Editing Futurama (section)

==Production==
===Development===
[[File:David X. Cohen & Matt Groening by Gage Skidmore.jpg|thumb|[[David X. Cohen]] and [[Matt Groening]] at the ''Futurama'' panel of [[San Diego Comic-Con International|Comic-Con]] 2009]]
The television network Fox expressed a strong desire in the mid-1990s for [[Matt Groening]] to create a new series after the success of his previous series, ''[[The Simpsons]]''; Groening began conceiving ''Futurama'' during this period. In 1995, he enlisted [[David X. Cohen]], then a writer and producer for ''The Simpsons'', to assist in developing the show. The two spent time researching science fiction books, television shows, and films. When they pitched the series to Fox in April 1998, Groening and Cohen had composed many characters and story lines; Groening claimed they had gone "overboard" in their discussions.<ref name="theface">{{Cite journal |last=Needham |first=Alex |date=October 1999 |title=Nice Planet...We'll Take It! |url=http://www.frcr.com/library/the_face1.html |journal=The Face |issue=33 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000824051707/http://www.frcr.com/library/the_face1.html |archive-date=August 24, 2000}}</ref> Groening described trying to get the show on the air as "by far the worst experience of my grown-up life".<ref name="motherjones">{{Cite web |last=Doherty |first=Brian |date=March–April 1999 |title=Matt Groening |url=https://www.motherjones.com/media/1999/03/matt-groening |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090416213422/http://www.motherjones.com/media/1999/03/matt-groening |archive-date=April 16, 2009 |access-date=January 14, 2007 |website=[[Mother Jones (magazine)|Mother Jones]]}}</ref>

Fox ordered thirteen episodes. Immediately after, however, Fox feared the themes of the show were not suitable for the network and Groening and Fox executives argued over whether the network would have any creative input into the show.<ref name="theface" /> With ''The Simpsons'', the network has no input.<ref name="Snierson">{{Cite magazine |last=Snierson |first=Dan |date=March 26, 1999 |title=Space Case |url=http://www.frcr.com/library/ew_online1.html |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000824042829/http://www.frcr.com/library/ew_online1.html |archive-date=August 24, 2000 |access-date=June 3, 2008}}</ref> Fox was particularly disturbed by the concept of [[suicide booth]]s, [[Zoidberg|Doctor Zoidberg]], and [[Bender (Futurama)|Bender]]'s anti-social behavior.<ref name="1ACV03Production2">{{Cite AV media |title=Futurama: Volume One DVD commentary for the episode "[[I, Roommate]]" |type=DVD |publisher=20th Century Fox |year=2002 |quote='''Matt Groening:''' Well, I think that's a good idea– I always wanted to have Bachelor Chow right now and so– this was– Anyway, the network really– really was freaked out by the show, the suicide booths– and lobster creatures and Bender being so anti-social and so– yeah, this was our show to tone things down. This script was written specifically to their specifications. |people=Cohen, David X.; Groening, Moore, Rich; Vanzo, Gregg; Horsted, Eric; Haaland, Bret; West, Billy}}</ref> Groening explains, "When they tried to give me notes on ''Futurama'', I just said: 'No, we're going to do this just the way we did ''Simpsons''.' And they said, 'Well, we don't do business that way anymore.' And I said, 'Oh, well, that's the only way I do business.'"<ref name="Mr. Showbiz">{{Cite web |date=April 8, 1999 |title=Groening Bites the Hand that Feeds |url=http://www.frcr.com/library/mrshowbiz1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000824051817/http://www.frcr.com/library/mrshowbiz1.html |archive-date=August 24, 2000 |access-date=June 3, 2008 |website=Mr. Showbiz}}</ref> The episode "[[I, Roommate]]" was produced to address Fox's concerns, with the script written to their specifications.<ref name=1ACV03Production2/><ref name="1ACV03Production">{{Cite AV media |title=Futurama: Volume One DVD commentary for the episode "[[I, Roommate]]" |type=DVD |publisher=20th Century Fox |year=2002 |quote='''Matt Groening:''' This is the third episode in the series. And this is the series that– had a trouble beginning– with the Fox Network, who felt that the show was too outrageous and too much out of space. This was our attempt, the third episode, to bring the show back to Earth. |people=Cohen, David X.; Groening, Moore, Rich; Vanzo, Gregg; Horsted, Eric; Haaland, Bret; West, Billy}}</ref> Fox strongly disliked the episode, but after negotiations, Groening received the same independence with ''Futurama''.<ref name="1ACV03Production3">{{Cite AV media |title=Futurama: Volume One DVD commentary for the episode "I, Roommate" |type=DVD |publisher=20th Century Fox |year=2002 |quote='''Matt Groening:''' And their reaction, David? '''David X. Cohen:''' "Worst. Episode. Ever." '''Groening:''' Yeah, they really– they really hated this script, and&nbsp;— sorry, Eric&nbsp;— and this was the point at which, we decided we wanted to do the show that we wanted to do. Their notes made no sense anyway, they're completely contradictory. And so– we did what we wanted. |people=Cohen, David X.; Groening, Moore, Rich; Vanzo, Gregg; Horsted, Eric; Haaland, Bret; West, Billy}}</ref>

The name ''Futurama'' comes from a pavilion at the [[1939 New York World's Fair]]. Designed by [[Norman Bel Geddes]], the [[Futurama (New York World's Fair)|Futurama pavilion]] depicted how he imagined the world would look in 1959.<ref name="Strange Sounds">{{Cite book |last=Taylor |first=Timothy Dean |url=https://archive.org/details/strangesoundsmus00tayl |title=Strange Sounds: Music, Technology & Culture |year=2001 |isbn=0-415-93684-5 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/strangesoundsmus00tayl/page/104 104–105] |publisher=Psychology Press |url-access=registration}}</ref> Many other titles were considered for the series, including ''Aloha, Mars!'' and ''Doomsville'', which Groening notes were "resoundly rejected, by everyone concerned with it".<ref name="1ACV05">{{Cite AV media |title=Futurama: Volume One DVD commentary for the episode "[[Fear of a Bot Planet]]" |type=DVD |publisher=20th Century Fox |year=2002 |quote='''Groening:''' The original name for this show was not ''Futurama'', by the way. There was a long long list of possible names, the only two I remember which were resoundingly rejected, by everyone concerned with it; ''Doomsville'' was my number one choice. And my number two choice&nbsp;— and I don't even know why I thought this was a good idea for a name&nbsp;— somehow, ''Aloha, Mars!'' struck me and that was also not particularly... |people=Cohen, David X.; Groening, Moore, Rich; Vanzo, Gregg; DiMaggio, John}}</ref><ref name="UGOFuturamaNames">{{Cite web |last=Fitzpatrick |first=Kevin |date=August 4, 2011 |title=Futurama Facts You Never Knew |url=http://www.ugo.com/tv/futurama-facts-you-never-knew |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110926204153/http://www.ugo.com/tv/futurama-facts-you-never-knew |archive-date=September 26, 2011 |access-date=August 5, 2011 |publisher=UGO}}</ref> It takes approximately six to nine months to produce an episode of ''Futurama''.<ref name="Saunders">{{Cite news |last=Saunders |first=Dusty |date=March 25, 1999 |title=Fox's Far-Out Futurama Looks Like a Hit |url=http://www.frcr.com/library/denver1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000824051917/http://www.frcr.com/library/denver1.html |archive-date=August 24, 2000 |access-date=June 3, 2008 |work=[[Rocky Mountain News|Denver Rocky Mountain News]]}}</ref><ref name="SciFiWeekly2" /> The long production time results in several episodes being worked on simultaneously.<ref name="GroeningChat">{{Cite web |date=April 6, 1999 |title=Online Chat with Matt Groening |url=http://frcr.com/library/april6_matt_g_chat.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000929144303/http://frcr.com/library/april6_matt_g_chat.html |archive-date=September 29, 2000 |access-date=June 3, 2008 |website=[[TV Guide]]}}</ref>

===Writing===
The planning for each episode began with a table meeting of writers, who discussed the plot ideas as a group. The writers are given index cards with plot points that they are required to use as the center of activity in each episode. A single staff writer wrote an outline and then produced a script. Once the first draft of a script was finished, the writers and executive producers called in the actors for a table read.<ref name="Needham">{{Cite news |last=Needham |first=Alex |date=October 1999 |title=Nice Planet...We'll Take It! |url=http://www.frcr.com/library/the_face1.html |access-date=June 3, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000824051707/http://www.frcr.com/library/the_face1.html |archive-date=August 24, 2000}}</ref> After this script reading, the writers collaborated to rewrite the script as a group before sending it to the animation team.<ref name="DXC Interview">{{Cite web |title=David X Cohen interview with GotFuturama.com |url=http://www.gotfuturama.com/Information/Articles/DavidInterview/DavidXCohenInterview.dhtml |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081015203707/http://www.gotfuturama.com/Information/Articles/DavidInterview/DavidXCohenInterview.dhtml |archive-date=October 15, 2008 |access-date=June 3, 2008}}</ref> At this point the voice recording was also started and the script was out of the writers' hands.<ref name="SciFiWeekly2" />

The writing staff held three [[Doctor of Philosophy|Ph.D.s]], seven [[master's degree]]s, and cumulatively had more than 50 years at [[Harvard University]]. Series writer [[Patric Verrone|Patric M. Verrone]] stated, "we were easily the most overeducated cartoon writers in history".<ref>{{Cite web |last=Verrone |first=Patric M. |date=September 22, 2014 |title=Welcome to the War of Tomorrow |url=http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2014/09/futurama_writer_patric_verrone_on_how_the_cartoon_depicted_asymmetrical.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140922054315/http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2014/09/futurama_writer_patric_verrone_on_how_the_cartoon_depicted_asymmetrical.html |archive-date=September 22, 2014 |access-date=September 22, 2014 |website=[[Slate (magazine)|Slate]] |publisher=[[The Slate Group]]}}</ref>

===Voice actors===
{{See also|List of Futurama guest stars|l1=List of ''Futurama'' guest stars}}
''Futurama'' had eight main cast members. [[Billy West]] performed the voices of [[Philip J. Fry]], [[Professor Farnsworth]], [[Doctor Zoidberg]], [[Zapp Brannigan]], and many other incidental characters. West auditioned for "just about every part", landing the roles of the Professor and Doctor Zoidberg.<ref name="IGNBW">{{Cite web |last=Ken P. |date=August 22, 2005 |title=IGN Interviews Billy West |url=http://uk.tv.ign.com/articles/652/652770p1.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120517013905/http://uk.tv.ign.com/articles/652/652770p1.html |archive-date=May 17, 2012 |access-date=August 22, 2005}}</ref> Although West read for Fry, his friend [[Charlie Schlatter]] was initially given the role.<ref name="IGNBW" /> Due to a casting change, West was called back to audition again and was given the role. West claims that the voice of Fry is deliberately modeled on his own, so as to make it difficult for another person to replicate the voice.<ref name="IGNBW" /> Doctor Zoidberg's voice was based on [[Lou Jacobi]] and [[George Jessel (actor)|George Jessel]].<ref name="TV Squad" /> The character of Zapp Brannigan was originally created for and intended to be performed by [[Phil Hartman]].<ref name="IGNBW" /><ref name="TV Squad">{{Cite web |last=Joel Keller |date=June 15, 2006 |title=Billy West: The TV Squad Interview |url=http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/06/15/billy-west-the-tv-squad-interview |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071017125323/http://www.tvsquad.com/2006/06/15/billy-west-the-tv-squad-interview/ |archive-date=October 17, 2007 |access-date=October 25, 2007}}</ref> Hartman insisted on auditioning for the role, and "just nailed it" according to Groening. Due to Hartman's death, West was given the role. West states that his version of Zapp Brannigan was an imitation of Hartman and also "modeled after a couple of big dumb announcers I knew".<ref name="IGNBW" /><ref name="TV Squad" />

[[Katey Sagal]] voiced [[Leela (Futurama)|Leela]], and is the only member of the main cast to voice only one character. The role of Leela was originally assigned to [[Nicole Sullivan]].<ref name="IGNBW" /> In an interview in June 2010, Sagal remarked that she did not know that another person was to originally voice Leela until many years after the show first began.<ref name="Futurama-rama">{{Cite news |last=Itzkoff, Dave |date=June 24, 2010 |title='Futurama'-Rama: Welcome Back to the World of Tomorrow |work=The New York Times |url=http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/24/futurama-rama-welcome-back-to-the-world-of-tomorrow/ |url-status=live |access-date=July 8, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110813011425/http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/24/futurama-rama-welcome-back-to-the-world-of-tomorrow/ |archive-date=August 13, 2011}}</ref>

[[John DiMaggio]] performed the voice of the robot [[Bender (Futurama)|Bender Bending Rodríguez]] and other, more minor, characters. Bender was the most difficult character to cast, as the show's creators had not decided what a robot should sound like.<ref name="Cohen01">{{Cite AV media |title=Futurama season 1 DVD commentary for the episode 'Space Pilot 3000' |type=DVD |publisher=20th Century Fox |year=2003 |people=Cohen, David X}}</ref> DiMaggio originally auditioned for the role of Professor Farnsworth, using the voice he uses to perform Bender, and also auditioned for Bender using a different voice.<ref name="DiMaggio">{{Cite AV media |title=Futurama season 1 DVD commentary for the episode 'Space Pilot 3000' |type=DVD |publisher=20th Century Fox |year=2003 |people=Dimaggio, John}}</ref> DiMaggio described Bender's voice as a combination of a sloppy drunk, [[Slim Pickens]] and a character his college friend created named "Charlie the sausage-lover".<ref name="Futurama-rama" />

[[Phil LaMarr]] voices [[Hermes Conrad]], his son Dwight, Ethan Bubblegum Tate, and Reverend Preacherbot. [[Lauren Tom]] voices [[Amy Wong]], and [[Tress MacNeille]] voices [[Mom (Futurama)|Mom]] and various other characters. [[Maurice LaMarche]] voices [[List of recurring Futurama characters|Kif Kroker]] and several supporting characters. LaMarche won the [[Emmy Award]] for [[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance|Outstanding Voice-Over Performance]] in 2011 for his performances as [[List of recurring Futurama characters#Lrrr|Lrrr]] and [[Orson Welles]] in the episode "[[Lrrreconcilable Ndndifferences]]".<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 18, 2011 |title=2011 Creative Emmy Award Winners |url=http://www.emmys.tv/sites/emmys.com/files/2011CreativeEmmyWinners.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120416210429/http://www.emmys.tv/sites/emmys.com/files/2011CreativeEmmyWinners.pdf |archive-date=April 16, 2012 |access-date=April 16, 2012}}</ref> [[David Herman]] voiced [[List of recurring Futurama characters#Scruffy|Scruffy]] and various supporting characters. During seasons 1–4, LaMarche is billed as supporting cast and Tom, LaMarr and Herman billed as guest stars, despite appearing in most episodes. LaMarche was promoted to main cast and Tom, LaMarr and Herman to supporting cast in season 5, and promoted again to main cast in season 6.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%; text-align:center;"
|-
!colspan=9|Main cast members
|-
|align=center| [[File:Billy West Photo Op Animate! Columbus 2023.jpg|110x110px|Billy West]]
|align=center| [[File:Katey Sagal Comic-Con 2011.jpg|110x110px|Katey Sagal]]
|align=center| [[File:John DiMaggio (52112905894) (cropped).jpg|110x110px|John DiMaggio]]
|align=center| [[File:Tressmacneille.jpg|110x110px|Tress MacNeille]]
|align=center| [[File:Maurice LaMarche by Gage Skidmore 3.jpg|110x110px|Maurice LaMarche]]
|align=center| [[File:Lauren Tom Photo Op Animate! Columbus 2023.jpg|110x110px|Lauren Tom]]
|align=center| [[File:Phil LaMarr (52964779811).jpg|110x110px|Phil LaMarr]]
|align=center| [[File:SXSW-2024-alih-OB7A0785-Office Space David Herman.jpg|110x110px|David Herman]]
|-
| style="width:12.5%;"| [[Billy West]]
| style="width:12.5%;"| [[Katey Sagal]]
| style="width:12.5%;"| [[John DiMaggio]]
| style="width:12.5%;"| [[Tress MacNeille]]
| style="width:12.5%;"| [[Maurice LaMarche]]
| style="width:12.5%;"| [[Lauren Tom]]
| style="width:12.5%;"| [[Phil LaMarr]]
| style="width:12.5%;"| [[David Herman]]
|-
| style="width:12.5%;"| [[Philip J. Fry]],<br />[[Professor Farnsworth|Professor&nbsp;Farnsworth]],<br />[[Zoidberg|Doctor Zoidberg]],<br />Zapp Brannigan, Richard Nixon's Head, Smitty, Leo Wong (1999–2012)
| style="width:12.5%;"| [[Leela (Futurama)|Leela]]
| style="width:12.5%;"| [[Bender (Futurama)|Bender]], Elzar, URL (1999–2013), Joey Mousepad, Igner, Robot Santa, Flexo, Sal, Barbados Slim (2003–2013)
| style="width:12.5%;"| Mom, Hattie McDoogal, Tinny Tim, Ndnd, Turanga Munda, Linda van Schoonhoven, Guenther, Petunia
| style="width:12.5%;"| Kif Kroker, Morbo, Lrrr, Calculon, The Donbot, Clamps, Hedonismbot, Dr. Perceptron, Walt, Axl
| style="width:12.5%;"| Amy Wong, Inez Wong, Jrrr, Mandy, Newt
| style="width:12.5%;"| Hermes Conrad, Dwight Conrad, Reverend Lionel Preacherbot, Robot 1-X, iZac
| style="width:12.5%;"| Scruffy, Roberto, Mayor Poopenmeyer, Dr. Ogden Wernstrom, Turanga Morris, Larry
|}

In addition to the main cast, [[Frank Welker]] voiced Nibbler and [[Kath Soucie]] voiced Cubert and several supporting and minor characters. Like ''The Simpsons'', many episodes of ''Futurama'' feature guest voices from a wide range of professions, including actors, entertainers, bands, musicians, and scientists. Many guest-stars voiced supporting characters, although many voiced themselves, usually as their own head preserved in a jar. Recurring guest stars included [[Tom Kenny]], [[Dan Castellaneta]] (as [[List of recurring characters in Futurama#Robot Devil|the Robot Devil]]), [[Dawnn Lewis]], Nicole St. John, [[Al Gore]], [[Phil Hendrie]], [[Coolio]] and [[George Takei]], among others. [[Bumper Robinson]] used to be a cast member of the series (who played Hermes' son [[List of recurring characters in Futurama#Dwight Conrad|Dwight]]), but left the series after [[Futurama season 4|season 4]] which caused Phil LaMarr to take over the role afterwards. [[John Goodman]] was meant to reprise the role of [[List of recurring Futurama characters#Robot Santa|Robot Santa]] after "[[Xmas Story]]" in future episodes but was unable to reprise the role due to scheduling problems. As a result, John DiMaggio took over that role starting with "[[A Tale of Two Santas]]". In that same episode, Dan Castellaneta was unable to reprise the [[List of recurring characters in Futurama#Robot Devil|Robot Devil]] due to his work on ''The Simpsons''. Maurice LaMarche took over that role for that episode only as Castellaneta did reprise the role in future episodes. Following Coolio's death in 2022, [[David X. Cohen]] has revealed on [[TMZ]] that he recorded new dialogue for [[List of recurring characters in Futurama#Kwanzaabot and Chanukah Zombie|Kwanzaabot]] before his death in an upcoming episode, scheduled to be released in 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 29, 2022 |title=Coolio Featured on 'Futurama' Next Season ... Recorded Lines & Raps Before Death |url=https://www.tmz.com/2022/09/29/coolio-return-kwanzaabot-futurama-season/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221010193431/https://www.tmz.com/2022/09/29/coolio-return-kwanzaabot-futurama-season/ |archive-date=October 10, 2022 |access-date=October 10, 2022 |website=TMZ}}</ref>

===Animation===
[[File:FuturamaExplosionCGI.jpg|thumb|Computer-generated explosion from the episode "[[The Sting (Futurama)|The Sting]]"]]
''Futurama'' is produced by [[The Curiosity Company]] and [[20th Television Animation]] (which was previously credited as 30th Century Fox Television and is now credited as 30th Television Animation) with the animation being done by [[Rough Draft Studios]]. The studio would receive the completed script of an episode and create a [[storyboard]] consisting of more than 100 drawings. It would then produce a pencil-drawn [[Animatics|animatic]] with 1,000 frames. Rough Draft's sister studio in [[South Korea]] would render the 30,000-frame finished episode.<ref name="Needham" />

In addition to traditional cartoon drawing, Rough Draft Studios often used [[Computer-generated imagery|CGI]] for fast or complex shots, such as the movement of [[Spacecraft|spaceships]], explosions, [[nebula]]e, large crowds, and snow scenes. The opening sequence was entirely rendered in CGI. The CGI was rendered at 24 [[Frame rate|frames per second]] (as opposed to hand-drawn often done at 12 frames per second) and the lack of [[Digital artifact|artifacts]] made the animation appear very smooth and fluid. CGI characters looked slightly different due to spatially "cheating" hand-drawn characters by drawing slightly out of proportion or off-perspective features to emphasize traits of the face or body, improving legibility of an expression. [[PowerAnimator]] and [[Autodesk Maya|Maya]] were used to draw the comic-like CGI whilst [[Toonz]] was used for [[digital ink and paint]] and compositing.<ref name="Scott Vanzo">{{Cite web |title=Scott Vanzo of Rough Draft Studios E-Mail Response |url=http://www.peelified.com/Futurama-Forum-1/Topic-520-0-D_Animation_in_Futurama.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081216142456/http://www.peelified.com/Futurama-Forum-1/Topic-520-0-D_Animation_in_Futurama.html |archive-date=December 16, 2008 |access-date=June 20, 2001}}</ref>

The series began high-definition production in [[Futurama season 6|season 6]], with ''[[Futurama: Bender's Big Score|Bender's Big Score]]''. The opening sequence was re-rendered and scaled to adapt to the show's transition to 16:9 [[widescreen]] format.

For the [[Reincarnation (Futurama)|final episode]] of [[Futurama season 6|season 6]], ''Futurama'' was completely reanimated in three different styles: the first segment of the episode features black-and-white [[Fleischer Studios|Fleischer]]- and [[Walter Lantz]]-style animation, the second was drawn in the style of a [[Display resolution|low-resolution]] video game, and the final segment was in the style of Japanese [[anime]].<ref name="YahooDXC">{{Cite web |date=November 19, 2010 |title='Futurama' Producer David X. Cohen Talks Holiday Special |url=https://tv.yahoo.com/news/article/ustv.associatedcontent.com/ustv.associatedcontent.com-futurama-producer-david-x-cohen-talks-holiday-special |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110527211629/http://tv.yahoo.com/news/article/ustv.associatedcontent.com/ustv.associatedcontent.com-futurama-producer-david-x-cohen-talks-holiday-special |archive-date=May 27, 2011 |access-date=November 29, 2010}}</ref>