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''Marvel's Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur'' (or simply ''Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur'') is an American animated
superhero A superhero or superheroine is a fictional character who typically possesses ''superpowers'' or abilities beyond those of ordinary people, is frequently costumed concealing their identity, and fits the role of the hero, typically using their ...
television series developed by Steve Loter, Jeffrey M. Howard, and Kate Kondell for
Disney Channel Disney Channel is an American pay television television channel, channel that serves as the flagship (broadcasting), flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney Entertainment business segment of the Walt Disney Company ...
. Based on ''
Moon Girl And Devil Dinosaur ''Marvel's Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur'' (or simply ''Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur'') is an American animated superhero television series developed by Steve Loter, Jeffrey M. Howard, and Kate Kondell for Disney Channel. Based on '' Moon Girl A ...
'' by
Marvel Comics Marvel Comics is a New York City–based comic book publishing, publisher, a property of the Walt Disney Company since December 31, 2009, and a subsidiary of Disney Publishing Worldwide since March 2023. Marvel was founded in 1939 by Martin G ...
, the series follows
Lunella Lafayette ''Marvel's Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur'' (or simply ''Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur'') is an American animated superhero television series developed by Steve Loter, Jeffrey M. Howard, and Kate Kondell for Disney Channel. Based on ''Moon Girl An ...
and her dinosaur companion
Devil Dinosaur Devil Dinosaur is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in ''Devil Dinosaur'' #1 (April 1978). Devil Dinosaur is depicted as resembling an enormous, crimson '' ...
. The series features the voices of Diamond White,
Fred Tatasciore Fred Tatasciore ( , , born June 13, 1967) is an American voice actor who has provided voices in animated and live-action films, television shows, and video games. He is known for voicing the Hulk, Volstagg, and Beast in various Marvel media and ...
,
Alfre Woodard Alfre Woodard ( ; born November 8, 1952) is an American actress. Known for portraying strong-willed and dignified roles on stage and screen, she has received various accolades, including four Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and three Scree ...
,
Sasheer Zamata Sasheer Zamata Moore (; born May 6, 1986) is an American actress and stand-up comedian. She is best known for her tenure as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' from 2014 to 2017. Since her departure from ''SNL'' ...
, Jermaine Fowler,
Gary Anthony Williams Gary Anthony Williams (born March 14, 1966) is an American actor, comedian and filmmaker. He has voiced the character Uncle Ruckus on ''The Boondocks'', General Horace Warfield in '' StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty'' and Dr. Richard Tygan in '' ...
,
Libe Barer Libe Alexandra Barer (born December 19, 1991) is an American actress, best known for playing the role of Carly Bowman in the Amazon Prime series ''Sneaky Pete''. Early life Barer was born in Los Angeles. Her younger sibling is Ariela Barer. Their ...
, and
Laurence Fishburne Laurence John Fishburne III (born July 30, 1961) is an American actor. Throughout his career, he has gained recognition for his roles on stage and screen as militant and authoritative characters. List of awards and nominations received by Laur ...
. Development began after
Marvel Studios Marvel Studios, LLC, formerly known as Marvel Films, is an American film and television production company. Marvel Studios is the creator of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), a media franchise and shared universe of films and television ser ...
president
Louis D'Esposito Marvel Studios, LLC, formerly known as Marvel Films, is an American film and television production company. Marvel Studios is the creator of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), a media franchise and shared universe of films and television ser ...
showed Fishburne the comic book series ''
Moon Girl And Devil Dinosaur ''Marvel's Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur'' (or simply ''Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur'') is an American animated superhero television series developed by Steve Loter, Jeffrey M. Howard, and Kate Kondell for Disney Channel. Based on '' Moon Girl A ...
''. His interest piqued, having been a fan of the original ''
Moon-Boy Moon-Boy is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is best known as the constant companion of Devil Dinosaur. Publication history Being primarily a supporting character to Devil Dinosaur, Moon-Boy ...
and Devil Dinosaur'', Fishburne sought to make an animated series based on the duo. Production proceeded for two years before Steve Loter was hired as an executive producer. After a successful pitch to
Disney Television Animation Disney Television Animation (DTVA; also shortened to Disney TVA), formerly known as Walt Disney Pictures Television Animation Group and Walt Disney Television Animation, is an American animation production company that serves as the television a ...
executives, the series was greenlit and publicly announced in February 2018. It is produced by Cinema Gypsy Productions, Disney Television Animation, and
Marvel Animation Marvel Animation Inc. is an American animation production company. It was incorporated on January 25, 2008, to direct Marvel's efforts in animation and home entertainment markets. The incorporated Marvel Animation included then ongoing animatio ...
, with animation by
Flying Bark Productions Flying Bark Productions Pty. Ltd. (formerly known as Yoram Gross Film Studios, Yoram Gross-Village Roadshow and Yoram Gross-EM.TV) is an Australian entertainment and animation studio that is a subsidiary of Belgian children's production company ...
. In October 2022, ahead of the series premiere, the series was renewed for a second season. ''Marvel's Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur'' premiered on Disney Channel on February 10, 2023, and was released on
Disney+ The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
five days later. The series received highly positive reviews for its writing, animation, soundtrack, representation, and characters. The series won five
Children's and Family Emmy Awards The Children's and Family Emmy Awards, or Children's and Family Emmys, are a part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the National Academy of Television Arts a ...
. The second season premiered on February 2, 2024, with the remaining episodes of the second season premiering on February 6, 2025. A
crossover Crossover may refer to: Entertainment Music Albums * ''Cross Over'' (album), a 1987 album by Dan Peek, or the title song * ''Crossover'' (Dirty Rotten Imbeciles album), 1987 * ''Crossover'', an album by Intrigue * ''Crossover'', an album by ...
with ''
Spidey and His Amazing Friends ''Spidey and His Amazing Friends'' (also known as ''Marvel's Spidey and His Amazing Friends'') is an American animated television series produced by Marvel Studios Animation (formerly Marvel Animation) and animated by Atomic Cartoons (who als ...
'', " Moon Girl and the Dino Dilemma", aired on November 15, 2024, with White and Tatasciore reprising their roles.


Premise

Lunella Lafayette ''Marvel's Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur'' (or simply ''Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur'') is an American animated superhero television series developed by Steve Loter, Jeffrey M. Howard, and Kate Kondell for Disney Channel. Based on ''Moon Girl An ...
is a 13-year-old genius living with her parents and grandparents in the
Lower East Side The Lower East Side, sometimes abbreviated as LES, is a historic neighborhood in the southeastern part of Manhattan in New York City. It is located roughly between the Bowery and the East River from Canal to Houston streets. Historically, it w ...
of
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
. One day, she activates a portal and a red ''
Tyrannosaurus ''Tyrannosaurus'' () is a genus of large theropod dinosaur. The type species ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' ( meaning 'king' in Latin), often shortened to ''T. rex'' or colloquially t-rex, is one of the best represented theropods. It lived througho ...
'' steps out of it. With the support of her friend Casey, she becomes a superhero named Moon Girl and names the dinosaur
Devil Dinosaur Devil Dinosaur is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in ''Devil Dinosaur'' #1 (April 1978). Devil Dinosaur is depicted as resembling an enormous, crimson '' ...
.


Characters


Main

* Diamond White as Lunella Lafayette / Moon Girl, a gifted 13-year-old
African-American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from any of the Black racial groups of Africa. ...
girl who lives a double life as a superheroine and accidentally brings Devil Dinosaur into present-day New York. *
Fred Tatasciore Fred Tatasciore ( , , born June 13, 1967) is an American voice actor who has provided voices in animated and live-action films, television shows, and video games. He is known for voicing the Hulk, Volstagg, and Beast in various Marvel media and ...
as: **
Devil Dinosaur Devil Dinosaur is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in ''Devil Dinosaur'' #1 (April 1978). Devil Dinosaur is depicted as resembling an enormous, crimson '' ...
, a red ''
Tyrannosaurus ''Tyrannosaurus'' () is a genus of large theropod dinosaur. The type species ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' ( meaning 'king' in Latin), often shortened to ''T. rex'' or colloquially t-rex, is one of the best represented theropods. It lived througho ...
'' with horns that was accidentally brought to present-day New York City by Lunella. He is shown to have a big appetite for food, especially hot dogs. ** Coach Hrbek, Lunella's gym teacher at Intermediate School 833 who also works as a substitute science teacher. *
Alfre Woodard Alfre Woodard ( ; born November 8, 1952) is an American actress. Known for portraying strong-willed and dignified roles on stage and screen, she has received various accolades, including four Emmy Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and three Scree ...
as Miriam "Mimi" Lafayette, Lunella's paternal grandmother who is a snack bar attendant at Roll With It and is an expert cook. In the first season finale, it is revealed that Mimi was the original Moon Girl, having operated under that code name as a scientist, and that she secretly knows that Lunella and Moon Girl are one and the same. *
Sasheer Zamata Sasheer Zamata Moore (; born May 6, 1986) is an American actress and stand-up comedian. She is best known for her tenure as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' from 2014 to 2017. Since her departure from ''SNL'' ...
as Adria Lafayette, Lunella's mother who is a social activist and DJ at Roll With It. * Jermaine Fowler as James Lafayette Jr., Lunella's klutzy father and a sneaker clerk at Roll With It. *
Gary Anthony Williams Gary Anthony Williams (born March 14, 1966) is an American actor, comedian and filmmaker. He has voiced the character Uncle Ruckus on ''The Boondocks'', General Horace Warfield in '' StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty'' and Dr. Richard Tygan in '' ...
as James "Pops" Lafayette Sr., Lunella's paternal grandfather and the proprietor of Roll With It. *
Libe Barer Libe Alexandra Barer (born December 19, 1991) is an American actress, best known for playing the role of Carly Bowman in the Amazon Prime series ''Sneaky Pete''. Early life Barer was born in Los Angeles. Her younger sibling is Ariela Barer. Their ...
as Casey Calderon, Lunella's manager, best friend of Puerto Rican and
Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...
ancestry, and confidant in regards to Lunella's identity as Moon Girl.


Villains

*
Alison Brie Alison Brie Schermerhorn (born December 29, 1982) is an American actress, writer, and producer. She earned recognition for playing Trudy Campbell in the drama series ''Mad Men'' (2007–2015), and had her Breakthrough role, breakthrough starring ...
as Ms. Dillon / Aftershock, a supervillain with electrokinesis and former science teacher. *
Fred Tatasciore Fred Tatasciore ( , , born June 13, 1967) is an American voice actor who has provided voices in animated and live-action films, television shows, and video games. He is known for voicing the Hulk, Volstagg, and Beast in various Marvel media and ...
as: ** Devos the Devastator, a robotic being that speaks in the third person. ** Moon Dinosaur, an alternate reality version of Devil Dinosaur. * Carlee Baker as Sofie Slugfoot / Instantanegirl, an ex-
hurdler Hurdling is the act of jumping over an obstacle at a high speed or in a sprint. In the early 19th century, hurdlers ran at and jumped over each hurdle (sometimes known as 'burgles'), landing on both feet and checking their forward motion. Today ...
who took a chemical compound that enhanced her leg muscles to give her more speed, which got her banned from the Olympic games. * Aaron Drown as Timmy Grubbs / Man Baby, the infant son of a scientist who was accidentally enlarged by his scientist father's growth rays * Ace Gibson as Gravitas, a supervillain whose gloves can shoot liquid that negates the gravity of his targets. *
Jennifer Hudson Jennifer Kate Hudson (born September 12, 1981), also known by her nickname J.Hud, is an American singer, actress, producer, and talk show host. Having received List of awards and nominations received by Jennifer Hudson, numerous accolades for ...
as Mane, Lunella's vengeful living hair. *
Maya Hawke Maya Ray Thurman Hawke (born July 8, 1998) is an American actress and singer-songwriter. She is the daughter of Hollywood actors Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman. She began her career in modeling, and subsequently made her screen debut as Jo March in ...
as
Abyss Abyss may refer to: Religion * Abyss (religion), a bottomless pit, or a passage to the underworld * Abyss (Thelema), a spiritual principle within the system of Thelema Film and television * ''The Abyss'' (1910 film), a Danish silent film s ...
, a teleporter who is the daughter of an unnamed female supervillain. *
Daveed Diggs Daveed Daniele Diggs (born January 24, 1982) is an American actor, rapper, and singer-songwriter. He is the vocalist of the experimental hip hop group Clipping, and in 2015, he originated the dual roles of Marquis de Lafayette and Thomas Jeffer ...
as Rat King, a humanoid rat villain who lives in the sewers and is served by the rats that live there. *
Kari Wahlgren Kari Wahlgren (born July 13, 1977) is an American voice actress who has provided English-language roles for animated movies, TV series, and video games. She got her start in anime voice-overs as List of FLCL characters#Haruko Haruhara, Haruko H ...
as Linh Pham / Stiletto, a supervillain and shopaholic of high-heeled shoes whose special stilettos can expand to long heights. *
Gary Anthony Williams Gary Anthony Williams (born March 14, 1966) is an American actor, comedian and filmmaker. He has voiced the character Uncle Ruckus on ''The Boondocks'', General Horace Warfield in '' StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty'' and Dr. Richard Tygan in '' ...
as: ** Rockin' Rudy, a villain that always manages to evade capture despite not having any superpowers other than a working car. ** Garko the Man-Frog, a humanoid frog villain and thief. *
Mae Jemison Mae Carol Jemison (born October 17, 1956) is an American engineer, physician, and former NASA astronaut. She became the first African-American woman to travel into space when she served as a mission specialist aboard the Space Shuttle Endeavou ...
as Skipster, an app created by Lunella that can skip forward in time and is made to sound like her voice actress Dr. Mae Jemison. *
Sasheer Zamata Sasheer Zamata Moore (; born May 6, 1986) is an American actress and stand-up comedian. She is best known for her tenure as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' from 2014 to 2017. Since her departure from ''SNL'' ...
as Flying Fox, a light salmon-colored humanoid fox villain who can fly. *
June Diane Raphael June Diane Raphael ( ; born January 4, 1980) is an American actress, comedian, and screenwriter. She has starred in TV comedy programs ''Burning Love'', Adult Swim's '' NTSF:SD:SUV::'', and ''Grace and Frankie''. Notable film work includes suppo ...
as Marcy Muzzler, a scientist who is obsessed with
gentrification Gentrification is the process whereby the character of a neighborhood changes through the influx of more Wealth, affluent residents (the "gentry") and investment. There is no agreed-upon definition of gentrification. In public discourse, it has ...
. *
Paul Scheer Paul Christian Scheer (born January 31, 1976) is an American comedian, actor, filmmaker, and podcaster. Scheer is best known for his roles in FX/ FXX's ''The League'' and Showtime's comedy series '' Black Monday''. Scheer also co-created and s ...
as Marty Muzzler, a scientist and husband of Marcy who is obsessed with gentrification. *
Anna Akana Anna Kay Napualani Akana (born August 18, 1989) is an American actress, comedian, filmmaker, musician, and YouTuber. She has appeared in TV series, web series, films, and music videos that include Ray William Johnson's ''Breaking Los Angeles'' ...
as Odessa Drake, a
social media influencer A social media influencer, or simply influencer (also known as an online influencer), is a person who builds a grassroots online presence through engaging content such as photos, videos, and updates. This is done by using direct audience intera ...
who is the daughter of the unnamed Thieves Guild leader. *
Method Man Clifford Smith, Jr. (born March 2, 1971), known professionally as Method Man, is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. He is a member of the East Coast hip hop collective Wu-Tang Clan, and is half of the hip hop duo Method Man & R ...
as
Torg ''Torg'' is a cinematic cross-genre tabletop role-playing game created by Greg Gorden and Bill Slavicsek, with art by Daniel Horne. It was first published by West End Games (WEG) in 1990. Game resolution uses a single twenty-sided die, ''dram ...
, a giant ape-like creature. *
Wesley Snipes Wesley Trent Snipes (born July 31, 1962) is an American actor and martial artist. In a film career spanning more than thirty years, Snipes has appeared in a variety of genres, such as numerous thrillers, dramatic feature films, and comedies, th ...
as Maris Morlak, a mad scientist and member of
Enclave An enclave is a territory that is entirely surrounded by the territory of only one other state or entity. An enclave can be an independent territory or part of a larger one. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is so ...
who has connections with the original Moon Girl. *
Edward James Olmos Edward James Olmos (born February 24, 1947) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Detective List of Blade Runner (franchise) characters#Gaff, Gaff in ''Blade Runner'' (1982) and its sequel ''Blade Runner 2049'' (2017), Lieuten ...
as
Molecule Man The Molecule Man (Owen Reece) is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He first appeared in '' Fantastic Four'' #20 in November 1963 and was created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. An enormously powerful entity, ...
, a powerful alien being wielding a reality-warping wand who rules over a planet in another reality. * Diamond White as Devil Girl, an alternate reality version of Lunella. *
Robin Thede Robin Thede ( ; born July 27, 1979), is an American comedian, actress and writer. Raised in Iowa, she has also worked as an entertainment correspondent, host, and radio personality. In 2015, she became the first African-American woman to be he ...
as Zakiya / Quickwhip, an aspiring culinary chef who became a whip-wielding supervillain because of a bad turning point in her life that involves Lady Bullseye. * Miki Yamashita as Maki Matsumoto / Lady Bullseye, a female supervillain with excellent accuracy. * Kalen Aris Whitfield as
Jester A jester, also known as joker, court jester, or fool, was a member of the household of a nobleman or a monarch kept to entertain guests at the royal court. Jesters were also travelling performers who entertained common folk at fairs and town ma ...
, a
jester A jester, also known as joker, court jester, or fool, was a member of the household of a nobleman or a monarch kept to entertain guests at the royal court. Jesters were also travelling performers who entertained common folk at fairs and town ma ...
-themed villain. *
Sam Riegel Samuel Brent Oscar Riegel (born October 9, 1976) is an American voice actor. He is best known for his voice roles as Donatello (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Donatello in the 2003 ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2003 TV series), Teenage Mutant ...
as Jackson Weele / Big Wheel, a battle bot player turned supervillain. *
Parker Posey Parker Christian Posey (born November 8, 1968) is an American actress. Known for playing eccentric characters in independent films, she was named "Queen of the Indies" by ''Time'' in 1997. She has received nominations for a Primetime Emmy Awa ...
as Kat Swan, a philanthropist who owns a dog whistle that makes dogs do her bidding every since dogs didn't love her back when she was young. *
Manny Jacinto Manuel Luis Jacinto ( ; born August 19, 1987) is a Filipino-Canadian actor. After several small roles on television, his breakout role came as Jason Mendoza on the NBC sitcom '' The Good Place'' (2016–2020). Jacinto had minor roles in '' Bad ...
as Brian Glory / Blue Streak, a rollerblading enthusiast. *
SungWon Cho SungWon Cho ( ; ; born December 9, 1990), also known as ProZD, is an American YouTuber and actor. On his YouTube channel, Cho produces short comedy skits, unboxing videos, and reviews of board games and snack foods. He is also known for his man ...
as General Hyles, the leader of the moth-like Zingarian army *
Jonathan Banks Jonathan Ray Banks (born January 31, 1947) is an American actor. He played FBI Special Agent Frank McPike in the television series '' Wiseguy'' (1987–1990). For his role, he was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supportin ...
as
Silvermane Silvermane (Silvio Manfredi) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. A notorious crime boss and prominent figure in the Maggia, a fictional organized crime Organized crime is a category of transnationa ...
, a cybernetic crime lord. *
Chuck D Carlton Douglas Ridenhour (born August 1, 1960), known professionally as Chuck D, is an American rapper, best known as the leader and frontman of the hip hop group Public Enemy, which he co-founded in 1985 with Flavor Flav. Chuck D is also a me ...
as
Beetle Beetles are insects that form the Taxonomic rank, order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Holometabola. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 40 ...
, a
beetle Beetles are insects that form the Taxonomic rank, order Coleoptera (), in the superorder Holometabola. Their front pair of wings are hardened into wing-cases, elytra, distinguishing them from most other insects. The Coleoptera, with about 40 ...
-themed villain who was held captive by S.H.I.E.L.D. *
Angela Bassett Angela Evelyn Bassett (born August 16, 1958) is an American actress. Known for her work in film and television since the 1980s, she has received List of awards and nominations received by Angela Bassett, various accolades, including a Primetime ...
as Decoy, a glittery villain seeking to join the villain big leagues. *
Bowen Yang Bowen Yang (born November 6, 1990) is an American actor, comedian, podcaster, and writer. Yang was hired to join the writing staff of the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' in September 2018, ahead of its 44th season, and a year la ...
as
Mister Negative Mister Negative is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is usually depicted as an enemy of Spider-Man, the Punisher, Shang-Chi, and Cloak and Dagger. The character was created by Dan Slott and ...
, a luxury condo magnate. *
Noel MacNeal Noel MacNeal (born September 15, 1961), sometimes credited as Edward Noel MacNeal, is an American puppeteer, actor, director, singer and writer. He is best known as the performer of Bear on ''Bear in the Big Blue House''. He also starred as Kako ...
as Dr. Madness, a mad scientist.


Recurring

*
Laurence Fishburne Laurence John Fishburne III (born July 30, 1961) is an American actor. Throughout his career, he has gained recognition for his roles on stage and screen as militant and authoritative characters. List of awards and nominations received by Laur ...
as the
Beyonder The Beyonder () is a fictional cosmic entity appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Jim Shooter and artist Mike Zeck, the Beyonder first appeared in ''Secret Wars'' #1 (May 1984) as an unseen, nigh-omnipote ...
, a trickster with immense cosmic powers who is described as "curious and mischievous". He is here to judge humanity to see if they are worthy of existence. The Beyonder also provides background information about Lunella's foes (credited as "Backstory Man" for his voiceover narration in earlier episodes) to the viewers. *
Omid Abtahi Omid Abtahi (; born July 12, 1979) is an Iranian-born American actor. He is best known for his roles as Salim, in the Starz Original ''American Gods'', Penn Pershing in ''The Mandalorian'', Saleem Ulman in '' NCIS'', and Homes in the fourth insta ...
as Ahmed, one of Lunella's neighbors who runs the local deli. *
Utkarsh Ambudkar Utkarsh Ambudkar ( ; born December 8, 1983), also known by his stage name UTK the INC, is an American actor, rapper, and singer. He is known for his film roles including '' Pitch Perfect'' (2012), '' Game Over, Man!'' (2018), '' Blindspotting'' ( ...
as Anand, an intellectual rival of Lunella. *
Michael Cimino Michael Antonio Cimino ( , ; February 3, 1939 – July 2, 2016) was an American filmmaker. He achieved fame as the director of ''The Deer Hunter'' (1978), which won five Academy Awards, including Academy Award for Best Picture, Best Picture and ...
as
Eduardo Eduardo is the Spanish and Portuguese form of the male name Edward. Another version is Duarte. It may refer to: Association football * Dudu (footballer, born 1992) (Eduardo Pereira Rodrigues), Brazilian footballer * Eduardo (footballer, born 1 ...
, Lunella's friend who is loud and loves music. * Indya Moore as Brooklyn, the Captain of the school volleyball team, and a friend of Lunella's who is openly
trans Trans- is a Latin prefix meaning "across", "beyond", or "on the other side of". Used alone, trans may refer to: Sociology * Trans, a sociological term which may refer to: ** Transgender, people who identify themselves with a gender that di ...
. * Craig Robinson as Principal Nelson, the principal of Intermediate School 833. * Asia Kate Dillon as LOS-307, a sapient supercomputer. They become the new school counselor at Intermediate School 833 after Miss Sarah's retirement. * Ian Alexander as Tai, a
non-binary Non-binary or genderqueer Gender identity, gender identities are those that are outside the male/female gender binary. Non-binary identities often fall under the transgender umbrella since non-binary people typically identify with a gende ...
Asian-American friend of Lunella's, and the Setter of the school volleyball team. * Tajinae Turner as Geri, a friend of Lunella's, and the Libero of the school volleyball team. * May Calamawy as Fawzia, a lesbian
Muslim Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...
friend of Lunella's, and the Blocker of the school volleyball team. *
Xolo Maridueña Ramario Xolo Ramirez (born June 9, 2001), known professionally as Xolo Maridueña (), is an American actor. His roles include Victor Graham in the NBC drama '' Parenthood'' (2012–2015), Miguel Diaz in the Netflix action series ''Cobra Kai'' (2 ...
as Mel-Varr / Marvin Ellis / Kid Kree, a
Kree The Kree, briefly known as the Ruul, are an List of fictional extraterrestrials, alien race appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. They are native to the planet Hala in the Large Magellanic Cloud, and have a scientificall ...
who is sent to Earth. * Gerald Waters as Eli, a wheelchair-using STEM student and Cecelia's boyfriend. *
Isabella Gomez Isabella Gomez is a Colombian-American actress, best known for starring in '' One Day at a Time''. Gomez has previously had minor roles in both ''Modern Family'' and ''Matador''. She was later cast in a starring role in HBO Max's ''Head of the Cl ...
as Cecelia, an excitable STEM student and Eli's girlfriend. * Myha'la Herrold as Jurnee, a laid-back STEM student.


Guest


Multiple seasons

*
Cobie Smulders Jacoba Francisca Maria "Cobie" Smulders (born April 3, 1982) is a Canadian actress. She is known for her starring role as Robin Scherbatsky in the CBS series ''How I Met Your Mother'' (2005–2014) and as S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Maria Hill in th ...
as
Maria Hill Commander Maria Christina Hill is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Brian Michael Bendis and David Finch (comics), David Finch, the character first appeared in ''The New Avengers (comics), The Ne ...
, an agent of
S.H.I.E.L.D. S.H.I.E.L.D. is a fictional espionage, special law enforcement, and counter-terrorism government agency appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, this agency first appeared in ''Strange Tal ...
who works under director
Nick Fury Colonel (United States), Colonel Nicholas Joseph "Nick" Fury Sr. is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer/artist Jack Kirby and writer Stan Lee, he first appeared in ''Sgt. Fury and ...
. Smulders reprises her role from the
Marvel Cinematic Universe The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on List of Marvel Cinematic Universe films, a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appe ...
.


Shorts guests

* Bone Raider, a man obsessed with stealing dinosaur bones from museums. * Vicente Cimetta, a man with the ability to change his state of matter. * Gammadroid, an android created by the
Mad Thinker The Mad Thinker is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is portrayed to be an evil genius specializing in robotics. He is sometimes referred to just as "The Thinker". Publication history The Mad Think ...
.


Season 1 guests

*
Josh Keaton Joshua Luis Wiener (born February 8, 1979), known professionally as Josh Keaton, is an American actor. He is known for his many voice roles, including Takashi "Shiro" Shirogane in '' Voltron: Legendary Defender'', Spider-Man in various media ...
as Angelo, a boy with community-helping plans who becomes possessed by a trolling Symbiote called Syphonater. *
Andy Cohen Andrew Joseph Cohen (born June 2, 1968) is an American radio and television talk show host, producer, and writer. He is the host and executive producer of ''The Real Housewives'' Multimedia franchise, franchise and Bravo (American TV network), B ...
as Isaac Goldberg-Calderon, one of Casey's fathers *
Wilson Cruz Wilson Cruz (born Wilson Echevarría; December 27, 1973) is an American actor known for playing Rickie Vasquez on ''My So-Called Life'', Dr. Hugh Culber on '' Star Trek: Discovery'', and the recurring character Junito on '' Noah's Arc''. As a g ...
as Antonio Goldberg-Calderon, one of Casey's fathers * Ramone Hamilton as TJ, Brooklyn's younger and annoying brother who is obsessed with his models. *
Luis Guzmán Luis Guzmán (born August 28, 1956) is a Puerto Rican actor. His career spans over 40 years and includes a number of films and television series. He has appeared in Paul Thomas Anderson's films ''Boogie Nights'' (1997), ''Magnolia (film), Magn ...
as Council President Diego Peña, the head of the L.E.S. city council. *
Gideon Adlon Gideon Nicole Adlon ( ; born March 30, 1997) is an American-German actress. Her films include '' Blockers'' (2018), ''The Mustang'' (2019), '' The Craft: Legacy'' (2020), and '' Sick'' (2022). On television, she is known for her roles in the Netf ...
as Lara, Laura, and Laurel, Casey's triplet cousins who are always deadpan. *
Pamela Adlon Pamela Adlon ( ; ; born July 9, 1966) is an American-British actress. She is known for voicing Bobby Hill in the animated comedy series ''King of the Hill'' (1997–2010), for which she won a Primetime Emmy Award. She also voiced Baloo in '' Ju ...
as Rabbi Ryda, Casey's
rabbi A rabbi (; ) is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi—known as ''semikha''—following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of t ...
at her
bat mitzvah A ''bar mitzvah'' () or ''bat mitzvah'' () is a coming of age ritual in Judaism. According to Jewish law, before children reach a certain age, the parents are responsible for their child's actions. Once Jewish children reach that age, they a ...
. *
Laurence Fishburne Laurence John Fishburne III (born July 30, 1961) is an American actor. Throughout his career, he has gained recognition for his roles on stage and screen as militant and authoritative characters. List of awards and nominations received by Laur ...
as Bill Foster, a
geneticist A geneticist is a biologist or physician who studies genetics, the science of genes, heredity, and variation of organisms. A geneticist can be employed as a scientist or a lecturer. Geneticists may perform general research on genetic process ...
and
Hank Pym Dr. Henry Jonathan Pym is a character (arts), character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by penciller Jack Kirby, editor-plotter Stan Lee and writer Larry Lieber, Pym debuted in ''Tales to Astonish'' #27 (Ja ...
's old friend, who was once his assistant on Project Goliath. He specializes in Pym particles. Fishburne reprises his role from the
Marvel Cinematic Universe The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on List of Marvel Cinematic Universe films, a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appe ...
film ''
Ant-Man and the Wasp ''Ant-Man and the Wasp'' is a 2018 American superhero film based on Marvel Comics featuring the characters Scott Lang / Ant-Man and Hope Pym / Wasp. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is th ...
''.


Season 2 guests

*
Ann Harada Ann Harada is an American actress and singer known for originating the role of Christmas Eve in '' Avenue Q''. Early life Harada was born and raised in Honolulu, Hawaii. She attended the Punahou School and was active in theatre in high school. ...
as Matsuye, a college friend of Mimi. *
Jackée Harry Jacqueline Yvonne "Jackée" Harry (born August 14, 1956) is an American actress, comedian, and television personality. She starred as Sandra Clark, the nemesis of Mary Jenkins (played by Marla Gibbs), on the NBC sitcom '' 227'' (1985–1990), and ...
as Merle, a college friend of Mimi. *
Carol Kane Carolyn Laurie Kane (born June 18, 1952) is an American actress. She gained recognition for her role in '' Hester Street'' (1975), for which she received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress. She became known in the 1970s and 1980s in ...
as Bubbe Bina, a baker who owns a Knish bakery. *
Andy García Andrés Arturo García Menéndez (born April 12, 1956) is an American actor, director, producer, and musician. He first rose to prominence acting in Brian De Palma's '' The Untouchables'' (1987) alongside Kevin Costner, Sean Connery, and ...
as Pad-Varr, a Kree who is the father of Kid Kree. *
Ephraim Sykes Ephraim Manessah Sykes (born July 17, 1985, in St. Petersburg, Florida) is an American actor and singer. Sykes played the role of George Eacker in the original Broadway cast of the musical ''Hamilton (musical), Hamilton''. In 2017, Sykes originat ...
as Bobby the Myth, a famous rapper known for selling swag. * Kalen Aris Whitfield as Donny, a museum security guard. *
Cynthia Erivo Cynthia Chinasaokwu Onyedinmanasu Amarachukwu Owezuke Echimino Erivo ( ; born 8 January 1987) is a British actress and singer. Known for her work on both stage and screen, she is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Cynt ...
as Akonam Ojo, a scientist from
Wakanda Wakanda (), officially the Kingdom of Wakanda, is a fictional country appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby, the country first appeared in ''Fantastic Four (comic book), Fantastic Four'' ...
whom Lunella looks up to. *
Giancarlo Esposito Giancarlo Giuseppe Alessandro Esposito (; born April 26, 1958) is an American actor and director. He rose to prominence by portraying Gus Fring in the AMC (TV channel), AMC crime drama series ''Breaking Bad'' (2009–2011), a role he reprised in ...
as Granite, a rock-skinned superhero. *
Alex Newell Alex Eugene Newell (born August 20, 1992) is an American actor and singer. They are known for their role as Unique Adams on the Fox musical series ''Glee'' and Mo on ''Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist''. Newell also starred as Asaka in the Broadwa ...
as Pebble, a dog with a powerful bark and Granite's animal sidekick. *
Bumper Robinson Larry Clarence "Bumper" Robinson II is an American actor. He is best known for his voice roles as Damas in ''Jak 3'', Bumblebee and Blitzwing on '' Transformers: Animated'' Rook Blonko and various other characters in '' Ben 10: Omniverse'', and Fa ...
as
Redwing The redwing (''Turdus iliacus'') is a bird in the thrush family, Turdidae, native to Europe and the Palearctic, slightly smaller than the related song thrush. Taxonomy and systematics This species was first described by Carl Linnaeus in his 1 ...
, a psychic bird who wanted to know the identity of the Falcon that he is partners with. *
Cree Summer Cree Summer Francks (born July 7, 1969) is an American-Canadian actress and singer. She is best known for her extensive work in animation, voicing characters such as Elmyra Duff in ''Tiny Toon Adventures'' and related media, Susie Carmichael ...
as
Aragorn Aragorn () is a fictional character and a protagonist in J. R. R. Tolkien's ''The Lord of the Rings''. Aragorn is a Ranger of the North, first introduced with the name Strider and later revealed to be the heir of Isildur, an ancient King of ...
, a
winged horse A winged horse, flying horse, or pterippus is a kind of mythical creature, mostly depicted as a horse with the wings of a bird. Winged horses appear in the mythologies of various cultures including, but not limited to, Greek mythology, Chinese Myt ...
who wanted to fly in a plane like her superhero partner. *
Fred Stoller Fred Stoller (born March 19, 1958) is an American actor, stand-up comedian and author. He is best known for portraying Gerard on ''Everybody Loves Raymond''. Early life Stoller was born in New York City and grew up in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn. ...
as Toothgnasher, a goat who refuses to talk about his superhero partner due to an "impending lawsuit". *
David Tennant David John Tennant (; born 18 April 1971) is a Scottish actor. He is best known for portraying the Tenth Doctor, tenth and Fourteenth Doctor, fourteenth incarnations of The Doctor (Doctor Who), the Doctor in the science fiction series ''Docto ...
as Franklin, a Scottish-accented alien dog who is a hero in his own right. *
Peter Weller Peter Francis Weller (born June 24, 1947) is an American actor and television director. He has appeared in more than 70 films and television series, including ''RoboCop'' (1987) and its sequel ''RoboCop 2'' (1990), in which he played RoboCop ( ...
as Dr. Stern, a strict museum curator who detests kids. *
Kimberly Brooks Kimberly Brooks is an American voice actress. Brooks has voiced characters in video games since the mid-1990s. She has played the voice of Luna in the ''Scooby-Doo'' franchise as part of The Hex Girls, Ashley Williams in the ''Mass Effect'' s ...
as Dani, a museum security guard. *
Arsenio Hall Arsenio Hall (born February 12, 1956) is an American comedian, actor and talk show host. He hosted a late-night talk show, '' The Arsenio Hall Show'', from 1989 until 1994, and again from 2013 to 2014. He has appeared in ''Martial Law'', '' Comi ...
as Vernell Lewis, a roller skater and an old friend of Pops Lafayette. *
Erika Ishii Erika Mari Ishii (born March 7, 1987) is an American voice actor and Television presenter, host. They are best known as the voice of video game characters such as Valkyrie in ''Apex Legends'', and for their appearances in actual play web series ...
as
Turbo In an internal combustion engine, a turbocharger (also known as a turbo or a turbosupercharger) is a forced induction device that is powered by the flow of exhaust gases. It uses this energy to compress the intake air, forcing more air into the ...
, a superhero with powered armor. * Samuel L. Jackson as
Nick Fury Colonel (United States), Colonel Nicholas Joseph "Nick" Fury Sr. is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer/artist Jack Kirby and writer Stan Lee, he first appeared in ''Sgt. Fury and ...
, the director of S.H.I.E.L.D.


Episodes

: Note: Episodes are organized by production order for continuity reasons.


Series overview


Season 1 (2023)


Season 2 (2024–25)


Shorts


Chibi Tiny Tales

''Chibi Tiny Tales'' is a series of shorts that depict characters from various
Disney Channel Disney Channel is an American pay television television channel, channel that serves as the flagship (broadcasting), flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney Entertainment business segment of the Walt Disney Company ...
properties in chibi-style animation. In June 2023, the series began releasing shorts based around ''Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur''.


How NOT To Draw


Theme Song Takeover


Moon Girl's Lab

A musical series which showcases Moon Girl using scientific concepts to take down bad guys.


Production


Development

During discussions with
Marvel Studios Marvel Studios, LLC, formerly known as Marvel Films, is an American film and television production company. Marvel Studios is the creator of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), a media franchise and shared universe of films and television ser ...
regarding a potential collaboration with Cinema Gypsy Productions for a
Marvel Cinematic Universe The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on List of Marvel Cinematic Universe films, a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appe ...
(MCU) project, president
Louis D'Esposito Marvel Studios, LLC, formerly known as Marvel Films, is an American film and television production company. Marvel Studios is the creator of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), a media franchise and shared universe of films and television ser ...
showed actor and comic book fan
Laurence Fishburne Laurence John Fishburne III (born July 30, 1961) is an American actor. Throughout his career, he has gained recognition for his roles on stage and screen as militant and authoritative characters. List of awards and nominations received by Laur ...
the comic book series ''
Moon Girl And Devil Dinosaur ''Marvel's Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur'' (or simply ''Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur'') is an American animated superhero television series developed by Steve Loter, Jeffrey M. Howard, and Kate Kondell for Disney Channel. Based on '' Moon Girl A ...
''. Having read the original ''
Moon-Boy Moon-Boy is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. He is best known as the constant companion of Devil Dinosaur. Publication history Being primarily a supporting character to Devil Dinosaur, Moon-Boy ...
and
Devil Dinosaur Devil Dinosaur is a character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in ''Devil Dinosaur'' #1 (April 1978). Devil Dinosaur is depicted as resembling an enormous, crimson '' ...
'' comic book as a child, ''Moon Girl'' piqued Fishburne's interest. He afterwards began reading the comics, which gave him the inspiration to create an animated series adaptation based on the duo. Fishburne and a production team worked on the series for two years at
Disney Television Animation Disney Television Animation (DTVA; also shortened to Disney TVA), formerly known as Walt Disney Pictures Television Animation Group and Walt Disney Television Animation, is an American animation production company that serves as the television a ...
, before hiring Steve Loter as executive-producer due to his experience on female-centered shows such as Disney's ''
Kim Possible ''Kim Possible'' is an American animated Action comedy TV series, action comedy television series created by Bob Schooley and Mark McCorkle for Disney Channel. The Kim Possible (character), title character is a teenage girl tasked with saving ...
''. Loter and the team then created a roller-skating sequence played over "
Sweatpants Sweatpants are a casual variety of soft trousers intended for comfort or athletic purposes, although they are now worn in many different situations. In the United Kingdom, they are called joggers. In Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa ...
" by
Childish Gambino Donald McKinley Glover Jr. (; born September 25, 1983), also known by his musical stage name Childish Gambino (), is an American actor, comedian, musician, and filmmaker. While he studied at New York University and after working in Derrick ...
as a proof-of-concept piece and pitched it to both executives at Disney Television Animation and a Marvel Studios team including Brad Winderbaum and president
Kevin Feige Kevin Feige ( ; born June 2, 1973) is an American film and television producer. He has been the president of Marvel Studios and the primary producer of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) franchise since 2007. The films he has produced have a co ...
, who greenlit the series for development. On February 20, 2018, it was reported that
Marvel Animation Marvel Animation Inc. is an American animation production company. It was incorporated on January 25, 2008, to direct Marvel's efforts in animation and home entertainment markets. The incorporated Marvel Animation included then ongoing animatio ...
and Cinema Gypsy Productions were developing a ''Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur'' series for
Disney Channel Worldwide Disney Branded Television is a unit of Disney General Entertainment Content which oversees development, production and acquisition of content geared towards children, teenagers and families for Disney+, Disney Channel, Disney Jr. and Disney XD. ...
. Fishburne (a long-time Marvel alumni; having played
Silver Surfer The Silver Surfer is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character also appears in a number of movies, television, and video game adaptations. The character was created by Jack Kirby and first a ...
in '' Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer'' and Bill Foster in ''
Ant-Man and the Wasp ''Ant-Man and the Wasp'' is a 2018 American superhero film based on Marvel Comics featuring the characters Scott Lang / Ant-Man and Hope Pym / Wasp. Produced by Marvel Studios and distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, it is th ...
'') and Helen Sugland serve as the series' executive producers. 20 half-hours were ordered for the first season, but it was later cut down to 17. On August 24, 2019, during the D23 Expo, Fishburne revealed that the series would premiere in 2020 on
Disney Channel Disney Channel is an American pay television television channel, channel that serves as the flagship (broadcasting), flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney Entertainment business segment of the Walt Disney Company ...
, with Disney Television Animation being set to co-produce the series, marking the first time Disney and Marvel worked together on an animated series. Loter executive produces the series alongside Fishburne and Sugland; Loter also serves as the series'
showrunner A showrunner is the top-level executive producer of a television series. The position outranks other creative and management personnel, including episode directors, in contrast to feature films, in which the director has creative control over th ...
. Jeff Howard and Kate Kondell work on the series as co-producers and story editors. Howard and Kondell were the first two writers hired for the series. The two helped the production team define the characters, with an hour being dedicated to a specific character. By the time writing for the episodes started, the characters were defined enough that not many ideas were revised. Kondell also serves as head writer for the series. Fishburne said that "Disney Channel is the perfect platform to explore this pint-sized female African American superhero and ecan't wait for their audience to enjoy the lighthearted adventures of Lunella and Devil Dinosaur", while Cort Lane, Marvel Family and Entertainment's then-senior vice president, said that " oon Girl'sadventures with giant buddy, Devil Dinosaur, are filled with so much wonder and joy, and this historic partnership with Disney Television Animation and Cinema Gypsy Productions proved the right formula to bring them to television". In February 2021, it was reported that Rodney Clouden would serve as supervising producer for the series, while Pilar Flynn would produce. Due to Disney Television Animation's studios having closed in 2020 in response to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
, most of the series was produced remotely. The producers developed each episode with a feature film-like pipeline, with each script receiving a "color script" as with films, and each episode being treated as a "mini-movie". The producers wanted the team to be composed of people with different filmmaking experiences. In October 2022, the series was renewed for a second season. The series was renewed after a positive reception from both Disney and Marvel executives. Rafael Chaidez took over as producer for season two, while Flynn and Clouden serve as co-executive producers alongside Kondell. Kondell also serves as story editor alongside Halima Lucas, the latter who also became a co-producer alongside Ben Juwono, who replaced Clouden as supervising director. Flynn was also promoted to co-showrunner alongside Loter. Production for season 2 began by February 2023. Loter said that the production team envisions the series to span three seasons, believing they could tell a complete story within that timeframe while remaining open to the possibility of creating more seasons. He also mentioned that the show's renewal or cancellation depends on the ratings of the season 2 premiere on both Disney Channel and
Disney+ The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
.


Writing

The series features entirely of women of color in its writers' room, as well as on its directing team, as the producers wanted the production team to reflect the diversity within
New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
, where the show is set. The writers, alongside other crew members of color, were allowed to provide feedback regarding representation of minorities within the show, with some of said crew members receiving promotions within the crew while working on the series. The crew also worked alongside Disney production coordinator Allen March to identify moments to add diversity to the show via background or speaking characters, as well as to calculate the representation per episode. Loter, who lives in New York City, said that it was important for the crew to "make sure they've got New York right", wanting to respect the city's "vibe" and "tone". He also reused elements of the series' portrayal of NYC from his cancelled ''
Cars A car, or an automobile, is a motor vehicle with wheels. Most definitions of cars state that they run primarily on roads, seat one to eight people, have four wheels, and mainly transport people rather than cargo. There are around one billio ...
'' spin-off film ''Metro'', such as prominently featuring the New York City Hall station, which appears in the series as Lunella's lab. The series starts off with an episodic format as it explores Lunella becoming Moon Girl, before transitioning into a more serialized story, with an arc unfolding throughout the first season. Supervising producer Rodney Clouden said it was important for the production crew to accurately portray a multigenerational African-American family. They wanted to show both Moon Girl learning from her family and her family learning from her through their multiple perspectives. Each character was given a different personality and profession, such as Pops being owner of a roller-skate and Andria being a DJ, to further explore diversity and how "everyone is so different rom each other.
Sasheer Zamata Sasheer Zamata Moore (; born May 6, 1986) is an American actress and stand-up comedian. She is best known for her tenure as a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' from 2014 to 2017. Since her departure from ''SNL'' ...
, who voices Lunella's mother, said that family is a crucial theme in the show, and described the series as "a nice way to see a Black family work together and enjoy each other and spread love in their community". Producer Pilar Flynn said it was important for the writers to have Moon Girl and Casey have a close and supportive relationship, which is rarely seen among female friendships in animation. The producers used the original comic as "a springboard" and "a point of reference" for the series, although making several alterations regarding the source material to make the story fit in a television format while still incorporating nods to multiple comic-book storylines. According to Diamond White, the series features "levels of emotions" that were absent from the original comic. The series portrays the relationship between the duo as "a partnership" instead of "a pet/owner dynamic", with Devil becoming fiercely loyal to Moon Girl and feeling "at home with her" due to how she treats him. Another changes were the increased role of Lunella's family and the addition of her friend Casey, which were made to showcase how Lunella's world changes as she grows through the series. They also felt it was important for Lunella to have a support system, and for her household to represent that of many audiences' households. The producers changed Lunella's age from 9 to 13-years-old because they wanted social media to play a prominent role in her character, which they felt would not work with her being 9-years-old. The series features several obscure characters from Marvel comics. The characters included were selected due to potential roles they could play in the story, interest from the producers, and/or recommendations from Marvel, such as the
Beyonder The Beyonder () is a fictional cosmic entity appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Jim Shooter and artist Mike Zeck, the Beyonder first appeared in ''Secret Wars'' #1 (May 1984) as an unseen, nigh-omnipote ...
, who was suggested by Marvel Studios president
Kevin Feige Kevin Feige ( ; born June 2, 1973) is an American film and television producer. He has been the president of Marvel Studios and the primary producer of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) franchise since 2007. The films he has produced have a co ...
as a foil for Lunella; the producers were particularly interested in featuring characters that hadn't been adapted to other media before, such as
Aftershock In seismology, an aftershock is a smaller earthquake that follows a larger earthquake, in Epicenter, the same area of the Mainshock, main shock, caused as the displaced Crust (geology), crust adjusts to the effects of the main shock. Large earthq ...
, as their obscurity allowed the creators to make changes that fitted within the show's narrative, though more prominent Marvel characters are also set to appear. Fishburne noted, however, that some characters were unable to appear due to "proprietary issues", such as
Amadeus Cho Amadeus Cho is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by American writer Greg Pak and Canadian artist Takeshi Miyazawa, the character first appeared in '' Amazing Fantasy'' vol. 2 #15 (January 2005). C ...
, whom the team wanted to include in season 1 but were forbidden by Marvel; elements of the team's plans for the character were ultimately used for Kid Kree in season 2. Elements from Marvel comics will appear more prominently later in the series, after Lunella and "her world" are properly established. Some of the villains represent real-life issues within the show, such as Aftershock draining the Lower East Side's energy in the first episode, which serves as "a statement" about
gentrification Gentrification is the process whereby the character of a neighborhood changes through the influx of more Wealth, affluent residents (the "gentry") and investment. There is no agreed-upon definition of gentrification. In public discourse, it has ...
. The series was also described as "complimentary" to the MCU, with the creators including multiple nods to the franchise through the series. Fishburne claimed that the series is not "connected to the MCU officially", while Loter revealed that "a couple of MCU characters" would appear in the series. Additionally, Flynn stated that the producers consider the series a "companion series" to the MCU but not part of the franchise.


Casting

In February 2021, it was reported that White and Tatasciore would voice the titular duo, with Woodard, Williams, Zamata, and Fowler providing the voices of Lunella/Moon Girl's grandparents and parents, respectively, and Barer as her best friend, Casey. It was also reported that Fishburne would voice
The Beyonder The Beyonder () is a fictional cosmic entity appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Jim Shooter and artist Mike Zeck, the Beyonder first appeared in ''Secret Wars'' #1 (May 1984) as an unseen, nigh-omnipote ...
in a recurring capacity. Additional recurring and guest roles were announced at
San Diego Comic-Con San Diego Comic-Con is a comic book convention and multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California, at the San Diego Convention Center. Founded in 1970, originally showcasing primarily comic books and science fiction/fant ...
in July 2022. White was cast shortly after Loter heard her audition tape; according to Loter, her tape was the only one he heard, as he was impressed with her performance. Voice recordings for season one were partially done remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Williams, whose work on the show was his first role during the pandemic, received help from his wife to prepare to record his lines from their home. White and Barer ad-libbed several dialogues between Moon Girl and Casey, with the two recording their lines simultaneously either physically or through Zoom. White also recorded some of her lines with Tatatsciore, as well as with Woodward, Zamata, and Williams. While providing the vocal effects for Devil, Tatasciore was given a script with lines for him, which he would later work into animal vocals. The idea of Fishburne voicing the Beyonder was suggested by Loter. For his performance, Fishburne wanted it to be lighter and less recognizable than his previous roles, so he and Loter worked together to develop his voice for the Beyonder.


Animation

The series is animated by
Flying Bark Productions Flying Bark Productions Pty. Ltd. (formerly known as Yoram Gross Film Studios, Yoram Gross-Village Roadshow and Yoram Gross-EM.TV) is an Australian entertainment and animation studio that is a subsidiary of Belgian children's production company ...
, in
Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
,
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
. Titmouse worked on early visual development for the series. Flying Bark, whose employees were fans of the source material, was hired due to the studio's work on ''
Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ''Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' is an American animated television series developed by Ant Ward and Andy Suriano for Nickelodeon. Based on the ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, it is a re-im ...
''. Animation lead Kat Kosmala created a series of rules for the animators, among them being that the character animation must draw the viewers' attention, the action must be "simple and direct", and simplification should be used only for designs. The visual style is meant to "
ean Ean may refer to: People * Ean Campbell (1856–1921), Scottish Anglican cleric, bishop of Glasgow and Galloway * Ean Elliot Clevenger, American multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, and songwriter * Ean Evans (1960–2009), bassist for Lynyrd Skynyr ...
heavy into 2D graphic comicbook sensibility". The animation combines hand-drawn animation with Toon Boom Harmony, with Toon Boom being used for stage and head-rigging, while the bodies of the characters are hand-drawn. The producers originally planned to only use Toon Boom, but ultimately felt hand-drawn animation was also required. Multiple animation styles were used per episode. For the New York sequences, the producers drew inspiration from graffiti artists, as well as artists such as
Andy Warhol Andy Warhol (;''Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary''"Warhol" born Andrew Warhola Jr.; August 6, 1928 – February 22, 1987) was an American visual artist, film director and producer. A leading figure in the pop art movement, Warhol ...
, for the series' art style, to portray New York in a more realistic style than most animated shows, while also portraying the city as its own character. Loter and Clouden drew inspiration from their childhood for the series' portrayal of NYC. Graffiti artists were hired to work on the graffiti depicted through the show to show accurate graffiti. The camera movement was also meant to evoke the feeling of a real-life city recording, with "forced tight shots" and "object obstruction". The buildings and streets were also drawn to be accurate to their real-life counterparts. The musical sequences feature a more abstract art style that is more colorful and action-focused. Flashback sequences feature a simpler graphic style with colors that "quickly enhance emotional beats". Due to Fishburne's love of comic books, producers also wanted the animation to "feel like an illustrated moving comic book", so the artists drew inspiration from comic books from the 1970s, featuring a lack of "perfect shapes" and "edgy line work", while having a hand-drawn feel. Details such as black spots were also added so they could "
eel Eels are ray-finned fish belonging to the order Anguilliformes (), which consists of eight suborders, 20 families, 164 genera, and about 1000 species. Eels undergo considerable development from the early larval stage to the eventual adult stage ...
like a very complete piece" even before adding color. Artists wanted to avoid using digital techniques such as motion blur, wanting instead to rely mainly on ink-and-paint techniques. The animation also drew inspiration from '' Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse'', with the producers wanting the animation to be as energetic as possible within a budget for a TV series. The animators also sought for the animation to be "complimentary" to ''Into the Spider-Verse'' without recycling its animation style.
Marvel Studios Animation Marvel Studios Animation (also known as Marvel Animation) is a division of American production company Marvel Studios centered on development of its animated projects based on Marvel Comics. The division was created by Marvel Studios as a "min ...
's '' What If...?'' was also an influence on the series' visual design. Lead character designer Jose Lopez wanted the characters to have multiple shapes that were "fun to look at", such as Moon Girl's silhouette changing when she dons her superhero outfit. He also wanted Devil Dinosaur to look like "a mean dinosaur" while also being "believable as a lovable pet". He also drew inspiration from comic strip artist
Bill Watterson William Boyd Watterson II (born July 5, 1958) is an American cartoonist who authored the comic strip ''Calvin and Hobbes''. The strip was syndicated from 1985 to 1995. Watterson concluded ''Calvin and Hobbes'' with a short statement to newspa ...
, of whom Lopez is a fan of.
Marc Hempel Marc Hempel (born May 25, 1957) is an American cartoonist/comics artist best known for his work on '' The Sandman'' with Neil Gaiman. Biography Writer and artist Marc Hempel grew up in the northwest suburbs of Chicago and now lives in Baltimore ...
and Devil's co-creator
Jack Kirby Jack Kirby (; born Jacob Kurtzberg; August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994) was an American comics artist, comic book artist, widely regarded as one of the medium's major innovators and one of its most prolific and influential creators. He grew ...
were also inspirations for the art style of the show, with the artists incorporating the
Kirby Krackle The Kirby Krackle (also known as Kirby Dots) is an artistic convention in superhero and science fiction comic books and similar illustrations, in which a field of black is used to represent negative space around unspecified kinds of energy. It is ...
into the series. The artists also incorporated elements to visually represent the characters' feelings, such as manga-style "flairs", as well as emojis that were "simple and clear and direct".


Music

In July 2022, it was announced that
Raphael Saadiq Raphael Saadiq (; born Charles Ray Wiggins; May 14, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. He rose to prominence as a vocalist and bassist for the R&B band Tony! Toni! Toné!, which he formed with h ...
would serve as the executive music producer for the show. He also provided both the score and songs for the show. Loter, a fan of Saadiq, approached him to work on the project during an autograph signing. Each episode features a different song by Saadiq, depicted in-universe as part of a mix-tape Moon Girl listens to; the songs were written before animation work began so the animators could synchronize the songs to the sequence. Saadiq included different musical genres in the soundtrack to reflect the diversity within New York City. Producer Pilar Flynn described his score as "sophisticated" and "unlike anything
he has He or HE may refer to: Language * He (letter), the fifth letter of the Semitic abjads * He (pronoun), a pronoun in Modern English * He (kana), one of the Japanese kana (へ in hiragana and ヘ in katakana) * Ge (Cyrillic), a Cyrillic letter cal ...
seen in animation before", saying it "elevated the entire show to another level". According to Flynn, the crew generally pitched ideas for the score to Saadiq, only for him to discard them in favor of something different, which the producers received positively. The first episode features a song titled "Where You Come From", which Loter described as "a love letter to New York". Saadiq also wrote songs for the series' villains. The show's theme song, "Moon Girl Magic", was performed written by Saadiq alongside Halima Lucas and
Taura Stinson Taura Stinson is an American songwriter, producer, musician, composer and author. Stinson has co-written songs for artists including Deborah Cox, Cynthia Erivo, Kelly Rowland, Destiny's Child, Kelis and Jennifer Hudson. She has also written song ...
, and performed by White. The song was written by Saadiq with "a similar energy" to "
Juice Juice is a drink made from the extraction or Cold-pressed juice, pressing of the natural liquid contained in fruit and vegetables. It can also refer to liquids that are flavored with concentrate or other biological food sources, such as meat ...
" by
Lizzo Melissa Viviane Jefferson (born April 27, 1988), known professionally as Lizzo (), is an American singer and rapper. Born in Detroit, Michigan, she moved to Houston, Texas, with her family at the age of ten. After college, she moved to Minn ...
, and received an "instant green-light" by the executives, which is rare for most theme songs for a television series. Saadiq said he wanted the song to be both "uplifting" and "happy", while White was excited to "bring Lunella's voice to the show in a singing way". The title sequence was storyboarded by supervising director Ben Juwono, who drew inspiration from the music video for
Cyndi Lauper Cynthia Ann Stephanie Lauper ( ; born June 22, 1953) is an American singer, songwriter and actress. Known for her distinctive image, featuring a variety of hair colors and eccentric clothing, and for her powerful four-octave vocal range;Jerome, ...
's "
Girls Just Want to Have Fun "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" is a single made famous in 1983 by the American singer-songwriter Cyndi Lauper, written by Robert Hazard in 1979, with some of the lyrics changed by Lauper. It was released by Portrait Records as Lauper's debut s ...
" and storyboarded it to play to "Juice", as the theme song had not been written by that point. The song was released as a single on November 14, 2022. A soundtrack featuring selected songs from the first season was released on February 10, 2023.


Censorship

An episode from Season 2, entitled "The Gatekeeper", was shelved from release; however, the full episode leaked on November 15, 2024. The episode revolved around the openly-transgender character Brooklyn. James Whitbrook of ''
io9 ''io9'' is a sub-blog of the technology blog ''Gizmodo'' that focuses on science fiction and fantasy pop culture, with former focuses on science, technology and futurism. It was created as a standalone blog in 2008 by editor Annalee Newitz under ...
'', after reviewing the leaked footage, noted that "the episode is clearly not subtle" with its focus on Brooklyn and "the explicit prejudice she faces as a trans teen who wants to participate in school sports". Artists who worked on series alleged that the episode was pulled as a result of the political climate surrounding
Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...
winning the
2024 United States presidential election United States presidential election, Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 5, 2024. The Republican Party (United States), Republican Party's Ticket (election), ticket—Donald Trump, who was the 45th president of ...
and the Republican Party winning both chambers of
Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...
. Michael McWhertor of ''
Polygon In geometry, a polygon () is a plane figure made up of line segments connected to form a closed polygonal chain. The segments of a closed polygonal chain are called its '' edges'' or ''sides''. The points where two edges meet are the polygon ...
'' reported that a Disney source stated the episode was "held" instead of banned, with that determination occurring "more than a year ago and was not based the result of recent U.S. elections". Whitbrook reported that a Disney source claimed the intent of the hold was "to ensure material doesn't potentially push ahead discussions around social issues before families can have them themselves", however, Whitbrook also commented that "it would not be the first time Disney has capitulated to right-wing systems of power by censoring its own material". Despite being unreleased, the episode won a Velma Award from the non-profit LGBT organization, The Rainbow Project.


Release

''Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur'' premiered on
Disney Channel Disney Channel is an American pay television television channel, channel that serves as the flagship (broadcasting), flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney Entertainment business segment of the Walt Disney Company ...
on February 10, 2023. The series was originally scheduled to premiere in 2020, before being delayed to 2022, and later to its eventual premiere date. The first six episodes of the series were added to Disney+ on February 15, 2023, resulting in episodes 3 to 6 being released prior to their television debuts.


Marketing

A teaser trailer showing clips from the opening was released by executive-producer
Laurence Fishburne Laurence John Fishburne III (born July 30, 1961) is an American actor. Throughout his career, he has gained recognition for his roles on stage and screen as militant and authoritative characters. List of awards and nominations received by Laur ...
in December 15, 2021. An official clip was released during
San Diego Comic-Con San Diego Comic-Con is a comic book convention and multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California, at the San Diego Convention Center. Founded in 1970, originally showcasing primarily comic books and science fiction/fant ...
in 2022, while the first trailer was released during the
D23 Expo D23: The Official Disney Fan Club, also known as Disney D23 or simply D23, is the official fan club for The Walt Disney Company. Founded in 2009, the organization is known mainly for its biennial exposition event, D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Eve ...
, where the first episode was shown to the attendees. The series' intro was released during the
New York Comic Con The New York Comic Con is an annual New York City fan convention dedicated to comics, Western comics, graphic novels, anime, manga, video games, cosplay, toys, Film, movies, and television. It was first held in 2006. With an attendance of 200,00 ...
2022, with the first two minutes of the season premiere also being shown during the panel. A music video for the theme song was released in November 14, 2022. Merchandising for the show will include apparel and a series of toys produced by The World of EPI and Funko Pop! that serve as tie-ins for the series. Characters from ''Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur'' appear as limited-time meet-and-greet characters at the
Avengers Campus Avengers Campus is a Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU)–themed area located at Disney California Adventure and Walt Disney Studios Park in Disneyland Paris, and being developed for Hong Kong Disneyland under the name Stark Expo. The Marvel-t ...
at
Disney California Adventure Disney California Adventure is a theme park at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. It is owned and operated by the Walt Disney Company through its Experiences division. The park is themed after Disney's interpretation of California ...
starting from February 15, 2023, in commemoration of
Black History Month Black History Month is an annually observed commemorative month originating in the United States, where it is also known as African-American History Month. It began as a way of remembering important people and events in the history of the Af ...
. A soundtrack featuring songs from the first season, in digital and audio cassette formats, was released on January 4, 2023 by
Walt Disney Records Walt Disney Records is an American record label owned by the Disney Music Group. The label releases soundtrack albums from the Walt Disney Company's Walt Disney Studios (division), motion picture studios, television shows, Disney Experiences, them ...
.


Reception


Critical reception

On the
review aggregator A review aggregator is a system that collects reviews and ratings of products and services, such as films, books, video games, music, software, hardware, or cars. This system then stores the reviews to be used for supporting a website where user ...
website
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
, the first season holds an approval rating of 100%, based on 16 reviews with an average rating of 8.7/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "With dazzling visuals and punchy pacing that feel beamed straight from a child's imagination, ''Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur'' will enthrall kids while impressing animation connoisseurs." Joel Keller of
Decider Decider is both a real word and a "Bushism". It may refer to: * ''Decider'' (website), a pop culture website operated by the ''New York Post'' * '' Bill Maher: The Decider'', a stand-up comedy special * Decider (Turing machine), a Turing machin ...
asserted, "''Marvel's Moon Girl And Devil Dinosaur'' is a dynamic, smart, visually arresting series that has a unique girl at its center, a puppy-like dinosaur, and stories that will entertain both kids and their parents." Matthew Aguilar of ''
ComicBook.com ''ComicBook.com'' is an entertainment website that offers news in the fields of comic books, television, films, video games, and anime. The site came online in 1996 serving as a holding page for sales links and press releases related to comic b ...
'' gave the series a 4 out of 5, writing, "''Marvel's Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur'' is an enchanting adventure that wears its heart and charm on its sleeve. The show carves out a corner of the Marvel universe all its own with personality for days and characters that leap off the screen, and any Marvel fan will regret missing out on this one-of-a-kind gem."


Awards and nominations


Graphic novel

On May 12, 2023, it was reported that a graphic novel based on the series was in development, entitled ''Wreck and Roll''. It was released on April 2, 2024. The novel was written by Stephanie Williams with art by Asia Simone, while Scholastic published it.


Notes


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur 2023 LGBTQ-related television 2024 LGBTQ-related television 2025 LGBTQ-related television 2020s American animated television series 2020s American black cartoons 2020s American LGBTQ-related animated television series 2023 American television series debuts 2023 animated television series debuts 2025 American television series endings 2025 animated television series endings 2020s American superhero television series American black superhero television shows American children's animated action television series American children's animated adventure television series American children's animated musical television series American children's animated science fiction television series American children's animated superhero television series American English-language television shows Animated series produced by Marvel Animation Animated superheroine television shows Animated television series about dinosaurs Animated television series based on Marvel Comics Animated television series set in New York City Animation controversies in television Annie Award–winning television shows American anime-influenced animated television series Disney and LGBTQ Disney controversies Disney Channel original programming Gay-related television shows LGBTQ-related controversies in animation Marvel Animation American teen animated television series Teen superhero television series Television series by Disney Television Animation Children's and Family Emmy Award-winning broadcasts