Inside Job: What Netflix Creator Shion Takeuchi Brings From Gravity Falls

Very few animators go from animation for all ages to animation for adults, but that doesn’t stop. Gravity Falls the writer Shion Takeuchi. This year, she swaps the Pines twins’ summer vacation adventures for the grind of adult work life with her new show. Internal work.

Takeuchi has some experience entertaining adult audiences; also worked in Disenchanted – but Internal work It is the first time that he acts as a showrunner. Released on October 22 on Netflix, the workplace comedy centers on a company that is implementing grandiose plans on behalf of the shadowy secret government, Cognito Inc. Reagan Ridley (Lizzy Caplan), an antisocial genius and daughter of Cognito Inc., co-founder Rand (Christian Slater) – just wants the chance to lead his own team and step out of his father’s shadow. However, due to his poor people skills, he is assigned a partner in the form of the incredibly generic but incredibly personable Brett Hand (Clark Duke), who is happy to be here.

Shion first got the idea in college, when he was listening to the AM radio show late at night. Coast to Coast AM. It was the first time she had heard of the so-called “shadow government”, which initially scared her, but after some thought, she realized that even if there was a shadow government, real humans would have to run. that.

“That simply refutes the idea of ​​the shadow government because if there were, it would hardly be controlling anything, simply by sheer luck and chance,” he says. “Most of the people who work there would be engrossed in their petty and trivial personal lives and would hardly do this job.”

Immediately following the trailer for the show, which premiered at Netflix’s Tudum preview event on Saturday, we sat down with Takeuchi on his approach to making comedy from the shadow government, how adult animation is changing, what means that as a showrunner in a male-dominated space, and what he’s bringing from animation for all ages to the adult space. (And check out two new exclusive images from the series below.)

[Ed. note: This interview has been edited for concision and clarity.]

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Polygon: How did the idea of Internal work evolved from your college days, and what parts survived by becoming a professional animation writer?

Shion Takeuchi: The world was not yet fully developed, in terms of What is this? What is the shadow government enterprise? What does? That had to be resolved because there is no model for that. If the show was about working in a restaurant, you know exactly what a diner does. But you don’t know what a shadow government does. That part came later. But the gist of it all, relationships, was pretty much where I started. The father-daughter relationship, the relationship between Reagan and Brett was there from the beginning and that’s the core of the show.

Tell me more about Reagan as a character.

The most interesting thing about her for me was the idea that she really wanted to be a leader. He wants to be a leader because he wants to make the world a better place. But she doesn’t look, act, sound, or sound what you think a leader should be. She’s not good at small talk. She is not good with lovely people. She is intense, more direct. Pragmatic, not really idealistic. A cynical optimist is how I described her, and I’ve never seen someone in a leadership role like that, striving to be a leader. And that strange irony of being a pragmatic and cynical person who also still wants to save the world was fun for me. It comes a bit from how I feel about things. I would love to see the world as it is with open eyes, but I still think we have to worry. We could be like Yeah wow, everything is a dump and shit. And I’m still going to give it my all for the better. Those things feel conflicting at times.

How did you balance the weirdness?

I really don’t think there’s anything too weird for the show as long as it’s still about the character having a relatable issue and conflict that everyone can see a little bit of themselves in.

You started your career in animations for all ages, what attracted you to animation for adults? Why transition?

I am interested in telling stories that I am very interested in, that are about things that I am going through, or examining or observing in culture or in my daily life. The wonderful thing about content for all ages is that we’ve seen people take it out of the park in terms of creating content that works at all levels. And we really try to do that for Gravity Falls, had something for everyone. The themes were universal and the characters’ stories were universal. And I love that. That gave me a lot of freedom to explore and perfect my craft. But in terms of adult animation, as there are certain themes that are a bit too grown-up for all ages that people my age deal with, it feels good to be able to talk about them.

This is a space that has historically been dominated by male showrunners creating specific types of shows; There have been a lot of changes in that area, especially recently, but did that space ever seem intimidating?

Oh yeah, sure. Fortunately, right before all of this, there has been so much content that it is starting to contradict that trend for me. But definitely for a long time, adult animation had a lot … you seem to follow the format. I think everyone feels that they are ripe for new types of formats and new types of stories. I love what is happening right now. There are so many different programs available. It’s definitely intimidating to think of yourself trying to get in the ring with shows like The Simpsons or whatever. I always look at the next step, I look at the small pieces. So you don’t feel overwhelmed. I would say that I think the space is changing. And I think that’s exciting. It was intimidating, but I think we put on a show that everyone can enjoy.

What are some shows that you think have gone out of that format?

I really enjoyed Tuca and Bertie. Have you seen that one?

Yes! I I really loved it.

It was so cartoonish in a really lovely way. But he was still dealing with adult problems. I feel like the animation was so fun, lively, colorful and light, but still you felt like the characters were grown-ups. And he’s talking about deeper emotional issues. The emotional arc over that first season … watching how it played out throughout the episodes was like, Ah, that’s where they go with it. OMG, great. All of this is leading to something that feels really meaningful. I enjoyed it a lot.

Big Mouth it is also one of my recent favorites. Everyone in it is so much fun. I really admire that show because it seems like everyone is having fun writing it. It feels very improvised and built with bricks that, like people come together in a room and only see how far they can take an idea or concept. And it’s delicious to see how free they can be.

What is some of the animation for all ages that you have brought to adult animation?

When I think about what people have thought about adult animation in the last few decades, I think it can often be a group of people who are making fun of each other or who are rude in humor. While it’s hilarious, there is a definite sarcastic tone sometimes associated with adult animation. Where I come from, in my past work experience, the heart was just as important. Without the heart, it goes down like a glass of water that evaporates. At least for me. Having that heart is really important. I want to love the characters and I want to be like, they are my friends. And for me, doing that can’t be all prankster and sniper. They also have to love each other. That tone, that heart, that I learned in content for all ages and classic. Gravity Falls – that’s the kind of sensitivity that hasn’t always existed in adult animation. This show definitely subscribes to it.

Internal work hits Netflix on October 22.