The Boys Presents: Diabolical season 2 could include an episode with Pixar-style animation, says executive producer Simon Racioppa. Released on March 4, Diabolical is a spinoff of Amazon Prime Video's popular live-action adaptation of the comic book series written by Garth Ennis and illustrated by Darick Robertson. With two seasons under its belt and a third premiering on June 3, The Boys has set itself apart from more standard superhero fare with its irreverent and R-rated nature. Diabolical has followed in its footsteps, bringing over many of the same creative heads – Eric Kripke, Seth Rogen, and Evan Goldberg.
Diabolical acts as an 8-part anthology series of animated shorts telling various stories related to the universe and characters from The Boys. Each episode notably uses its own distinct animation style. For instance, episode 2 is written by Justin Roiland and therefore uses a Ricky and Morty-style aesthetic, while the third episode is penned by Ennis and uses an animation style reminiscent of The Boys comics. From Rogen and Goldberg, the show's first episode features no spoken dialogue in the vein of classic American animated shorts.
During a recent appearance at WonderCon (via CBR), executive producer Simon Racioppa and director Giancarlo Volpe were asked if any animation styles were omitted from Diabolical season 1 that they would like to see in season 2. Racioppa's answers were a "Pixar-style" episode along with something in the mold of Hanna-Barbera's Super Friends cartoon. Volpe seconded the Super Friends idea and suggested the episode subvert expectations instead of turning diabolical, as each episode usually does. Read what the two had to say below:
Volpe: You're just watching it and you're just waiting for the other shoe to drop and it never does. I think that's just a very wholesome sort of episode.
Racioppa: That would be the most Boys thing to do, is to actually get the episode and you're like, 'This is so Boys, it's not Boys at all."
During the panel, Diabolical's executive producer mentioned a few other animation styles that didn't make the cut for season 1. One was a Who Framed Roger Rabbit-style live-action/cartoon hybrid, which would have been "a fun thing to play with," Racioppa says. He also suggested the episode play out like a classic Walt Disney musical, though he didn't specify which one would be imitated.
Because Diabolical season 1 opted not to use any CGI animation, likely in an effort to keep costs down, they were ultimately not able to do a Pixar-style episode. Although the show has not yet officially been renewed, this could definitely change for season 2. The Boys Presents: Diabolical season 1 successfully satirized many animation styles with sadistic twists, though an homage to Pixar's iconic animation style, a brand known for being kid-friendly, would definitely take the show's dark tone to another level.
Source: CBR
