The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball Creators Discuss Reviving the Past and Popular Fan Theories

The Amazing World of Gumball is one of Cartoon Network’s cornerstone shows that remains popular to this day. With such a large fan base that has kept the spirit of the series alive, the potential for a continuation felt certain. Fortunately, The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball is arriving very soon to the hype of every Cartoon Network fan.

Much like its predecessor, The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball follows the shenanigans of the Watterson family, specifically Gumball and Darwin. Whether it be dealing with AI or the stresses of the education system, fans can always find the Wattersons in a new mess. However, things for them are getting messy thanks to the Void’s incursion.

To understand what’s in store with The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball, I spoke with executive producers Ben Bocquelet and Erik Fountain about what fans can expect and the Void’s role in it all. (You can watch the full interview below.)

Speaking on why they wanted to continue where The Amazing World of Gumball left off, Bocquelet said that the series was part of something bigger.

“This was part of a generally bigger commission of Gumball things that we were making,” Bocquelet began. “We were working on a movie which got temporarily delayed, and so the series was still commissioned.”

“So narratively, we had to kind of hook back into it. Matt Layzell, who’s our showrunner, and Erik, who’s our series director, have done a wonderful job.”

“When you get given CPR and they reanimate you with the pads, that’s kind of how it came about,” Bocquelet added.

“You have no sense of how much time lapsed,” Fountain joked. “Like, ‘How long was I out?'”

Furthermore, Bocquelet discussed whether there was any difference in developing the episodes. Originally, fans were curious how The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball would work given its move from Cartoon Network to Hulu.

“I think people wanted us to continue making Gumball episodes,” Bocquelet said. “In terms of how we started the stories, it’s always the same.”

“We dig into everyone on a crew’s past for their most shameful or kind of problematic moments as children. Then, we exploit this and turn it into comedy. That’s our secret recipe!”

One of the episodes that Fountain is excited for fans to see is “The Unfollow”, which focuses on one of Gumball‘s iconic side characters, much like previous Season 6 and Season 5 episodes.

“It centers on a secondary character, or even like tertiary character,” Fountain said. “I like all those [episodes] that feel like they’re not fan service, but they’re highlighting a character that we’ve seen and learning more about them. So that’s really fun.”

Previously, The Amazing World of Gumball did this with Season 4 Episode 4 “The Others.” This episode introduced several new side characters, like Clare Cooper and her friends, that weren’t present from the beginning.

“There’s some new characters in there,” Bocquelet said. “Some of them probably won’t survive past their featuring in the episode, but some others feel like they might be there to stay. Matt and Greg have been busy creating new funny-looking creatures for everyone to laugh at.”

With new characters debuting through The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball, some fans have also wondered whether or not there will be a twist villain like Rob did in the original series. Fountain and Bocquelet joked about whether there actually will be one.

“Yeah, definitely, their names are Darwin and Gumball,” Fountain joked. “They’re their own worst enemies!”

“No, but we resolve this cliffhanger and that narrative hiccup that happened between those two seasons,” Bocquelet added. “It’s a very kind of sweet episode, which does Rob some justice finally.”

On the iconic characters of Gumball, there has also been much reception to the relationships that were originally developed. Bocquelet described his own experiences with the fanbase around those relationships and how it reflects in the Hulu series.

“This is what we’re trying to do with the shipping,” Bocquelet explained. “We’re trying to sort of have this time capsule of what the fans were trying to do with their original creations and stuff, in relationship to Gumball and stuff.”

“I don’t know if we’re doing much fan service.  There is a little bit of fan service. Sometimes we’re like, ‘Oh, people love that character so much. We have to like bring her back.'”

“Yuki is back, obviously. Yuki and Nicole’s story, you know, that’s a ship not many people talk about, but it’s one. We kind of like delve further into their relationship — their history and stuff,” Bocquelet added.

Bocquelet and Fountain were particularly inspired by how the fans presented their work on different art sites, such as DeviantArt. In fact, it was one of the primary reasons why The Amazing World of Gumball Season 6 Episode 14 “The Shippening” was made.

Fortunately, this also means that fans will see more of Carrie and Darwin as well as Penny. “We’re going to see more Carrie and Darwin,” Bocquelet mentioned. “There’s a double episode dedicated to that. There’s more Penny. We’re going to see Penny’s family. I know people wanted to see that, so that’s coming!”

Given The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball‘s lurking meta-narrative, the community has also come up with many theories as to how the series works in-universe. Some believe that the Void has played a role in the show’s “reset” into this new show.

“I think that’s why they’re covered in dust and stuff,” Bocquelet said. “They’ve just been non-animated for six years and then they wake up and they’re like, ‘Oh God, we have to continue with our lives, you know?'”

Furthermore, some believe that both this series and The Amazing World of Gumball are part of a darker narrative where everything is a simulation. Another theory proposes that the franchise is actually a child’s traumatic experiences in a hallucinogenic situation.

However, Bocquelet remained cryptic about what the real answer to this plot point is.

“I’ve got my own theory, which I will not reveal,” Bocquelet said. “This is something we’re saving for the movie, and yeah, it will be answered, [but] I wouldn’t say it’s dark.”

Fountain also added how he views that transition. “Narratively, it is a continuation of The Amazing World of Gumball, right? In the finale of this season of The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball, it kind of picks up where Season 6 left off.”

Speaking on the integration of the Void, some fans believe that one episode in particular, “The Cancellationgation,” will play an important role in the lore of Gumball. However, Bocquelet was ambiguous on whether the episode was real.

“Expect for it to be cancelled? Actually, I think the episode never got made,” Bocquelet said. “I don’t think that’s an episode we did this season.”

As for one story that fans have been interested in, many are still wondering who Darwin’s biological parents are given The Amazing World of Gumball Season 4 Episode 20 “The Origins.” However, developing such an episode for the series has proven difficult to the creators.

“It’s an episode we’ve been trying to write that episode for at least four seasons or something,” Bocquelet recalled. “We never land on anything that’s emotionally great, you know. So I think until we get the right idea for it, we’re gonna save this for later.”

Reflecting on The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball and the state of other revived animated series, like Phineas and Ferb, Bocquelet says that working on such a franchise for so long has been an incredible journey.

“It’s a miracle we’re still allowed to exist,” Bocquelet began. “I’m happy to have a job. I’m happy that people are excited to watch it, you know, I’m happy to go to [San Diego Comic Con], like meeting American fans for the first time, like ever, the audience that I’ve never met.”

“Right now, it’s all looking up for us,” Bocquelet added. “I don’t think we’re a staple of pop culture or anything, but that’s not for me to say, you know.”

Due to The Amazing World of Gumball‘s extreme popularity, some fans have hoped that the franchise will expand with physical media, such as an official artbook or a DVD box set. Bocquelet hopes that the community can support the series further to make this a reality.

“I think the people who want it will have to clamor for it and launch a campaign or something and go straight for like the marketing people at Cartoon Network, Warner Brothers, Hulu,” Bocquelet said. “I’m sure they could make it happen, you know?”

However, it seems like the future might be bright for Gumball. Even though The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball is yet to release on Hulu, Bocquelet mentioned that he’s already working on future episodes.

“It all depends on the audience response to this new season,” Bocquelet said. “I hope it’s massive. I mean, I’m already writing new episodes for potential season eight, but it’s not greenlit just yet.”

Watch the full interview with Ben Bocquelet and Erik Fountain:

 

The Wonderfully Weird World of Gumball begins streaming on Hulu on July 28.

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