It’s impossible to contemplate children’s TV comedy without acknowledging the impact made by Butch Hartman’s The Fairly OddParents. Even though it often played second fiddle to the seemingly ubiquitous SpongeBob SquarePants, its imaginative universe and rib-tickling humor have left an indelible mark on Nickelodeon since the early 2000s. Despite going through a rocky period with some poorly received live-action specials, Hartman’s abrupt departure from Nickelodeon, and a failed attempt at an animated/live-action hybrid reboot, fans were left uncertain about the show’s future.

May saw the return of the Fairly OddParents to its roots with a brand new all-animation reboot, aptly titled A New Wish. The rejuvenated series introduces us to a new protagonist: Hazel Wells, a young Black girl whose family relocates to the bustling city of Dimmadelphia upon her father securing a new job. Hazel, already struggling to adjust to her new surroundings, is thrown into yet another spin when she discovers her flat-dwelling neighbors Cosmo and Wanda are undercover fairies. Enthralled by Hazel’s kindness and larger-than-life persona, they decide to come out of retirement and take on the role of her fairy godparents, ushering in an era of comical adventures.

The series had its US debut on Nickelodeon and while the ratings have been decent so far, the positive feedback from critics and audiences alike has infused new life into this beloved property. Much credit goes to Ashleigh Crystal Hairston, a debut showrunner who assumed multiple roles as co-creator, co-writer, co-story editor, and star of A New Wish. Hairston, a person of color, lends her voice to Hazel instilling many elements from her own life experiences. Juggling these responsibilities for a new creator in animation is no easy feat, especially with such a well-known brand, but it’s a challenge Hairston weathered with grace.

A New Wish reincarnates the Fairly OddParents back to their original core values, merging valuable life lessons with flashy, vibrant comedy. The novel animation aesthetic, an innovative 2.5D style brought to life by Dublin-based Giant Animation, beautifully complements this. Hairston, along with Lindsay Katai (the co-story editor from Infinity Train), has created an endearing lead character in Hazel. She’s refreshingly peculiar, yet empathetic, giving Nickelodeon’s lineup some much-needed complexity. UK viewers can engage with this charming series on Netflix this autumn.

We had the opportunity to converse with Hairston about her journey with A New Wish, the process of revamping a cherished franchise, and the hurdles confronted while working on an animated series with a tight budget intended for a global audience. Here’s an edited version of our discussion for brevity and clarity.

Ashleigh, you find yourself in a unique spot. You were asked to step aboard this reboot, The Fairly OddParents: A New Wish, even though you weren’t an ardent fan of the original series. Now, you have the task of rebranding one of Nickelodeon’s most popular properties, well-loved by its fanbase. What were your initial instincts? Were you thinking, “It’s time to start afresh,” or did you immediately feel beholden to the original?

I believe it was an advantage for the show that its two story editors – Lindsay Katai and myself – had no emotional ties to the original series. We were slightly older and didn’t grow up with the show; however, we respected it and its characters. We also had a strong foundation in adventure storytelling. Lindsay was coming from Infinity Train and myself from Craig of the Creek. Our aim was to tell an incredible story with a remarkable character. We caught up with the first five seasons and fully understood the essence of the show, which was an endless stream of jokes. We wished to restore the heart of the series – what would happen if a child had unlimited wishes. Nickelodeon wanted a new godkid with the return of Cosmo and Wanda, which was their underlying requirement. However, we also contemplated, “What if we introduced new godparents?”

I’m intrigued, was there a part of you that really wanted to initiate from a clean slate despite the network’s wishes?

We were open to the idea of new godparents, but I definitely didn’t want to upset fans. While contributing my voice to Tiny Toons Looniversity, I witnessed the uproar when the creative team decided to recast Babs and Buster Bunny as siblings rather than love interests. The fans simply couldn’t move past it. So, I was of the mindset to give people what they want, albeit with a twist to keep it new, exciting and fun. Eventually, we decided on retaining Cosmo and Wanda, which we were thrilled about, but with a new godkid in a different location. In a way, it was almost like starting from scratch, reconnecting with the essence of the storytelling and wish-making process in our unique way with our individual comedic instincts. Lindsay and I both have a background in improv and sketch comedy which I think helped us in creating a fresh, new series. I was indeed anxious about how the audience would perceive it; it followed the same formula yet felt different in many ways.

Indeed, it’s a radically different show, largely because of your new protagonist, Hazel. The early episodes of Fairly OddParents were heavily influenced by testosterone. It’s quite significant that two women were chosen to take a fresh approach to this series, centering it around a young girl, which has dramatically transformed its perspective and dynamics.

Absolutely. You nailed it. Lindsay and I could bring our personal experiences as women into the show. Shifting Hazel’s troubles from being mostly external, like Timmy’s, to more internal problems drastically changed the wish-making process and the storytelling. Moreover, we had to make it relevant for today’s audience. Children today are different compared to those in the early 2000s in terms of watching cartoons, interaction with their parents, and their upbringing. The world is a scarier place now; you don’t want to frighten children further. You want them to enjoy the experience. Standards and Practices kept a close eye on us, ensuring many jokes were off-limits.

The era of pushing the envelope like The Animaniacs has passed.

Oh yes, those days are long gone.

You mentioned how Hazel’s internal problems as opposed to Timmy’s external one changed your approach to the show. I’m curious to know if there were other aspects you noticed while watching the original show that you wanted to tinker with?

We desired a slower-paced show. We wanted it to be calmer, less shrieky, and let Hazel be a little girl who is also peculiar. Nickelodeon is generally a boy-centric network. Despite making a bold choice of featuring a little black girl as the lead character, we also aimed to portray that girls can be peculiar too. They can be a little unconventional in their likes and interests. Hazel is an anime lover and a rock collector. Both Lindsay and I were peculiar children. I remember sharing a story during my job interview about my childhood hobby of collecting the reflector lights in the roads when I was a kid in Seattle. I used to pick those up and keep them on our back porch deck; they were my pets. Our pilot episode starts with Hazel talking to her pet rocks; that was a piece from my life. We wanted to be able to portray a peculiar child — we had to term her “quirky” instead of “weirdo”. Additionally, we had to consider our collaboration with Netflix.

I was going to inquire about that actually.

Learning to work with Netflix was another curveball. They have a global audience, which meant we had to ensure our character and story catered to the entire world. They even suggested making Hazel more “aspirational”, as she should be ideally flawless as kids would want to aspire to be her. We had to tone down her peculiarity to depict her as someone kids could relate to.

All kids have their insecurities.

Yes, that’s normal and it’s okay.

When the idea of the series renewal was proposed, they were keen on making the hero a character of color. Was it a challenge to shift the show’s focus towards more colorful characters?

Not at all. We wanted to diversify Fairy World as well. Lindsay and I, along with the co-executive producers, Dave [Stone] and Daniel [Abramovici], fully supported the idea. They returned with different body shapes, colors, hair textures and styles when we wanted to revamp our fairies and create a new Fairy World. I recall stating, “Fairy World should look like an Apple Store.” You see all kinds of people there. There wasn’t a particular push, but it took someone to voice this out and say, “This is the image we want to portray.”

Original article: https://www.skwigly.co.uk/fairly-oddparents-a-new-wish-ashleigh-crystal-hairston/