Netflix's animated series Long Story Short, from the mind of the same man who created BoJack Horseman, offers a touching, incredibly authentic story focused on an American-Jewish family, providing genuine representation that's all too rare in today's media. The show follows the history of a dysfunctional family in a non-linear order across multiple years, getting deep into the core facets of nearly every family member.
The show is filled with an insanely talented cast, including Ben Feldman (Avi Schwooper), Angelique Cabral (Jen Schwooper), Abbi Johnson (Shira Schwooper), Nicole Byer (Kendra Hooper), Max Greenfield (Yoshi Schwooper), Lisa Edelstein (Naomi Schwartz), Paul Reiser (Elliot Cooper), and so many more.
The Direct sat down with Long Story Short creator and showrunner Raphael Bob-Waksberg and star Lisa Edelstein to talk about why the show could only be told the way they wanted in animation, as opposed to live action.
Long Story Short is now streaming on Netflix. For more animated greatness on the same streaming service, make sure to check out its latest film, Swapped, starring Michael B. Jordan.
Why Animation Is the Perfect Medium for Long Story Short
Live-Action Just Simply Wouldn't Cut it for This Story.
- The Direct: "When it comes to the show, it's obviously animated. So I'm curious, with the story and the messages that you guys are conveying, what is it about animation that does that in the way that you don't think live action? "
Raphael Bob-Waksberg: I think that animation is a handful of things that I really love. I think something about it takes you back to like a childhood place. I think it feels like you're reading like a picture book, or you're watching a show that you watched when you were a kid. I think it just makes you more emotionally open, more willing to kind of go places. I think you suspend your disbelief more easily, right? A lot of animation is like talking horses, right? And so, you're just kind of like, okay, I'm going with it.
The Long Story Short creator went on to explain more specifics, including how he feels the story "can get away with more on the nose dialogue," and also more easily "be silly in one moment, serious in the next."
Bob-Waksberg: But I find that once you're in that space, you'll believe other things too, right? So you'll believe that this character is speaking really openly and nakedly about their feelings in a way that, maybe, if you saw it in the live-action show, might feel phony. And so you can get away with more on the nose dialogue. You can be silly in one moment, serious in the next, and it feels less like whiplashy, because you're kind of just in this animated space... You can be silly in one moment, serious in the next, and it feels less like whiplashy because you're kind of just in this animated space.
Lisa Edelstein on Creating Her Character in Long Story Short
No One Else Could Have Played Naomi.
- The Direct: "Lisa, with your character, I'm curious, what is something you feel is unique to you? What did you bring to the table that no other person would have brought to this character and wasn't on the page?"
Lisa Edelstein: Naomi... [the whole character]... But that's what happens, right? You marry your own being to someone else's writing, and what happens in that chemistry is where the excitement lives. And so, for sure, I bring a lot of my family dynamics to the story, and I love it.
The Direct's entire interview with Long Story Short's Raphael Bob-Waksberg and Lisa Edelstein can be seen below.
