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[Professor X] Coexistence is messy.
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Thus, my love for education,
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for my X-Men.
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Their heroism teaches a lesson
we mustn't forget.
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That the universe is very old,
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and all of us, very young.
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Born of ancient stardust,
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and all children of the atom.
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[Brad Winderbaum] When Disney+ first
came about, I had a great opportunity
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{\an8}to go into Kevin's office
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{\an8}and pitch every wild animated idea
I could think of.
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And the first words out of my mouth were,
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"Revival of the original
X-Men: The Animated Series."
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It was, by far, the most influential show
on me as a kid.
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[Dana Vasquez-Eberhardt] It holds
such a special place in everyone's heart.
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{\an8}It has made animation fans
of so many people, myself included.
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{\an8}[Jake Castorena] I remember when
Pizza Hut was doing the promo
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{\an8}for "Night of the Sentinels I and II"
on VHS.
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I wore that thing out.
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That was my introduction to the show,
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and that's where my love
of the characters came from.
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{\an8}It was groundbreaking, and I loved
looking forward to watching it.
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{\an8}X-Men, more than anything,
is my favorite allegory.
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The X-Men have always treated
being different in a realistic way,
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like how would the world
actually react to that?
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{\an8}The X-Men feel grounded,
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they're ground level,
they deal with being persecuted,
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trying to go out
and help people that hate you.
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It weighs on you a lot,
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and we get a chance
to be in those moments with them,
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and how that affects their relationships,
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I think it's all great allegory
for our world now.
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[Winderbaum] It was a show
that was for kids,
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but it didn't talk down to the audience.
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I think this is a strength
of the comic book,
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as well as the animated series,
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and you can go all the way back
to the earliest comics
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written by Stan Lee,
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to see that the X-Men
made people's feelings of isolation,
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of trauma in their own lives, feel seen,
and it certainly made me feel seen.
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I thought you wanted to be cured.
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That's what I thought, too, Doc,
but there ain't no cure for who you are.
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[Emi-Emmett Yonemura] I loved being able
to see these characters
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{\an8}who really, in one way or another,
saved us as kids.
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{\an8}Whether they became our friends
because we were lonely kids,
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or they taught us,
or they were just the fun heroes
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that we got to check in on on Saturday.
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Okay, hairball, let's talk.
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What I really respected about X-Men
was that it said,
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"Life is hard, and it's gonna be hard,
but you can do it together,
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"you can have a team,
you can find your family,
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"and you can actually make a difference."
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So often in our history,
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unhappy, misguided people
have created scapegoats,
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blaming those that are different
for the problems in their own lives.
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It is an evil in men's hearts
that must be fought.
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The original pitch
was about reviving the series,
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not about rebooting it,
not about remaking it.
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[Vasquez-Eberhardt]
A lot of people will say,
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"It's X-Men: The Animated Series.
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"They're continuing on
with one of my favorite shows,
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"the show that I grew up on,
the show that I'm introducing my kids to.
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"What are they gonna do with it?
Where will they go?"
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And we're those same people.
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Like, everyone making this show
is that fan going,
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"Where do we want to go?
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"If the series had never stopped,
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"if it had continued on,
what other stories would the show tell?"
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I know you cannot bear to see him go,
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but it is the only way.
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Can he ever come back?
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{\an8}From the jump,
it's like that direct continuation,
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that direct lining up with the stories
that they were telling in the '90s,
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and seeing where that can take us,
referencing the comic's lore since then,
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but really tapping into
this nostalgia factor of that series.
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Heads up!
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[Winderbaum] So much of
the conversation was about
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not just paying homage
to the original style,
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but emulating people's memories
of the original style.
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Oh, my stars and garters.
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We must warn the team.
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[Winderbaum] And so,
we have Larry Houston, the director,
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who's coming back
as a consulting producer for us,
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as well as the Lewalds, who were
the original showrunners on the series.
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[Julia Lewald] Disney+ began to run
X-Men: The Animated Series,
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{\an8}I want to say in 2019,
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and we were amazed
at the fan response to that,
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but we had not heard that something
was going to happen
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until it really started happening.
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Yeah, they were playing everything
close to the vest,
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and then we got the phone call
and they said,
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"Well, it's happening.
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"We've got a huge staff of excited young,
you know, creative people.
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"Do you two and your friend Larry Houston
want to be involved as consultants?"
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I could not believe
that I was hearing what I was hearing,
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you know, that truly,
calling it X-Men '97,
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because they're picking up
where the original series wrapped,
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amazing and exciting.
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Trask would rather humans and mutants
go to war than work together.
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We all win when men like him fail.
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You sound like Charles.
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He would have been proud today.
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Thank you, Dr. Cooper.
But to be honest, it was a team effort.
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I remember when we first called them
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to let them know
that we were doing the series,
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they told us a story about
having to make the same call to Stan Lee
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when they did the original series.
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And just like Stan told them,
they told us that they have our back
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and to make them proud.
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I know I've been hard-headed lately,
it's just... [sighs]
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I didn't know how the X-Men
could go on without the Professor.
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Thought it was on me.
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But his dream doesn't need me.
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It has all of you.
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{\an8}My superhero world started with mythology,
Greek mythology, Egyptology.
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The literature I read,
basically all fantasy.
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Then I discovered comics.
I cannot remember exactly when,
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but my first comic was Iron Man,
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and then I got X-Men,
Spider-Man, all of them.
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I started reading them like crazy,
and as an only child,
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I was the ultimate mutant.
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I went to school
in Hofstra in Long Island,
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and I became...
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a very successful toy inventor.
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And the first toy
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that I wanted to turn into a show
was X-Men,
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and I felt...
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if I take something that exciting,
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kids wouldn't feel
that they're the only one like them.
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{\an8}So I'm pitching X-Men,
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{\an8}and Stan Lee is with me
in many of these meetings,
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and no one got it.
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[Eric] They tried all during the '80s
to get X-Men on television,
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and nobody in Hollywood
thought it would be successful.
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"Oh, superheroes, you can't make
a successful TV show around them."
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So it was this non-starter.
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Sounds like just another day
that ends in "y" when you put it that way.
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Precisely. And we face it
as we always have.
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As a family.
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{\an8}When we were at Marvel Productions
in the mid-'80s,
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I had two supervisors.
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One was Stan Lee,
the other one was Margaret Loesch.
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Margaret Loesch always believed
in the concept of The X-Men.
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So fast forward about six years,
she became the CEO of Fox Kids Network.
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She had the power to greenlit stuff now.
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So she called up me, Will Meugniot,
Eric, Julia, and some others,
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said, "Okay, we're gonna do The X-Men.
Gonna put it on the air."
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And she's like
the secret superhero nobody knows about.
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[Mojo] Do you hear that applause?
They love you, guys.
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Stick with me and you, X-Men,
will be stars.
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The folks above her didn't believe
X-Men was gonna do anything.
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And it was, "Okay, we'll give you
13 episodes, but that's it.
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"And if this fails, you're out of a job."
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She goes, "Okay, I'll take that risk."
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You were hired to do 13 episodes,
one season,
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and I got to be a writer on that season.
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But after 13 episodes,
[chuckles] we were all let go.
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The entire creative staff
was let go in July, August,
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when we'd finished our work.
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And then in January, it premiered,
and suddenly it was this number one hit.
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If ratings don't go up with every show,
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I'll cancel the series
and its performers permanently.
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Control room!
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It's showtime!
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So we were working in other places,
and we had the call saying,
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"Um... We really want you to come back
for another season."
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And about half of us could.
Some of them couldn't.
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They came back as quick as they could.
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The ratings are going through the roof!
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[Houston] At the time, we were not aware
of how popular the show was.
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There was no Internet, you know,
none of that stuff.
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We just had ratings. That's all we had.
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And so, the first season was actually
the most important season for us,
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because we had to get the highest ratings
to keep the show on the air.
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And so, we were lucky
to get that second season.
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But, you know,
we were hanging on like a cat,
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you know that picture
with the cat hanging on,
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we were like that because we had no idea.
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[Eric] We were not aware
of what's going on out in the world
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{\an8}with folks watching this
and falling in love with it,
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until Julia asked a friend of ours there,
Charlotte Fullerton, about,
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00:09:13,594 --> 00:09:17,014
"Do you get any fan mail on this show?
Is it doing okay?"
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I happened to show up at Fox Studios
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and asked her,
you know, "What's the feedback?"
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Because, again, the ratings
we knew were amazing,
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but, "Are you getting any response?"
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And she took me into a hallway,
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and those big, milky USPS mail cartons
that you see mailmen carry,
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there was one on the ground,
and it was full,
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and it was stacked and it was full.
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- With fan mail.
- Stacked all down the hall and back.
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Floor to ceiling, stacked.
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{\an8}And she goes, "Every one of those,
it's the kid for X-Men."
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{\an8}[Arad] Parents loved it.
Parents sent thank-yous.
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"My child's life changed.
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"He realized he's not alone.
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"There are others like him."
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And I used to go talk to...
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For promotional purposes,
I said, "We are all like that."
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And I think the best evidence of it
was X-Men.
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00:10:08,691 --> 00:10:12,737
Back in the '90s, it's either Scooby-Doo
or Super Friends, that was the standard.
202
00:10:12,737 --> 00:10:16,324
{\an8}So, we wanted to make sure that when kids
saw "Night of the Sentinels I and II,"
203
00:10:16,324 --> 00:10:19,035
{\an8}they could tell this is not the usual
show that they're used to.
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00:10:19,035 --> 00:10:21,287
This is different.
This is going to stand out.
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00:10:21,287 --> 00:10:22,747
Did you see what she did?
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00:10:23,247 --> 00:10:25,583
Yes, Rogue has a way with men.
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00:10:26,125 --> 00:10:27,585
What we were doing is like,
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00:10:27,585 --> 00:10:30,212
"You're going to kill a character off
in the first episode.
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00:10:30,212 --> 00:10:32,256
"You got a girl being chased by a robot."
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00:10:32,256 --> 00:10:35,509
Stand aside. I must apprehend that mutant.
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We did that deliberately
so that people would,
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00:10:38,179 --> 00:10:40,389
"Wow, what's this?
What's going to happen next?"
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00:10:40,389 --> 00:10:45,353
We wanted to pull them into the show
and make it a must-see show every week.
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Life don't get much better than this.
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[Arad] We all knew that there's something
in our stories that is like a mission,
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00:10:53,277 --> 00:10:58,157
and you feel it, so that you just
cannot wait to get to the next chapter.
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I still remember rushing home
after school to watch each new episode,
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00:11:03,245 --> 00:11:08,042
{\an8}and I think it was the first serialized
piece of entertainment I had ever watched.
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00:11:08,876 --> 00:11:11,837
{\an8}It was the first time I remember
there being, like, cliffhangers
220
00:11:11,837 --> 00:11:13,464
{\an8}at the end of every episode,
221
00:11:13,464 --> 00:11:17,510
{\an8}and that amazing feeling you had
when anything was a "to be continued"
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00:11:17,510 --> 00:11:19,929
{\an8}happened every single day on that show.
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00:11:20,721 --> 00:11:22,306
{\an8}It was my gateway into comics.
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00:11:22,306 --> 00:11:24,100
I'd watch that original series
225
00:11:24,100 --> 00:11:26,227
and then immediately want to go
to the comic store
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00:11:26,227 --> 00:11:28,646
and see what was going on,
not just with X-Men,
227
00:11:28,646 --> 00:11:30,940
{\an8}but every comic book on the shelf.
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00:11:30,940 --> 00:11:33,359
{\an8}And as I became a filmmaker
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{\an8}and started meeting
with writers and directors,
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00:11:35,736 --> 00:11:40,449
so often you would hear that show come up
as a seminal work in their lives,
231
00:11:40,449 --> 00:11:45,246
and you could see that the love of comics
for people that grew up in the '90s
232
00:11:45,246 --> 00:11:48,416
was in large part
due to that series in particular.
233
00:11:48,416 --> 00:11:51,669
We have accomplished
a great victory this day.
234
00:11:54,463 --> 00:11:59,009
I think the '90s aesthetic
is something that is so intrinsically tied
235
00:11:59,009 --> 00:12:02,555
to those designs that they used,
but also how that show feels.
236
00:12:02,555 --> 00:12:04,098
It just feels of that era.
237
00:12:04,098 --> 00:12:06,559
We're looking to do
the same things that they were.
238
00:12:06,559 --> 00:12:08,352
Yo, Cyclops. Hit me.
239
00:12:10,646 --> 00:12:13,023
[Meinerding] Using the proportions
of those really muscular,
240
00:12:13,023 --> 00:12:17,945
{\an8}you know, iconic characters, not diverging
from the really comic-accurate look.
241
00:12:17,945 --> 00:12:20,197
{\an8}You know, the Jim Lee stuff
was their North Star
242
00:12:20,197 --> 00:12:22,032
in designing that series,
243
00:12:22,032 --> 00:12:25,453
{\an8}and I think we're trying to use that
as our North Star as well.
244
00:12:25,453 --> 00:12:29,039
The comics designs
obviously had much more detail
245
00:12:29,039 --> 00:12:31,333
and much more evocative line work.
246
00:12:31,333 --> 00:12:33,210
It's the tangibility of the world.
247
00:12:33,210 --> 00:12:36,255
I mean, it felt like comic pages
were moving.
248
00:12:36,255 --> 00:12:39,925
The high contrast, black shadows,
I mean, they went for it.
249
00:12:39,925 --> 00:12:41,469
It just gave it more life.
250
00:12:41,469 --> 00:12:43,471
They didn't streamline any of the designs.
251
00:12:43,471 --> 00:12:45,431
Like, look at Storm's hair.
252
00:12:45,431 --> 00:12:46,599
You know, it's crazy.
253
00:12:46,599 --> 00:12:49,101
There's many little wisps,
but they're tracking all that,
254
00:12:49,101 --> 00:12:50,603
and that's what made it so unique.
255
00:12:50,603 --> 00:12:52,104
I love that aesthetic.
256
00:12:52,104 --> 00:12:54,982
It fills me with
an immense sense of nostalgia,
257
00:12:54,982 --> 00:12:57,401
and it feels like a celebration to me.
258
00:12:57,401 --> 00:12:59,487
What a kick! Can we do it again?
259
00:13:02,698 --> 00:13:05,451
[Vasquez-Eberhardt] Animation has
just come leaps and bounds,
260
00:13:05,451 --> 00:13:08,662
not only with the technology,
but also with the styles.
261
00:13:08,662 --> 00:13:12,625
Not just animation style,
whether it's 2D or CG,
262
00:13:12,625 --> 00:13:16,337
but also in how animation
is approached with directing.
263
00:13:16,337 --> 00:13:21,217
Emi and Chase are the episodic directors,
which means they did every other episode.
264
00:13:21,801 --> 00:13:24,762
Jake set up the directing style
with the first episode,
265
00:13:24,762 --> 00:13:26,180
and then they followed suit.
266
00:13:26,180 --> 00:13:28,766
[Yonemura] For me, it was a discussion
of, where do we go tonally?
267
00:13:28,766 --> 00:13:31,352
Because there are things
in the original series
268
00:13:31,352 --> 00:13:33,979
that you might see as cheesy,
but actually aren't.
269
00:13:33,979 --> 00:13:35,064
Maybe that was a budget.
270
00:13:35,064 --> 00:13:38,400
I mean, you watch it now, and you can see
recycled animation, and you can tell,
271
00:13:38,400 --> 00:13:41,237
"They just didn't have the means
to go back in with retakes."
272
00:13:41,237 --> 00:13:43,531
And we've actually spoken with Larry
about that since.
273
00:13:43,531 --> 00:13:47,326
You know, I only had so much time,
so it was like, I had to get it done.
274
00:13:48,786 --> 00:13:51,580
[Yonemura] Now that we have that ability,
and we can put that budget behind it,
275
00:13:51,580 --> 00:13:55,000
how do we then go,
"Okay, so then what is this show?"
276
00:13:55,000 --> 00:13:58,087
Because is it just the visuals?
Is it just the storytelling?
277
00:13:58,587 --> 00:14:01,215
And I think what we all
ended up deciding on,
278
00:14:01,215 --> 00:14:05,094
I just want the audience to feel
the same way we felt watching it as kids.
279
00:14:05,094 --> 00:14:07,763
Rogue always come to Gambit's rescue.
280
00:14:07,763 --> 00:14:09,890
I've always wanted to make content
281
00:14:09,890 --> 00:14:12,977
that was as potent
as the stuff that inspired me,
282
00:14:12,977 --> 00:14:16,480
because we all stand on the shoulders
of the people prior to us, right?
283
00:14:16,480 --> 00:14:20,860
Never thought to ask the Professor
to show me how he did what he did so well.
284
00:14:20,860 --> 00:14:22,695
[Jean] Some lessons are taught, Scott.
285
00:14:22,695 --> 00:14:24,738
Others are learned.
286
00:14:24,738 --> 00:14:26,365
[Conley] We're all huge X-Men fans,
287
00:14:26,365 --> 00:14:28,993
and we wanted to see them elevated.
288
00:14:28,993 --> 00:14:30,536
And it forces us to be creative.
289
00:14:31,036 --> 00:14:35,499
It forces us to figure out, "Okay,
what's the clearest way to say this?"
290
00:14:35,499 --> 00:14:38,961
What's the most impactful thing
that we can do here,
291
00:14:38,961 --> 00:14:41,088
especially when it comes to action?
292
00:14:41,088 --> 00:14:44,049
Because we would like to embellish
on all of that stuff.
293
00:14:44,049 --> 00:14:48,596
How can we make every little piece
of action on screen as potent as possible?
294
00:14:48,596 --> 00:14:50,389
[Castorena] Animation is being
pushed so much.
295
00:14:50,389 --> 00:14:51,849
The bar is being raised so high.
296
00:14:51,849 --> 00:14:55,185
So how do we still stay relevant
and stay on that bar,
297
00:14:55,185 --> 00:14:57,271
but keep that nostalgic feel?
298
00:14:57,271 --> 00:14:59,481
Man, talk about simpler times.
299
00:14:59,481 --> 00:15:00,566
It's unreal.
300
00:15:00,566 --> 00:15:02,776
We should probably find a way out of here.
301
00:15:02,776 --> 00:15:03,986
What's the rush?
302
00:15:03,986 --> 00:15:06,071
These levels are taking me back.
303
00:15:06,071 --> 00:15:09,533
[Castorena] We're set in '97.
We are essentially a period piece.
304
00:15:09,533 --> 00:15:12,536
What was being done in cinema
between '96 and '98?
305
00:15:12,536 --> 00:15:14,496
How was live action being shot?
306
00:15:14,496 --> 00:15:15,873
How were things being animated?
307
00:15:15,873 --> 00:15:17,291
What was TV animation doing?
308
00:15:17,791 --> 00:15:19,335
What lenses were being used?
309
00:15:19,335 --> 00:15:21,170
What was considered cinematic at the time?
310
00:15:21,170 --> 00:15:23,380
What was considered groundbreaking
at the time?
311
00:15:23,380 --> 00:15:26,008
It's great to have those '90s tropes
in our back pocket,
312
00:15:26,008 --> 00:15:31,096
because that is just a fundamental,
tactile feel in the DNA of the OG show.
313
00:15:31,096 --> 00:15:35,017
While the idea of cell-drawn animation
with flat backgrounds
314
00:15:35,017 --> 00:15:37,770
kept you to a very flat frame,
315
00:15:37,770 --> 00:15:41,315
we are honoring that
almost 80% of the time.
316
00:15:42,024 --> 00:15:45,486
But one thing that makes it X-Men '97
and not X-Men: The Animated Series
317
00:15:45,486 --> 00:15:49,990
is that we are blowing past that at times
for emotional effect.
318
00:15:49,990 --> 00:15:54,954
So big crescendo moments
in battles and in fight scenes,
319
00:15:54,954 --> 00:15:57,039
and even in some
of our bigger emotional scenes,
320
00:15:57,039 --> 00:16:01,126
push past that flat plane
into a more three-dimensional space.
321
00:16:01,126 --> 00:16:04,463
And that's something
that our studio partner, Studio Mir,
322
00:16:04,463 --> 00:16:07,424
who produce a lot of anime,
really allows us to do effectively.
323
00:16:07,424 --> 00:16:10,886
What was done at the time
was the top of that animation scale,
324
00:16:10,886 --> 00:16:13,555
was the top of the action
and what was available
325
00:16:13,555 --> 00:16:15,182
and what could be done at the time.
326
00:16:15,182 --> 00:16:18,560
And our responsibility now
is to do the same, to do the top.
327
00:16:18,560 --> 00:16:20,354
Like, that's how high the bar is.
328
00:16:20,354 --> 00:16:23,649
[Polgar] We were able to look at
the footage in this thing called DI.
329
00:16:23,649 --> 00:16:27,319
It's a really cool post process
where we get to throw a filter on it.
330
00:16:27,319 --> 00:16:31,740
{\an8}We were thinking about a film filter
to make it look closer to '90s film.
331
00:16:31,740 --> 00:16:33,784
{\an8}So you get a little bit of that jitter
332
00:16:33,784 --> 00:16:36,036
{\an8}that you would have
from the film processing.
333
00:16:36,036 --> 00:16:41,041
{\an8}You get noise grain, film processing
makes the blacks pop out even harder.
334
00:16:41,041 --> 00:16:43,085
I'm cool with rack focusing a bit more
335
00:16:43,085 --> 00:16:46,422
just to go a little more cinematic,
lean into the era of it all.
336
00:16:46,422 --> 00:16:49,299
And we also have to put it
to widescreen format, right?
337
00:16:49,299 --> 00:16:51,719
So we got to make it more cinematic.
338
00:16:51,719 --> 00:16:53,095
Look-y ahead.
339
00:16:53,846 --> 00:16:55,681
[Gambit] Ki-yay!
340
00:16:55,681 --> 00:16:59,351
They be busy doing a bit of renovating
since Gambit's last visit.
341
00:16:59,351 --> 00:17:02,187
[Yonemura] We wanted to make sure
we were honoring the Lewalds and Larry,
342
00:17:02,187 --> 00:17:05,274
and the work that they had set down,
that it was never going to be about,
343
00:17:05,274 --> 00:17:07,860
"Well, that was cheesy,
so how cheesy can we go?"
344
00:17:07,860 --> 00:17:12,448
More like, "No, you guys were actually
building something incredibly beautiful.
345
00:17:12,448 --> 00:17:15,868
"Look at how much it affected
a whole generation of people."
346
00:17:15,868 --> 00:17:18,871
And to carry that torch
is not only a lot of responsibility,
347
00:17:18,871 --> 00:17:20,497
but we're actually excited for that.
348
00:17:20,497 --> 00:17:22,875
I can't wait. I want to bring honor
to these characters.
349
00:17:22,875 --> 00:17:25,586
Well, if being an X-Man
teaches anything, Ms. Tilby,
350
00:17:25,586 --> 00:17:27,713
it's to expect the unexpected.
351
00:17:28,255 --> 00:17:29,923
[♪ theme music playing]
352
00:17:32,176 --> 00:17:35,054
One of the most important aspects
to the series is the music.
353
00:17:38,682 --> 00:17:41,060
When you hear that rendition
of the opening title,
354
00:17:41,060 --> 00:17:44,855
what's amazing is not that it sounds new,
355
00:17:45,981 --> 00:17:49,193
but that it sounds
like it really celebrates
356
00:17:49,193 --> 00:17:52,780
and props up what was beautiful
about that original music.
357
00:17:53,447 --> 00:17:56,575
In terms of ID'ing a show,
I mean, it's so important.
358
00:17:56,575 --> 00:17:59,369
I mean, I grew up in the '60s
and there's a lot of shows
359
00:17:59,369 --> 00:18:01,455
that all you had to do
is hear two or three notes
360
00:18:01,455 --> 00:18:02,539
and you know what it is.
361
00:18:02,539 --> 00:18:04,541
And so we knew that for The X-Men,
362
00:18:04,541 --> 00:18:08,128
we need to have something that was
very distinctive and strong and driving.
363
00:18:09,838 --> 00:18:13,092
Back in the '90s, I was given like,
I think, what, a weekend,
364
00:18:13,092 --> 00:18:15,719
like two or three days to draw the intro.
365
00:18:15,719 --> 00:18:17,638
And the intro is going
to be about a minute,
366
00:18:17,638 --> 00:18:19,389
a minute and four seconds.
367
00:18:19,389 --> 00:18:20,641
I drew two minutes.
368
00:18:20,641 --> 00:18:22,726
I just let the fanboy roll out of my head.
369
00:18:22,726 --> 00:18:25,938
I just started drawing images
and just let stuff pour out.
370
00:18:25,938 --> 00:18:27,689
And once I got it done and finished,
371
00:18:27,689 --> 00:18:29,858
then we went back
and just took the two minutes
372
00:18:29,858 --> 00:18:33,946
and culled it down to just one minute,
the one what everybody knows right now.
373
00:18:35,906 --> 00:18:37,991
My storyboard was actually done
before the music.
374
00:18:38,575 --> 00:18:42,079
And so, once we got that done,
the next part was trying to get the music
375
00:18:42,621 --> 00:18:45,082
that was driving
to try and match the high pace.
376
00:18:45,082 --> 00:18:46,708
{\an8}And if my memory serves me right,
377
00:18:46,708 --> 00:18:49,962
{\an8}I think it was, like, maybe
the 13th version of the music
378
00:18:49,962 --> 00:18:51,421
until we said, "Yeah, that's it."
379
00:18:51,421 --> 00:18:54,550
Because the first 12 was like, no.
[chuckles]
380
00:18:54,550 --> 00:18:57,010
It didn't have the punch.
It didn't have the excitement.
381
00:18:57,010 --> 00:19:00,222
And so, it took time
and then it magically merged together
382
00:19:00,222 --> 00:19:01,849
and everything worked out just fine.
383
00:19:14,444 --> 00:19:16,780
[Castorena] The OG show
leaned into the prejudice.
384
00:19:16,780 --> 00:19:19,283
It didn't shy away from it,
but it also didn't dumb it down
385
00:19:19,283 --> 00:19:20,868
or treat the audience like a kid.
386
00:19:20,868 --> 00:19:22,953
It just told stories.
387
00:19:22,953 --> 00:19:26,582
It told the stories
and it had a greater story to tell.
388
00:19:26,582 --> 00:19:29,960
For us to be a successor,
we got to carry that DNA in.
389
00:19:30,586 --> 00:19:32,296
Your heart may beat for me,
390
00:19:32,796 --> 00:19:34,381
but I can't feel it.
391
00:19:36,175 --> 00:19:39,428
You light up everything you touch,
392
00:19:40,095 --> 00:19:41,305
but never me.
393
00:19:44,808 --> 00:19:47,978
Every story we tell in the show
is born out of a human drive,
394
00:19:47,978 --> 00:19:52,524
out of the characters showing the writers
where to take them.
395
00:19:52,524 --> 00:19:54,526
They're following those relationships.
396
00:19:54,526 --> 00:19:57,487
And it's really about driving
at the human heart.
397
00:20:00,782 --> 00:20:03,452
The world around these characters
might be chaos,
398
00:20:03,452 --> 00:20:06,997
but their humanity, their soul,
their internal feelings
399
00:20:06,997 --> 00:20:09,750
and love for one another
is what's going to see them through.
400
00:20:09,750 --> 00:20:11,585
Right now, we have to be strong.
401
00:20:11,585 --> 00:20:12,669
For the team.
402
00:20:12,669 --> 00:20:15,714
{\an8}For every mutant still out there
who's watching these images.
403
00:20:15,714 --> 00:20:17,382
{\an8}They need hope.
404
00:20:18,175 --> 00:20:19,968
{\an8}It's what the Professor would do.
405
00:20:19,968 --> 00:20:21,303
{\an8}Then let's go remind the world
406
00:20:21,303 --> 00:20:24,056
{\an8}that times like these
are when dreaming matters most.
407
00:20:27,392 --> 00:20:30,145
Our number one priority was to bring on
408
00:20:30,145 --> 00:20:34,399
as many of the original cast members
as we possibly could.
409
00:20:34,983 --> 00:20:37,611
[Houston] Back then,
we wanted to elevate the storytelling.
410
00:20:37,611 --> 00:20:39,571
So one of the things that we did
411
00:20:39,571 --> 00:20:42,449
was we auditioned people
who did stage plays
412
00:20:42,449 --> 00:20:44,243
as opposed to voice actors
413
00:20:44,243 --> 00:20:47,162
who work just in, you know,
Saturday morning cartoon media,
414
00:20:47,162 --> 00:20:48,622
because we wanted to get actors
415
00:20:48,622 --> 00:20:52,251
who have a range of inflections
in how they act,
416
00:20:52,251 --> 00:20:54,628
and they didn't sound
like everybody else out there.
417
00:20:54,628 --> 00:20:57,798
I think it helped add to the character
and quality of the show
418
00:20:57,798 --> 00:20:59,883
because they brought
the characters to life.
419
00:20:59,883 --> 00:21:02,594
Don't you ever get tired
of listening to yourself?
420
00:21:02,594 --> 00:21:05,222
Not when I'm talking about you, chère.
421
00:21:12,354 --> 00:21:13,438
{\an8}I had no clue
422
00:21:13,438 --> 00:21:15,983
{\an8}about the X-Men at the time.
423
00:21:15,983 --> 00:21:19,653
{\an8}I had never heard of the X-Men.
I don't think any of us had,
424
00:21:19,653 --> 00:21:20,988
{\an8}except George Buza.
425
00:21:20,988 --> 00:21:24,074
{\an8}They didn't tell us the title of the show
that we were going to read for.
426
00:21:24,074 --> 00:21:27,536
{\an8}They said, "Project X."
And I'm reading and I'm reading.
427
00:21:28,203 --> 00:21:29,871
{\an8}And I said, "This is X-Men."
428
00:21:29,871 --> 00:21:33,583
So strange, and yet so familiar.
429
00:21:33,583 --> 00:21:36,420
I used to buy a lot of comic books
when I was a kid.
430
00:21:36,420 --> 00:21:40,257
And I remember
when the first X-Men comic book came out.
431
00:21:40,757 --> 00:21:42,384
And I saw it on the newsstand.
432
00:21:42,884 --> 00:21:44,261
And I do remember reading it.
433
00:21:44,761 --> 00:21:48,056
And I knew right off the bat
that I was auditioning for X-Men.
434
00:21:48,056 --> 00:21:50,809
It appears to be a deliberate trail.
435
00:21:50,809 --> 00:21:53,228
I might as well have
gone and auditioned for Star Wars.
436
00:21:53,228 --> 00:21:54,521
To be a part of that,
437
00:21:55,188 --> 00:21:58,191
at that stage of my career,
was a real high point.
438
00:21:58,608 --> 00:22:00,610
You are a work of art.
439
00:22:03,572 --> 00:22:07,743
{\an8}The majority of us
had done quite a bit of theater
440
00:22:07,743 --> 00:22:09,328
{\an8}coming into the '90s.
441
00:22:09,328 --> 00:22:11,913
{\an8}[Zann] I was a serious actor, you know.
442
00:22:11,913 --> 00:22:14,499
I did movies, television, theater,
443
00:22:15,042 --> 00:22:16,710
a radio drama.
444
00:22:16,710 --> 00:22:18,837
I was not doing voiceovers,
I was a singer.
445
00:22:18,837 --> 00:22:20,839
I was doing jingles my whole life
446
00:22:20,839 --> 00:22:23,091
in the city of Toronto
and flying to New York,
447
00:22:23,091 --> 00:22:24,760
flying to Chicago, whatever, to sing.
448
00:22:24,760 --> 00:22:27,262
{\an8}My background is very much
449
00:22:27,262 --> 00:22:28,597
{\an8}the theater.
450
00:22:28,597 --> 00:22:30,599
{\an8}[Adrian Hough] I'd done
a couple of voice things
451
00:22:30,599 --> 00:22:31,850
{\an8}for commercials and stuff.
452
00:22:31,850 --> 00:22:35,896
{\an8}But my very first animated audition ever
453
00:22:35,896 --> 00:22:37,022
was this character.
454
00:22:37,022 --> 00:22:41,026
[Zann] My agent at the time
was here in Toronto, said,
455
00:22:41,026 --> 00:22:43,528
"Lenore, I want you to go in
for this new series.
456
00:22:43,528 --> 00:22:48,992
"They're looking for a sexy, husky voice
with a Southern accent."
457
00:22:48,992 --> 00:22:52,829
And I'd played a lot of Southerners
in movies and television by that time.
458
00:22:52,829 --> 00:22:55,207
But I didn't go to the first auditions.
459
00:22:55,707 --> 00:22:57,751
I just wasn't that interested.
460
00:22:57,751 --> 00:23:00,712
You've given us a place
where we belong, Professor.
461
00:23:00,712 --> 00:23:04,007
Just takes us hard-headed ones
longer to realize it.
462
00:23:04,007 --> 00:23:07,052
So then, a few months go by
and they had callbacks.
463
00:23:07,052 --> 00:23:12,891
And she said, "Lenore, they haven't found
the right actress yet for this part
464
00:23:12,891 --> 00:23:14,142
"because it's you.
465
00:23:14,142 --> 00:23:16,686
"So get your ass in gear and go."
466
00:23:16,686 --> 00:23:18,105
So I did.
467
00:23:18,688 --> 00:23:22,150
And I walked into the studio,
put the headphones on.
468
00:23:22,150 --> 00:23:23,985
The producers were in LA.
469
00:23:23,985 --> 00:23:25,946
I took a look at the picture
of the character,
470
00:23:25,946 --> 00:23:27,864
I was like, "Yeah, hell yeah,
I can do that."
471
00:23:27,864 --> 00:23:31,493
And then I just opened up my mouth
and basically said,
472
00:23:32,077 --> 00:23:33,995
"You know, my daddy'd like to kill himself
473
00:23:33,995 --> 00:23:36,289
"when he found out I was a mutant."
474
00:23:36,289 --> 00:23:37,499
[chuckles] You know?
475
00:23:37,499 --> 00:23:40,794
And I heard all these screams
and yells and everything.
476
00:23:40,794 --> 00:23:43,422
They're like, "Don't let her
leave the building. [chuckling]
477
00:23:43,422 --> 00:23:44,881
"That's her. That's Rogue."
478
00:23:44,881 --> 00:23:47,634
This is going to be more satisfying
than I thought.
479
00:23:47,634 --> 00:23:50,512
[Houston] Once we heard the audition,
we said, "Okay, that's it. We got it."
480
00:23:50,512 --> 00:23:52,514
It was the same with Wolverine.
481
00:23:52,514 --> 00:23:54,266
This one's mine.
482
00:23:55,308 --> 00:23:57,185
{\an8}[Dodd] I went in and they showed me
a picture of him.
483
00:23:57,185 --> 00:23:59,813
{\an8}They explained who he was and stuff,
that he was Canadian.
484
00:23:59,813 --> 00:24:00,939
I said, "That's good."
485
00:24:00,939 --> 00:24:04,609
The first line was like, "All right,
you egg-sucking piece of gutter trash.
486
00:24:05,110 --> 00:24:07,737
"You always did like picking
on people shorter than you.
487
00:24:07,737 --> 00:24:09,990
"Well, I'm shorter. Pick on me."
488
00:24:11,324 --> 00:24:13,952
They just went, "Oh, gosh,
give him some more lines."
489
00:24:14,453 --> 00:24:17,372
So, it just happened like that.
It was like it was meant to be.
490
00:24:17,372 --> 00:24:20,250
Just call me Wolverine.
491
00:24:21,626 --> 00:24:23,211
Wolverine.
492
00:24:23,211 --> 00:24:25,005
So impulsive.
493
00:24:25,005 --> 00:24:28,049
I identified with Hank right off the bat.
494
00:24:28,049 --> 00:24:31,428
{\an8}When I was a kid in school, I got bullied.
495
00:24:31,428 --> 00:24:33,263
I was a big kid. I was overweight.
496
00:24:33,263 --> 00:24:35,765
I got into quite a few beefs
on the schoolyard,
497
00:24:36,266 --> 00:24:39,352
and it was there that I learned
that even though I'm big,
498
00:24:39,352 --> 00:24:43,857
if you retaliate,
you will be the one who they blame.
499
00:24:44,483 --> 00:24:46,318
So think before you act
500
00:24:46,318 --> 00:24:49,070
and try and defuse a situation
and walk away.
501
00:24:49,571 --> 00:24:50,822
And this is what Hank does.
502
00:24:50,822 --> 00:24:55,160
They must see that we are not a threat
to mankind, but are a part of it.
503
00:24:55,160 --> 00:24:58,914
[Dodd] He won't resort
to his abilities, his superpowers
504
00:24:59,414 --> 00:25:01,917
unless there's absolutely
no other recourse.
505
00:25:01,917 --> 00:25:05,170
He will try and talk
and reason his way out of a situation
506
00:25:05,170 --> 00:25:06,838
before he will use violence.
507
00:25:07,297 --> 00:25:08,423
But then when he does,
508
00:25:08,965 --> 00:25:09,966
watch out.
509
00:25:13,303 --> 00:25:17,724
I summon the full power of the storm!
510
00:25:17,724 --> 00:25:22,687
[Sealy-Smith] I had gotten this audition
for my very first animation,
511
00:25:22,687 --> 00:25:24,564
and I was out in Stratford,
512
00:25:25,065 --> 00:25:26,858
and I was doing Shakespeare.
513
00:25:27,609 --> 00:25:31,279
And I really only had one day
that I could come into the city.
514
00:25:31,279 --> 00:25:33,198
Everything was very rushed.
515
00:25:33,198 --> 00:25:37,327
And so, I'm looking
to hold on to why I'm there
516
00:25:37,327 --> 00:25:40,580
and what can I possibly
bring to this audition?
517
00:25:40,580 --> 00:25:42,624
And then they said that she was a queen.
518
00:25:42,624 --> 00:25:45,502
And I went, "Okay,
I don't know a whole lot about her,
519
00:25:46,002 --> 00:25:47,087
"but I can do queen."
520
00:25:47,087 --> 00:25:49,381
I must keep my emotions in check,
521
00:25:49,923 --> 00:25:52,676
lest my powers rage out of control.
522
00:25:52,676 --> 00:25:56,471
[Sealy-Smith] She played right
into my very natural strengths.
523
00:25:56,471 --> 00:25:58,098
I've never been a subtle actress.
524
00:25:58,890 --> 00:26:01,393
[chuckles] You know, I do it big.
Go big or go home.
525
00:26:01,393 --> 00:26:04,771
I am free!
526
00:26:08,358 --> 00:26:09,651
I'm fond of the Nightcrawler.
527
00:26:10,318 --> 00:26:12,779
Our time together meant a great deal
to both of us.
528
00:26:12,779 --> 00:26:14,364
[Hough] I just remember they called me in,
529
00:26:14,364 --> 00:26:17,534
and there was this moment of...
530
00:26:18,618 --> 00:26:20,328
landing in the part.
531
00:26:20,328 --> 00:26:24,165
And he was both passionate,
but yet spiritual.
532
00:26:24,165 --> 00:26:26,626
There's something gentle about him,
but also fierce.
533
00:26:26,626 --> 00:26:29,796
I remember finishing the read,
and there was this pause.
534
00:26:30,297 --> 00:26:33,883
And I looked over into the booth
at Dan Hennessey, who was the director,
535
00:26:33,883 --> 00:26:35,802
and he paused, and looked at me,
and he goes,
536
00:26:36,720 --> 00:26:38,388
"He's a very passionate guy, isn't he?"
537
00:26:38,888 --> 00:26:40,390
And I was like, "Yeah.
538
00:26:41,349 --> 00:26:43,018
"Do you want to do it again?" "Sure."
539
00:26:43,018 --> 00:26:46,062
And so that was [chuckling]
my very first animated audition.
540
00:26:46,062 --> 00:26:49,649
And there was something about the script,
the complexity of the character,
541
00:26:49,649 --> 00:26:51,776
which just brought it out of me.
542
00:26:51,776 --> 00:26:53,236
I am overwhelmed.
543
00:26:53,236 --> 00:26:55,905
You X-Men
are experienced with such things.
544
00:26:55,905 --> 00:26:57,782
[Rogue] You've come
to the right place, honey.
545
00:27:01,202 --> 00:27:03,079
[Potter] When we first started the series,
546
00:27:03,079 --> 00:27:08,251
we recorded together possibly six
of us in the studio at a time.
547
00:27:08,251 --> 00:27:12,589
What they found is there was
too much spill happening between mics,
548
00:27:13,423 --> 00:27:16,468
not to mention that we could barely
get the scenes done
549
00:27:16,468 --> 00:27:18,094
because we were laughing so hard.
550
00:27:19,012 --> 00:27:24,142
Not at the script, just at the goofs
in the room that were so talented.
551
00:27:24,142 --> 00:27:27,270
He better be more careful with his mouth.
552
00:27:27,270 --> 00:27:29,731
You better stop worrying about my mouth,
553
00:27:30,273 --> 00:27:32,442
and start worrying about these.
554
00:27:33,360 --> 00:27:37,280
I mean, I just remember my first day
in the studio, there was Cal Dodd,
555
00:27:37,280 --> 00:27:40,033
there was Lenore Zann,
and it was pretty wild.
556
00:27:40,033 --> 00:27:41,493
I saw Cal Dodd
557
00:27:42,535 --> 00:27:44,996
hunch his shoulders up and make fists,
558
00:27:44,996 --> 00:27:47,499
and then suddenly his name dropped
into the voice and said,
559
00:27:47,499 --> 00:27:49,709
"Listen here, bub."
And I was like, "Oh, okay."
560
00:27:49,709 --> 00:27:53,421
It really taught me
that doing animated voices
561
00:27:53,421 --> 00:27:56,049
is not just standing
in front of a mic not moving.
562
00:27:56,049 --> 00:27:58,718
There's actually, like,
full body expression involved.
563
00:27:58,718 --> 00:28:01,304
You cannot conceive, nor can I,
564
00:28:01,304 --> 00:28:04,391
the appalling strangeness
of the mercy of God.
565
00:28:04,391 --> 00:28:06,643
You were pulling punches
on the dock today.
566
00:28:07,519 --> 00:28:11,147
When we go up there,
if you want to end it, and end it fast,
567
00:28:11,690 --> 00:28:13,817
hit, and hit to kill.
568
00:28:14,317 --> 00:28:16,861
I just interrupt everybody
because I'm Wolverine.
569
00:28:16,861 --> 00:28:19,447
Rogue would be in the middle of something
really important,
570
00:28:19,447 --> 00:28:22,617
[chuckling] and I'll say,
"Are you just about finished?
571
00:28:23,785 --> 00:28:26,204
"There are other people here
that have to talk, too."
572
00:28:26,204 --> 00:28:27,997
Stuff the philosophy.
573
00:28:28,873 --> 00:28:30,709
Let's go kick his butt.
574
00:28:30,709 --> 00:28:32,919
At one point, they were turning off
my microphone.
575
00:28:32,919 --> 00:28:35,880
I said, "Don't you do that.
Leave that on, because this'll be good."
576
00:28:35,880 --> 00:28:38,800
I go where I wanna go.
577
00:28:38,800 --> 00:28:40,301
[Zann] It was magical.
578
00:28:40,301 --> 00:28:44,764
It was a really magical chemistry
that we all had.
579
00:28:44,764 --> 00:28:47,434
[Potter] Eventually, they split us up,
580
00:28:47,434 --> 00:28:51,020
and yet we would all use the same studio,
so we'd see each other coming and going.
581
00:28:51,771 --> 00:28:53,314
[Buza] Everybody else had different jobs.
582
00:28:53,314 --> 00:28:56,025
Very few people do strictly voice.
583
00:28:56,025 --> 00:28:58,361
At the time we were doing
the first couple of seasons,
584
00:28:58,361 --> 00:29:01,406
I was on another series
just around the corner from the here,
585
00:29:01,406 --> 00:29:04,409
on Maniac Mansion,
which was a George Lucas thing.
586
00:29:04,409 --> 00:29:08,246
I was doing Shakespeare [chuckles]
when I auditioned for this.
587
00:29:08,246 --> 00:29:11,791
For the whole first season,
I was in Stratford.
588
00:29:11,791 --> 00:29:14,586
I had shows every night.
589
00:29:14,586 --> 00:29:16,337
Monday was our dark day,
590
00:29:16,337 --> 00:29:20,467
and so, every Monday,
I got in my car bright and early
591
00:29:20,467 --> 00:29:23,303
and came down and recorded X-Men.
592
00:29:23,803 --> 00:29:27,849
Rise, fog,
and divert your enemy from her path.
593
00:29:28,433 --> 00:29:31,352
Storm, your master, commands.
594
00:29:31,352 --> 00:29:34,773
Back then, I was doing Kung Fu
with David Carradine,
595
00:29:34,773 --> 00:29:36,775
and it was a two-hander, more or less,
596
00:29:36,775 --> 00:29:40,153
so I was working 12, 14-hour days on that,
597
00:29:40,153 --> 00:29:43,740
and I would do The X-Men
literally on my lunch hour
598
00:29:43,740 --> 00:29:47,327
or in a break that I had that was
like lunch throughout the day.
599
00:29:47,327 --> 00:29:48,620
[Gambit] Relax, Cyclops.
600
00:29:49,204 --> 00:29:52,290
All work and no play
make Jacques a dull boy.
601
00:29:52,290 --> 00:29:56,795
[Potter] I'd have to drive from
the studio down to do The X-Men,
602
00:29:56,795 --> 00:30:01,174
but not knowing
that it was actually becoming a hit.
603
00:30:09,641 --> 00:30:11,810
[Chris Britton]
I think it was just the word of mouth,
604
00:30:11,810 --> 00:30:15,688
{\an8}and we just heard gradually
that people were watching it
605
00:30:15,688 --> 00:30:21,277
and fans that normally might not be
into that type of animation
606
00:30:21,277 --> 00:30:24,280
and that storyline are talking about it.
607
00:30:24,781 --> 00:30:26,491
You don't know what you've done.
608
00:30:26,491 --> 00:30:28,701
You ain't seen nothing yet.
609
00:30:28,701 --> 00:30:31,621
[Britton] You know,
the characters are now iconic,
610
00:30:31,621 --> 00:30:34,457
but at the time, they were just, you know,
611
00:30:34,457 --> 00:30:37,836
these fascinating, complex characters
612
00:30:37,836 --> 00:30:40,797
with some really interesting dialogue,
613
00:30:41,381 --> 00:30:42,882
dialogue with depth
614
00:30:42,882 --> 00:30:47,136
that you wouldn't expect
from a weekly cartoon.
615
00:30:47,136 --> 00:30:52,809
The Phoenix was a mythical bird
that was consumed by fire,
616
00:30:52,809 --> 00:30:56,771
but always rose again from the ashes.
617
00:30:56,771 --> 00:30:59,399
Perhaps that's what
the Phoenix represents.
618
00:31:00,275 --> 00:31:02,277
Hope, which never dies.
619
00:31:02,277 --> 00:31:03,778
When it was over after five years,
620
00:31:03,778 --> 00:31:05,989
I was like, I didn't know
what to do with myself.
621
00:31:06,656 --> 00:31:08,741
No more going to the studio to do him.
622
00:31:09,450 --> 00:31:12,328
Does he just fall off
the face of the earth? What's going on?
623
00:31:12,328 --> 00:31:13,746
I really missed him because
624
00:31:14,497 --> 00:31:15,874
he's me.
625
00:31:15,874 --> 00:31:18,293
This busted mug
ain't changed in a hundred years,
626
00:31:18,293 --> 00:31:19,419
and you know it.
627
00:31:19,419 --> 00:31:21,796
So it was so great to get back in him.
628
00:31:22,338 --> 00:31:27,302
Well, Magneto ain't gonna change his mind
just because we say "please."
629
00:31:27,886 --> 00:31:30,179
The man just declared war
on the whole planet.
630
00:31:30,680 --> 00:31:32,599
His day ends one way.
631
00:31:34,183 --> 00:31:36,561
We were all gung-ho.
There's no question about it.
632
00:31:36,561 --> 00:31:40,231
I don't think there's a single person
that said, "I don't know.
633
00:31:40,231 --> 00:31:41,900
"Why would we want to do this?"
634
00:31:41,900 --> 00:31:44,152
We went, "Oh, yes, absolutely. Let's go."
635
00:31:44,152 --> 00:31:46,446
It's been too long, my friend.
636
00:31:46,446 --> 00:31:50,366
You know, what's really cool
is that it's the same studio
637
00:31:50,366 --> 00:31:55,121
that we recorded The X-Men in,
in the '90s.
638
00:31:55,705 --> 00:32:00,376
I am Storm, mistress of the elements.
639
00:32:00,376 --> 00:32:03,212
[Sealy-Smith] I value it
in a completely different way.
640
00:32:03,212 --> 00:32:07,258
And the time that I spend in the studio,
641
00:32:07,258 --> 00:32:10,887
I appreciate and love it so much more.
642
00:32:10,887 --> 00:32:14,974
Surrender the boy or face my fury.
643
00:32:14,974 --> 00:32:18,811
I love this stuff.
I love this character. I love this show.
644
00:32:18,811 --> 00:32:20,897
[Storm] Let them thunder,
645
00:32:21,731 --> 00:32:24,567
for I am lightning!
646
00:32:24,567 --> 00:32:26,361
I did go back and revisit the show
647
00:32:26,361 --> 00:32:29,739
because I wanted to, you know,
make sure that I was going to be true
648
00:32:29,739 --> 00:32:31,783
to the character
that was created years ago.
649
00:32:31,783 --> 00:32:35,119
I just remember it just literally
all came flooding back to me.
650
00:32:35,119 --> 00:32:37,580
None of you were there
the day Genosha fell.
651
00:32:38,414 --> 00:32:40,333
Who dies next, Professor?
652
00:32:40,333 --> 00:32:42,627
Jean? Been there, done that.
653
00:32:42,627 --> 00:32:46,172
{\an8}I watched a couple of the episodes,
like "A Rogue's Tale,"
654
00:32:47,215 --> 00:32:50,718
you know, and my voice
is naturally there anyway.
655
00:32:50,718 --> 00:32:53,388
And so it just came back really quickly.
656
00:32:53,388 --> 00:32:57,392
And then when I walked in the studio
the very first time,
657
00:32:57,934 --> 00:33:02,230
I was a little nervous 'cause I was like,
"Oh, my God. Do I still have it?"
658
00:33:02,814 --> 00:33:06,693
And within two seconds, really,
of opening up my mouth
659
00:33:06,693 --> 00:33:08,653
and saying the first couple of lines,
660
00:33:08,653 --> 00:33:10,905
I was like, "Yeah."
661
00:33:10,905 --> 00:33:16,577
It's like a well-worn leather jacket
that you just slip in and away you go.
662
00:33:16,577 --> 00:33:19,789
You went slower
than snails in maple syrup.
663
00:33:19,789 --> 00:33:23,710
I reckon we nab him now
before our mystery boys move him again.
664
00:33:23,710 --> 00:33:28,089
It's so funny how my lines
stick in my head. [chuckles]
665
00:33:28,089 --> 00:33:30,717
Some of the best lines
that I've had, you know, like,
666
00:33:31,217 --> 00:33:33,428
"You look about as nervous
as a long-tailed cat
667
00:33:33,428 --> 00:33:34,971
"in a room full of rocking chairs."
668
00:33:34,971 --> 00:33:37,223
And yet, here you are,
669
00:33:37,724 --> 00:33:40,435
dragged in like a kitty cat's prize.
670
00:33:42,937 --> 00:33:45,023
- [Cyclops] Cable?
- Huh
671
00:33:45,023 --> 00:33:47,817
Chris Potter, who played Gambit
in the original series...
672
00:33:47,817 --> 00:33:49,861
Everyone can relax.
673
00:33:51,029 --> 00:33:52,822
Gambit has returned.
674
00:33:52,822 --> 00:33:56,492
...is actually voicing the role of Cable,
who's a massive part of the season.
675
00:33:56,492 --> 00:33:58,494
I know all I need to know.
676
00:33:58,494 --> 00:34:00,705
That machine killed my mother.
677
00:34:00,705 --> 00:34:03,833
We need to make sure
he doesn't do the same to anyone else.
678
00:34:03,833 --> 00:34:07,086
A couple centuries late
on the overprotective dad bit, huh?
679
00:34:07,086 --> 00:34:08,296
Both of you, stop it!
680
00:34:08,296 --> 00:34:11,758
I'm going to miss Gambit,
but I'm loving doing Cable.
681
00:34:11,758 --> 00:34:14,927
I'm so excited
about where we're headed with this.
682
00:34:15,803 --> 00:34:18,765
[chuckles] Am I going to war or a circus?
683
00:34:18,765 --> 00:34:21,184
What'd you expect? Black leather?
684
00:34:21,684 --> 00:34:23,686
[Winderbaum] There's also
a lot of great newcomers
685
00:34:23,686 --> 00:34:25,605
who are bringing new characters to life
686
00:34:25,605 --> 00:34:29,025
and who are giving us new takes
on the characters from the original show.
687
00:34:29,025 --> 00:34:31,694
The name's Gambit. Remember it.
688
00:34:31,694 --> 00:34:32,779
{\an8}For this show,
689
00:34:32,779 --> 00:34:38,451
{\an8}I got a weird laundry list
of just characters, all with fake names.
690
00:34:38,451 --> 00:34:40,995
I think Gambit
was, like, Johnny or something.
691
00:34:40,995 --> 00:34:44,248
And the reference
was Chris Potter as Gambit.
692
00:34:44,248 --> 00:34:45,666
And I was like, "Hold on."
693
00:34:45,666 --> 00:34:48,127
Then I looked through all the female
and male reference.
694
00:34:48,127 --> 00:34:50,296
I was like, "Okay, this is X-Men."
695
00:34:50,296 --> 00:34:52,632
So I kind of freaked out a lot.
696
00:34:52,632 --> 00:34:58,471
And I made the probably very, very, very
dumb decision to only audition for Gambit
697
00:34:58,471 --> 00:35:03,392
because there was no prehistory
with doing, really, a Cajun accent.
698
00:35:03,392 --> 00:35:05,186
I mean, I would do an impression of him
699
00:35:05,186 --> 00:35:07,313
between me and one of my friends
in high school.
700
00:35:07,313 --> 00:35:10,274
"Are you an assassin or a thief?"
we used to say, like "mon ami."
701
00:35:10,274 --> 00:35:14,529
You stopped the bad guys,
saved the kid, got home safe.
702
00:35:14,529 --> 00:35:17,156
These beignets needed me
more than you did, mon ami.
703
00:35:17,156 --> 00:35:19,951
You know, I took French because of Gambit.
704
00:35:19,951 --> 00:35:22,787
And this is probably
the lamest thing I could say.
705
00:35:22,787 --> 00:35:24,664
But we were allowed to choose names.
706
00:35:24,664 --> 00:35:26,624
And so I chose Remy, of course.
707
00:35:26,624 --> 00:35:28,417
But then I would sign it Remy LeBeau.
708
00:35:28,417 --> 00:35:30,419
And my teacher thought that was so cute.
709
00:35:30,419 --> 00:35:32,088
She was like, "Remy the handsome."
710
00:35:32,088 --> 00:35:34,507
And I was like,
"Yeah, that's what I meant."
711
00:35:34,507 --> 00:35:35,842
Not "I want to be Gambit."
712
00:35:35,842 --> 00:35:38,344
I can't believe I get to say this.
I'm so excited.
713
00:35:38,344 --> 00:35:41,430
Mon ami, maybe Gambit
should have played less rough with you
714
00:35:41,430 --> 00:35:43,141
in the Danger Room, n'est-ce pas?
715
00:35:43,141 --> 00:35:45,226
But the cards, they're wild.
716
00:35:46,811 --> 00:35:52,316
Would we be here helping the survivors
if we cared about staying alive?
717
00:35:52,859 --> 00:35:54,569
We care about others.
718
00:35:54,569 --> 00:35:56,529
As do most, I believe.
719
00:35:56,529 --> 00:35:59,657
{\an8}I got a email asking
if I could audition for Charles.
720
00:35:59,657 --> 00:36:02,827
{\an8}And I was over the moon, obviously,
721
00:36:02,827 --> 00:36:05,830
because I was a big fan of the show
from the early years.
722
00:36:05,830 --> 00:36:07,123
I'm a mutant.
723
00:36:07,123 --> 00:36:09,750
Telepathy. Mind reader.
724
00:36:09,750 --> 00:36:11,836
Likely can control them, too.
725
00:36:11,836 --> 00:36:12,962
Bend their will.
726
00:36:13,462 --> 00:36:17,133
I remember the first recording.
I was doing a few takes.
727
00:36:17,133 --> 00:36:19,552
And then I just had to stop for a second
728
00:36:19,552 --> 00:36:22,889
and look at, you know, the writers
729
00:36:22,889 --> 00:36:25,224
and the producers,
and casting director, and director.
730
00:36:25,224 --> 00:36:26,434
And I just said,
731
00:36:26,434 --> 00:36:29,020
"I can't tell you how tickled I am
to be a part of this,"
732
00:36:29,020 --> 00:36:32,440
because when I say this show was
the reason why I got into voice acting,
733
00:36:32,440 --> 00:36:35,151
it was also the reason
why I got into acting in general.
734
00:36:35,151 --> 00:36:38,321
I mean, this show was so important to me
growing up as a kid.
735
00:36:38,321 --> 00:36:41,199
Just the fact that it's gone
full circle now, 30 years later.
736
00:36:41,199 --> 00:36:45,995
Now I'm a grown man
and I get to share this beautiful story
737
00:36:45,995 --> 00:36:49,373
with my nieces and nephews
who are about that same age.
738
00:36:49,373 --> 00:36:50,708
It just blows my mind.
739
00:36:50,708 --> 00:36:54,003
And I'm so, so grateful
to be a part of this.
740
00:36:54,003 --> 00:36:59,467
Help the world see, by being different,
we all share something.
741
00:37:00,718 --> 00:37:01,969
You're him!
742
00:37:02,470 --> 00:37:04,639
- You're...
- Magneto.
743
00:37:04,639 --> 00:37:06,766
[Matthew Waterson]
I didn't grow up with the original show
744
00:37:06,766 --> 00:37:09,477
{\an8}in the way that a lot
of my contemporaries did.
745
00:37:09,977 --> 00:37:13,940
So for Magneto,
the team gave me a list of episodes.
746
00:37:13,940 --> 00:37:17,276
They're like, "Here's the list
of the ones that your character is in
747
00:37:18,027 --> 00:37:21,239
"that you should go to first
just for reference."
748
00:37:21,239 --> 00:37:24,825
So I went back and then watched
as much of it as I could
749
00:37:24,825 --> 00:37:27,662
to get a good feel of both the show
and the characters.
750
00:37:27,662 --> 00:37:29,622
So I knew the context of it.
751
00:37:29,622 --> 00:37:30,748
{\an8}Then looking up David,
752
00:37:30,748 --> 00:37:34,085
{\an8}who voiced it in the original series,
and going, "He was English-Canadian
753
00:37:34,085 --> 00:37:35,670
{\an8}"and also had a theater background."
754
00:37:35,670 --> 00:37:37,713
His background and training
wasn't different.
755
00:37:37,713 --> 00:37:40,424
And his voice was
in the same sort of tenor as mine.
756
00:37:40,424 --> 00:37:45,304
So I went, "Oh, I think I can actually
probably come close to what he was."
757
00:37:45,304 --> 00:37:50,643
My intentions here
were not to cause drama or discord.
758
00:37:50,643 --> 00:37:52,603
Okay, prove it.
759
00:37:52,603 --> 00:37:55,690
Let Jean scan your mind,
see your real plans.
760
00:37:55,690 --> 00:37:58,150
- Scott, no.
- What?
761
00:37:58,651 --> 00:38:00,987
Even if I sensed
Magneto's intentions were sincere,
762
00:38:00,987 --> 00:38:04,156
that's today, this hour, this minute.
763
00:38:04,657 --> 00:38:06,909
{\an8}I was familiar with the original show
764
00:38:06,909 --> 00:38:09,453
{\an8}because the '90s rocked
and it was super fun.
765
00:38:09,453 --> 00:38:11,539
Like most of us workaday voice actors,
766
00:38:11,539 --> 00:38:13,541
the way this started for me
was an audition.
767
00:38:13,541 --> 00:38:16,794
They send the copy and you read it
and you go, "Oh, my God, I love this.
768
00:38:16,794 --> 00:38:18,254
"I really would love to do this."
769
00:38:18,254 --> 00:38:19,755
Then you throw your heart into it.
770
00:38:19,755 --> 00:38:22,967
And if you're lucky, you happen to fit
the recipe they're making.
771
00:38:22,967 --> 00:38:24,427
It's like you said, Scott.
772
00:38:25,303 --> 00:38:26,929
What have we been fighting for
all these years
773
00:38:26,929 --> 00:38:30,016
if not the chance
to finally live our lives?
774
00:38:30,016 --> 00:38:31,475
The team will be fine.
775
00:38:32,143 --> 00:38:33,978
Our son will need us more.
776
00:38:35,521 --> 00:38:36,814
Deep down, you know that.
777
00:38:36,814 --> 00:38:40,860
I am so enjoying living in this character
778
00:38:40,860 --> 00:38:44,155
who has all this complexity
and all these things going on
779
00:38:44,155 --> 00:38:48,200
in the face of giant robots,
and horrible villains,
780
00:38:48,200 --> 00:38:50,786
and what's going on
inside the X-Men this season,
781
00:38:50,786 --> 00:38:51,996
which is pretty intense.
782
00:38:52,496 --> 00:38:55,666
Beast's tests won't change the fact
that I'm Nathan's mother.
783
00:38:55,666 --> 00:38:58,502
I know. No one is saying that.
784
00:38:59,128 --> 00:39:00,171
Just...
785
00:39:00,880 --> 00:39:02,423
With the Professor and Storm gone,
786
00:39:02,423 --> 00:39:04,050
and Magneto here,
787
00:39:04,050 --> 00:39:05,676
it's been a lot for everyone.
788
00:39:06,177 --> 00:39:09,180
{\an8}I didn't grow up with the show,
so I wasn't familiar with the characters
789
00:39:09,180 --> 00:39:11,140
as much as the other kid next door.
790
00:39:11,140 --> 00:39:13,309
Rogue, the Professor entrusted us
791
00:39:13,309 --> 00:39:16,020
with his dream
of mutant-human coexistence.
792
00:39:16,020 --> 00:39:17,605
We have to stay vigilant,
793
00:39:17,605 --> 00:39:19,398
no matter how good things seem out there.
794
00:39:19,398 --> 00:39:22,234
[Chase] I auditioned
for Scott Summers, Cyclops.
795
00:39:22,234 --> 00:39:24,653
They were looking for
a strict, strict voice match.
796
00:39:24,653 --> 00:39:27,239
Name's Cyclops. Definitely the good guy.
797
00:39:27,239 --> 00:39:29,033
Did an okay job at it.
798
00:39:29,033 --> 00:39:32,995
But Meredith Layne, the casting director
and voice director on this project,
799
00:39:32,995 --> 00:39:35,706
knew that I could do better
and gave me a callback
800
00:39:35,706 --> 00:39:39,377
with, I think, the subtext of,
"Ray, take this one seriously."
801
00:39:39,377 --> 00:39:40,836
So I took it really seriously.
802
00:39:40,836 --> 00:39:44,507
I started to figure out
who this character was, researched clips.
803
00:39:44,507 --> 00:39:46,675
And Norm Spencer's Cyclops
804
00:39:46,675 --> 00:39:50,096
is something that I was not
super familiar with coming into it.
805
00:39:50,096 --> 00:39:52,223
But once I started watching
the original series
806
00:39:52,223 --> 00:39:56,811
and especially two long-form interviews
with Norm on the show,
807
00:39:56,811 --> 00:39:58,938
I listened to them,
absolutely devoured them
808
00:39:58,938 --> 00:40:00,272
and fell in love with the guy.
809
00:40:00,272 --> 00:40:03,776
I do think that it's just such a tragedy
that we lost him
810
00:40:03,776 --> 00:40:06,070
right before this show
was even getting made.
811
00:40:06,070 --> 00:40:10,574
I think that he would've absolutely loved
the chance to be with his friends
812
00:40:11,117 --> 00:40:12,201
one last time.
813
00:40:12,201 --> 00:40:14,870
And I dedicate this performance to him.
814
00:40:15,996 --> 00:40:18,499
Different generations
have their own view of Cyclops,
815
00:40:18,499 --> 00:40:20,918
have their own ideas
about what he should be.
816
00:40:20,918 --> 00:40:24,630
And I just hope that I'm able to please
as many of those people as possible.
817
00:40:24,630 --> 00:40:26,799
To me, my X-Men.
818
00:40:32,888 --> 00:40:34,890
[Winderbaum] The X-Men
is a story about mutants.
819
00:40:34,890 --> 00:40:36,809
It's a story about outsiders.
820
00:40:36,809 --> 00:40:40,187
It's a story about people protecting
a world that fears and hates them.
821
00:40:40,187 --> 00:40:43,107
But these mutants, these Homo superiors
822
00:40:43,107 --> 00:40:45,985
that have evolved past Homo sapiens
are human.
823
00:40:45,985 --> 00:40:48,154
They're human in their hearts,
in their souls.
824
00:40:48,154 --> 00:40:50,364
They fall in love. They feel envy.
825
00:40:50,364 --> 00:40:51,991
They feel remorse.
826
00:40:51,991 --> 00:40:53,576
They feel affection.
827
00:40:53,576 --> 00:40:56,579
It's actually an incredibly
emotional story between characters
828
00:40:56,579 --> 00:40:59,540
that make a lot of sparks
when they collide into each other.
829
00:40:59,540 --> 00:41:04,545
And that's not just in these amazing
splash page action scenes,
830
00:41:04,545 --> 00:41:08,799
but also in the human drama
behind each one of their relationships.
831
00:41:09,383 --> 00:41:10,551
You hurt me.
832
00:41:10,551 --> 00:41:11,802
As you did me.
833
00:41:13,304 --> 00:41:14,680
Countless times.
834
00:41:14,680 --> 00:41:15,890
Both of us.
835
00:41:15,890 --> 00:41:18,851
But we never abandoned each other.
836
00:41:19,351 --> 00:41:20,728
I loved the scripts.
837
00:41:20,728 --> 00:41:23,772
You could look at them
from so many different levels.
838
00:41:24,315 --> 00:41:29,069
And I've always been really interested
in mythology ever since I was a kid.
839
00:41:29,069 --> 00:41:33,407
So, for me, I looked at them as archetypes
840
00:41:33,407 --> 00:41:37,286
and almost like the Greek
or Roman gods and goddesses.
841
00:41:40,206 --> 00:41:42,625
Your parents don't know, do they?
842
00:41:43,501 --> 00:41:44,502
[sighs]
843
00:41:45,920 --> 00:41:48,047
[Roberto] Some sort of solar energy.
844
00:41:48,047 --> 00:41:49,423
Still figuring it out.
845
00:41:49,423 --> 00:41:51,967
Makes me strong, though. Really strong.
846
00:41:51,967 --> 00:41:55,262
Whenever I do this,
it just reminds me that I'm different.
847
00:41:55,262 --> 00:41:57,014
That I'm lying to them.
848
00:41:57,806 --> 00:41:59,266
Be an X-Man, Jubilee?
849
00:42:00,184 --> 00:42:01,602
I don't even want to be myself.
850
00:42:01,602 --> 00:42:05,272
The writing that we had for five years
was unbelievable.
851
00:42:05,272 --> 00:42:07,566
And it's just continuing.
852
00:42:07,566 --> 00:42:08,859
We...
853
00:42:09,693 --> 00:42:11,028
had a dream.
854
00:42:13,155 --> 00:42:14,281
Charles.
855
00:42:14,281 --> 00:42:18,369
Yes. A dream that made us a family.
856
00:42:19,119 --> 00:42:22,414
And like that dream,
any family worth having...
857
00:42:22,414 --> 00:42:23,999
Is worth fighting for.
858
00:42:25,376 --> 00:42:28,128
What was interesting, you know,
I think for all of us
859
00:42:28,128 --> 00:42:30,631
who are grateful
to be invited back to the show
860
00:42:31,131 --> 00:42:34,510
is we want to see where it goes now,
861
00:42:34,510 --> 00:42:38,222
because 30 years later
there are different concerns,
862
00:42:38,847 --> 00:42:41,016
different aspects to society
863
00:42:41,016 --> 00:42:44,144
that hopefully will be incorporated
into the show.
864
00:42:44,144 --> 00:42:50,234
And we'll see how the X-Men
deal with everything that is of today,
865
00:42:50,943 --> 00:42:55,322
because that will bring in new fans
as well as the old ones.
866
00:42:55,322 --> 00:42:59,785
[Marquand] Those themes of loss
and alienation and love and heartbreak,
867
00:42:59,785 --> 00:43:02,204
those are all themes that can be addressed
868
00:43:02,204 --> 00:43:05,416
and can be understood
by literally anyone of any age.
869
00:43:06,000 --> 00:43:11,463
And I think we go infinitely darker
and more realistic
870
00:43:11,463 --> 00:43:16,135
and more humanistic in our approach
with this iteration than ever before.
871
00:43:16,135 --> 00:43:18,887
Everything around us
would not have been possible
872
00:43:18,887 --> 00:43:20,931
without the work of the X-Men.
873
00:43:20,931 --> 00:43:25,894
The general trajectory of this was
unlike any other show that I've worked on.
874
00:43:25,894 --> 00:43:27,479
At the very, very beginning,
875
00:43:27,479 --> 00:43:31,483
we were going for strict 100%,
as if nothing changed.
876
00:43:31,483 --> 00:43:34,236
This is the exact same cast
sounding the exact same way.
877
00:43:34,236 --> 00:43:36,030
Defend your master!
878
00:43:36,030 --> 00:43:37,156
Kid, get down!
879
00:43:37,156 --> 00:43:38,907
Erik!
880
00:43:38,907 --> 00:43:41,160
[Chase] And I think what we learned
going forward was
881
00:43:41,160 --> 00:43:43,621
that type and style of delivery and acting
882
00:43:43,621 --> 00:43:46,498
that was more prevalent
in animated series of the '90s
883
00:43:46,498 --> 00:43:49,376
just didn't quite hit right
with audiences today.
884
00:43:49,376 --> 00:43:52,671
It sounded a little bit like
we were trying to emulate a time capsule
885
00:43:52,671 --> 00:43:54,173
of a time that has passed.
886
00:43:54,173 --> 00:43:57,051
And I think they made the right choice
to start dialing it back
887
00:43:57,051 --> 00:44:01,972
and put it more in a 2020s sensibility
of acting style.
888
00:44:01,972 --> 00:44:05,100
It was the most care and thought
889
00:44:05,100 --> 00:44:08,520
that I've seen put into any other project
that I've ever worked on.
890
00:44:08,520 --> 00:44:11,774
[Storm] All this change?
It's all the same.
891
00:44:12,358 --> 00:44:14,443
Let us do what we do.
892
00:44:14,860 --> 00:44:19,323
Believe not in a dream or our gifts,
893
00:44:19,323 --> 00:44:20,908
but in each other.
894
00:44:21,617 --> 00:44:23,285
[Castorena]
It's a spiritual successor, right?
895
00:44:23,285 --> 00:44:26,830
So, having that wonderful perspective
of being a fan,
896
00:44:27,331 --> 00:44:29,667
knowing source material
and being able to go,
897
00:44:30,459 --> 00:44:31,669
"That feels right to me.
898
00:44:32,294 --> 00:44:34,213
"That might feel right
to the audience." Or...
899
00:44:34,213 --> 00:44:36,382
You know, "The script is saying this.
900
00:44:36,382 --> 00:44:38,342
"I'm feeling like
this is honoring the script.
901
00:44:38,342 --> 00:44:41,011
"The script is honoring the comic."
This is all going together.
902
00:44:41,011 --> 00:44:43,972
There is a lot of pressure,
but when you love what you do
903
00:44:43,972 --> 00:44:46,725
and when you have a love
for the IP and the source material,
904
00:44:46,725 --> 00:44:48,477
it quiets all the other voices.
905
00:44:48,477 --> 00:44:50,229
Odds may be bad,
906
00:44:50,813 --> 00:44:53,857
but the cards
are always in the X-Men's favor.
907
00:44:57,111 --> 00:44:58,362
[Houston] Back in the '90s,
908
00:44:58,362 --> 00:45:00,489
when the writers were brought in
to work on the show,
909
00:45:00,489 --> 00:45:02,491
they knew nothing about the X-Men.
[chuckles]
910
00:45:02,491 --> 00:45:03,742
And I knew too much.
911
00:45:04,243 --> 00:45:06,954
So it was a great balance
912
00:45:06,954 --> 00:45:09,707
because they knew
how to write great character dramas.
913
00:45:09,707 --> 00:45:13,627
And I knew all about who liked this one,
who didn't like this one,
914
00:45:13,627 --> 00:45:16,046
who hated who,
who's a brother, sister, all that stuff.
915
00:45:16,046 --> 00:45:18,257
And I could just pour that out
for them to read.
916
00:45:18,257 --> 00:45:20,843
They also got
the Marvel handbook back then.
917
00:45:20,843 --> 00:45:22,136
So, all together,
918
00:45:22,136 --> 00:45:24,972
we were able to put together
some great stories
919
00:45:24,972 --> 00:45:29,768
that felt like we kept the heart
of what fans would love.
920
00:45:29,768 --> 00:45:33,772
And then, also regular people
could just dive into the mythology
921
00:45:33,772 --> 00:45:34,982
and enjoy the shows.
922
00:45:34,982 --> 00:45:39,570
As Archimedes said when he discovered
the principle of displacement,
923
00:45:40,487 --> 00:45:41,488
"Eureka."
924
00:45:42,114 --> 00:45:43,615
We've worked on other action shows
925
00:45:43,615 --> 00:45:46,076
and it tended to be
more about the plot and the action.
926
00:45:46,076 --> 00:45:48,036
And we started every episode
927
00:45:48,036 --> 00:45:51,623
as we started to think
about writing it about whose story is this
928
00:45:51,623 --> 00:45:53,792
and how can we best reveal character?
929
00:45:53,792 --> 00:45:58,297
How can we make the deepest,
most intense Storm story or Rogue story?
930
00:45:58,297 --> 00:46:01,300
We started thinking of them
as adult human beings
931
00:46:01,842 --> 00:46:04,595
and then thought about them as people
that had superpowers.
932
00:46:04,595 --> 00:46:08,682
I have been dedicated to the X-Men
since I was a teenager,
933
00:46:08,682 --> 00:46:11,810
never allowing myself
a life beyond my work.
934
00:46:11,810 --> 00:46:14,021
[Julia] And if you look
at each individual X-Men
935
00:46:14,021 --> 00:46:16,273
on the core team on
X-Men: The Animated Series,
936
00:46:16,273 --> 00:46:20,736
each one of them was like the best
at that crazy, amazing superpower
937
00:46:20,736 --> 00:46:22,112
that they each had.
938
00:46:22,112 --> 00:46:25,282
But it was also the thing
that was their deepest sadness.
939
00:46:25,282 --> 00:46:27,659
Rogue has got crazy powers,
940
00:46:27,659 --> 00:46:30,579
but if you swapped her powers
with Wolverine, she could've been happy
941
00:46:30,579 --> 00:46:31,955
because she could touch people.
942
00:46:31,955 --> 00:46:34,374
No need to pull out her claws
unless she chose to.
943
00:46:34,374 --> 00:46:36,168
Rogue's story would have been different.
944
00:46:36,168 --> 00:46:39,463
And if Wolverine couldn't touch people,
fine, he'll go live in the woods.
945
00:46:40,255 --> 00:46:42,591
[Wolverine] There's no place like home.
946
00:46:42,591 --> 00:46:45,052
[Julia] Cyclops,
you can't look him in the eyes.
947
00:46:45,052 --> 00:46:48,347
Here is this upright guy
who just wants to do the right thing,
948
00:46:48,347 --> 00:46:50,724
and he's got the shield between him
and the whole world.
949
00:46:50,724 --> 00:46:53,519
So each one of them, the thing
that you go, "That's so cool,"
950
00:46:53,519 --> 00:46:56,688
is the thing that's the saddest,
most haunting moment for each of them.
951
00:46:57,356 --> 00:46:59,233
{\an8}Some say they're freaks,
952
00:46:59,233 --> 00:47:00,776
{\an8}some call them monsters,
953
00:47:00,776 --> 00:47:05,113
{\an8}but all over the planet,
they are known as mutants.
954
00:47:05,113 --> 00:47:08,617
We only found out,
really, how successful the show was
955
00:47:08,617 --> 00:47:12,204
maybe, like, two years ago,
[chuckles] three years ago,
956
00:47:12,788 --> 00:47:17,251
{\an8}when we were asked to come
on a few Comic-Con tours.
957
00:47:17,251 --> 00:47:20,504
{\an8}[Buza] I was at the airport flying down
to one of the Comic-Cons,
958
00:47:20,504 --> 00:47:25,008
and you have to clear Customs
in Canada to go to the States.
959
00:47:25,008 --> 00:47:28,804
So the American border guard asked me,
"Where are you going?"
960
00:47:28,804 --> 00:47:30,347
I told him the city I was going to.
961
00:47:30,347 --> 00:47:32,224
He says,
"What's your business down there?"
962
00:47:32,224 --> 00:47:33,684
I said, "I'm going to Comic-Con."
963
00:47:33,684 --> 00:47:34,893
He goes, "Comic-Con?"
964
00:47:34,893 --> 00:47:38,730
I said, "Yeah, I'm one of the guests.
I'm one of the X-Men."
965
00:47:38,730 --> 00:47:42,192
And he starts singing [laughing]
the theme song.
966
00:47:42,192 --> 00:47:44,361
And I told him, "Well, I played Beast."
967
00:47:44,361 --> 00:47:45,612
And he was all excited.
968
00:47:45,612 --> 00:47:48,031
[chuckles] Blue blushes, too, my dear.
969
00:47:48,031 --> 00:47:50,492
It was a homecoming of sorts
for all of us,
970
00:47:50,492 --> 00:47:54,621
{\an8}and great to see each other
after literally 25 years.
971
00:47:54,621 --> 00:47:57,708
It's just a bonding, big-time, all of us.
972
00:47:57,708 --> 00:47:59,543
Like, we went to Wales, for God's sakes.
973
00:47:59,543 --> 00:48:01,211
This is super.
974
00:48:01,211 --> 00:48:04,840
What makes it all is the happiness
that you see on these people's faces.
975
00:48:04,840 --> 00:48:08,594
[Zann] When we got to LA,
I did the one in LA, holy moly.
976
00:48:08,594 --> 00:48:10,762
That was when we found out
977
00:48:10,762 --> 00:48:14,892
how much it had changed
so many people's lives.
978
00:48:14,892 --> 00:48:18,770
{\an8}[Potter] I went into the green room
in Los Angeles for that event,
979
00:48:18,770 --> 00:48:21,356
{\an8}not knowing what audience was out there.
980
00:48:21,857 --> 00:48:25,736
And then they called us up onto a stage,
announced us,
981
00:48:25,736 --> 00:48:30,616
and literally stepped out from behind
the green room in a curtain onto a stage.
982
00:48:31,283 --> 00:48:34,244
And there were, to me, what appeared to be
983
00:48:35,120 --> 00:48:38,248
a few thousand people
in this convention center,
984
00:48:38,248 --> 00:48:39,750
jammed, standing.
985
00:48:40,250 --> 00:48:42,336
It was overwhelming to me.
986
00:48:44,379 --> 00:48:47,090
[Houston] I've had people come up
and saying that I made their childhood.
987
00:48:47,090 --> 00:48:51,178
It was like the most enjoyable time
that they could go watch Saturday morning.
988
00:48:51,178 --> 00:48:55,349
I've had people come and talk
about how Rogue's character,
989
00:48:55,349 --> 00:48:57,309
or Gambit's character,
or Wolverine's character,
990
00:48:57,309 --> 00:48:58,894
specifically helped them
991
00:48:58,894 --> 00:49:01,647
in certain situations
when they were growing up as a kid.
992
00:49:01,647 --> 00:49:04,524
You know, kids that were maybe short
or being bullied,
993
00:49:04,524 --> 00:49:08,111
that when they saw Wolverine
and how he didn't take much from anybody,
994
00:49:08,111 --> 00:49:10,072
the kids saw that as something
995
00:49:10,072 --> 00:49:12,532
that they could incorporate
into their confidence.
996
00:49:12,532 --> 00:49:14,743
I don't hide from anybody, kid.
997
00:49:14,743 --> 00:49:16,536
I'm fighting my own battle right now.
998
00:49:16,536 --> 00:49:19,665
People just come up and say, like,
"You made my childhood.
999
00:49:19,665 --> 00:49:21,708
"Thank you so much.
I can't thank you enough."
1000
00:49:21,708 --> 00:49:23,168
What a wonderful thing to say.
1001
00:49:23,168 --> 00:49:25,379
[Buza] We thought we were making
a piece of entertainment.
1002
00:49:25,379 --> 00:49:29,716
Even though it was very topical
and very meaningful to the times,
1003
00:49:29,716 --> 00:49:32,260
we didn't think
that we were actually affecting people
1004
00:49:32,260 --> 00:49:33,971
in that much of an emotional way.
1005
00:49:33,971 --> 00:49:37,766
We're Canadian.
Most of the time, we're humble,
1006
00:49:37,766 --> 00:49:41,687
and we were just gobsmacked, blown away
1007
00:49:41,687 --> 00:49:45,732
by the fact that our work could have had
that effect on so many people.
1008
00:49:45,732 --> 00:49:47,567
And we still are to this day.
1009
00:49:47,567 --> 00:49:51,238
We love meeting our fans
and it really means a lot to us.
1010
00:49:52,030 --> 00:49:54,992
Always thanking the fans
for supporting the show
1011
00:49:54,992 --> 00:49:56,827
and supporting...
1012
00:49:57,577 --> 00:49:59,454
this fanboy to get that on the air
1013
00:49:59,454 --> 00:50:04,042
so I can show everyone that
you can do something more sophisticated
1014
00:50:04,793 --> 00:50:07,087
than what was being done back in the '90s.
1015
00:50:07,087 --> 00:50:09,506
Like, don't write down to kids,
write up to kids.
1016
00:50:09,506 --> 00:50:11,925
They're going to see the explosions
and laser beams
1017
00:50:11,925 --> 00:50:13,093
and all that kind of stuff.
1018
00:50:13,093 --> 00:50:16,930
But as they saw it in reruns,
they catch more of the adult subtext,
1019
00:50:16,930 --> 00:50:19,558
what we were trying to put out there,
and it worked.
1020
00:50:19,558 --> 00:50:21,101
Why do you hate us?
1021
00:50:21,101 --> 00:50:22,811
What did we ever do to you?
1022
00:50:23,395 --> 00:50:25,897
You were born.
1023
00:50:25,897 --> 00:50:26,982
Take her away.
1024
00:50:27,941 --> 00:50:30,819
You wouldn't be so brave
if my hands weren't tied.
1025
00:50:30,819 --> 00:50:34,156
[LoCascio] For me, the original series
was definitive X-Men.
1026
00:50:34,156 --> 00:50:38,952
And to some degree, I just would love
if this became, for other kids
1027
00:50:38,952 --> 00:50:40,746
and other adults and other teens,
1028
00:50:40,746 --> 00:50:44,041
a place that they see themselves
and their X-Men.
1029
00:50:44,041 --> 00:50:47,669
'Cause every generation
has their own version of a superhero,
1030
00:50:47,669 --> 00:50:50,547
and there's so many young kids
that don't know X-Men the way I did.
1031
00:50:50,547 --> 00:50:53,008
And to get to see it in this form,
1032
00:50:53,008 --> 00:50:55,010
I'm hoping excites them
the way it excited me.
1033
00:50:55,010 --> 00:50:58,263
You no longer need to live in darkness.
1034
00:50:58,263 --> 00:51:00,682
You are outcasts no more.
1035
00:51:01,183 --> 00:51:04,019
[Winderbaum] There's sometimes a tendency
with children's programming
1036
00:51:04,019 --> 00:51:08,356
to imagine an idealized version
of a kid's life
1037
00:51:08,356 --> 00:51:10,692
that is insulated
from the trauma of the world.
1038
00:51:10,692 --> 00:51:11,943
We know that's not the case.
1039
00:51:11,943 --> 00:51:14,571
It wasn't the case in the '90s
when I was watching it,
1040
00:51:14,571 --> 00:51:16,448
and it's certainly not the case today
1041
00:51:16,448 --> 00:51:18,825
with everyone's access
to the Internet and social media.
1042
00:51:19,409 --> 00:51:20,869
{\an8}Kids see the world around them.
1043
00:51:20,869 --> 00:51:22,537
They see the racism in our world.
1044
00:51:23,121 --> 00:51:25,457
They see environmental calamities
in our world.
1045
00:51:25,457 --> 00:51:26,625
They see social unrest.
1046
00:51:26,625 --> 00:51:29,044
And I think that the show
is a place for kids
1047
00:51:29,044 --> 00:51:30,796
to find an outlet for that emotion,
1048
00:51:30,796 --> 00:51:33,173
to make them feel like
they're not isolated and alone
1049
00:51:33,173 --> 00:51:34,466
to deal with these anxieties,
1050
00:51:34,466 --> 00:51:36,802
that this is something that we all share
1051
00:51:36,802 --> 00:51:39,930
and that, like the X-Men,
can all persevere above together.
1052
00:51:39,930 --> 00:51:42,641
[Waterson] The strongest thing
to superhero stories,
1053
00:51:42,641 --> 00:51:45,185
whether it's sci-fi stories,
whether it's horror stories,
1054
00:51:45,185 --> 00:51:48,814
is that what they do is they allow us
to look at the human stories
1055
00:51:48,814 --> 00:51:53,193
and look at the difficult parts of it
and not make people feel targeted.
1056
00:51:53,193 --> 00:51:55,112
Because it's not about
this particular group.
1057
00:51:55,112 --> 00:51:57,114
It's about superheroes. It's about aliens.
1058
00:51:57,114 --> 00:51:58,907
It's about supernatural, whatever.
1059
00:51:58,907 --> 00:52:00,951
So we can address a lot of these things
1060
00:52:00,951 --> 00:52:04,579
in a way that is not necessarily
making somebody feel
1061
00:52:04,579 --> 00:52:07,124
like you're antagonizing them
or criticizing them.
1062
00:52:07,124 --> 00:52:09,876
You can do it in a way
that makes people watch it and go, like,
1063
00:52:09,876 --> 00:52:12,546
"Oh, they're dealing with the stuff
I was dealing with."
1064
00:52:12,546 --> 00:52:14,214
Or hopefully, alternatively,
1065
00:52:14,214 --> 00:52:16,883
"Oh, well, that kinda looks like
the way I behave,
1066
00:52:16,883 --> 00:52:19,177
"and that might not be the best way
to treat people."
1067
00:52:19,177 --> 00:52:23,515
Indeed, the odds remain reckless,
but if we all work in perfect unison,
1068
00:52:23,515 --> 00:52:26,017
we may just spare our world
a dinosaur's fate.
1069
00:52:26,017 --> 00:52:29,771
I think these stories are beautiful places
for kids and adults to come together
1070
00:52:29,771 --> 00:52:32,566
and deal with the things of life, right?
1071
00:52:32,566 --> 00:52:35,485
Even if they're fantastical stories,
they're still human themes.
1072
00:52:35,485 --> 00:52:38,864
What are demons,
but reflections of our fears and shame?
1073
00:52:38,864 --> 00:52:42,534
We need heroes
more than we've ever needed heroes.
1074
00:52:42,534 --> 00:52:45,829
And I think this is the time
where we're going to have to dig deep
1075
00:52:46,329 --> 00:52:51,626
and find our inner hero, our own personal,
the hero that we carry around inside,
1076
00:52:51,626 --> 00:52:56,006
and the need to do right for ourselves,
1077
00:52:56,506 --> 00:52:59,467
for each other, for the planet.
1078
00:52:59,467 --> 00:53:00,969
That is universal.
1079
00:53:00,969 --> 00:53:03,346
That is a universal message.
1080
00:53:03,346 --> 00:53:05,432
And it goes throughout history,
1081
00:53:05,432 --> 00:53:11,062
because throughout history, obviously,
there have been problems with countries,
1082
00:53:11,062 --> 00:53:15,066
nationalities, races, genders,
1083
00:53:15,066 --> 00:53:17,319
you know, people trying to make a duality
1084
00:53:17,319 --> 00:53:19,821
when really we need
to be working together.
1085
00:53:20,322 --> 00:53:22,866
My past is too littered with error.
1086
00:53:22,866 --> 00:53:25,076
[Rogue] Mine was, too, remember?
1087
00:53:25,577 --> 00:53:28,496
But the X-Men still took me in.
1088
00:53:28,496 --> 00:53:32,542
The thing is,
I didn't go about demanding their trust.
1089
00:53:32,542 --> 00:53:33,627
I earned it.
1090
00:53:33,627 --> 00:53:35,128
[Castorena] It's a show
about tolerance.
1091
00:53:35,128 --> 00:53:38,048
The way you can open up a dialogue
to talk to somebody,
1092
00:53:38,048 --> 00:53:39,341
to be able to hear them,
1093
00:53:39,341 --> 00:53:42,928
not to say you necessarily
agree with them, right?
1094
00:53:42,928 --> 00:53:45,513
But to hear them,
to understand how they are as a person,
1095
00:53:45,513 --> 00:53:48,475
to be able to communicate to them
the way they need it,
1096
00:53:49,226 --> 00:53:51,311
to potentially have them hear your side.
1097
00:53:51,311 --> 00:53:54,898
Charles Xavier entrusted me
with his dream,
1098
00:53:55,440 --> 00:54:00,278
and it does not ask you to love
or embrace my kind as your own,
1099
00:54:00,820 --> 00:54:04,532
but merely to accept
that this is a shared world
1100
00:54:04,532 --> 00:54:05,992
with a common future,
1101
00:54:06,576 --> 00:54:11,498
and that my kind, like yours,
have the right to live in it.
1102
00:54:12,832 --> 00:54:15,961
[Castorena] I love the fact that X-Men
does represent tolerance,
1103
00:54:16,461 --> 00:54:19,005
intolerance, prejudice, found family,
1104
00:54:19,005 --> 00:54:21,800
tribe, self-acceptance,
you know, in its IP.
1105
00:54:21,800 --> 00:54:24,302
And the fact that we don't shy away
from that in this show,
1106
00:54:24,302 --> 00:54:27,973
which I think has been beautifully done
from day one,
1107
00:54:27,973 --> 00:54:29,975
that's what I hope people
take away from it.
1108
00:54:29,975 --> 00:54:31,184
Stand down, team.
1109
00:54:31,977 --> 00:54:33,311
We can't give up.
1110
00:54:35,397 --> 00:54:36,439
No, Rogue.
1111
00:54:37,983 --> 00:54:41,278
We're gonna do what we've been telling
humanity to do for years.
1112
00:54:41,278 --> 00:54:43,071
Stop fighting the future.
1113
00:54:43,071 --> 00:54:44,281
[Storm] And embrace it.
1114
00:54:53,957 --> 00:54:56,209
{\an8}[all vocalizing theme music]
1115
00:55:23,236 --> 00:55:25,947
{\an8}And then I think it's...
[vocalizing theme music]
1116
00:55:31,536 --> 00:55:33,330
{\an8}- [producer chuckles]
- Something like that.