Jon Heder says one of the best things about his new Napoleon Dynamite cartoon is that fans will no longer be asking him “that” question.
“It’s the number one question you always get — is there going to be any more Napoleon?” says the actor, who is still best known as the awkward title character in the 2004 cult hit.
“So whether it’s a sequel or television show or whatever, I’m happy to say the adventures of Napoleon will continue.”
Also back for the animated series — which will join The Simpsons and Family Guy on Fox’s Sunday night lineup — is the film’s director/writer Jared Hess and all the original cast members. Add to that executive producer Mike Scully (The Simpsons), and the future looks bright for the curly-haired nerd.
“We always felt if we ever continued the adventures of Napoleon, that we would do it in animated form,” says Hess.
“It was a way we could get inside Napoleon’s head…to kind of do things you can’t do in live action. One of the great things about animation is that it costs just as much to draw a space ship as a car.”
The cartoon marks the first time the cast has been back together since the film’s release.
“It’s been a lot of fun,” says Hess. “Because most of us hadn’t seen each other since it played at Sundance when we first screened it. It was kind of a fun, little reunion to get everyone back together for the table read…”
Less enjoyable for Heder has been the increased acting workload.
“It was a very relaxing film to do because…you can hide behind your eyelids and rest your voice,“ he laughs. “But for the lead character in an ongoing animated series, I’ve had to show way more emotional range than I’ve ever had in anything else.”
