Netflix Teams With Michael Eisner for “BoJack Horseman” Adult Cartoon Series
Want to pitch Netflix their first adult animated series? Former Disney CEO Michael Eisner beat you to it. His company, Tornante, has sold BoJack Horseman to the popular online streaming service. Last December Netflix launched its first children’s animated series, Turbo: F.A.S.T., but Eisner’s project will be their first attempt at animation for an older demographic.
Created by Raphael Bob-Waksberg, BoJack Horseman centers around a foul-mouthed, whisky-drinking horse who was once the star of a Nineties family sitcom called Horsin’ Around. Twelve episodes of the show, designed by illustrator Lisa Hanawalt, are currently being produced and animated out of ShadowMachine in Los Angeles.
“BoJack Horseman is a brutally funny and unique take on what can happen after pop stardom,” said Netflix chief content officer Ted Sarandos via press release. “Raphael has created an amazing set of characters voiced by some of the best comics and actors in the world. We’re delighted to be partnering with Michael Eisner in delivering BoJack exclusively to Netflix members around the world.”
“As a studio executive involved in successful sitcoms like Happy Days, Barney Miller and Cheers, I always regretted BoJack wasn’t on my team,” Michael Eisner added in another press release. “But now, with Tornante in the saddle, BoJack is exactly where he belongs, in full creative control, and on Netflix.”
Set to debut on the streaming site later this year, Will Arnett (Arrested Development), Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad), and Amy Sedaris (Strangers with Candy) lead the cast of voice actors. Arnett and Paul also exec produce alongside Raphael Bob-Waksberg, Steven A. Cohen and Noel Bright.
This is Tornante’s second animated series; its first was the stop-motion series Glenn Martin, DDS, which ran for two seasons on Nick at Nite.