Lisa Hanawalt is the producer as well as the lead designer for BoJack Horseman, which is an animated series on Netflix that is centered around a self-loathing anthropomorphic horse with the titular name. Besides that, she happens to be an excellent cartoonist as well as an illustrator who has won a number of awards and accolades such as the Ignatz Award for Outstanding Comic for her work so far.
Here are five things that you may or may not have known about Lisa Hanawalt:
Graduated from UCLA
Given her choice of profession, it should come as no surprise to learn that Hanawalt studied art at UCLA. However, it is interesting to note that she has stated that her education did not prepare her in full for the real world, though said statement was never meant to be a complaint directed at her alma mater. As a result, Hanawalt spent some time working as a secretary while putting together a webcomic, which paved the way for further progress in her chosen profession.
Rides Horses Even Though She Is Afraid of Them
Since she is such a pivotal figure behind BoJack Horseman, Hanawalt’s interest in horses is an understandable one. Likewise, her fear of horses is an understandable one as well for the simple reason that horses are huge animals, meaning that it takes little for a horse to do serious damage to a human with either their teeth or their hooves. When she was a child, her fear stopped her from riding horses, but in the present, she finds that the fear makes the horse-riding experience that much more interesting for her.
Took Some Convincing for Her to Sign Up with BoJack Horseman
Hanawalt was involved in the creation of the pilot that became BoJack Horsemen, which was in spite of the fact that she called the basic premise behind the TV show as being “too sad” when presented with it. By the time that the TV show had reached the production stage, Hanawalt had to be asked not once but twice to serve as the lead designer, which was explainable in part by the fact that she had never been in a managerial position. Even now, Hanawalt says that she is still learning after having spent years and years on the job, which is actually a rather sensible attitude to take.
Her Current Art Is Similar to Her Childhood Art
Amusingly, Hanawalt has stated that her current art is rather similar in nature to her childhood art, which is to say, she is still drawing animals dressed up as people in patterned clothing. With that said, this fact provides her books with much of their appeal, while the rest comes from their surprising relevance as social commentary of sorts. In particular, it is interesting to note that Hot Dog Taste Test pokes fun at the more pompous elements of modern foodie culture.
Has Envisioned Herself as a Number of Animals
Since she likes to draw animals dressed up as people, Hanawalt was going to get asked sooner rather than later about what animal she sees herself as. As it turns out, she sees herself as being a rather wide range of animals depending on how she is feeling on a particular day. On some days, Hanawalt might see herself as either a lemur or a poodle. On another day, she might see herself as one of the less majestic species of birds of prey.
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