FOR International Women’s Day, we interviewed Christina Chang, creative director for the new Cartoon Network show We Baby Bears. Chang, a one-time story intern at Pixar, loves JRPGS (Japanese role-playing games), camping, reading books on the Nebula Awards list, and watching anime.
After getting her degree in fine arts for Computer Animation in Ringling College, Chang started working as a story artist and revisionist for We Bare Bears at Cartoon Network Studios before moving onto her role as the creative director in the spin-off series, We Baby Bears.
When we asked her how she would describe the new show, she explained that We Baby Bears is a completely different take on the Bears, and takes place in an alternate universe.
In We Bare Bears, the three bears have their adventures mainly in the Bay Area, but in We Baby Bears, the trio have adventures around the world with a whole new different and vivid art style.
“I think travelling and exploring is on a lot of people’s minds, especially during the pandemic. The Bears get to zip zap all around the universe and see new places,” explained Chang, stating that the new show is very exciting and something new, which is why it has captivated audiences worldwide.
Although many might think that cartoons are only made for kids, the stories created by the story artists are nuanced, and adults enjoy them just as much as the children. For example, adults often spot Easter eggs or funny little secret messages that artists put into the animation sequences. Chang confirmed that both she and other members of the team have included such Easter eggs in the show.
Growing up, Chang remarked that she’s always been shy. For introverts, they recharge by spending time alone, and similarly, Chang found consolation in animation. “[It] was a way I felt like I could convey excitement and stories.”
Besides animation, she was seriously considering going into ornithology, which is the scientific study of birds. As a person who has always liked animals and creating animal characters, Chang stated that she drew a lot of Neopets fan art when she was younger, and that was a big part of her childhood.
She explained that designing the animal characters for work also reminded her of her younger days when she would do character design commissions during her DeviantArt days, so going into the series was just a natural progression for her artistic self.
After working as a story artist for four years, Chang explained that the biggest difference between being a creative director and an illustrator is the number of meetings and the people she meets and works with.
As a creative director, design decisions need to be constantly communicated so all the other artists can be on the same page.
Meanwhile, Chang recalled that it was quite the opposite when she was an illustrator. “Being an illustrator is more independent, which I miss.”
As her roles changed in the company, she also talked about the challenges she faced in the industry. “There are the usual challenges of trying to be heard in a room, gender pay gap, etc...”
On her social media, Chang often advocates for better working conditions for other storyboard artists, and speaks up for the injustices artists face.
Even so, she explained that there is a high demand for them in the animation industry. She says that the industry is faster-paced now and teams are smaller. With smaller teams, she said that artists nowadays can learn much more by asking more questions and observing how the team works.
Working in a team, Chang urged that artists need to be observant about how their role affects others since it’s a big team project.
In the future, she said that she would love to go back to her roots, which is storyboarding.
As someone who’s working in the fields of their passion, she also draws a lot for fun, as seen in her social media, where she would post fun and cute sketches about her daily life anecdotes.
When asked about how she balances work and play, Chang said: “It’s amazing to get to do what I’ve always enjoyed, but burnout is real, and sometimes hard to acknowledge. What’s helped is keeping to a schedule.”
Chang explains that she tries to step away from work by 6pm in general and spend time outdoors for days when she feels uninspired. And for days where she just doesn’t feel like it, she won’t pressure herself to draw.
Listening to Chang, it would seem that if being in the animation industry is your dream, you should go for it. One piece of advice that she has for a woman looking to work in the animation industry is: “Don’t be afraid to speak up! Ask for equal wages and equal treatment. It’s 2022!”
We Baby Bears is the spin-off of the hit series, We Bare Bears, where Grizz (Connor Andrade), Panda (Amari McCoy) and Ice Bear (Max Mitchell) travels in a magical box to fantastic new worlds searching for a place to call home, but as their younger baby selves. Along the way, they meet new friends, learn a few lessons and discover that “home” can mean wherever they are, as long as they’re together.
Catch We Baby Bears on Cartoon Network (Astro Ch 615) at 10:30am on weekends or stream it on HBO GO. Executive produced by Daniel Chong and Manny Hernandez, We Baby Bears also features an otherworldly list of guest stars including Anjali Bhimani, Rhys Darby, Janeane Garofalo, Young M.A., Jason Mantzoukas, Stephen Oyoung, Willow Smith and Bernardo Velasco.
