Elmore is back, and reality is a joke once again with the return of “The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball.” At a panel during San Diego Comic-Con, the cast and creators of the highly anticipated series gave fans a sneak peek at the wild stories and surreal humor coming soon. The show, produced by Hanna-Barbera Studios Europe, is now available on Hulu in the U.S. It will premiere internationally on Cartoon Network and HBO Max on October 6.

Hear from the creators and cast of the new show, “The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball.” They discuss the challenges of animating the show, what it’s like to be cast as a beloved character, and how they approach creating new stories for a new generation of fans.

A Return to Form: Staying True to Gumball with Fresh Concepts

Executive producers and series directors Ben Bocquelet, Erik Fountain, and Matt Layzell discussed their approach to reviving the series. According to Ben Bocquelet, the new show picks up where the old one left off. The series is true to its original form while also staying fresh for a new generation of children.

Matt Layzell, who worked on the first season of the original series, called Gumball his “high bar” for animated content. He described helping run the new show as both an honor and terrifying. The creators explained that they develop stories using three main approaches: social commentary, relatable kid stories, and episodes that use a new medium of animation or special techniques.

Unexpected Challenges of “The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball”

Also, the team discussed some of the challenges in producing the show. It blends animated and live-action elements. Erik Fountain mentioned that incorporating live-action elements was an “unexpected challenge,” as the team was not built for that type of work. Matt Layzell mentioned that many crew members were new to the show. While they all knew about it, it took some time to do it justice.

The Voices of Elmore

The panel also featured the new voice cast, Alkaio Thiele (Gumball), Hero Hunter (Darwin), and Kinza Syed Khan (Anais), who were all thrilled to be at San Diego Comic-Con.

The cast members each shared their casting stories, with Hero Hunter recalling he “was bouncing off the walls” when he got the part. Kinza Syed Khan said she was shocked when her dad told her she had been cast. Alkaio Thiele shared that he had previously auditioned for a Gumball movie and a different character. However, didn’t hear back until a few months later. Cartoon Network reached out to see if his voice still sounded the same, and here he is.

The voice cast also shared what they love about their characters. Kinza Syed Khan loves Anais’ personality, describing her as “so smart, so funny, so confident.” Hero Hunter’s favorite part is how wild the show is, noting that even after reading a script, you still don’t know what you’re getting into. Alkaio Thiele enjoys walking around and seeing people excited about the new season, even if they don’t know he’s the voice of Gumball.