UCLA alumna Sadaf Cohen Muncy always knew she wanted to work
with children. Medical school, in her mind, was the way to go.
“I was pre-med for a couple years,” Muncy said.
“My whole goal was to go to medical school.”
Though she ended up with a degree in Near Eastern languages and
cultures, it was her determination to stay a fifth year to earn a
specialization in developmental disabilities that brought her
closer to what she is doing today: entertaining children through
television.
“(I realized) entertainment is a medium that could really
affect these kids,” said Muncy.
Muncy’s specialization in developmental disabilities led
her to practice therapy work for three years with children
afflicted with Down syndrome.
Now an executive producer of “Pet Alien,” Muncy
works on a three-dimensional, computer-animated cartoon show that
recently debuted on Cartoon Network. The show centers on Tommy, a
lonely boy who is befriended by a group of aliens from the Conforma
Dimension after they crash into Tommy’s lighthouse.
Each half-hour episode has two 11-minute stories and features an
abundance of sight gags.
“It is in the style of old Looney Tunes cartoons,”
Muncy said, “very fast paced and a lot of comedy.”
The aliens are fascinated with practically everything Earthly,
and the conflicts in each episode mostly arise from their
misinterpretation of Earthly customs. In one episode, Tommy is sent
to after-school detention and makes the mistake of telling his
alien friend Dinko that detention will last practically forever.
Dinko is horrified by the thought of never seeing Tommy again and
so he and the rest of the aliens embark on a rescue mission.
One of the most noticeable characteristics of the show is the
bright color palate and the constant motion of the 3D
characters.
“We wanted (the show) to have a really cool look,”
Muncy said.
The action is amplified to add to the show’s quirkiness;
eyeballs pop out and entire bodies stretch.
“Younger kids love it because of the visuals and
color,” she said.The show is aimed at 6- to 11-year-olds.
Muncy believes “Pet Alien” may also connect with
adult and college-aged audiences, following the trend of popular
cartoons such as “SpongeBob SquarePants” by making
references a 10-year-old would miss. Muncy cited “Beavis and
Butthead” as the cartoon that she and her friends would
sometimes watch to unwind when at UCLA.
“It was nice to sit down and just laugh,” said
Muncy. “The jokes (in “˜Pet Alien’) are just silly
and funny. There is no complicated anime thing you have to follow,
no moral.”
Muncy hopes universal themes like friendship and jealousy will
help the show appeal to international audiences as well. “Pet
Alien” is scheduled to make an appearance in parts of Europe,
Asia and Latin America this year and has already debuted in France
and England.
Muncy’s husband, Jeff, is also an executive producer of
“Pet Alien.” Reversing the usual order of a TV show
preceding its merchandise, the characters from “Pet
Alien” were originally part of his line of plush animals.
“They were cute, little, funny aliens,” Muncy
said.
The line of toys led to a book deal to create a back-story for
the popular characters, and from there the idea for the show was
born.
Muncy and her husband continue to work on “Pet
Alien” together.
“My experience is much more with writers. He deals with
the art aspect,” Muncy said. “I found the main writers
for the show.”
The Muncys have a 2-year-old son and a baby born last month, but
Muncy does not mind taking her work home with her.
“It’s our show; it’s our livelihood.
It’s how we pay the bills. I make the time (to work) because
I have to,” said Muncy. “I love the show. I absolutely
love it. I’m very lucky.”