Yesterday, Butch Hartman, the creator of Fairly Odd Parents and Danny Phantom, two of the most beloved animated shows of the past two decades, announced that he was leaving Nickelodeon, his creative home since he sold the first Fairly Odd Parents short to the network in 1997.
Image: Nickelodeon
That announcement came in the form of a vlog posted to Hartman’s YouTube channel, which functions both as an announcement and a reflection on the creator’s life and work so far. In the video’s 15-minute runtime, Hartman recollects his origins at the network and praises his time there as creatively and personally fulfilling.
He also announced that Bunsen is a Beast, his most recent Nick toon, will not continue past its first season, which finished airing last year.
The video doesn’t go too deep into behind-the-scenes gossip — Hartman doesn’t offer a firm answer to the question raised by the video’s title, though he implies pretty strongly that he wanted a more relaxed personal schedule than Nickelodeon’s studio work demanded.
It’s an interesting video, well worth the watch, with nice behind-the-scenes tidbits and a telling look at Hartman’s personal convictions, his interest in animation, and his passion for his work and fans. Check it out below.