New animated family series Pupstruction premieres Wednesday June 14th at 8am on Disney Channel, Disney Junior and Disney+. Creator Travis Braun, Executive Producer Victor Cook and Supervising Director Abigail Nesbitt tell me how they built this show (through story, characters, education and entertainment), in this Animation Scoop Q&A. (This interview was edited for length and clarity.)

Jackson Murphy: Travis, you created “T.O.T.S.”, which was such a big success for Disney. When and how did “Pupstruction” come into your life as the follow-up to “T.O.T.S.”?

Travis Braun: It’s been something I’ve thought about a lot and something that’s actually based in my childhood. I grew up with two chocolate labs. They were puppies when I was a baby. We sort of came of age together and they were a really central part of my life. Dogs have always been a big part of my life. And I grew up in a family that had an auto racing business. I worked on the family racing team building racecars and it felt like a natural thing to put both of those things together and do a show about dogs that have this family construction company. The idea of building together is what really brought me and my family together, and that’s what we try to put into this show as well — this idea that construction brings this family together. And it has the heart and great music that Disney is known for.

JM: You’re right that there is so much about togetherness. Victor, we have spoken before, and you care so much about the animated projects that you have been a part of. When and how did “Pupstruction” speak to you?

Victor Cook: It spoke to me when Travis mentioned it to me when he was first developing it. And it sounded so fun. Unlike Travis, I did not grow up with dogs, but I did work on two other dog shows before. I wanted to work on another one, and this is it! The challenge on this show was… you’re always figuring out how anthropomorphic to make these characters. On “T.O.T.S.”, everybody sort of stood up and walked around like human beings and had hands. On this show, we wanted them to be like dogs as much as possible. We had to find that right level of how anthropomorphic to make them and how dog-like to make them.

JM: And it’s so cool that the headquarters is a giant yellow yard hat. Abigail, what were your goals with the town of Petsburg?

Abigail Nesbitt: Because there are so many different animals that reside in Petsburg, we wanted to have that reflect in the design of the show as well. You have the hard hat HQ design, which makes sense. It’s kind of like a firehouse. They live there. [Phinny’s] family who created the Pupstruction team and helped build Petsburg resides there. And then when you look at the town, it’s reflective of all the animals that live there. That was the goal. Cats, dogs, hamsters, turtles, fish — the city itself you can see roads, canals and rivers that make it home for everyone. There’s a welcoming of all animals in Petsburg.

VC: And the design aesthetic of Petsburg has elements you would find in a pet store. You see those things in the architecture.

AN: Yeah some of the shops and buildings… and transportation. Everything has a meaning.

TB: There are so many great details that Abby and Vic have put in that. We got into this wanting to never forget that this is a construction team… but at the end of the day they’re still dogs, and we always want to remind the audience that we’re not taking ourselves too seriously. We want that silliness.

JM: Yeah, that sense of “home” is really there. And Travis, when we see Phinny in the first episode, it is his first day, and he LOVES being a part of the crew. You really capture that sense of joy and excitement that Phinny has.

TB: Well thank you. That’s something I think hopefully sets our show apart — that thing Disney does really well, which is the heart and the emotion. Phinny is obviously the big anchor to that. I relate to him the most because he’s kind of based on me as a kid. I loved LEGOs and I loved building but I was the guy who would get the set and throw the instructions out because I didn’t want to build the firehouse. I wanted to build a red spaceship instead. That’s something we hope kids tune into this every week to watch — that imagination and wish fulfillment of: If you were a kid and you had a construction company, what would you build? That’s what Phinny’s superpower is. How comes into every build with this big idea — always solving something with some crazy idea that has this kind of kid logic to it. That’s something we really tried to lean into with the show. We’re not just building a bank… we’re building a piggy bank in the shape of a pig because that’s the kinds of ideas and things Phinny comes up with. He’s always looking to make it functional and super fun.

JM: Vic, as I watched the first couple episodes, the theme of support really comes through.

VC: It’s in all of our lives — the support that we help each other to achieve these goals. This crew is an example of that. Everything you see on screen is not just us. It’s our actors. It’s our artists. It’s our animators… all banding together to put this show together, and that’s the theme of the show as well.

JM: I also love how their vehicles are separate and then they come together. Abby, how were you able to pull that off?

AN: It took a lot of planning! And a lot of back and forth as to how we could get them together and connect in certain ways. There are little nuances you have to look for on their trucks that can move them so they can combine in every episode and become the amazing pup truck that they become. And also… what’s so special about “Pupstruction” is the process in which they build. It starts with a blueprint and the imagination Phinny has, but every one of them plays a part. Just like our team. He can create something that every child can look around their house and be like, “Okay, I’ve got that, that and that. I can build something that looks like this too!” And to have the support of Tank, Roxy and Luna to each take apart and come together… it’s not just ‘Here’s a build and it’s done.’ We want to show you how they’re going to put each piece together.

TB: Abby can now have a second career as a construction foreman.

AN: I know more now than when we started!

JM: That’s great. And Travis, the sound effects team does a very good job.

TB: As silly and heightened as this world is, we wanted to make it feel realistic. The team recorded an actual skateboard for Phinny’s skateboard, to get the wheels and how it sounds on the ground. We want those elements from the trucks and the hydraulics to feel representative of what kids know. Kids know construction. If we try to fake anything, we’re going to get called out for it. Vic’s even renovating his house so he can learn more.

VC: I thought it was gonna happen in a day like with the “Pupstruction” crew. It’s taking a little longer.

JM: Right. They have the best on-time percentage out of all the crews in the world. Does this construction crew with you have the Wheel of Woofles?

VC: (laughs) No. They’ve been eating a lot of waffles, though.

AN: And there’s a new subway line being built outside of my apartment, so every morning there’s an excavator and a crane.

JM: Wow! Yvette Nicole Brown voices Mayor Gilmore, a fish. I think she’s been on every Disney Junior show of the last five years. Vic, she’s been an amazing contribution to the Disney family.

VC: Yeah, she is amazing. And she pinch hits as other characters on the show too. I can’t say enough about our cast. They’re so talented.

JM: There are episodes about loud vs. quiet construction and a sandcastle contest. Abby, these are relatable storylines that even five year olds can come across in their everyday lives.

AN: Yeah. Every kid makes sandcastles at the shorefront. There are so many relatable moments here.

JM: I love how in the first episode you say, “Phinny was Built to Build.” When did you know that you were built for the careers that you’ve had?

TB: Oh man. When I was four years old I was the kid that, instead of going out to watch the cars on the track, I would stay in the 18-wheeler and write poems and short stories. That’s what I wanted to do. I grew up on Disney and was a big Disney kid and now getting a chance to contribute to a small part of that magic that I grew up on is a dream come true.

VC: I was drawing since I was two years old.

TB: Oh, he’s got me beat!

JM: (laughs)

VC: By two years! There’s a story my parents tell where I somehow took a piece of chalk and drew cartoon faces all over the garage floor. I grew up loving comic books, comic strips and animation. As soon as I got in school I was doing comics for the school newspapers and making my own comic books. I think I came out of the womb wanting to draw cartoons.

AN: Not to steal Vic’s answer… I’ve always drawn since I was young, although I had a love for all animation. When I first went into the business I gravitated towards stop-motion and I did that for a while. But then storyboards spoke to me. It’s a hard job, but I love storyboarding — creating what the visual is from the script.