Pendleton Ward, Rebecca Sugar and Patrick McHale Team Up for Mysterious Animation Special

Patrick McHale (“Over the Garden Wall”), Ian Jones-Quartey (“OK K.O.! Let’s Be Heroes”), Rebecca Sugar (“Steven Universe”) and Pendleton Ward (“Adventure Time”) are teaming up for “Adult Swim’s The Elephant,” a “creative experience” premiering on Dec. 19 at 11:00 ET/PT on Adult Swim. The special will stream the next day on HBO Max.

“Adult Swim’s The Elephant” is a creative experiment in which “each of the three acts are made in isolation.” Sugar and Jones-Quartey will work as a duo, with McHale and Ward overseeing their own separate parts. “Adult Swim’s The Elephant” will be guided by various artists. “Adventure Time” alumni Jack Pendarvis and Kent Osborne’s goal with the project was to create a “storytelling experiment that unfolds as a collaborative surprise, ultimately merging into a single, unexpected narrative.” The special was previously announced at this year’s Annecy International Animation Festival.

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“Every year around this time, we try to give the Adult Swim audience a gift they didn’t know they needed, and this year, it’s ‘Adult Swim’s The Elephant,’” said Michael Ouweleen, president of Adult Swim. “But really, the gift was working with this brilliant team and creating an excuse for their longtime friendship and creative partnership to continue and evolve. We can’t wait for you to see the results of this crazy experiment.”

Adult Swim will also offer an inside look into the creative process behind the special on “Behind the Elephant,” a documentary that premieres alongside an encore airing of “Adult Swim’s The Elephant” on Dec. 20. The documentary will have a rare look into the making and creation of the special with exclusive interviews and footage from the production. Fans will get to see the challenges and discoveries during the project and hear from the animators.

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