Natasha Kline based “Cousins” on her childhood summers spent with her cousins.
(Britain Bravo / For The Times)
As a child, Natasha Kline saw each summer as an opportunity to reinvent herself.
Kline, a self-described shy and artistic introvert, approached the extended vacation convinced she would pick up a new skill or transform herself in time for the start of the new school year.
But “it never really happened because my mom is like the fun aunt,” Kline says during a recent video call. “She loves having a house full of people, so she would say, 'I invited your cousins over for the summer.'”
These summers Kline spent with his cousins served as inspiration for “Cousins,” a new animated series premiering with a two-episode premiere on July 25 at 8 p.m. Pacific on Disney Channel (with two new episodes airing weekly to 9 a.m. on Saturdays starting in July). 27). The first nine episodes of the show will be available to stream on Disney+ starting July 26.
Created by Kline, “Cousins” follows Tater Ramirez Humphrey (voiced by Myrna Velasco), a free-spirited imaginative full of creative energy who is ready to spend the summer of her 10th birthday putting her goals and dreams in order. But her plans are derailed when she finds out that her mother has invited her 12 cousins to spend the summer at her house and share her room.
“Tater is a really big dreamer,” Kline says. “Her family is a little more rooted than her.” Kline describes Tater's sister, Nellie (Melissa Villaseñor), as down-to-earth, and his relationship with her mother, Bibi (Michelle Ortiz), as loving and supportive. Her father, Bud (Jim Conroy), however, “is a little more skittish around her. He is worried because she is a big dreamer.” The “Cousins” cast also includes Angelica Maria as Tater's grandmother and Cheech Marin as Tater's grandfather.
Tater, in the center, with all his cousins: Scooter, Lita, Cha Cha, Gordita, Nachito, Big Nacho, Lot Lot, Bud, Tere, Tabi, Toñita and Lucita.
(Disney brand television)
At first, Tater isn't too happy about her cousins' surprise arrival and how it affects her own plans. Kline says Tater's stress was real “and she came from a genuine place,” as she had experienced similar surprises while she was growing up.
“At first, it was always like, 'Oh my God, everyone's coming again.' How am I going to fix my life?'” Kline says. “But at the end of the summer, it was a great pleasure to have them. … I never got abs or became an amazing horse trainer or learned 50 languages, but I felt supported and loved by my family and became who I am because of what they added to my life.”
Born in Los Angeles, Kline grew up in various Inland Empire cities (“mostly Fontana,” she says). She says that she was the quiet girl in class with an open sketchbook, concentrating on her drawing, and that she knew from a young age that she wanted to be an animator.
Kline had longed to do a show like “Cousins” since she was a cartoon-loving child in the '90s and realized she didn't see any Mexican-American families like hers on television.
“My family, like many families in Los Angeles, is multicultural,” Kline says. “My immediate family is bicultural. And I wanted to see that on screen: the different skin tones and the different cultural threads that can be woven into a big family.”
Tater, center, with his father, Buela, little brother, father and mother in “Cousins.”
(Disney brand television)
“Cousins” is set in a fictional Los Angeles neighborhood inspired by the Inland Empire cities where Kline and his art director Ivan Aguirre grew up. Even the show's palette is meant to resemble hues reminiscent of the hazy, smoggy days of summer. 90s, adding the specificity of their experiences and memories.
Ramirez Humphrey's family dynamic is based on Kline's. Like Bibi, Kline's mother (also called Bibi) had always supported his artistic dreams and aspirations. Like Bud, Kline's father had trouble imagining the viability of the career he had chosen until he landed his first job on “South Park.” And like Tater, Kline's immediate family also includes a brother and sister. Although Kline has 23 cousins compared to Tater's 12.
Because “Cousins” is such a personal project, Kline acknowledges that the reaction the show received after its opening credits were shared in an online video last June was “painful, at first.” Among the elements that caught the attention of online audiences at the time were the Spanish of the theme song being grammatically incorrect, the name of the show's fictional city being a reference to earthquakes, and even the yellow tint of the skyline. The color yellow has often been used in Hollywood films and television shows set in Mexico to establish a sense of otherness.
“I did the show because I wanted to connect with my roots and my heritage,” Kline says. “That was the first time I got feedback from the public, so it was very interesting. … But I think the way people react to things is valid.”
Instead of dwelling on the negativity, Kline dismissed the experience as just another part of making a show.
“That's the nature of the beast,” Kline says. “When you are an artist and you are doing something for the world, the hope is to receive feedback. I received feedback throughout the process…from executives. [and] of my crew [and] If I receive feedback, I will think about it and proceed with that in mind.”
“Cousins” creator Natasha Kline holding Tater's diary.
(Britain Bravo / For The Times)
Among the changes the “Cousins” team has made since the video's release last year is making it more obvious that the show was set in a Los Angeles neighborhood. Tater's hometown was originally called Earthquake Heights, a nod to how earthquakes (and earthquake preparedness) are a part of life in Los Angeles. It was also an allusion to the many cities and streets in Southern California that have names that come from Spanish words. The town is now called Hacienda Hills, as a tribute to the place where Kline's mother grew up.
“For me, this has always been an L.A. show,” Kline says. “So that was something we ended up adapting because I love this city. I thought, if there's anything we can lean on to make it clearer that this is what [the show] is about, so let's do it. “Anyway, that was my original intention.”
As personal as a project like “Cousins” is for Kline, it was also very collaborative. The show's writers' room contained “people whose lived experiences really reflected the nature of the show.” [and] They were excited to tell the stories,” says Kline, who added that his team was invested in the show because they saw themselves reflected on the screen.
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1. Tater's neighborhood is inspired by cities like Fontana and Riverside. (Disney brand television) 2. Tater lives in Hacienda Hills. (Disney brand television)
In addition to his professional collaborators, Kline reached out to his cousins to ask them about memories of their childhood summers spent together to help inform some of the stories and characters.
“My cousins have been very excited about [the show]” says Kline, adding that some have asked which characters they correlated with and which cousins didn't make the cut. “Everyone made the cut. There's a little bit of everyone in there. “It’s a mix of everyone’s personalities.”
And for Kline, it's fitting that she was able to collaborate with her cousins on a show that is a tribute to how much they meant to her.
“Your cousins are like your first friends,” Kline says. “They loved me and supported me despite how obviously nerdy and introverted I was. They always told me, 'Hey, someday you're going to be amazing.' You're amazing right now.' “Feeling that support and friendship from a very young age was really important in becoming who I became.”
