‘The Elephant’: Adult Swim Reveals Creators Behind All 3 Acts | Exclusive

Dec 5, 2025 - 17:45
‘The Elephant’: Adult Swim Reveals Creators Behind All 3 Acts | Exclusive

“The Elephant” is nearly here.

Cartoon Network’s three-part, one-of-a-kind special event, which sees some of the biggest creators in animation handing off a story as it goes along, will premiere on Friday, Dec. 19 at 11:00 p.m. ET/PT on Adult Swim before arriving on HBO Max the next day.

And now TheWrap can reveal the order in which the special will unfold – Part 1 will be handled by Pendelton Ward, the creator of “Adventure Time;” Part 2 will be done by Rebecca Sugar, creator of “Steven Universe,” and Ian Jones-Quartey, creator of “OK K.O.! Let’s Be Heroes;” and Part 3 will be done by Patrick McHale, creator of “Over the Garden Wall.” The creators have “reunited to push the boundaries of conventional storytelling – resulting in an animated adventure so mysterious, even they don’t know what it’s about,” according to the official synopsis.

“The Elephant” is described as “a rare creative experiment in which each of the three acts are made in isolation,” guided by “game masters” (and “Adventure Time” veterans) Jack Pendarvis and Kent Osborne “for a storytelling experiment that unfolds as a collaborative surprise, ultimately merging into a single, unexpected narrative.”

“Every year around this time, we try to give the Adult Swim audience a gift they didn’t know they needed, and this year, it’s ‘Adult Swim’s The Elephant,’” said Michael Ouweleen, president of Adult Swim. “But really, the gift was working with this brilliant team and creating an excuse for their longtime friendship and creative partnership to continue and evolve. We can’t wait for you to see the results of this crazy experiment.”

Adult Swim will also debut a behind-the-scenes documentary, “Behind the Elephant,” alongside an encore airing of the special on Dec. 20, “offering a rare look into the creative process featuring interviews and footage from the production. The documentary highlights the unique challenges and discoveries that made the project a truly original experience — for both the audience and the creators themselves.”

“Adult Swim’s The Elephant” is produced for the network by Titmouse.

The post ‘The Elephant’: Adult Swim Reveals Creators Behind All 3 Acts | Exclusive appeared first on TheWrap.

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