previous page
TOC
TV/Streaming
Musical Fantasy Misfits How Megan Nicole Dong created the weird and wacky world of Centaurworld. By Jennifer Wolfe
T
he definition of “centaur” is fairly relaxed in Megan Nicole Dong’s new series for Netflix, and that’s a good thing. An action-adventure, fish-out-of-water story wrapped up as a road trip musical fantasy with sci-fi elements sprinkled in, Centaurworld features hybrid creatures in just about any configuration you can imagine, along with a few others that you definitely can’t. What, exactly, is a taur-tornado? Well, it’s a lot like you’d think, except it’s not. Either way, you’d better stay out of its path. Arriving on Netflix on July 30, Centaurworld follows a warrior horse named Horse (Kimiko Glenn), who is suddenly transported from her embattled, war-torn world to an exotic, brightly colored land inhabited by silly, singing centaurs of all species, shapes and sizes. Horse is desperate to be reunited with her Rider (Jessie Mueller), who has been left behind on their home world in the heat of battle. To reach her goal, Horse befriends a group of magical creatures, embarking on a journey of selfdiscovery and acceptance that will test her more than any combat she’s faced on the field of war. Horse’s magical companions are led by the protective Wammawink (Megan Hilty), a fluffy pink llama centaur who uses her magic to help keep the group of misfits fed, sheltered and safe. The main
cast is rounded out by Parvesh Cheena, who voices Zulius, a brash and quick-witted zebra centaur with a mischievous streak; Josh Radnor as a timid and slightly dim giraffe centaur named Durpleton; Chris Diamantopoulos as Ched, a bird centaur with anger management issues; and Dong herself as the zany yet anxious Glendale, a gerenuk (longnecked antelope) centaur with a magical storage compartment that can contain anything.
Uppity and Muppet-y “That character was just so specific,” Dong recalls about her decision to take on the role of Glendale. “The Muppets were a huge inspiration for the show, and I really wanted a character who was, like, pure Muppet. That included the vocal performance, which I wanted to be super, super silly sounding. Something almost Cookie Monsterlike, but still female, while also sounding super pushed and uppity. It was such a specific thing
www.animationmagazine.net 32
TOC
august 21
previous page
