New 2D kids’ series features 6 middle-schoolers, a mad scientist, and summer camp adventures filled with mind-reading manatees, fashion forward mutants, and other crazy critters; premieres January 11 on Disney Channel.
Growing up in South Florida comes with a few unique side effects: a Miami accent, a fondness for Floribbean cuisine, and a deep curiosity about the creatures lurking nearby—even if that means getting a little too close to an alligator.
“Animals and plants just thrive in the tropics,” says writer and director Ryan Gillis, a South Florida native known for Palm Rot (2015), Pickle & Peanut (2015-2017), and The Wonderful World of Mickey Mouse (2021-2022). “You can’t take a step into the grass without lizards and bugs scattering underfoot. If you leave a car parked for too long, it’s going to become something’s nest. My brother and cousins used to catch alligators, iguanas, armadillos, geckos—whatever they could get their hands on, really.”
Of course, Gillis insists the wildlife escapades were “nothing nefarious, just to take pictures with ‘em.” But growing up surrounded by Florida’s critters sparked countless story ideas. On a study-abroad college trip to the Bahamas, complete with idyllic beaches and a termite invasion, the concept for StuGo - premiering Saturday, January 11, at 8:00 PM ET/PT on Disney Channel - was born.
“You’re not separate from nature down in places like Andros or Florida,” says Gillis. “You’re very much in it, and that makes you curious. Every time I go back to Florida, I have a new idea I want to make happen. StuGo really came together while I was in development at Disney, and it’s been a great vehicle for stories I’ve been wanting to tell for a long time.”
StuGo is an original animated series about six middle schoolers tricked into attending a fake academic summer camp by a mad scientist. What begins as three months of dull learning transforms into the adventure of a lifetime on a tropical island filled with mind-reading manatees, giant fighting fungi, and fashion-forward mutants. From Disney Branded Television, the show is produced by Titmouse in association with Disney Channel. The voice cast includes Tania Gunadi as Pliny, Zosia Mamet as Merian, Zach Reino as Chip, Gabourey Sidibe as Francis, Charlyne Yi as Larry, Deborah Baker Jr. as Sara, Lorraine Toussaint as Dr. Lullah, and Jake Green as Mr. Okay.
Check out the teaser:
The 2D-animated sci-fi series will debut with two episodes, followed by weekly installments on Sundays at 9:00 AM ET/PT. The series will also stream on Disney+ in the spring of 2025.
“The 11-minute sneak peek that’s on YouTube right now features an alligator death roll,” highlights Gillis, who serves as creator and executive producer. “That’s a dream come true.”
For more, watch the “Sneako Peeko” exclusive look at StuGo:
Joining Gillis on the creative team are co-executive producer Sunil Hall (Gravity Falls) and story editor Craig Lewis (Foster’s Home for Imaginary Friends).
“Ryan and I share a similar sense of humor and a love of nature and science fiction,” says Hall, who first worked with Gillis on Disney’s Pickle & Peanut. “When he showed me the StuGo pilot, I loved it immediately. I was really happy to join the team when it got the greenlight.”
A good sense of humor and admiration for nature are clearly at the heart of StuGo, which features wild takes on very real animals. Think giant crabs with shipwrecks for shells, pterodactyls playing chicken with robotic sea creatures, and thieving alligators in purple pants acting as dictators.
“The stuff happening in nature every day is already too wild to believe,” says Gillis, who voices an alligator mutant named Chicho in the series. “Manatees are attracted to freshwater runoff from nuclear power plants. Fungus is specialized to mind-control insects. Nature is already full of sci-fi ideas. Everyone on the show loved digging into the weirdness of the world around us.”
Some creators became quite partial to certain mutants; we’re looking at you, Hall. “If you don’t instantly fall in love with Elizardbeth, you’re a heartless monster,” he notes.
Finding an art direction that could illustrate insane creatures and beautiful tropical landscapes that audiences would want to visit took significant effort.
“There was a lot of exploratory design during development,” shares Gillis. “Artists like our future director Steve Wolfhard, Mikkel Sommer, and Juliaon Roels helped develop the characters. Linnea Sterte and Baptiste Lucas worked on backgrounds. But things really came into focus when Sam Bosma came on as art director. He took my reference images, combined them with the development artwork, added his own flair, and synthesized it all into the show’s style, which I find really beautiful and appealing.”
Gillis notes he had “folders upon folders” of reference imagery, from indie comics and nature photography to Ray Harryhausen stills and Miami Deco architecture.
“Some of Sam Bosma’s illustrations were in those folders years before I knew I’d get to work with him,” says Gillis. “StuGo’s not the first show to feature kids on an island or a mad scientist, so it was important to add our own mark. Dr. Lullah’s technology features Spanish tiles. Palm trees, air plants, and rust creep into every room and building. The world feels salty and humid. The art style sells the place’s specificity, and it’s just beautiful. Sam and the designers did an amazing job creating a world I want to spend time in.”
Hall agrees, adding, “The character designs bridge the line between realistic and cartoony, which I love. They’re solid and dimensional but still very pushed and fun to draw.”
Having served as an executive producer at Titmouse for the last two years, Gillis was familiar with the studio’s famed eclectic capabilities, demonstrated in shows like Fairfax, Frog and Toad, Big Mouth, and Tales of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. But his admiration for Titmouse goes way back.
“I’ve been a fan of Titmouse shows since college,” says Gillis. “When Disney was looking for a production partner for the show, I knew Titmouse was the right fit. The biggest challenge was time. We had a lot of material due every week for many weeks in a row. We wanted to maintain quality without missing deadlines or burning out. You can only pick two of those, but we delivered quality stuff on time.”
As compensation for the hard work and burnout, Gillis hopes audiences love the characters, laugh a lot, and maybe develop a deeper interest in the natural world.
“Mostly, I hope they actually watch the show,” says Gillis. “Please watch. It’s great.”
Hall, still championing Elizardbeth, adds, “And then go outside and look at lizards.”
Victoria Davis is a full-time, freelance journalist and part-time Otaku with an affinity for all things anime. She's reported on numerous stories from activist news to entertainment. Find more about her work at victoriadavisdepiction.com.
