The critically-acclaimed Netflix-animated adult series “BoJack Horseman,” following the life of a self-destructive former TV star and talking horse, launched creator Raphael Bob-Waksberg and production designer Lisa Hanawalt — Gunn ‘02 and ‘01 alumni, respectively — to stardom.

Bob-Waksberg and Hanawalt initially met at JLS Middle School, but their friendship sparked during Gunn Theatre, when Bob-Waksberg casted Hanawalt in “The Family Continues,” a one-act play he directed as a teen.

“We did plays, and we used to hang out in the Green Room in Spangenberg,” he said. “During our free periods — or maybe we were cutting class, I don’t quite remember — she would draw pictures and I would make up voices for them. We never knew we were going to make a cartoon one day. It didn’t feel like a real thing we could do. But we remained friends, and then the opportunity came to make a TV show together. And now we’ve made three together.”

In addition to her experience in theatre, Hanawalt pursued making art all her life, laying the foundations for her careers as a cartoonist, show designer and creator of her own series.

“I just compulsively made art ever since I was a little kid,” she said. “I would draw during class a lot and sometimes get in trouble for it, but I couldn’t stop. I was kind of shy, but it was a way I could express myself before I started doing theater, (which helped me come) out of my shell a little bit.”

Hanawalt collaborated with Bob-Waksberg on “BoJack Horseman,” which was nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards. Bob-Waksberg emphasized that their personal rapport helped their creative process flow naturally.

“In the early days of BoJack, I had to explain what the show was to so many people, and I feel like Lisa always got it because she knew me so well and she understood what I was about,” he said. “It’s really helpful to have the people who know you.”

Throughout his work on the episodes, Bob-Waksberg transcended the conventional boundaries of adult animation, blending absurdist comedy with raw explorations of deeper, emotional realities.

“More and more, we started to dip into having some serious or emotional moments,” he said. “What we found was A: Our actors could really do that. They could play in both those modes. And so we were encouraged to give them more and more to play with. And B: Our audience would go with it as well. And I think if you’d asked me beforehand, I might’ve assumed, well, if you want to do something that’s funny and serious, it can’t be too funny or too serious. We really found the opposite was true. The goofier we go — the farther we go in a silly direction — (we can) go darker, deeper and more introspective.”

After the last season concluded, Bob-Waksberg helped Hanawalt produce her own animated show, “Tuca and Bertie,” which ran for three seasons. After “BoJack Horseman” and a few more projects in between, Bob-Waksberg began his new comedy series “Long Story Short,” about a dysfunctional middle-class family in the Bay Area, which Hanawalt eventually became a supervising producer and designer for. The show premiered on Netflix in August 2025.

“I almost didn’t go to her because I thought, ‘She’s a show creator (of) her own right now — she’s not going to work on my thing anymore,’” Bob-Waksberg said. “(I wanted to) at least ask her just to see if maybe she could recommend a friend who would be good for it, and she was like, ‘No, I’d love to (work with you).’ That was a dream. It’s really fun for me that I get to work with this friend that I’ve had for over 20 years now, and I feel like we have a shorthand because we know each other so well.”

When shifting to “Long Story Short,” Bob-Waksberg adapted to the cadence and logistics of the new show.

“(‘Long Story Short’) works differently than any show I’ve done before, so I (had) to learn how to write the show, the grammar of (it) and what makes (a) season of this show,” he said. “(It does not have) the same as the rhythms of a season of ‘BoJack’. We’re like figuring it out as we go, and that’s really fun.”

Rather than directly retelling Bob-Waksberg’s upbringing, the show contains fragments loosely inspired by his experiences growing up in a Jewish family in the Peninsula.

“Some of the rhythms are very autobiographical or feel like the way my family interacts with each other,” he said. “In other ways, it’s exaggerated. In other ways, I just made it up. Also, I had a whole room full of writers. We had directors, animators and artists come in, and voice actors also bring their own stuff to it. (It) really is a collaboration. So, it’d be impossible to trace any one thing back to any specific origin point.”

Though Bob-Waksberg and his team hadn’t originally settled on a precise location, they ultimately decided that a regional setting felt the most natural. In fact, the show takes place in several cities surrounding Palo Alto, including Mountain View, Oakland, San Francisco and Santa Rosa.

“I think my Palo Alto-ness is very much a part of who I am and the way that I approach the world, but I wouldn’t necessarily be able to say exactly what that means or how it’s in there,” he said. “When I was first writing it, I wasn’t quite sure where this family would live. And then Lisa Hanawalt started drawing these characters in front of an Eichler house, and it just felt right: These are Bay Area Jews.”

In creating the characters, Hanawalt echoes the idea that some aspects of the show come together organically, shaped by both intuition and artistic skill.

“When he described ‘Long Story Short’ to me, I immediately pictured these characters and knew what they should look like, for the most part,” she said. “(I had a vision for) their faces, and how they look kind of childlike or like old ‘Peanuts’ cartoons. That really popped into my head right away. Having a strong concept and going really hard in that direction (allows the show to) look unique from other work that’s out there.”

After years of creating these animated worlds, both Bob-Waksberg and Hanawalt hope that audiences can reframe their perspectives and connect to their shows on a personal level.

“I want this to be a show that works for all audiences,” Bob-Waksberg said. “I wanted to hit (audiences) where (they’re) at. I think a good show invites the audience to be an active participant in it, (to) analyze it and consider for themselves how it resonates.”