Dr. Manta Pt. 1

Dr. Manta Pt. 1 is Episode 5 in Season 2 of Stu-Boy & Piv-Boy, written by Jordan Comeaux and Austin Johnson. In the episode, Stu-Boy & Piv-Boy try a drug that enters them into a new world and they find themselves captive by a squid-like supervillain. It features an extended sequence where puppet versions of Stu-Boy and Piv-Boy encounter live-action special guests.

This episode aired on May 30, 2015, and was the mid-season finale of season two, until the show returned two weeks later with the second half of this episode, on June 13, 2015.

Plot
Stu-Boy and Piv-Boy are back on the road following the map as they go! Until they run into a strange character who gives them a dose of a new drug. After they wake up from their trip, they find themselves kidnapped by the evil Dr. Manta!

Production
"Dr. Manta" is one of the most complicated episodes of the series, featuring the largest cast of any episode and being the first to have live-action. The run-time may not exceed the other episodes but it had a lot of time put into production. It was originally scheduled for the first season but shelved until the second season. The full script was completed by February 2014 and was the first episode to be finished, production-wise. Some of the animation was cut, including a transformation sequence in which Piv-Boy spins around and melts.

The live-action sequences were filmed in April 2014 at the Newgrounds annual Pico Day in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania by Comeaux. It features puppets of Stu-Boy and Piv-Boy, both constructed by Comeaux, interacting with special guests. Among these include Newgrounders founder Tom Fulp, Mick Lauer, Will Stamper, Edgar Nielsen, Digba Coker, Tyler Naugle, and Zachary Johnson. The episode also features guest voice roles Doctor Manta, whose true identity is a mystery, and Ben Carswell as a hobo, which is a caricature of co-writer Austin Johnson.

Cast

 * Stuart Bryant - Stu-Boy
 * Jordan Comeaux - Piv-Boy
 * Doctor Manta - Himself
 * Ben Carswell - Hobo

Live-Action

 * Tom Fulp
 * Mick Lauer
 * Will Stamper
 * Edgar Nielsen
 * Digba Coker
 * Tyler Naugle
 * Zachary Johnson

Crew

 * Jordan Comeaux - co-writer, animator, puppeteer, puppet builder
 * Austin Johnson - co-writer
 * Jimmy Tran - cinematographer for live-action sequence
 * Danny Reyes - puppeteer
 * Jappe JJ - music