Interview - Fantasy Hospital :Let's talk with Justin Marchert

By Mulder, Los Angeles, 02 august 2016

Q: How did you get such an idea?

Justin Marchert : The idea came from a combination of sources. First, I've always loved medical comedies, like "MASH," "Scrubs," and "Dr. Bob" (from "The Muppets"). A few years ago, I lost my Mom to cancer. When this happens, you spend a lot of time in hospitals and a lot of that time wishing someone could magically fix everything. "Fantasy Hospital" was soon to follow.

Q: What are your main inspirations?

Justin Marchert : I like a lot of genre comedy; that is comedies set in sci-fi and fantasy worlds. The best examples include Douglas Adams' "Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy," Terry Pratchett's "Discworld books, and more recent ones like the animated webseries "Doraleous and Associates" and the podcasts "The Thrilling Adventure Hour" and "Hello From the Magic Tavern."

Q: You seem to be a great fan of fantasy universes, can you tell us what is your favorite movie? Character?

Justin Marchert : I have a lot of favorite fantasy films/books: Lord of the Rings, Dragonlance, Narnia, Bartimaeus, Harry Potter, etc. But my favorite story and character would have to be Rincewind the Wizzard, who first appears in Terry Pratchett's book & film "The Colour of Magic."

Q: Was the webserie difficult to manage?

Justin Marchert : It was the most difficult endeavor I've ever attempted. To keep the costs to a minimum, I animated the whole thing myself. I was not an animator a few years ago; I was an actor. Learning animation as I created "Fantasy Hospital" was a steep learning curve, so it took several years to create the show.

Q: Can you tell us an anecdote about the show?

Justin Marchert : Pete Holmes (From "The Pete Holmes Show") broke his foot just before his voiceover session. Voice actors typically stand up during sessions, but the sound engineer made an exception for Pete to sit. We were just thankful it's an animated show, or of course we wouldn't have been able to do anything.

Q: Is there an actor you'd like to have in the show?

Justin Marchert : There are a lot of actors whom I'd love to see in our fantasy world, like Neil Patrick Harris, Zoe Saldana Bruce Campbell and Rainn Wilson. I dream big. :-)

Q: Will there be a season 2?

Justin Marchert : I would love to see a season 2. The script is already written (There are vampires and werewolves involved). But it will only be produced if we can acquire funding for it. So cross your fingers.

Q: Among all the characters you created, which one is your favorite and why?

Justin Marchert : I think The High Wizard is my favorite, because he's a composite of a lot of fun people -- George Takei, Wil Wheaton, Barak Obama. We learn a lot about him and his plans for the fantasy world in episode 5 - LIVE From The Opal Office.

Q: Is there a character you wanted to create and, finally, you did not? If there's one, why did you not bring it to life?

Justin Marchert : There are several characters that I ran out of room for in season 1. But rest assured, they're in season 2. Dr. Tundra is a dark-skinned, white-haired brilliant elf doctor. Oxford is a not-so-brilliant gnome. We see the two of them in the first season, but we don't get to hear from them. Other characters I hope to include down the road include a dragon, a minotaur and a spider creature.

Q: Can you describe your show in one word?

Justin Marchert : Fantacomedimation.

Big thanks to Justin Marchert for this e-interview