The Race to Animate
In the streaming era, animation is big business.
Vulture takes a look at where we are, and how we got here.
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In September, Fox revived its two-hour Sunday night Animation Domination block after a five-year hiatus.
Notice a lot of womens names?
What has been the biggest barrier for women in animation, in your experience or otherwise?
Emily Spivey: It seems like comic books and animation is still perceived to be a masculine space.
My first real job wasKing of the Hill.
It was always like, Well, were looking for a girl writer.
And I was always the only girl except for Garland Testa.
Maybe it just wasnt occurring to ladies that its a space that they could that they could thrive in.
But I had such a great experience atKing of the Hill.
So hopefully it will be changing soon.
Julie Scully: Yeah, Im not sure whether it was agents werent submitting or women werent interested.
But now, Ive noticed a lot more women are being submitted.
And they grew up watching animation.King of the Hill,The Simpsons, that jot down of thing.
Weve got a lot more to choose from.
Wendy Molyneux: Lizzie and I started onBobs Burgerslike ten years ago.
And our staff was not 50 percent women I think it started off about 30 to 40 percent women.
We thought,Maybe were getting in at the beginning of the wave.
They werent just there for men to stick pins in them.
Hopefully, it wouldnt enter their minds that they dont belong in animation.
Wendy Molyneux: Yeah,Dariawas major.
Lizzie Molyneux: She wasnt the butt of a joke.
She was the hero of the show.
So I think there were little instances of it.
I feel like part of it, too, is there were less women writing on shows in general.
I dont know why I was doing this, just to make myself mad maybe?
Id see maybe 10 percent of a ten-year run back in the 80s and 90s.
Now people are being much more mindful about who you want to have on staff.
Recently, theres been anexplosion of animation.
Over the course of your time in the industry, have you noticed the tides shifting for women?
Minty Lewis: I got my start onRegular Showin the year 2010.
I cannot imagine that happening now.
I loveRegular Show, but certainly there was no gender balance and nobody cared.
I feel like that is happening less and less.
The tables are turning slightly.
Emily Spivey: Thats so true, Minty.
But Fox had been super supportive about that.
So, hopefully, that is changing for the better.
Julie Scully: Wendy and Lizzie are right.
I also think, Emily, what you said is true.
Women tend to be more inclusive.
We want to hear everybody speak.
Emily Spivey: I love that.
Behind the scenes, too, I feel like Ive seen more female faces.
Its so creative and so fun, and the hours are so much better than live action.
I want everyone to be able to get in on this.
I think were taking over.
[Everyone laughs.]
Minty Lewis: Were free-bleeding.
Julie Scully: Its fun to watch the boys squeam.
There are a lot of men who are still at the top.
What can they do to make women feel more included, to make everyone feel more included?
Lizzie Molyneux: Hire female writers!
Stop grouping female writers into one bucket as if we all just want to do bra jokes.
Youve got a pile of very different comedy styles in your stack of writers.
Theres not one punch in of female writer.
Get that out of your head.
Wendy Molyneux: [Women] want to do all kinds of different things!
I mean, some of the dirtiest writers I have in my room are the girls.
So I wish that would fade away a little quicker because its just absolutely not true.
Julie Scully: Were seeing evolution in animation, for sure.
And its about time.
And I do believe its because women are leading it.
It will take time.
Emily and I, we came up with one woman in a room.
Im talking three-camera, one-camera, and then animation.
Ive been in all the different rooms and its like [Im] the token girl.
Emily Spivey: Thats exactly right.
Julie Scully: Its not like that anymore, which I love.
I love being part of the evolution.
Emily Spivey: Its interesting to see that evolution, isnt it?
So its really true.
Its nice to be sitting in rooms where you look around and see that many pretty lady faces.
Women are being supportive and real friends in this industry.
Well just rip each others hair and scratch each others faces for like an hour.
Well slap each others boobs and go nuts and just get it out.
Julie Scully: All right, Emily, its time for you and me to catfight.
Emily Spivey: Lets do it.
What would you like to see more of in animation?
Wendy Molyneux: I just hope that weve left that male-dominated era behind.
It does seem like there is room to explore, still, in this medium.
We havent gone all the way with it yet.
Lizzie Molyneux: Id love to see more female-driven shows that are more outside the box.
I think theres a lot of women that can really push the boundaries.
We just need more people to give us the opportunity to do so.
Watching them realize what an open space this is.
That youre not limited by set.
Youre not limited by characters.
Youre not limited by where you might go in the world.
Its a blank slate.
Seeing the world open up to them and how limitless it was, that was inspiring.
That got my juices going again.
