a third season, a series that hasn't returned to television in a very long time and has been welcomed with open arms. With a show so classic returning, it brings many questions about what other shows have the potential of returning or what is next for the mouse after this season.
We were able to recently catch up with Matt and ask some questions about the process of bringing 12 oz. Mouse back and some of his past experiences on other Adult Swim shows. Make sure to check out what he had to say in the interview below!
If interested in the full audio interview, make sure to give it a listen on Literaryjoe's Inner Child Podcast! Also, don't forget to share your thoughts in the comments below!
Literary Joe: You've charted this amazing trajectory over multiple Adult Swim programs like Sealab, Space Ghost, and obviously Aqua Teen. How do you feel those things inspired your work on 12 oz. Mouse?
Matt Maiellaro: Well, I feel like what I loved about 12 oz. was I was able to take a departure from the goofy silliness that most of those other shows are. I like doing the goofy silly, and it's really fun, but I had this drive to make something that's a little weirder and more like a psychological thriller kind of thing. And it has its moments of levity obviously, and it's fun.
So I guess it was just a nice way to do something different, but for the family, which is Adult Swim. I've been with them since before there was an Adult Swim. When I started on Space Ghost, I was sitting in the hallway at Cartoon Network, and my desk was the community printer table. And I had a laptop trying to write a talk show with a cartoon character.
Literary Joe: I've heard you've joked in the past about the amount of money that goes into the production for 12 oz. Mouse. Do you feel like that's changed over the years?
Matt Maiellaro: No, it really hasn't changed. I think that's one of the reasons they let me do another season is because it's not very much money and it's really cost-effective. You can do about a season of Mouse compared to three episodes of Aqua Teen.
We have a small crew, but we have a very dedicated crew. They're fans of the show, and they all bring something to the table to make it better. I draw most of it, except for some of the new people like Aria and Wilkes, we actually got real artists to do those and really animate them as well. So that's another cool thing about the season we have some real fluid nice animation mixed in with the old school stuff.
*This interview has been edited for clarity.*
If you missed the return of 12 oz. Mouse on Adult Swim, you can catch up here!