Pendleton Ward facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Pendleton Ward
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Ward at the 2015 Peabody Awards
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| Born | Ward Taylor Pendleton Johnston July 8, 1982 San Antonio, Texas, U.S. |
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| Occupation |
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| Education | CalArts (BFA) |
| Genre | Science fantasy Adventure Comedy drama |
| Years active | 2002–present |
| Notable works | Adventure Time Bravest Warriors The Midnight Gospel |
Pendleton Ward, born Ward Taylor Pendleton Johnston on July 8, 1982, is a super creative American animator, writer, producer, and director. He's also a voice actor! He's worked with big names like Cartoon Network Studios, Frederator Studios, and Netflix Animation. You probably know him best as the genius behind the awesome show Adventure Time. He also created the web series Bravest Warriors and the unique animated show The Midnight Gospel.
Contents
Early Life and Creative Beginnings
Pendleton Ward grew up in San Antonio, Texas. He is the youngest of three brothers. Today, he lives in Los Angeles. His mother, Bettie, born in 1947, is an artist.
Ward became interested in animation very early on. His mother, an artist herself, worked with animators, which inspired him. He started drawing flipbooks in first grade. He often made short comic books with his best friend, Alec Coates. He graduated from the North East School of the Arts in San Antonio.
Ward later attended California Institute of the Arts (CalArts). There, he became friends with J. G. Quintel and Alex Hirsch. They all later worked together on The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack. Eric Homan, a vice president at Frederator Studios, offered Ward a job. He saw one of Ward's films at a CalArts animation screening.
Animation Career Highlights
Ward started his career publishing a webcomic called Bueno the Bear in 2002–2003. He later took them down, thinking they were "terrible." However, he still uses "buenothebear" for his website and social media. He also made a student film called Barrista, starring Bueno the Bear, which came out in 2005.
The Start of Adventure Time
Ward continued making short animations for Frederator's Random! Cartoons. These shorts aired on the Nicktoons Network. He worked with many people there who would later join him on Adventure Time. This included composer Casey James Basichis, Adam Muto, and Niki Yang. Many of them had also gone to CalArts with him.
His two most famous shorts were The Bravest Warriors and the Adventure Time animated short. The Adventure Time short was made in 2006. It became super popular online in 2007, getting over a million views that year. Ward first showed Adventure Time to Nickelodeon, but they didn't pick it up. It took some time before Cartoon Network decided to make it into a full series.
Working on The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack
In 2007, Ward was hired to work on the first season of Cartoon Network's The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack. He was a writer and storyboard artist for the show. Flapjack was a "storyboard-driven" show. This meant storyboard artists wrote all the dialogue and drew the action based on a basic idea. Artists worked in pairs; Ward teamed up with Mike Roth and later Alex Hirsch. Ward says his time on Flapjack greatly influenced his own writing style.
Stepping Down from Adventure Time
During the fifth season of Adventure Time, Ward decided to step down as the showrunner. He explained that the job was negatively affecting his "quality of life." In an interview, he said, "I quit because it was driving me nuts." However, he continued to work as a writer and storyboard artist until season six. He also remained an executive producer until the series ended.
Other Creative Projects
In 2017, Ward was a "Story Consultant" for the Dungeons & Dragons adventure, "Tomb of Annihilation." In 2019, the game Card of Darkness was released for Apple Arcade, with Ward as the art director.
On March 16, 2020, a trailer came out for The Midnight Gospel. This adult animated show was co-created by Ward and comedian Duncan Trussell. The story is about Clancy, a "space-caster" who uses a special simulator to interview beings in other worlds. Eight episodes of the show were released on Netflix on April 20, 2020.
In 2021, Ward received special thanks in the video game Psychonauts 2. In 2022, Ward and his team won an Emmy Award. They received "Outstanding Directing for an Animated Program" for their work in City of Ghosts. In November 2024, Adult Swim showed the pilot of Mystery Cuddlers. Ward co-created this show with Jack Pendarvis.
Pendleton Ward's Work in Television
| Year | Title | Role |
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| 2008–2009 | Random! Cartoons | Director, storyboard artist and character designer Episodes: "Adventure Time", "Bravest Warriors" and "6 Monsters" |
| 2008–2009 | The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack | Writer and storyboard artist |
| 2010–2018 | Adventure Time | Creator, writer, storyboard artist, co-producer (Seasons 1–2), executive producer (Seasons 3–10) and showrunner (Seasons 1–5) |
| 2014 | Over the Garden Wall | Writer and storyboard artist Episode: "Songs of the Dark Lantern" |
| 2015 | Uncle Grandpa | Director, writer, storyboard artist and writer Episode: "Guest Directed Shorts" |
| 2018 | Steven Universe | Storyboard artist Episode: "Familiar" |
| 2020 | The Midnight Gospel | Co-creator, director, writer, storyboard artist and executive producer |
| 2020–2021 | Adventure Time: Distant Lands | Creator |
| 2021 | City of Ghosts | Director and writer Episode: "Bob & Nancy" |
| 2022 | Bee and PuppyCat | Writer Episode: "Gentle Touch" and "Funny Lying" |
| 2023 | Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake | Creator |
| 2024 | Mystery Cuddlers | Co-creator, director, writer, storyboard artist and executive producer |
Web Series and Short Films
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2012–2013 | Animation Pals | Animator |
| 2012–2018 | Bravest Warriors | Creator |
| 2014, 2016 | Bee and PuppyCat | Animatic editor, voice director and writer Episodes: "Food" and "Toast" |
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Barrista | Director, writer and animator |
| 2011 | Pikapew Poop Chu | Director, Story, animatic and soundmixing |
Voice Acting Roles
Pendleton Ward is also a talented voice actor! He has lent his voice to many characters in his own shows and others.
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Barrista | Bueno the Bear / Sasha | Short film |
| 2008 | Random! Cartoons | Abraham Lincoln / Old Man | Episode: "Adventure Time" |
| 2009 | The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack | Rower #1 / Sail Boss | Episode: "Ben Boozled" |
| 2010–2018 | Adventure Time | Lumpy Space Princess / Shelby / Abraham Lincoln / Additional voices | 85 episodes |
| 2011 | Pikapew Poop Chu | Ash / Brock | Short film |
| 2012 | Bravest Warriors | Computer | Episode: "Emotion Lord" |
| 2012–2013 | Animation Pals | Dr. Katz | 6 episodes |
| 2014 | Broken Age | Gus | Video Game |
| 2015 | Uncle Grandpa | Uncle Grandpa / Pizza Steve | Episode: "Guest Directed Shorts" |
| 2016 | The Simpsons | Couch Gag singer | Episode: "Monty Burns' Fleeing Circus" |
| 2020–2021 | Adventure Time: Distant Lands | Lumpy Space Princess / Additional voices | 3 episodes |
| 2023 | Adventure Time: Fionna and Cake | Ellis P. / Additional Voices | 5 episodes |
Creative Influences
Ward has shared that his friends, many of whom he works with, are his biggest influences for drawing and animating. He also mentioned being influenced by classic shows like The Ren & Stimpy Show, Beavis and Butt-Head, and The Simpsons. He even got to be a "couch gag" singer in an episode of The Simpsons!
See also
In Spanish: Pendleton Ward para niños
