'Black Dynamite' Takes Fans on a Ride

15 Jul, 2014 By: Chris Tribbey

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HOLLYWOOD, Calif. — Actor Michael Jai White, the voice of Black Dynamite, thinks it’s pretty simple why the Cartoon Network series is the top-rated show in its timeslot for adults and men 18-34.

“It’s the ’70s, man, the sexiest time ever,” White said July 15, the same day the first season of the show hit disc from Warner Bros. Home Entertainment. “I think we take people on a ride with every episode, and people want to be taken somewhere. We have something very eclectic.”

“Black Dynamite,” based on the 2009 feature film of the same name, has most of the same cast from the film, and the with animated send-up to Blaxploitation films drawing more than 5 million viewers, it’s no wonder the network ordered a second season (coming in October).

“We feel like we’ve got 100 episodes in us,” said series creator and executive producer Carl Jones (“The Boondocks”). He said that while they’re able to get away with “quite a bit” on the show (it runs in Cartoon Network’s Adult Swim block), the DVD and Blu-ray Disc have a lot more that they couldn’t fit in the 10 episodes of season one, including the original pilot, a behind-the-scenes featurette and video commentaries.

“It’s insanity working on this show,” said actor Byron Minns (Undisputed), who voices Bullhorn. Snoop Dogg, Eddie Griffin and Arsenio Hall are among the celebrities who’ve lent their voices for various episodes, keeping the show fresh and the cast wondering who’s next.

But White admitted that doing voice work is challenging, “10 times harder” than live action films. “And the amount of work that goes into animating, it’s impressive,” he said.

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