With the incredible schedule that Chris Hardwick took on during SDCC, it must have felt SO relaxing to have his last panel of the weekend be one where he could actually sit down. To close out his Comic-Con, Chris was part of the Sanjay and Craig panel, where he voices the character Craig Slithers. He was joined by co-creators  Jay Howell and Jim Dirschberger, as well as fellow cast members Maulik Pancholy (Sanjay), Matt Jones (Hector), and Grey DeLisle (Darlene).
The panel began with a live read-through of a future episode, and then went right into the audience Q&A, introduced on the big screen by puppet versions of Sanjay and Craig. Here are the highlights:
The audience member commended the creators for making a show that both parents and kids can watch and enjoy together. He then asked the biggest differences between voiceover vs. camera work. Chris likes it because you can show up to work looking however you want, and it’s a more relaxed atmosphere. He also said that the range voiceover work gives you is amazing. He also brought up how working with ADR can elevate a performance because you want to be able to match the other actors’ performances. Because it takes a long time to finish one episode of a cartoon, seeing the finished product can be very rewarding. Matt enjoys voiceover work because he is always impressed with what his fellow co-stars can do with their voices, since he can’t see their process because they record all over the country.
The next question was about what tricks they use while doing the voice work. Chris said that for him, doing voiceover work is doing an exaggerated version of himself. Since he always talks with his hands, he does that to make it come across in the cartoon. How animated you are in the booth will come across in your voice. Jay added that they do their best to keep the energy in the sessions high so the performances are always over the top.
When asked about their favorite characters on the show, Grey likes Darlene, because she’s a strong mother figure. Matt likes the Hugglebunny, which isn’t an actual character per se, but a weird presence that is lurking in the background during certain episodes. Maulik likes Craig, because he enjoys what Chris does with the character. Chris’ favorite is Hector, because when he was younger, he felt as out of place and unaware as Hector does, so he can relate to him the most.
Grey was asked how she comes up with the ideas for her voices. She said she was finally starting to run out of ideas. She usually switches up different combinations of accents and lisps to create her characters. Chris added that he is amazed with some of the voice actors he admires, like Rob Paulsen, who can just look at a character on the page or screen and based on that form in their minds exactly what they will sound like, and how you couldn’t even recognize who was performing.
The next question asked how they come up with their ideas for episodes. This had some of my favorite answers of the panel. Jay and Jim said that it’s a VERY collaborative process, and they have this philosophy: when you are young and you are hanging out with your friends, your imagination has no limits. They apply that to this show. Sanjay and Craig don’t have any limits, so they can go on any adventure they come up with. Chris brought up John K, the creator of Ren and Stimpy. He said that animation is such a visual medium, that the stories should not translate right if just told verbally. He feels that Sanjay and Craig follows that advice.
The panel closed out with theories about what is actually behind Hector’s eyepatch, ranging from another dimension to a little man living inside. The one consensus? Whatever is there, it smells.
Following the Q&A, they showed a preview of the next season (seen above).
From the looks of it, Sanjay and Craig is as funny as ever, and I’m looking forward to what’s coming next.
What do you guys think? Are you fans of the show, or at least going to give it a shot? How long should Chris sleep after all that work? Let me know on Twitter or in the comments below.
