The show was originally pitched as a comedy series. The basic premise remained the same: approximately 1,000 years ago, Gargoyles were not merely stone statues, but real flesh-and-blood creatures. But, unlike the noble protectors of the final shows, these Gargoyles were mischievous troublemakers who frequently drove the local humans nuts. This development went through several versions before being scrapped, in favor of the now darker, more serious tone of this show.
Many characters on the show were voiced by actors and actresses who were regular cast members of the various "Star Trek" series. These include: Jonathan Frakes, Marina Sirtis, Nichelle Nichols, Avery Brooks, Colm Meaney, Michael Dorn, Kate Mulgrew, Brent Spiner, LeVar Burton, Paul Winfield, and David Warner. The producers considered asking Frakes and Sirtis to personally appeal to Sir Patrick Stewart to perform a voice for scale, but decided it was an unfair request.
References many William Shakespeare plays with its character names: Queen Titania, King Oberon, and Puck from "A Midsummer Night's Dream", Ophelia from "Hamlet", Princess Katherine from "Henry V", and the title character from "Macbeth". However, MacBeth's backstory in "City of Stone" is based more on the history of the actual King MacBeth of Scotland. In addition, the relationship of the various personalities of Coldstone mirrors the central characters of "Othello", and are named as such in the scripts.
This was Disney's first animated drama series.