Interview with Butch Hartman:
March 30, 2006; part 4
Conducted by Zcat6 of the Danny Phantom Online Forums
Thank you so much for talking with us today! We tremendously appreciate your time! :) ~Z.
Character development, continued
Zcat6: On character design for Danny, why were his eyebrows left a consistent black when all of his other colors are reversed or altered in ghost mode?
Butch Hartman: We tried white eyebrows on Danny when he went ghost, but those, coupled with his white hair, made him look too old. Kinda like a skinny Phil Donahue. So we decided to keep them black. It's called "cartoon license".
Zcat6: Are any of the characters based on real people or modeled off people you know in real life?
Butch Hartman: Unfortunately, no. But Mr. Lancer is named after a coffee shop that's down the street from Nickelodeon. It's called "Lancer's". And, I've been told by close friends, that I look a teeny bit like Danny Fenton. But he's far, far cuter than I am.
Zcat6: Regarding Vlad, was there any inspiration or anyone you thought of, real or fictional, when developing Vlad's character? I also heard Plasmius was originally only going to be a vampire. When did you decide to merge Vlad Masters and Plasmius together?
Butch Hartman: Yes. Vlad was originally going to be a vampire- "plasmius" is based on "Plasma" which is another name for "Blood" - but that kind of character borders on "occultic" and I - and Nickelodeon - refuse to have anything in my shows regarding that kind of overtly, occultic stuff. (Imagine, here I am doing two shows: One based on magic and one based on ghosts! We really had to walk a fine line on both. Sheesh). So it was decided to make Vlad a "ghost". And, also, by "ghost" I mean, a guy with special powers like Danny. Remember: in "Danny Phantom" our ghosts are not the disembodied spirits of dead people. Oh no no. They're "monsters/creatures" from a mysterious dimension. Although we never say that out loud, that's the slant we take. Get it? We just call them ghosts because it's easier.
Anyway, about Vlad, we needed a "Lex Luthor" for Danny. Someone that would always be out to get him no matter what. The "uber-villain" of all Danny's villains. That's why we made him older than Danny and really rich. So he had more life experience and more money than Danny. This would make Danny always seem to be the underdog next to Vlad. Also, we wanted him to have a "personal" tie to Danny. Some reason he would always be around. You know those family members you have to put up with but just can't get rid of? That was what Vlad was supposed to be. But we didn't want to make him an uncle or any type of real relative, so we decided that he would simply be "an old family friend". Hence the connection to Danny's Dad and Mom from college. Then, while we were at it we thought: "Hey, let's give Vlad the same powers that Danny has, only he's had them 20 years longer, and, therefore, knows how to use them better than Danny". This would make him a very formidable adversary. Which, indeed it has. Then all we had to do was find a guy who could do the right voice. Something with the right amount of smarm and condescension. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you, Martin Mull.
Zcat6: We have seen lots of classic Halloween type bad guy creatures in different episodes (Vlad/ vampire, Wulf/ werewolf, etc.) in addition to a lot of rather unique ghostly characters (Skulker, Walker, the Lunch Lady, etc.). How did you come up with such a diverse range of villains? Did any of them change significantly from any original ideas, and if so, why?
Butch Hartman: You know what? I don't think I have a really clear answer for this. We just started coming up with villains we thought would look and sound cool. You know, guys with skull faces, bat wings, fangs, tentacles, green skin, etc. And we tried to give ourselves an even cross-section as far as males and females go. Like Batman or Spiderman, we needed a huge gallery of baddies to make it easier for us to come up with story ideas. But the cool part is, when you turn a bunch of talented artists loose and say, "Hey, give me some cool bad monsters" then super-talented guys like Steve Silver and Ben Balestreri can just have a blast. Also, it kind of depends on the story we want to tell. Like with Ember. I wanted to tell a story about music because I know kids - and everyone for that matter - can relate to music. And I know a bunch of teens like Danny and his pals would be into the latest music fad, so the idea for a "musical ghost" came about pretty easily. Plus, I love songwriting so coming up with Ember's song "Remember" was a blast. Kids also eat school lunches: Lunch Lady. Get it?
General Episode Development
Zcat6: Regarding the initial 40 episodes, how did it come about that the show was contracted for this number (most new series start with one season of 13 eps or so, correct?), and was it originally designed to go beyond that if necessary?
Butch Hartman: The show was first bought as a pilot. Then six half hours. Then they picked up 7 more to make it an even 13. Then 7 more for 20. Then 20 more. Then the final 13. There's really no set amount as to how many episodes they pick up these days. But, yes, in most cases it's 13 to start with. Was the show designed to go beyond that? Not initially. We just kept building and building as we went, making sure things stayed in continuity.
Zcat6: When the additional 13 episodes were purchased (41-53), did that "mess up" anything in the overall telling of the story arcs and did you have to change anything in any of the early (but not yet written) earlier episodes to accommodate this?
Butch Hartman: No. We just kept writing and making sure things linked up to stuff we had done in the past.
Zcat6: Sadly we have heard that the Danny has been discontinued for new production after episode #53. Will there be a series finale?
Butch Hartman: Sort of. It's a big one hour special and a few things will get resolved. That's all I'm saying for now!
Zcat6: If the show is restarted in active production at some point in the future, will an official finale make it difficult to write new episodes?
Butch Hartman: Nah. We can make anything work. Of course Danny does end up with two heads and Sam marries a banker guy from Duluth�kidding!!
Zcat6: Have any references to Danny Phantom ended up in any of your other works (FOP, Crash Nebula, etc.)?
Butch Hartman: Not as of yet. Oh, wait, there is a reference to Danny in "Crash Nebula". When Sprig Speevak is sitting on top of his silo reading a comic book there's an ad for Danny Phantom on the back cover.
'Danny Phantom' and all its related characters are the exclusive intellectual property of Butch Hartman and are owned by Nickelodeon.
Butch Hartman Interview copyright 2006, Zcat6 of the Danny Phantom Online Forums. All Rights Reserved.
Site Copyright 2005-6, Danny Phantom Online Forums. All Rights Reserved. Interview copyright 2006, Zcat6. No part of this interview or website may be copied for use elsewhere without the express written permission of the site owner, Zcat6.