Interview with Alex Kirwan - The Man Who Designed Jenny Wakeman

Timestamps for easy viewing are below.
0:12: Introduction.
General questions about his early life and career
2:00: His role of being a supervising producer on Looney Tunes Cartoons.
7:15: Influence of retro art on Alex's work.
11:48: What has been lost in animation over the years?
18:27: How Alex met Fred Seibert and the influence he had on his life.
22:01: What it was like to work with Rob Renzetti on Oh Yeah! Cartoons.
25:27: Would Alex adapt his Oh Yeah! Cartoons shorts into a full series?
30:48: Talking about The Mighty B! and respect for Bryan Arnett.
33:28: "Catatonic"; an episode of The Mighty B! he co-directed.
35:15: His cameos in The Mighty B!
36:18: Are there problems with creating a unified vision for character designs with multiple character designers?
38:19: What's a board game he would recommend to killjoys?
41:28: The impact of winning an Emmy on Alex's Career.
44:59: Alex's Father's film collection and its impact on him.
My Life as a Teenage Robot Questions
49:17: How did Alex become the Art Director as the youngest member of the crew?
55:44: How Alex came up with the Art Deco art style.
1:00:18: Did he create all of the early designs of Jenny?
1:03:14: Was there any studio pushback over the art style?
1:08:00: Why were there design changes between season 1 & 2?
1:16:26: What's the deal with the maquettes? (Jenny Statues)
1:20:50: Does he remember the day the show was cancelled?
1:26:15: Were there any ideas for MLaaTR merch?
1:28:44: What was his favorite episode to work on?
1:34:05: Is Alex interested in an official continuation of MLaaTR?
Fan Questions
1:38:12: Can you please explain the design philosophy behind Jenny?
1:41:08: What's your favorite transformation from the show?
1:43:52: What motivated you to keep working at art when you were younger?
1:47:50: What's your favorite villain and side character?
1:49:52: Is Jamie Hewlett an influence on your career?
1:52:13: Who are some other influences on your career?
1:54:12: Were there any guidelines you had to follow when developing Teenage Robot?
1:57:32: What do you think has been the cause of the slow resurgence of MLaaTR in the mainstream?
2:02:39: What was the most memorable moment during the production of the show?
2:05:26: The impact the show has had on his life.
2:08:03: How do you deal with art burnout?
2:12:24: How much has the animation industry changed since MLaaTR?
2:18:35: Who's your favorite character to draw from the show?
2:19:34: What were the biggest highs and lows of working on Teenage Robot?
2:21:09: What artistic theories were used on Wander and MLaaTR?
2:27:35: What are your thoughts on the community?
2:29:11: What are you working on right now?
Closing
2:31:13: Any thoughts on MLaaTR Rebooted?
2:35:09: Conclusion
2:36:47: Fan art
Discord: / discord
Twitter: / mlaatrfanbase
Deviantart: www.deviantart...
Facebook: / 1675638792719202
Sign the Petition: www.change.org...
Full Credits:
Starring: Alex Kirwan ( / alexkirtoon )
Editor: Jack Hubert ( / chadlyland )
Thumbnail Art:
TheProgBass ( / theprogbass )
Iamoctopii ( / iamoctopii )
Music:
Lucca’s Theme - Chrono Trigger ( • Video )
General Art and Assets (Across all Videos):
Atomic Geek ( / theatomicgeek )
Plants10000 ( / plants_10000 )
Spark453 ( / wesleysparkman2 )
TheProgBass ( / theprogbass )
Trevok ( / trevok2 )
Intro and Outro Animation By: RetsofNoraa (www.deviantart...)
Outro Animation Assistance By: / cyandawg
Intro Music By: Sebastian Brown ( / sebastianbarti1 )
Outro Music By: TheProgBass ( / theprogbass )
Outro Voice Actress: Froboty ( / frobotyva )
Copyright Disclaimer: Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.
I didn’t create, nor do I own My Life as a Teenage Robot. These videos are made as a tribute to the memory of the show.
#BringBackMLaaTR

[@MyLifeasaTeenageRobotFanbase]

Alex Kirwan’s Instagram: instagram.com/alexkirtoon/ This interview is a huge accomplishment for this KZbin channel and for the community as a whole. It’s been a long time dream of mine to interview Alex Kirwan, and I’ve been preparing for these sessions since early this year. This has been our most ambitious project to date, and I’m so happy I could share it with you guys today. I understand that the length of this interview is kind of extreme, and I’ve left timestamps for easy viewing. The beginning of the interview isn’t largely focused on My Life as a Teenage Robot. I did this intentionally so interested viewers would get some insight about Alex’s life, some of the other major projects he worked on, and even the events leading up to My Life as a Teenage Robot. The fact of the matter is that if Alex Kirwan wasn’t a part of the Teenage Robot team, I doubt I would be talking to you all about it today. His vision to use the art deco style for the entire show is what got me hooked and caught my eye. This channel would not exist without him. I couldn’t find many interviews with Alex that gave a general overview of his career, so I wanted to make sure this would exist for future fans of My Life as a Teenage Robot, and future fans of animation in general. Someday, someone else will go down the same rabbit hole I did, want the same questions answered, and have the same respect for the people behind the scenes that worked on the show. My goal with this channel has always been to give fans easy access to these answers, and this interview is one huge step in that direction. The next time I interview a member of the Teenage Robot staff, I’m going to put the same amount of time and effort into my research. I doubt we’ll ever have another interview to run as long as this one, but Alex Kirwan’s major role in the production definitely makes this worth my time. Thanks for watching My Life as a Teenage Robot, and thanks for checking out the interview!

[@sbplankton_1999]

Amazing!!!

[@shadowbloodleopard5392]

So when are you gonna make another season or an anime reboot of this tv 📺 series show?

[@astonishingpatchedits]

The only famous people I’ve ever interviewed are the ones who live in my imagination

[@burdbeek864]

This has to be, if not, the BEST video you've ever done! Excellent work! 👍

[@MyLifeasaTeenageRobotFanbase]

Thank you! I put my all into this interview, and I'm really happy that it exists!

[@malachigamingmedina9932]

WOAH PARAPPA!!!!!!!

[@Sorcerer-SMC]

I never knew some of the people of MLAATR actually worked on Mighty B! I mean, I wasn’t entirely big on that show, but I knew some of its styles were a bit similar to MLAATR.

[@MyLifeasaTeenageRobotFanbase]

There was a lot of crossover actually! Bryan Arnett and Seonna Hong come to mind immediately. Hoping to get an interview with them someday too :)

[@eliasgonzalez5073]

I’m so glad this interview was 2 hours!! So much content

[@MyLifeasaTeenageRobotFanbase]

I hope you enjoyed it :)

[@Ani8900]

You sound really excited. I'm happy for you. This is truly amazing.

[@MyLifeasaTeenageRobotFanbase]

Definitely a mix of being excited and being really nervous! Alex was super cool about it!

[@Ani8900]

@@MyLifeasaTeenageRobotFanbase as all celebrities can be… Most of the time. Still, I'm happy you got to meet someone so famous course maybe you've already met a lot of other famous people😅

[@noobgamercube]

WOAAAH, this is gonna be awesome

[@JeredBallord]

Awesome video👍

[@GreekGamerTG]

I tried to comment but in the end I can't think anything I'm actually speechless about seeing this interview happen AMAZING!

[@MyLifeasaTeenageRobotFanbase]

Thank you! I'm speechless about it too, I think my nervousness came across in the interview lol

[@dzhahamang]

I'M SO THANKFUL FOR WHAT THIS CHANNEL IS EXISTING 😆👍

[@kevincullen13]

This was such an incredible conversation to listen to. The amount of passion that Alex has for animation and all of his projects is wonderful to learn about. Knowing that someone cares this much about the stuff they work on and that the memories will stick with them years later is so heartwarming to hear. Of course, you did an excellent job making this video visually interesting and as an interviewer too. I am so grateful that this has been shared with the world for all to experience.

[@MyLifeasaTeenageRobotFanbase]

I really appreciate this comment, Kevin! My favorite projects I take on are videos I know don’t exist and videos I would love to see happen. I’ve been internalizing a lot of questions for various members of the My Life as a Teenage Robot crew, especially in Alex’s case. I’ve been in this community for 7 years and I always wanted to know more about Alex. I’m really lucky that he was as cool about this interview as he was. I figured it would only take about an hour, but Alex was patient and stuck through it for three hours across 2 sessions. I know who I want to approach for an interview next, I just need to wait a while to do it. Much like I did with Alex, I want to watch as much of their filmography as possible so I can ask questions on the behalf of other communities. It means a lot to me to get these kinds of videos right, and I’m incredibly happy with this one. Cheers!

[@astonishingpatchedits]

As somebody who was interested in the 2000s growing up, I was a frequent watcher of this channel (of course, I liked many modern day cartoons as well but this was a favourite of mine). When I was 12 in 2019, I uploaded a fake My Life as a Teenage Robot TV airing which you watched and commented on. You’re doing great. Keep it up. Great interview as well, very interesting.

[@synthysynthy]

LETS GO ANOTHER MLAATR INTERVIEW 🎉🎉🎉

[@MyLifeasaTeenageRobotFanbase]

Hoping to do some more soon! Thanks so much for the interest!

[@synthysynthy]

@@MyLifeasaTeenageRobotFanbase No problem! :) I hope you can actually do more of them!

[@snowcloudshinobi]

nice job arranging this interview! i enjoyed hearing alex share the influences behind his stylistic choices at 58:13.

[@activemotionpictures]

What an outstanding interview! Thank you for sharing! 2:13:55 - OMG! Mind blown!!

[@harvestercommander3250]

Hard to believe this show is turning 20 years this year.

[@seagullz15]

keep up the good work mlaatrfanbase ❤

[@pilleater]

Thank you for this!

[@Player7707]

This is Amazing!

[@bloons2355]

Love to see this channel be where it is right now, keep it up guys!! You're doing awesome!

[@Tisson8891]

What an Amazing interview this was 🤩🤩🤩 I'd love a interview with Rob Renzetti next 💪🏻

[@erikbihari3625]

Nice seeing This show get some love.

[@yuzuki_XJ]

really ! ? It's amazing that something like this dream exists! We talked about a lot of different things...! you are really amazing! I don't have much time right now, so I'll take a closer look later! thank you for your hard work!

[@MyLifeasaTeenageRobotFanbase]

Thank you for your interest! I don't expect everyone to watch the whole video, but timestamps are in the description for easy viewing!

[@yuzuki_XJ]

@@MyLifeasaTeenageRobotFanbase Okay! I look forward to your next video. I've been waiting for you! I wish you the best!

[@Driftking0311]

I gotta say. I love this interviewed. Alex was a great person cause he didn't make Jenny, but he did the animations of the show which was improved.

[@tbizzleandfriends4994]

I love his design of her! :D

[@prowolf633]

I’m hoping if the show gets revived he’ll be able to work on it again

[@Leocitopants]

God bless Alex kirwan I hope you will have a great time

[@tiberiusthehedgehog92]

Nice Video, Keep it up, @My Life As A Teenage Robot Fanbase!

[@doormatt3190]

You should do an video on “Anomalies/Inconsistencies In MLAATR”, the small mistakes and errors depicted throughout the series, if it be through character appearances or plot deviations that don’t line up, big or small.

[@seagullz15]

i love your videos

[@MyLifeasaTeenageRobotFanbase]

Thank you!

[@_Blueperson_01_]

Curious fact about my life as a teenage robot is that in a cartoon network cartoon called "MAD" in a short called "The Iron giant Lady" that in one part of the sketch there is a scene where Jenny appears next to Sheldon Lee.

[@gumball1328]

I'm waiting for the Funko pop as well. Jenny needs one and Hilda from Netflix needs one.

[@paulpersaud2831]

will the show be revive?

[@errorsk2188]

At the end of the video I rubbed my eyes and saw hallucinations of dozens of Jenny designs, well, now I know what Alex feels like 😂

[@TidePodChan]

Masterpiece

[@maalikwholaughs3941]

Thats cool!

[@hehecute3]

I just found your chanel recently and I heard in august 1 2023 we will get my life as teenage robot rebooted I hope this is true because this show was something that gave me some of the happiest parts of my childhood

[@MyLifeasaTeenageRobotFanbase]

Thanks for watching! We’ll have to watch and see what happens with rebooted!

[@avaranabraham8507]

I would love to have room like this

[@Alex-cm8rx]

When are they gonna make a season 4

[@josef7525]

Did ya'll know: Rob Renzetti, the man that made MLAATR, was also the story producer for MLP: FiM?

[@mrthirtiewillstealyoursoul]

lemme guess jenny is connected to the ponies

[@josef7525]

@@mrthirtiewillstealyoursoul Nah!

[@disguysaysda4708]

11/10

[@GabinoTheStar2011]

good

[@treythewave5692]

Bring back this show nickelodeon

[@jonahabenhaim1223]

I wonder what his thoughts on Anime are

[@MyLifeasaTeenageRobotFanbase]

They’re actually in this interview!

[@pyeitme508]

Ww amazing

[@kevinxz1125]

you will play ufo robo grendizer tomorrow

[@seagullz15]

merry charismas mlaatrfanbase

[@colleencartoon9576]

But the one thing I don't like about season 3 is that one of the latest characters Travis who used to be afraid of machines at the end of that episode he broke up with Jenny and I hate it when he did that I don't care what he said about Jenny I just don't think he's very nice I really don't like Travis but what if he comes back for revenge on Jenny? Then at the end of the episode I was thinking about with Travis he would be sent to a military school where he will not bother Jenny or anybody else anymore won't that make a great episode too?

[@colleencartoon9576]

I wish there would be a remake for My Life as a teenage Robot like a sequel and they'll be new villains and new friends yet to come in the cartoon also there might be old friends it might be coming back for instance like Misty and Vega even Melody and I really wish that Jenny would just make amends with Melody and she would do the same for Jenny too and I know Jenny never meant to misjudge her it was just a misunderstanding now she knows that she and Melody are on the same boat but sometimes I've been thinking about a story when there was a new character who was searching for Melody only she found her at the ends of the Earth where all the poor people lived and she already had a new boyfriend and the new girl who found Melody wanted her to come home to tremorton with her when suddenly later on in the episode there were new enemies approaching to Earth and Jenny had to stop them but it was impossible for her to face them alone so it was the best opportunity for Melody to help Jenny defeat those evil Invaders in fact these new villains would be the new bad guys but afterward when they've stopped The invasion for now Jenny and Melody finally made amends all because a new girl that already became friends with Jenny became friends with Melody because this new girl sometimes feel just like Jenny and Melody even if she's not a robot but she sometimes felt that way because everyone thought she was a freak in fact they just misjudged her and they were others that were jealous of her the new girl was beautiful but she's even more beautiful on the inside because this new character would be an animal lover and an artist and the first time she ever met Jenny she was sketching pictures of Jenny while she was fighting some bad guys I think the perfect name for this new character would be Darcy and she seen Jenny as a beautiful angel or princess or even a ballerina in fact I could picture Darcy asking Dr Nora Wakeman if it would be possible for Jenny to be programmed to be a ballerina especially for Halloween but mostly as a robot ballerina her tutu would be shooting lasers while Jenny pirouettes without spinning her head since she's a robot and her dancing shoes would be like sharp knives to cut mechanical enemies and she would probably have a tiara as a weapon too and also Darcy would have a mother who is a widow and Darcy has siblings and older sister named Maria and her 15-year-old brother named Jeremy he's younger than Darcy and Maria but Jeremy can be very rude because he never wanted to trust anyone who was a girl because all he ever wanted is to become a man and he didn't need anybody who was a girl like Jenny or even his sisters I could picture Jeremy the younger brother of Darcy being voiced by Dante Bosco who did the voice of Zuko from Avatar The last Airbender also Jeremy didn't believe that robots exist he thought they were only real in cartoons and that made Jenny really upset the way Jeremy didn't believe what he cannot see just yet Jeremy never did believe that robots exist until he met Jenny but he wasn't really pleased with Jenny because she is a girl he is the youngest and the only brother in the family and it wasn't his fault that he's been rude it's just that ever since he lost the father of the family he meant oath that he would be stronger he would become a man just like his father and Darcy really feel terrible about it too as much as she loves her father and her little brother she had no choice but to leave him alone she never wanted to bother him even if he is the youngest but Jenny was really disappointed in how Jeremy misjudged her terribly and like a picture Darcy being voiced by Hynden Walch and ask for Maria the eldest she would probably be voiced by Kristen Bell the girl who did Anna from Frozen only in the serious kind of verse she too would be overprotective around Darcy but then she realized that she can't be the only one who should protect someone who is special to her she learned to trust in Jenny and together the three siblings Maria Darcy and Jeremy made friends with Jenny and also there should be an episode when Jenny meets her descendants from the far future you'll never know what the future would bring!

[@Brasilmonarquista3716]

The narrator for Alec Baldwin from Thomas and friends

[@JosephBah3736]

22nd

[@anastasiakeenan5136]

I love the variation in your videos! Never gets boring on your channel :D!!! The secret to YT success > Promo>SM !!!