by J. M. Alcala, staff writer, Inside AX-Anime Expo

Fans of the Cartoon Network show Adventure Time! will be glad to know that the adventures or misadventures with Finn and Jake will be continuing on after the show ends its second season in May. The show itself, which focuses on a thirteen-year old boy named Finn and his magical dog named Jake, takes a surreal, yet fantastic journey through the Land of Ooo. Beginning as a cartoon short for Nickelodeon, it became an instant Internet sensation where Cartoon Network decided to pick up the show for it’s first season in 2010. As of 2011, once season two ends, the producers of the show announced at WonderCon that season three will begin later this year.

For the panel, the episode “Belly of the Beast” was shown though it has since shown on Cartoon Network as of Monday night. Afterwards, fans were treated to a question and answer session with creator Pendleton Ward and director Curtis Lelash. With the usual questions on how the show was  conceived and created, Mr. Ward was able to explain his thoughts and ideas. Adventure Time has its roots in not only the role-playing game of Dungeons & Dragons, Mr. Ward was also inspired by many of the older Simpsons episodes that he watched while growing up. In fact, a snail that actually shows up in every episode is in fact an homage to The Simpsons, who often would have certain recurring characters show up in various episodes. The storylines for each show come from all sorts of places: from Mr. Ward himself, to storyboard artists and to collaborative efforts; many storyboard artists also tend to inject themselves into the very characters that they create, giving them a more personalized feel.

Upcoming information that was given during the panel was also a treat for fans as Mr. Ward and Mr. Lelash revealed that there was to be a crossover episode that featured the female versions of Finn and Jake (Fiona and Cake), who were originally based off of fanart, and that actor Neil Patrick Harris would be voicing some characters in the episode. Also, fan favorite characters such as Ricardio and Tree Trunk will be making future appearances in later episodes. Plans for an Adventure Time game and soundtrack are always on the minds of the creative team while a release of the show on DVD format is also up in the air, since the shows are regularly available on iTunes. For the very surreal, almost gross, humor that is the trademark of the show, the team is always mindful of what is the perfect balance between ‘too gross’ and ‘gross enough’.

As the panel drew to a close, it’s clear that the Adventure Time team will have many more adventures for their fans to go on along with Finn and Jake.

Tags: Adventure Time!, cartoons, fans