Editing Dexter's Laboratory (section)

=== Style and influences ===
[[File:Craig McCracken 1.jpg|thumb|right|[[Craig McCracken]], Tartakovsky's classmate at CalArts, helped him develop ''Dexter's Laboratory'' while McCracken worked on his own series, ''[[The Powerpuff Girls]]''.]]
Tartakovsky's former classmates McCracken and Rudish helped him design "Changes". This pilot was revised to create a second cut, as Tartakovsky felt utterly dissatisfied with the score, the sound effects, and the entire second half, which he chose to redo entirely.<ref name="Maher">{{Cite web |last=Maher |first=John |date=February 8, 2017 |title=The Secret Hustle of the First 'Dexter's Laboratory' Short |url=https://dotandline.net/the-secret-hustle-of-the-first-dexters-laboratory-short/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231215234314/https://dotandline.net/the-secret-hustle-of-the-first-dexters-laboratory-short/ |archive-date=December 15, 2023 |access-date=December 15, 2023 |website=[[The Dot and Line]]}}</ref> After seeing the revision, producer [[Fred Seibert]] felt convinced that the concept for ''Dexter's Laboratory'' could be successful.<ref name="Maher" /> Soon afterward, Tartakovsky helped McCracken create his own short film for ''World Premiere Toons'', which would eventually become the basis for ''[[The Powerpuff Girls]]''.{{sfn|Neuwirth|2007}} After finishing McCracken's project, the group proceeded to work on a second short film for ''Dexter's Laboratory'', titled "The Big Sister".{{sfn|Neuwirth|2007}}{{sfn|Simensky|2011|pp= 286–287}} At the time, Tartakovsky was still not anticipating a series greenlight for ''Dexter's Laboratory''. He went on to reminisce that, in those days, he was simply having fun working on short films with his friends.{{sfn|Neuwirth|2007}} Tartakovsky and McCracken, who had been roommates shortly after college,<ref name="Sokol" /><ref>{{Cite web |last=Fritz |first=Steve |date=January 15, 2009 |title=Animated Shorts: Craig McCracken Talks Powerpuff Girls |url=https://www.newsarama.com/1954-animated-shorts-craig-mccracken-talks-powerpuff-girls.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181130030416/https://www.newsarama.com/1954-animated-shorts-craig-mccracken-talks-powerpuff-girls.html |archive-date=November 30, 2018 |access-date=November 29, 2018 |website=[[Newsarama]]}}</ref> went on to become regular collaborators on each other's series.{{sfn|Perlmutter|2014|p=269}} Animation historian David Perlmutter noted a [[symbiosis]] between the two men, which he felt led to stylistic similarities between ''Dexter's Laboratory'' and ''The Powerpuff Girls''.{{sfn|Perlmutter|2014|p=269}}

Tartakovsky drew inspiration from his experiences as an immigrant growing up in Chicago. He explained that, like Dexter, he had a "very thick accent" as a child—and even though he lived in a diverse neighborhood, children would tease him for this.<ref name="Woulfe" /> Speaking with ''[[The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles]]'' in 2001, Tartakovsky explained, "When I moved to America, I wanted to fit in and be American...We never tried to be too heavy-handed with ''Dexter's'', but if you look at the underlying themes of the show, it's about a little kid trying to fit in."<ref name="Aushenker">{{Cite news |last=Aushenker |first=Michael |date=August 2, 2001 |title=The Way of the Samurai |url=https://jewishjournal.com/culture/arts/4663/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170224131911/https://jewishjournal.com/culture/arts/4663/ |archive-date=February 24, 2017 |access-date=May 14, 2011 |work=[[The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles]]}}</ref> Tartakovsky noted that when he was a child, he was less confident than the character, telling ''[[The New York Times]]'', "The one thing about Dexter, if he doesn't fit in, he'll start his own club. He's not afraid to be an outsider."<ref name="Adams" /> In developing ''Dexter's Laboratory'', he continued the tradition of making "violent cartoons", explaining that "many people like them because they project themselves in the drawings and they laugh," while following the principles of older Hanna-Barbera cartoons.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Chaina |first=Patricia |date=March 4, 2000 |title=Entrevista al Creador de "El Laboratorio de Dexter" |trans-title=Interview with the Creator of "Dexter's Laboratory" |url=https://www.pagina12.com.ar/2000/00-03/00-03-04/pag29.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240215124411/https://www.pagina12.com.ar/2000/00-03/00-03-04/pag29.htm |archive-date=February 15, 2024 |access-date=February 15, 2024 |website=[[Página 12]] |language=es |trans-work=Page/12}}</ref>

[[Linda Simensky]], who served as senior vice-president of Original Animation for [[Cartoon Network]] during the production of ''Dexter's Laboratory'', wrote in 2011 that Dexter was designed "to be more of an icon in some ways"; she continued, "his body was short and squat and his design was simple, with a black outline and relatively little detail... Since Tartakovsky knew he was developing ''Dexter'' for television, he purposely limited the design to a degree, designing the nose and mouth, for instance, in a Hanna-Barbera style to animate easily."{{sfn|Simensky|2011|pp= 286–287}}

This simplistic style was influenced by [[United Productions of America|UPA]] shorts, as well as by the ''[[Merrie Melodies]]'' cartoon ''[[The Dover Boys at Pimento University]]''.{{sfn|Simensky|2011|p=287}} Simensky noted though, that in contrast to those cartoons, ''Dexter's Laboratory'' is "staged cinematically, rather than flat and close to the screen, to leave space and depth for the action and gags in the lab".{{sfn|Simensky|2011|pp= 286–287}} Tartakovsky was influenced by [[Warner Bros.]] cartoons, Hanna-Barbera, and Japanese [[anime]].{{sfn|Simensky|2011|pp= 286–287}} [[Sam Raimi]]'s films ''[[Evil Dead II]]'' and ''[[Army of Darkness]]'' heavily influenced the series' visual style. Referring to a scene from ''Army of Darkness'' featuring the construction of a robotic hand, McCracken explained, "He [Tartakovsky] applied that sequence to the show all the time, especially when Dexter was building stuff."<ref name="Motamayor">{{Cite web |last=Motamayor |first=Rafael |date=May 3, 2021 |title=How Dexter's Laboratory Changed American Cartoons Forever |url=https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/how-dexters-laboratory-changed-american-cartoons |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210903130915/https://www.syfy.com/syfywire/how-dexters-laboratory-changed-american-cartoons |archive-date=September 3, 2021 |access-date=September 3, 2021 |website=[[Syfy Wire]]}}</ref>