Randy Cunningham: 9^th Grade Ninja is an animated series about a boy who discovers he has ninja powers. He uses these powers to protect his school from an evil sorcerer and his gang of monsters. Howard, Randy’s best friend, is the only other person who knows Randy’s amazing secret. The series airs on September 17 on Disney XD.

I recently visited a recording studio in Los Angeles, California, to speak to the cast and creators of Randy Cunningham. I got to see firsthand how the actors use their voices to make their wild and funny animated characters come alive.  I interviewed actor Ben Schwartz, who plays Randy, as well as actor Andrew Caldwell, who plays Howard. You can watch the interview in the video above. Schwartz explained to me how his character, Randy, calls everything he thinks is really cool “Bruce” and everything he hates “wonk.” Caldwell let me read a short scene with him. 

I also spoke to the creators of the show, Jed Elinoff and Scott Thomas. They co-wrote the Scooby-Doo movies and TV episodes. “The most important thing about the show is that it’s about two best friends,” Elinoff told me. “That’s the story we’re really telling. One guy has this super power, but he’s also got a best friend. Together, they go through these journeys. The most fun for us was writing that best friend relationship.”

It was a lot of fun getting a behind-the-scenes look at the Randy Cunningham series. What did I discover from this experience? The cast and creators are a really “Bruce” bunch of guys.

Check out the video above of my interview with actors Ben Schwartz and Andrew Caldwell and co-creators Jed Elinoff and Scott Thomas.

Randy Cunningham: 9^th Grade Ninja premieres on Monday, September 17 at 7:00 p.m. Eastern Time/Pacific Time on Disney XD. New episodes will also air Monday through Thursday.

—By TFK Kid Reporter Rylan Daniels