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'Adventure Time is our Adolescence' – Jeremy Shada and Olivia Olson at San Diego Comic-Con

Sean Aitchison writes for Bleeding Cool from San Diego Comic-Con.

The final episode of Adventure Time is quickly approaching, bringing a close to one of the most widely-loved and influential animated series of all time. At San Diego Comic-Con, I took part in a roundtable interview with Jeremy Shada (voice of Finn the Human) and Olivia Olson (voice of Marceline Abadeer) where I asked them about their parting thoughts on the series.

You've grown up with this character for 10 years, which is kind of crazy to think about, what's it like ageing with the character and what's it like saying goodbye?

Jeremy Shada: It's cool, I mean obviously it's cool 'cause you get to keep working on the show, but it's fun because you literally get to hear the actual character growing up, which I think, in the context of that type of show, is really, really cool, 'cause you see the character's journey as he's growing up, but you can also feel that and hear it, so I think it makes a really cool, natural feel for the character.

And it's crazy having that be such a big part of my life from [age] 12 to 21, and having that consistent job that I got to go back to and grow up on, it's really surreal.

Olivia Olson: We were both pretty young when we started, and I kind of feel like Adventure Time is our adolescence.

Jeremy: Yeah, it really is.

Olivia: And a lot of fans say "Oh that's my childhood," but it's like —

Jeremy: —that literally was my childhood! [laughs]. And you'll have people that are my age, or even sometimes older that are like, "Oh my gosh, you're the voice of my childhood, I grew up watching you," and I was like, "Well…"

Olivia: "I was the voice of my childhood"

Jeremy: Yeah! It's really, really weird.

And I think It's always bittersweet when you end on any show, because you get close with your cast and the crew that you're working with and I think mostly you miss the week-to-week, being in the booth, hanging out and just seeing people consistently.

It's always fun, any type of animation I have a blast doing, but especially this show, there's so much just hanging out, and chit-chatting, and you're laughing non-stop half the time. So, I think that's what you miss.

But then for us, most shows don't have this long of a run, so we're just so thankful and so blessed to have such a long-running, well-loved show that's gonna be here for a long time in some way, shape or form. You end on a high note and then you get to go try and do some new stuff, which is also fun.

And did you form a brotherly bond with John DiMaggio over the course of the series?

Jeremy: Of COURSE, look at that lovable man!

Any favorite songs from the series? Be it favorite to sing or favorite to listen to?

Olivia: I love to sing, "I'm Just Your Problem," and "Everything Stays" — I actually learned how to play that on the piano because it's just such a beautiful melody.

Jeremy: I think "Everything Stays" — I mean I don't do anything on that song, but I think that's one of my favorites from the whole series. It's just the melody is really, really pretty, it's very vibey, it's very nostalgic. I love those types of songs.

Olivia: And then just to hear, oh my gosh [laughs], I love "Bacon Pancakes…"

Jeremy: Who doesn't!

Can you tell us what's next for both of you?

Jeremy: Yeah, for me I'm working on Voltron right now for Dreamworks and Netflix, which is super fun. We have the next season coming out soon. I've also been doing a live-action show for the past two years called Mr. Student Body President, that show is super fun, and then a few more things that I'll talk about… some point soon [laughs].

Olivia: I just released my debut album, "Nowhereland" last month, and I just finished a new pilot, but I don't know, we'll see if it gets picked up, fingers crossed!

Jeremy: Oh, music, I totally forgot. My band, we also released our first album this year as well, Make Out Monday.

* * *

Catch the four-part final episode of Adventure Time, "Come Along with Me," September 3rd on Cartoon Network.

Sean Aitchison is a writer and creator with a passion for cartoons, anime, and comics. He graduated from CSUN and now writes for Comic Book Resources and Watch Mojo. He has also written for animation and is currently working on two podcast projects that will be coming soon. For more of his work, check out his website www.seanaitchison.com and follow him on Twitter and Instagram @Sean8UrSon. 

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