INTERVIEW Disney+ 'Moving' creator found creative freedom with series

Webcomic artist, Kang Full, wrote the scripts for the Disney+ original series “Moving.” Courtesy of Walt Disney Company Korea

By Lee Gyu-lee

Kang Full, a popular webcomic artist, has had quite an experience where several of his creations were made into film adaptations. But this is the first time he took it into his own hands to script the series adaption of his original webcomic with Disney+'s Korean original series, “Moving.”

A poster for the series “Moving” / Courtesy of Walt Disney Company Korea

“I couldn't sleep for a week before the series' release. I was so worried that no one would find it interesting. I felt enormous anxiety which was nothing like what I felt when working on webcomics,” Kang said during an interview with The Korea Times, held in Jongno District, Seoul Monday.

“With webcomics, I'm the only one who takes responsibility. But with 'Moving,' it wasn't like that. The series had a big budget and the staff and actors worked hard on it together. But thankfully, the response has been good.”

The 20-part action series, based on the webcomic of the same name, follows a group of teenagers with supernatural powers, taking on the powers of their parents ― starring Zo In-sung, Han Hyo-joo, and Ryu Seung-ryong. Along with their parents, who have kept a painful secret, they fight against dark forces and a mysterious assassin.

The series, which hit the platform on Aug. 9, is led by director Park In-je, who helmed the second season of Netflix's hit series, "Kingdom."

A scene from the series, “Moving” / Courtesy of Walt Disney Company Korea

Kang shared that he wanted to further develop the story that could not be covered in the original webcomic.

“Originally, the series was intended to have 12 to 16 episodes. But to capture the narrative that was left out in the original work, I felt it needed to be longer. So I made a counter-proposal that I would write the script myself only if it can be a 20-part series. It was my first time writing scripts so I needed time. And the production team waited for me,” he said.

“The biggest motivation for me to write the script was because I had a sense of regret (with the webcomic). Like with any work, I was always pressed for time to meet deadlines when I serialized 'Moving.' So I couldn't go deeper into the story as much as I wanted. But this time, I didn't put any limitations on my imagination and wrote the script freely.”

He shared that he had more creative freedom with writing the series' script.

“I came to write scenes that I couldn't have drawn in the webcomic. There were scenes that I didn't use because it was difficult (to draw) in the webcomic, but I put them in with the faith in the director to make it possible. My imagination went beyond then it did with webcomic,” he said.

The series “Moving” debuted on Aug. 9. Courtesy of Walt Disney Company Korea

The creator said he put more emphasis on the background of each character, as he felt it was important to make a hero genre piece more convincing to the audience.

“Each character's personal background and story is really important. The characters encounter events that lead to an ending. And anyone can come up with the events, but what's important are the characters themselves. So I wanted to focus on the characters,” he said.

“Showing them flying in the air and using superhuman strength might seem so random. Even if I were the audience, I would think someone flying in the world we live in is a cheesy concept. So I tried to put more emphasis on their narratives. I felt it would only be convincing if we show their story first and then talk about their supernatural power.”