EXCLUSIVE: Laurence Fishburne Chats his New Show, Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur

The premiere of Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur is right around the corner and we got to hear from the show’s Executive Producer, Laurence Fishburne.

Fishburne not only produced the show, but he also lends his voice to the new series. You can see what he had to say about bringing this new animated show to life below.

You’re not a newcomer to the Marvel superhero world, how is Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur different than the other properties you’ve been a part of?

“Well, it takes a lot longer. And, we aren’t really connected to the MCU, officially. Our show is a family show. Maybe we’re not gonna save the world, but we are gonna save the Lower East Side.”

What made you decide you wanted to bring this story to life?

“Well it would be an oversimplification to say that there was a moment where I decided that. ‘Cause I think really as a lover of animation, as a lover of, all the great Warner Bros. characters like the Super Friends, the Hong Kong Phooey, like you name it, right? As someone who grew up on all that stuff—The Flintstones, Woody Woodpecker, the trajectory of my career as an artist has led me to this place. And it just so happened that I got to meet Moon Girl at the right time and I got to meet Steve [Loter] at the right time. And we’ve all gotten together and here we are in this place where we can bring Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur to an audience that’s hungry for it.”

The design of the show is something we don’t see often on television. How did you settle on this as the design for the show?

“We had a lot of conversations about backgrounds and about the environment, the color palette, and all of these kinda textures. Take the graffiti, for example, as one of the elements in our backgrounds and textures for New York and the Lower East Side. It was all those things plus we are people who really, really love animation. From the very beginning of our lives, it’s just kind of a joy for us to be creating this kind of show which is a show like we’ve never seen before.”

Lunella Lafayette is such a great character. She is powerful, smart, and will be an inspiration to many watchers. Why do you think is is important for a character like hers to exist and be that inspiration?

“It doesn’t matter what your gender, what your color, what your faith, what country you live in. I’ve always thought that it was really, really cool to be smart. It’s important for us to have this representation because you can’t be what you can’t see. So if more young girls of color get to see an experience of a person like Lunella, then perhaps, they won’t be afraid to show their intelligence and to lead with their intelligence, you know? I think it’s just a good thing to do. I’ve always thought it was cool to be smart.”

Marvel’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur premieres on February 10 on Disney Channel and February 15 on Disney+!

*This interview has been edited for length and clarity*

Photo credit: Disney/ PictureGroup