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There are MASSIVE spoilers up for The Mighty Nein Season 1!
First, dissimilar The Legend of Vox Machina, The Mighty Nein begins with a important magnitude of backstory for these characters earlier they adjacent signifier a party, which is thing we didn't spot successful Campaign 2. How breathtaking was it to get to amusement worldly that you lone got to allude to successful the campaign, comic books, and more?
Travis Willingham: It's truthful exciting. I deliberation from an animation perspective, fractional of the aboriginal developmental and adaptation process is going, Okay, we person these chaotic ambitions. Can we gully this stuff? Is this imaginable to do? Then, of course, our astonishing partners astatine Titmouse Animation look astatine america and go, "Bet fam! We got you. Let's go," which is great.
I deliberation much than anything, it's a accidental to leap backmost successful clip respective years to characters that we've been with each of this time, and springiness them a caller look, fig retired wherever they commencement from quadrate one, and acceptable up a satellite that's going to beryllium introduced precise slowly, precise methodically, but successful hopefully a precise absorbing mode for fans that not lone cognize everything astir the Mighty Nein but are coming to it for the precise archetypal time.
Marisha Ray: There's this happening that acting teachers volition thatch you successful similar Acting 101, wherever they go, erstwhile your quality walks successful connected the stage, oregon they locomotion into a scene, you should cognize wherever they're walking from. Like, what's the room? What conscionable happened to them? Where are they walking from? In a way, it feels similar these aboriginal episodes are that.
Sam Riegel: Our large program with this full bid was to marque definite that we showed the assemblage these characters earlier they became a team, due to the fact that truthful overmuch of who they are is based connected wherever they've travel from, and the mistakes they've made successful their past and things they've suffered through. So we wanted to amusement immoderate of that, and not conscionable person to trust connected radical saying, like, "Oh, I had a truly unsmooth childhood." We wanted to spot it. And with extra-long, hour-long episodes, we got a accidental to bash that. The archetypal 3 episodes of the play are conscionable laying the groundwork for the remainder of the series, and it is truthful breathtaking to spot these moments of the characters gathering oregon uncovering their way oregon pivotal decisions that they made that volition pb to the full story.
Liam O'Brien: Speaking astir Caleb and Nott specially, we truly got to soma it retired successful a batch of ways, but immoderate of it did travel implicit from a batch of conversations that Sam and I had mode backmost when, earlier the run adjacent started. Not successful this intricate detail, but it each lived successful unsmooth sketches successful our minds. It's besides nary concealed to Critters, and radical who are acquainted with america already, that Sam and I spell mode back, and truthful this is truly conscionable putting a goblin and hobo wizard tegument connected our long-lasting relationship, and it was precise amusive to research together.
We besides get to research much Exandrian lore and amusement the vastness of the satellite that you've each created done 3 campaigns. What was your favourite heavy lore that you got to adhd into this season?
Matthew Mercer: One of my favourite things astir doing the animated bid is being capable to bring successful facets of the satellite that are lone alluded to successful the campaign. Being capable to spot much of the Kryn Dynasty and the Empire, and get to spot their machinations and physique up the war, especially, personally, for Essek stuff. Also, bringing successful a definite Calamity Era pirate. To bring successful Nydas was a really, truly amusive thought we had successful the writers' country erstwhile we were fleshing retired the communicative of the story, due to the fact that immoderate things that enactment good successful a D&D run aren't arsenic narratively absorbing as, like, a tiny small broadside quest, oregon a small dungeon delve for the party.
So, we asked, however tin we positive that? And now, since we've played the campaign, and Exandria's past and lore person expanded truthful overmuch successful precise chill and meaningful ways, this was 1 of those opportunities to necktie a facet of that in. I loved watching that each travel together.
Sam: There is different quality successful this play named Owelia, who's a Volstrucker, and she does beryllium successful the lore and is simply a existent quality that Matt invented. We conscionable ne'er truly got to spot her successful the campaign, and present she becomes a large portion of the story. Fleshing her retired was ace cool, and it was besides a situation due to the fact that she's a halfling, truthful she's tiny of stature, but she's truthful threatening and evil. And we were a small tense due to the fact that we didn't privation it to look similar a kid was warring against us, but the mode they animated and drew her, she's conscionable truthful sick and twisted and evil.
Travis: Calamity. Getting Nydas and his vessel successful determination is truthful dope. And, of course, the Gilmore of this world, Pumat and the Invulnerable Vagrant, I deliberation each of america conscionable benignant of...our shoulders relaxed, and we're like, "Oh my god, Pumat! We emotion you!"
Marisha: What was it successful Episode 7 wherever determination are a mates of guards walking by the parapet, and they're like, "No, I'm telling you, man, it was 4 of them. They had a big, scary name, similar the Chroma Crew oregon something." I was like, "That's truthful good." And also, like, I think, is simply a precise succinct mode to show however large Exandria is.
Laura Bailey: Something truthful large successful Vox Machina, and these guys are conscionable gabbing astir it.
Taliesin Jaffe: Just knowing that Residuum is simply a occupation everywhere. It each comes backmost to Whitestone is the problem. It's the damn de Rolos.
Do you person favourite Easter eggs oregon details that are hidden successful Season 1?
Ashley Johnson: It's not truly hidden, but the inclusion of Yasha's flowers.
Travis: There are small plushies of Vox Machina and the carnival. There volition surely beryllium relics and vestiges that you tin find successful the Invulnerable Vagrant, Pumat's shop.
Laura: Oh, and past successful Marion's performance, 1 of her duplicates is dressed similar Percy.
Travis: That's a level 10 secret, actually. If you look astatine erstwhile the duplicates leap retired into the audience, the 1 that's facing distant from the camera successful the acold inheritance is really successful a Percy coat.
Taliesin: It's the small Spirit Halloween costume, sexy Percy.
Laura: I besides truly emotion the illustration of Tusk Love. I emotion the cover. It's truthful beautiful.
Liam: Definitely "mascot bear."
Matt: Mascot carnivore was a large constituent successful there.
Sam: In the occurrence wherever Fjord and Jester are astatine the carnival, competing for games, immoderate of our Critical Role merch is connected the support there. A small Trinket doll is up determination connected the shelf.
Matt: I was gonna say, watching Fjord and Jester locomotion past magic mirrors successful the reflector maze and seeing Laura and Travis successful the reflection is specified a bully small touch.
Marisha: The Laura and Travis cameo is beauteous great.
Liam: It's a smaller one, but I ever laughter erstwhile I perceive the Van Der Fluit School for the Performing Arts.
Sam: There's besides a store successful Episode 1, called McGlynn's Fineries, which is aft our dependable director, Mary Elizabeth McGlynn.
Matt: What I'm excited for is radical who person lone watched Legend of Vox Machina, watching The Mighty Nein and picking up connected immoderate of the threads betwixt the two, oregon noticing that the instauration of the Volstrucker's initiation ritual, the achy one, involves Residuum being placed beneath the skin. It's a necktie to Whitestone. Fun small bits of crossover.
One of my favourite Easter eggs is that Braius from Campaign 3 makes an quality successful Episode 7. What went into adding him into the show?
Laura: Braius came aboriginal successful the improvement process, didn't it? Because Sam revealed that acold into Campaign 3.
Sam: That was added successful astatine the very, precise past second. I deliberation we had to adhd it very, precise quickly. That occurrence was already being animated erstwhile Braius archetypal came astir successful Campaign 3. So we had to rapidly nonstop caller designs to the animator. We were like, "Change this guy! Give him horns, go!" So it was great. I emotion it.
Travis: Yeah, we volition alteration worldly astatine immoderate opportunity. Unless it's locked and shipped, it's NOT DONE.
Ashley, everyone has been begging for much Yasha successful Season 1, and successful the finale, she yet intersects with the Mighty Nein. This is evidently antithetic than however Campaign 2 started, too. What went into changing Yasha's communicative arc for the animated show?
Ashley: In benignant of breaking however we were going to narratively archer this story, and successful aboriginal discussions of talking astir what we truly privation for our characters, what we privation to beryllium shown successful the series, we yet made immoderate changes for Yasha, specifically. Something that we didn't request was Yasha's absences going successful and out, due to the fact that had I not been moving astatine the clip [on Blindspot], I would person been determination afloat astatine the table. So we didn't request to person that successful the show. Yasha is the Orphanmaker. She is simply a sidesplitting instrumentality who is being utilized for those skills that she has, and is trying to get retired of it.
I deliberation we were conscionable capable to retell her introduction. I deliberation that is everything. I deliberation it conscionable gives much of an interaction for her and into the remainder of the communicative that we volition yet archer with her.
Another quality from Campaign 2 is that we get to spot Essek's backstory and what helium was up to earlier helium meets the Mighty Nein. Matt, however was it getting to showcase worldly that had lone been alluded to oregon concisely mentioned successful presumption of Essek's history?
Matt: So fulfilling. It's backstory that didn't truly find a mode successful different than conscionable him expressing it himself. Essek, by nature, was a analyzable quality erstwhile I designed him, and I had primitively anticipated him to beryllium an antagonist quality for the campaign, though a analyzable and relatable one. So based connected wherever his communicative went and however we wanted to accommodate to this animated bid and bring his communicative a small much to the forefront this aboriginal in, since it is intrinsically tied to the events that pb to this war, it allowed the accidental to amusement each these moments of his beingness down the scenes that lived successful my imaginativeness up to that point. To execute it, get to measurement into, and really amusement it successful the bid has been truly fulfilling and truly exciting.
Hopefully, it gives radical a deeper glimpse into who helium is. For instance, erstwhile we were playing successful the campaign, radical were like, "Essek's wonderful. He didn't bash thing bad." I'm like, "No, he's a warfare transgression who's done immoderate atrocious stuff." Like, here! Look astatine it now. You get to spot the reasoning wherefore I've been truthful insistent that helium is simply a precise analyzable character. I'm not saying he's beyond redemption. In fact, his story, successful the main campaign, was dynamic successful showing that. But it is important to spot wherever helium started and what helium has gone done to get to that point. And I emotion that we get to bash that present successful the animated series.
Laura: I mean, getting to spot however atrocious of a blistery lad Essek truly is is truly great.
Laura, the amusement saves the uncover of the Traveler until the precise past episode. For fans who hadn't seen the campaign, it astir apt near them questioning whether Jester was truly talking to a god. How was it planting those seeds of uncertainty with the audience, but besides with Jester?
Laura: I emotion creating that uncertainty successful herself and successful the audience. You know, radical coming into this for the archetypal time, not knowing if the Traveler is simply a existent entity oregon not. You know, she has a precise almighty imagination, truthful the champion payoff successful Episode 8 is conscionable the alleviation erstwhile helium yet appears and getting to spot that narration yet unfolding. He's truthful fantastic and truthful unspeakable astatine the aforesaid time, and I deliberation Matt's show and the animation of it conscionable truly merchantability the duality of the character.
Taliesin, we get to spot a batch of Molly successful Season 1, and you're capable to truly statesman to laic retired storylines that didn't hap until overmuch aboriginal successful Campaign 2, similar Vess DeRogna. How was it getting to adhd pieces of his communicative to the precise opening this time?
Taliesin: It was truly truthful bully to beryllium capable to commencement planting things from the get-go. It was really, truly exciting. I mean, determination is heavy lore hidden successful immoderate of that, successful very, precise quiescent ways. And it is precise breathtaking for the radical who cognize that we tin virtually commencement from time one, and, like, the inevitability of that awful, awful, atrocious happening is conscionable hiding successful the background. It's unsmooth successful the campaigns erstwhile you deliberation you person plentifulness of clip to enactment worldly into a story, and past abruptly you're like, Oh, I should person gotten to that mode quicker.
Travis: Vess DeRogna, who is this incredibly almighty archmage, different subordinate of the Cerberus Assembly, successful summation to Trent Ikithon, who's conscionable wretched, by the way, like, beatified crap. And he's not adjacent truly trying. But you cognize that Vess has to beryllium capable to clasp a candle to him, and T'Nia Miller conscionable perfectly shines. Just a dependable to dice for and to perceive her aboriginal explorations of going aft the book, aft Aeor, going for things that didn't adjacent uncover themselves to america until respective years down the enactment successful the campaign, it's conscionable specified large effect connected the tree. So we've conscionable enjoyed planting those things and mounting up these almighty characters that, similar an inevitable pinball machine, our characters are going to clang into astatine immoderate point. That's conscionable immoderate of the champion stuff.
Taliesin: She's terrifying.
Laura: And each of the interactions betwixt her and Trent. Their convos are JUICY!
You person specified an awesome dependable formed that got to articulation you this season. From Mark Strong to Lucy Liu, truthful galore amusive radical got to travel lend their voices to immoderate beauteous iconic characters. Who were immoderate of your favorites oregon conscionable "Holy shit, they said yes?!" people?
Laura: I mean, Mark Strong. I couldn't judge that helium said yes. I deliberation it was you, Travis, wasn't it? Where you were like, "God, perceive to his voice. Do you deliberation there's immoderate way?" And we were like, "Probably not." And past helium did, AND helium spoke German.
Travis: That was the happening for Trent Ikithon, and for a batch of the Volstruckers, we were hoping to find actors that mightiness beryllium fluent successful German, and we were conscionable perfectly thrilled to find those that could really stone it. And they have.
Taliesin: Nathan Fillion really, truly brought that quality to beingness for me. Less surprised, helium said yes, but god, he's good. I didn't cognize what that quality was going to dependable like. The Gentleman was a enigma to me, and helium conscionable deed each enactment for me.
Sam: Nathan Fillion playing a precise Nathan Fillion character.
Travis: Lucy Liu is perfectly unthinkable arsenic the Bright Queen. Tim McGraw came successful and conscionable crushed it. Ming-Na Wen is evidently conscionable specified a powerhouse each time, and makes Dairon the enigma spy overlord that she should be. And I deliberation the happening that I emotion is that there's a quality named Verrat, played by Rahul Kohli, who we person the biggest vocal crush on. I mean, his gravity and gravitas are conscionable amazing. So it's an astonishing happening erstwhile these folks travel successful and lend their voices. But damn, they conscionable ran with them.
And of course, we person to outcry retired the astonishing Felicia Day, who plays Cree, 1 of the aboriginal members of the Tomb Takers, who volition surely beryllium back. And Felicia was instrumental from our earliest years for Critical Role, adjacent getting to beryllium what it's go now. So it was truthful fantastic having her in. And she was like, "What's my quality look like?" We showed her the art. And she was like, "OMG!" People person truthful overmuch amusive with this stuff.
Travis: We made specified a nerd privation list. I mean, Jonathan Frakes. When helium came successful to record, I won't caput telling you, Laura was like, "I'm gonna spell to the signaling session. I'm gonna beryllium determination and fell successful the corner."
Laura: LISTEN, I got to grounds with him. He wanted idiosyncratic successful the booth with him, and I was like, "I'll bash it. I'll bash it for you. I volition spell successful there."
Travis: He was like, "Do you caput speechmaking maine successful for this line?" And Laura's like, "I'll go!"
Liam: Every impermanent formed subordinate that we person is incredible. I volition conscionable accidental Alan Cumming lone due to the fact that I'm a theatre kid, done and through. I saw him in Cabaret three times successful the aboriginal 2000s. He was brilliant. That accumulation inactive stands successful my representation arsenic 1 of the top productions I've ever seen. His show was incredible.
Sam: I tin honestly say, I assume, this volition beryllium Tim McGraw's lone quality successful a phantasy spot ever. We knew we needed idiosyncratic beardown and a spot country, and we thought, that's Tim McGraw. So we went to his team, and they work the material, and they were like, "Yeah, helium wants to bash this." So we recorded him from Nashville, I think, and helium was a gentleman, and helium was truthful excited to larn much astir the property, and helium had each sorts of large questions astir Fjord and their relationship. It was truly large to enactment with him.
Disney princess and wide badass, Ming-Na Wen plays Dairon, who is important to Beau's story. Marisha, what was it similar moving with her specifically?
Marisha: I mean, conscionable proceeding it, like, travel backmost connected surface astatine me, and I'm like, Oh my God, I'm talking with Ming-Na Wen. No, I'm not, like, it's not me. It's my character, but it is me. It's truthful cool. She is precisely that benignant of stoic. She has her crap together, badass that you request to perfectly beryllium that counterbalance to Beau, who's still, like, a big, clumsy wreck of a idiosyncratic close now. Dairon is evidently truthful overmuch of what Beau benignant of starts trying to signifier herself to beryllium much similar and to emulate. She crushed it.
Ashley: Ming-Na Wen! Being a badass!
Liam: I've loved Ming-Na's enactment my full life.
Matt: The information that she knew who we were beforehand. I got to tally into her astatine New York Comic Con, and we talked. She gushed astir the amusement and astir Critical Role. I was like, What is happening?!!
Ashley: She asked to instrumentality a representation together, and I was like, "Yes! Of course!"
Sam: So wild!
Aimee Carrero makes a little quality arsenic Yasha's wife, Zuala, successful the play finale. Ashley, however was it getting Aimee to play specified a cardinal quality successful Yasha's past?
Ashley: Aimee Carrero is such an unthinkable actress, and we were trying to find immoderate abstraction for her. And I was like, "Maybe she could beryllium my wife? (laughing) I don't know, throwing it retired there." I emotion that we get to spot that. And erstwhile you're archetypal introduced to Yasha, you're like, Who is this carnal that we support seeing that is truthful terrifying? and past to spot that brushed broadside of her is truthful important. And for those of america who cognize her story, we conscionable get to spot small glimpses of it successful the beginning. But I emotion that it's there, and it volition pb to fleshing retired Yasha's communicative adjacent more."
Sam: That is our 4th Disney princess, too.
Tim McGraw voices Vandran, who is truthful important to Fjord's backstory, particularly the Uk'otoa plotline. Travis, what was it similar getting him to articulation the cast, arsenic good arsenic getting to really spot this portion of Fjord's backstory play retired connected screen?
Travis: It was amazing. Fjord is truthful incredibly peculiar to me. And similar a batch of different characters successful the Mighty Nein, determination were aspects of him that were hidden successful the beginning. We had akin things with Caleb. We had akin things with Nott the Brave, obviously. But successful this one, we were precise intentional astir not utilizing flashbacks oregon things wherever the characters speech astir their past, it wasn't arsenic impactful arsenic the thought of really being capable to spot it, spot who they were, spot wherever they came from. For Fjord, he's precise unsocial successful that erstwhile we archetypal conscionable him, helium is conscionable an mean idiosyncratic successful the world. There's nary magic. There are nary powers. There's thing that truly stands out. And due to the fact that of the calamitous circumstances astir him, helium finds himself each of a abrupt washed up connected a formation with powers helium doesn't understand.
We thought that was a large accidental to spot however idiosyncratic could stumble done this world, effort and find knowledge. Sort of bumper car disconnected of the characters that helium comes across. And, of course, helium finds a precise unchangeable property successful Jester (laughs). Someone who's definitely going to support him retired of trouble. And you know, that's precisely what we wanted to see. Tee up a infinitesimal for the assemblage to spot into who these characters are, careless of what they're putting forward. So the assemblage is simply a spot smarter than the characters themselves, and that's just, I think, a large mode to acquisition Fjord's story.
Caleb has a important occurrence successful Season 1, revealing his traumatic and brutal backstory with Trent. Liam, however was it moving connected that episode?
Liam: It was aggravated fleshing that retired successful the writers' room. It truly goes there. And it's 1 thing, arsenic Matt was saying, to person unsmooth sketches oregon glimpses of things successful your caput arsenic you're role-playing successful the character's contiguous moment. But, we truly took an full occurrence to look, with nary blinders on, astatine his past. And it's a tragic past, and he's a merchandise of maltreatment and trauma. He has been traumatized and caused trauma.
I'm thankful each time that we person the level of attraction and attraction successful this amusement to truly onslaught the equilibrium with his story, due to the fact that he's dripping successful sin, but he's 1 of our main characters, and we person to privation to travel his story. And luckily, we are talented to enactment with each different and with truthful galore talented artists, writers, musicians, and composers that it was conscionable finely, finely tuned. I can't wait. I'm dying to spot the world's effect to it, to the show, and to this story.
And finally, the magic successful The Mighty Nein is thing that truly sets it isolated from what we spot successful The Legend of Vox Machina. How was it bringing the magic from the run to beingness successful the animated series?
Taliesin: It was perfectly indispensable due to the fact that a immense chunk of the communicative of the Mighty Nein is astir a brand-new magic. And so, if there's brand-new magic, you person to cognize it's brand-new. You person to spot it. You person to perceive it. And we didn't person a ton of analyzable magic users successful Vox Machina, and abruptly we person wizards, and we person antithetic schools of magic. It was delightful going done and conscionable figuring retired what it looks similar animated. Jester's astonishing magic. I support calling it, like, the Sailor Moon magic due to the fact that I loved it truthful much. And past conscionable each clip Travis arsenic Fjord pulls his sword oregon teleports, you conscionable perceive him, like, virtually diving into the water and past jumping out. It's amazing. It's truthful beautiful, and it adds truthful overmuch quality and colour to the satellite of conscionable allowing magic to beryllium that vibrant and live and different.
Travis: The animators were like, "What bash you privation to spot successful this?" And we're like, "Fjord's precise underwater themed. If helium could conscionable vanish into droplets of water." Or, arsenic Taliesin said, due to the fact that he's besides precise funny successful however the dependable plan for the amusement is achieved, "Can we person him bursting retired of the h2o oregon explore, like, waves rolling up connected the soil erstwhile they crash?" Can we propulsion definite elements of that adjacent though that's not what it looks similar connected screen, your receptor tells your encephalon thing other erstwhile those 2 things are married, and truthful getting truly granular successful that has been immoderate of the astir amusive stuff.
Matt: We knew astatine the outset, due to the fact that magic has specified a ample relation successful this story, similar the intricate relation we person betwixt the instauration of Dunamancy arsenic a unit of primal powerfulness successful the satellite that's inactive being understood, Caleb, arsenic a precise circumstantial benignant of learned wizard who is acquiring powerfulness with purpose. The Cerberus Assembly and their engagement and their machinations. Magic conscionable plays a precise large relation successful this world. And truthful from the outset, we were precise intentional with however we wanted to explicit that and however unsocial it is based connected each root of magic and however it interfaces and however radical interface with it. So, it was thing that we collaborated with the plan squad and the artists connected to recognize the ocular connection of magic successful this world.
I besides wrote retired each the incantations and specified the connection for each incantation to each benignant of magic arsenic it's being done. So they each dependable and consciousness similar they unrecorded successful their circumstantial pockets of arcana. It was a really, truly amusive puzzle for each of america to enactment unneurotic and enactment connected together. And past to your point, seeing it yet each realized successful animation with dependable and effects. It's truthful cool!
Also, for Caleb, Liam acceptable up a batch of it successful the main campaign. He was truthful intentional and truthful descriptive with however Caleb approached his magic. How could we not grant that and proceed that contented with everything other that we're expressing successful this series?
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