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Hi, everybody. You are listening to
the filmmaker commentary for The Star.
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I'm Timothy Reckart, the director.
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And I'm Devon Franklin,
the executive producer.
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And Devon and I met
for the first time about this movie
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about two and a half years ago.
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And, yeah, two and a half years
may sound like a long time,
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but truth is,
that was a very, very fast journey,
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long road, fast journey,
I think, for this movie.
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And when you say that,
you're like... It's, like, shocking.
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Like, two and a half years?
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I mean, on an animated film,
it's almost unheard-of.
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Yeah, well,
two and a half years
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was how long we spent working on it,
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but this script actually
is much older than that.
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This script was originally written
for live action.
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In 2005,
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the script was already being developed.
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Jim Henson Company
was producing the film.
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- Right.
- And Walden Media was involved,
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and the great Kristine Belson,
who runs Sony Pictures Animation,
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and oversaw this film
for Sony Pictures Animation.
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She was one of the executives
at the Henson Company at the time.
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I think she was running
the Henson Company, if I'm correct.
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It wasn't until the other project
we were doing
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didn't quite get there script-wise,
that we said,
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"Wait a minute,
what about that script, The Star?"
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- Right.
- And here we are.
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Right. I think it's a testament
to sort of how good an idea it is.
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In retrospect, it seems so obvious
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I can't believe that no one
has already made this film yet.
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The story of Christmas
from the point of view of the animals
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'cause those characters
have always been there
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as part of everyone's Nativity set.
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- They have always been there.
- Right.
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But no one's decided
to do the movie from that point of view.
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And I think
this scene is a great example
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of how we were trying to do it.
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Of course, this story has to start
with the Annunciation
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with the Angel Gabriel visiting Mary.
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That's where... That's what you call
the inciting incident.
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Yeah.
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That's what kicks
the whole thing off.
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But with Abby the mouse
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we wanted to try
and keep this scene grounded
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in the animal point of view to show,
"What would an animal think
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"if an animal happened to be in the room
with Mary when this happened?"
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Right.
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Fear not,
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for you have been favored by God
to conceive and bear a son.
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A... Ason?
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But how?
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The Holy Spirit will overshadow you,
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and the child will be called
the Son of God.
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For nothing is impossible with God.
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Thank you.
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Do I say thank you? I mean, yes.
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Let it be done, just as you say.
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It's so interesting 'cause
I know we went back and forth a lot
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on this scene in particular
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because, you know, wanting to...
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It wasn't just about
doing the scriptjustice.
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We had the task of making sure
that the Bible story and the scripture
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was really done justice as well.
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And we had so many
conversations about the Annunciation.
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- Totally.
- And how much of scripture
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to include,
and what should the angel look like,
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and too much and too little.
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And I think we ultimately
ended in a good place
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by just doing it the way it was done
in the real story.
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Right, 'cause it got to
sort of the question
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of tone for us in the movie.
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What was the tone of the movie gonna be?
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And we knew
that we didn't want to make a movie
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that made the Bible story
feel like something really distant
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and separated
from eons of history from us.
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So we didn't want to necessarily
use King James Bible language
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in the way that people spoke.
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We wanted to make them
feel more contemporary.
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Not that they would be using slang,
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but just that they would feel
like people that we know.
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And, yeah, that was part
of that negotiation, too,
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of just how exactly
is Mary going to respond to the angel?
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- Because“.
- Yes.
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...there is a very
elevated version of that line,
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and then there's also
a very casual version of that line,
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and neither one
is quite right for this movie.
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But then the other thing
that really helps us
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in terms of making this story fresh
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and new and accessible
to a modern audience
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is this thing that...
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In other words,
making a completely original story
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set on the sidelines out
in the wings of the stage, so to speak.
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Yes.
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Because, you know, this
character, Dave, is not in the Bible,
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Dave the dove.
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- So, there's no danger of...
- Right, messing that up.
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- Yeah, exactly.
- Yeah.
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These moments with the animals
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certainly give a lot of creative license
to fill in the gap.
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And this is one of my favorite scenes
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just because I love
the introduction of Bo,
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and him being this... Bo the Donkey.
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And him being such a dreamer
and wanting to do great things,
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and I think that is so relatable
to so many people
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and what they aspire to do.
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So I love that we,
even from the original script,
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preserved Bo as our hero,
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in the eyes
through which we experience the story.
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Yeah, because
there is that image
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that's so famous of Mary
riding into Bethlehem on a donkey.
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Yeah.
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And again,
it's just one of those things
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where we know this story so well,
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but we've never known
the story of that donkey,
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and what was he thinking
as he rode into Bethlehem with Mary?
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I think we had cycled through
a lot of different ideas
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of what is motivating Bo.
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But the thing that really hooked us
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was the idea of, "Small donkey,
big dreams."
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- Yes.
- This is a character
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who everyone looks at and thinks
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that he's not going to
really amount to much.
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Even the old donkey,
his partner in the mill,
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doesn't think
he's really ever gonna do much.
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But he's got a big dream.
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He knows in his heart
that he's called to do something great.
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And as we see, his idea of what...
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- Yes.
- What great thing he's supposed to do,
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he's not quite right
about that at first,
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but eventually he comes
to do this great thing.
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Absolutely.
Speaking of great things,
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watching the film and
just seeing it from top to bottom...
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With the live action,
you see the film as it gets made.
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With animation,
this is my first animated film,
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and the process has been so tedious
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that it wasn't until recently
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being able to see the whole thing
together and in color.
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And one of the great things
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that I'd love for you to elaborate on
is just the animation style.
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- Mmm.
- Because what I notice in the film,
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which was even hard to glean
from the shots we were approving
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and storyboards was just the texture
and the lighting and the hair,
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and what was that process like?
You were... You are...
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Attention to detail
and a stickler about this.
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- So tell us about the process.
- Totally.
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Yeah, it's definitely worth
going into this.
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Actually, this is not
my first animated film,
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but this is my first film
in computer animation.
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So, I come from a background
of stop-motion animation,
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which is... You think of things
like Gumby, Wallace and Gromit,
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the old Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
shorts, that's all
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sort of the classic stop-motion stuff
we know about.
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And what I love about stop-motion
is the texture
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and sort of the fact
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that there's a world
full of tactile things
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that you can almost feel
when you see them on the screen.
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And so when we did
all of our digital production
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up at Cinesite,
which is a company in Montreal,
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that did our animation, our lighting,
our texturing.
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They're the people that really sort of
brought this world to life
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on all of that detail that you can see.
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One of the things
I really love about this whole scene,
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and in particular this location,
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is the contrast between
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- the light of the world outside...
- Outside. Mmm-hmm.
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...and the sort of darkness
on the inside.
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It really gives this mill
a feeling of being a prison.
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That's thanks not only
to the lighting artists at Cinesite
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but also the painters
at Sony Pictures Animation
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who do paintings that we call color keys
that give sort of a rough outline
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of what the mood and the atmosphere
of the location should be.
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And then the lighting artists
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chase after that
and try to achieve that.
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So you can see it coming up here.
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We're about to cut to Joseph,
who's outside
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on the happiest day of his life,
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the day of his wedding feast.
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And the contrast in color
is so immediate.
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- You go from this...
- Absolutely.
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...dark jail kind of atmosphere
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to this bright,
green outdoor atmosphere.
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And I mean that's sort of one example
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of how in animation
we use color and light
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to really affect
the emotion of the audience.
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Yes.
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And how were you able to work
with the artists and work with Cinesite
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to be able to articulate this?
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Because when you look at
traditional animated films,
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CGI films today,
they don't look like this.
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And I mean that in a good way,
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meaning like, you can see hair
on his face and pebbles on the ground.
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How did you get them
to understand your vision?
193
00:09:01,720 --> 00:09:04,803
Words can only go
so far, and that's really the importance
194
00:09:04,880 --> 00:09:08,726
of everyone in animation
having a certain facility with drawing
195
00:09:08,800 --> 00:09:12,600
or at least with painting, drawing,
whatever.
196
00:09:12,680 --> 00:09:14,921
Ultimately, these ideas
have to be communicated visually.
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00:09:15,240 --> 00:09:16,651
And in this case, yeah...
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00:09:16,720 --> 00:09:20,884
Every film
that anyone in Hollywood works on,
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00:09:21,480 --> 00:09:25,246
you do a little bit of research
on what you call the look of picture,
200
00:09:25,360 --> 00:09:26,725
which is like what is the...
201
00:09:26,840 --> 00:09:29,161
What makes the look
of this movie unique?
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00:09:29,320 --> 00:09:32,563
And the thing that I really wanted
to draw in for this movie, again,
203
00:09:32,640 --> 00:09:34,563
probably coming from
my stop-motion background,
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00:09:34,640 --> 00:09:37,450
was something that had a more,
205
00:09:38,320 --> 00:09:40,721
I would say,
live-action film look to it.
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00:09:40,800 --> 00:09:43,724
So, in computer animation,
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there is no inherent limit
on what can be in focus.
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Everything in the frame
could be in focus.
209
00:09:49,200 --> 00:09:50,201
But we were choosing...
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You can see the stone
is out of focus in this shot.
211
00:09:53,120 --> 00:09:54,451
And many other examples of that.
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00:09:54,840 --> 00:09:57,320
That's what's called
a narrow depth of field,
213
00:09:57,400 --> 00:09:58,970
and that really...
214
00:10:00,600 --> 00:10:03,285
That gives it a certain look
215
00:10:03,360 --> 00:10:05,328
that, to me, ties it to,
216
00:10:06,000 --> 00:10:07,809
I think, something
a little bit more sophisticated
217
00:10:07,880 --> 00:10:09,370
where you're using film language
218
00:10:09,440 --> 00:10:12,922
the way the live-action movie
would use film language.
219
00:10:13,120 --> 00:10:15,009
Right.
220
00:10:15,080 --> 00:10:20,371
Definitely, I think everyone
who sees it and appreciates it
221
00:10:20,440 --> 00:10:23,250
will appreciate that
because it's very unique.
222
00:10:23,320 --> 00:10:25,209
Wait, there's another
good example there,
223
00:10:25,280 --> 00:10:27,408
the light outside of the...
224
00:10:28,480 --> 00:10:30,721
It's doing what we call...
It's blowing out,
225
00:10:31,120 --> 00:10:33,009
the light outside of the mill.
226
00:10:33,120 --> 00:10:35,168
And that's a limitation
that you have in film.
227
00:10:35,280 --> 00:10:36,725
- Yeah.
- But again,
228
00:10:36,800 --> 00:10:39,804
you know because film
can be over-exposed. In a computer,
229
00:10:39,880 --> 00:10:42,360
- you really have complete freedom.
- Right.
230
00:10:42,480 --> 00:10:44,767
And actually
the art of making a film
231
00:10:44,840 --> 00:10:47,161
is kind of choosing
which freedoms you don't wanna use
232
00:10:47,240 --> 00:10:51,609
because you actually want
some limitations and...
233
00:10:51,720 --> 00:10:54,564
In order to give that texture
and the feel and the tone...
234
00:10:54,640 --> 00:10:57,803
- Exactly.
- ...that you are striving for.
235
00:10:58,720 --> 00:11:00,370
You're free, kid. Make it count.
236
00:11:03,440 --> 00:11:06,649
How hard was it
to get the donkey right?
237
00:11:06,720 --> 00:11:10,850
'Cause I know we had so many
conversations about this donkey,
238
00:11:10,920 --> 00:11:13,491
and how big and how little
and how short are the legs?
239
00:11:13,560 --> 00:11:15,164
- How long should the legs be?
- Totally.
240
00:11:15,240 --> 00:11:17,322
It's funny because
we wanted the donkey to be...
241
00:11:17,400 --> 00:11:18,925
We wanted Bo to be small
242
00:11:19,560 --> 00:11:21,722
because of the idea
of, "Small donkey, big dreams."
243
00:11:21,800 --> 00:11:25,805
But at the same time, if he's too small,
then he can't really carry Mary.
244
00:11:25,880 --> 00:11:28,042
- Right.
- Looks like Mary's riding on a dog
245
00:11:28,120 --> 00:11:31,010
into town, and that's just
animal abuse at that point.
246
00:11:31,840 --> 00:11:34,730
But another big piece
of finding the character,
247
00:11:34,800 --> 00:11:36,529
which this scene does a really good job
of showcasing,
248
00:11:36,600 --> 00:11:38,568
is the vocal performances.
249
00:11:39,040 --> 00:11:40,041
Yes.
250
00:11:40,120 --> 00:11:43,886
It's Keegan-Michael Key
playing Dave here, Steven Yeun as Bo.
251
00:11:44,160 --> 00:11:48,290
You can see how all three characters
really get so much energy
252
00:11:48,360 --> 00:11:50,089
- from those vocal performances.
- Yeah.
253
00:11:50,160 --> 00:11:53,369
And what I loved
about Steven's performance as Bo
254
00:11:53,480 --> 00:11:54,527
is that there was a youthfulness...
255
00:11:54,600 --> 00:11:55,840
- Yes.
- ...a sort of innocence to him,
256
00:11:55,920 --> 00:11:57,922
but also a ton of energy.
257
00:11:58,000 --> 00:12:01,891
And to me, he kind of reminded me
of Marty McFly in Back to the Future
258
00:12:01,960 --> 00:12:07,603
where this is a character that's almost
more fun to watch when he is in trouble.
259
00:12:07,680 --> 00:12:09,409
- Yes.
- You know? And this is a good example
260
00:12:09,480 --> 00:12:11,881
of that type of...
261
00:12:12,000 --> 00:12:13,764
Watching this guy panic and freak out,
262
00:12:13,840 --> 00:12:15,604
it's totally engaging.
263
00:12:15,800 --> 00:12:16,926
- Yes.
- Then, of course, Dave,
264
00:12:17,000 --> 00:12:18,161
in some ways, is the opposite.
265
00:12:18,240 --> 00:12:20,129
He's a guy who never loses his cool.
266
00:12:20,960 --> 00:12:23,088
And sometimes
he's a little bit sarcastic
267
00:12:23,160 --> 00:12:24,525
- where Bo is innocent...
- Right.
268
00:12:24,600 --> 00:12:26,125
They form
a really great odd couple.
269
00:12:26,320 --> 00:12:27,651
Yeah, they really, really do.
270
00:12:27,720 --> 00:12:29,449
And in that scene with the hen,
271
00:12:29,720 --> 00:12:31,848
that was actually a cameo
272
00:12:31,920 --> 00:12:33,490
- by Mariah Carey...
- That's right.
273
00:12:33,560 --> 00:12:34,971
...saying,
"Oh, it's a donkey."
274
00:12:35,040 --> 00:12:36,485
- "Flying donkey."
- Yeah, "Flying donkey."
275
00:12:36,560 --> 00:12:38,369
So speaking of vocal talent,
276
00:12:38,440 --> 00:12:40,681
this movie is filled
with some great vocal talent
277
00:12:40,760 --> 00:12:43,730
and a lot of vocal Easter eggs,
so to speak...
278
00:12:43,800 --> 00:12:45,040
RECKARTI That is true.
279
00:12:45,160 --> 00:12:48,562
...of people that will
surprise you, that they're in the film,
280
00:12:48,680 --> 00:12:52,002
but everyone really lent
such incredible talent to it,
281
00:12:52,080 --> 00:12:53,127
and I think you're right.
282
00:12:53,400 --> 00:12:56,688
Steven Yeun does an awesome job,
283
00:12:56,760 --> 00:12:58,888
and his ability to really hold
the movie together
284
00:12:58,960 --> 00:13:01,884
through that vocal performance is key,
285
00:13:01,960 --> 00:13:04,327
because you didn't want him
to be too young,
286
00:13:04,400 --> 00:13:05,765
but not too old.
287
00:13:05,840 --> 00:13:07,683
It was like a really hard balance
to strike...
288
00:13:07,760 --> 00:13:09,000
RECKARTI Right.
FRANKLIN; Which...
289
00:13:09,080 --> 00:13:10,366
- 'Cause he's not a kid.
- Yeah.
290
00:13:10,440 --> 00:13:12,408
But at the same time he is
really at the beginning of his life.
291
00:13:12,520 --> 00:13:14,090
- That's right.
- He's at a stage
292
00:13:14,160 --> 00:13:15,969
where he's trying to choose
what he's gonna do with his life.
293
00:13:16,200 --> 00:13:17,611
FRAN KL|NI That's right.
294
00:13:17,680 --> 00:13:19,409
Speaking of doing with your life,
295
00:13:19,480 --> 00:13:22,882
it's interesting with Mary because
that was also another big conversation
296
00:13:22,960 --> 00:13:26,601
that we all went through
in trying to figure out,
297
00:13:26,680 --> 00:13:31,971
"How do you render
the Virgin Mary in animation?
298
00:13:32,280 --> 00:13:34,123
"And how do you do that with reverence,
299
00:13:34,200 --> 00:13:37,204
"and how do you do that
with still being true to the story
300
00:13:37,280 --> 00:13:40,602
"yet still being true to the retelling
of the story that we're doing?"
301
00:13:40,680 --> 00:13:43,331
And there was
a lot of conversation about that.
302
00:13:43,400 --> 00:13:47,485
Yeah, the Bible really doesn't
give us a...
303
00:13:48,160 --> 00:13:50,640
There's no paragraph
of character description
304
00:13:50,920 --> 00:13:53,207
on almost anybody in the Bible.
305
00:13:53,400 --> 00:13:55,607
- But we do have clues...
- Right.
306
00:13:55,680 --> 00:13:58,445
...and those were always
ourjumping-off points
307
00:13:58,520 --> 00:13:59,965
with our main characters here.
308
00:14:00,040 --> 00:14:01,041
Mary---...
309
00:14:01,440 --> 00:14:04,649
I guess for me one big thing
that I thought about Mary is,
310
00:14:04,720 --> 00:14:08,202
"This is a woman who
when she's visited by an angel
311
00:14:08,280 --> 00:14:12,126
"who tells her, 'God wants you
to be the mother of His son,'
312
00:14:12,480 --> 00:14:14,050
"she's a woman who doesn't say,
313
00:14:14,760 --> 00:14:16,649
"What does the fine print say?‘
She just says yes."
314
00:14:16,720 --> 00:14:19,041
She embraces this proposition from God,
315
00:14:19,120 --> 00:14:21,168
so this is a woman with a lot of faith.
316
00:14:22,120 --> 00:14:25,681
Also, I think that's a sign of a woman
who also has a lot of joy and optimism,
317
00:14:25,800 --> 00:14:29,122
a woman who hears something
like that and embraces it.
318
00:14:29,200 --> 00:14:30,486
That's someone who's excited
319
00:14:30,560 --> 00:14:33,530
about what life has to offer
her in the future.
320
00:14:34,280 --> 00:14:36,044
And so using that
as kind of a jumping-off point,
321
00:14:36,120 --> 00:14:40,523
we also realized that you very rarely
see pictures of Mary laughing.
322
00:14:40,720 --> 00:14:42,245
- Right.
- There are so many representations
323
00:14:42,360 --> 00:14:43,566
of Mary out there,
324
00:14:43,640 --> 00:14:46,723
and for the most part,
she looks very reverent,
325
00:14:47,400 --> 00:14:50,529
and she's portrayed in
more of a praying kind of thing.
326
00:14:50,600 --> 00:14:52,284
And, of course,
that is part of who she is.
327
00:14:52,560 --> 00:14:54,722
-But“
-FRANKLIN: That was only one emotion.
328
00:14:54,800 --> 00:14:55,926
Exactly.
FRAN KLINI Right.
329
00:14:56,040 --> 00:14:57,371
And if we're
going to be looking at
330
00:14:57,440 --> 00:15:01,764
the life that she led
between the lines...
331
00:15:01,840 --> 00:15:02,921
Yes.
332
00:15:03,000 --> 00:15:04,286
I guess that's one way to look
at what we're doing here is
333
00:15:04,360 --> 00:15:07,284
we're kind of reading between the lines
of what's given in the Bible.
334
00:15:07,840 --> 00:15:09,604
That seemed like
a really exciting opportunity
335
00:15:09,720 --> 00:15:13,167
to show Mary as a joyful person,
someone who's open to improvisation
336
00:15:13,240 --> 00:15:16,244
and just ready to go
where God asks her to go.
337
00:15:19,560 --> 00:15:22,643
And then by contrast,
it's always more interesting
338
00:15:22,720 --> 00:15:27,123
when there's a certain sort of opposite
complementarity in a married couple,
339
00:15:28,200 --> 00:15:31,329
and so, thinking about,
"Who's Joseph gonna be?
340
00:15:31,400 --> 00:15:33,004
"If this is...
If Mary is the one who's like,
341
00:15:33,080 --> 00:15:35,686
"'Yeah, everything's gonna be fine.
Don't worry, we're cool,‘
342
00:15:35,760 --> 00:15:37,524
- "then Joseph might..."
- Has to... Yeah.
343
00:15:37,600 --> 00:15:39,568
He's the one
who's super practical,
344
00:15:39,640 --> 00:15:42,849
and he's gotta plan everything out.
345
00:15:43,120 --> 00:15:44,770
You know,
here he is cleaning up the house.
346
00:15:45,640 --> 00:15:49,531
Think about it.
He's a carpenter 2,000 years ago.
347
00:15:49,600 --> 00:15:52,410
In this day and age, he might be
an electrical engineer or something.
348
00:15:52,680 --> 00:15:55,160
So this guy has an engineering mind,
349
00:15:56,440 --> 00:15:59,171
and I think we...
Also, you can see in the background
350
00:15:59,600 --> 00:16:01,409
all of his tools
are perfectly organized.
351
00:16:01,520 --> 00:16:03,761
- Everything's in its right place.
- Mmm-hmm.
352
00:16:05,200 --> 00:16:08,602
And what's great about
having Joseph start there
353
00:16:09,440 --> 00:16:11,681
- is that it gives him somewhere to go.
- Yeah.
354
00:16:11,760 --> 00:16:13,125
It gives him his journey,
355
00:16:13,240 --> 00:16:16,767
- so we can really invest in his change.
- Right.
356
00:16:16,840 --> 00:16:19,844
Because Mary is pretty much
the same throughout the story.
357
00:16:19,920 --> 00:16:21,251
she believes at the beginning,
358
00:16:21,320 --> 00:16:23,129
she's very willing,
and she remains willing.
359
00:16:23,400 --> 00:16:25,209
Yet Joseph is the one that...
360
00:16:25,480 --> 00:16:27,130
RECKARTI Yeah, in the Bible we're told,
361
00:16:27,200 --> 00:16:31,091
at first when he's presented with this
really strange thing
362
00:16:31,160 --> 00:16:32,161
that Mary tells him,
363
00:16:33,440 --> 00:16:36,250
he doesn't know what to make of it
and considers divorcing Mary,
364
00:16:36,320 --> 00:16:38,049
so that he can protect her reputation
365
00:16:38,120 --> 00:16:40,771
and just maybe
put this thing away quietly.
366
00:16:41,080 --> 00:16:42,923
Of course, God tells him,
"No, don't worry.
367
00:16:43,000 --> 00:16:44,729
"This is done by God."
368
00:16:46,240 --> 00:16:49,687
And by the end of the story,
by the end of this Nativity narrative,
369
00:16:50,720 --> 00:16:53,326
Joseph is a guy who has a dream
370
00:16:53,440 --> 00:16:54,851
where he's warned
he needs to go to Egypt
371
00:16:54,920 --> 00:16:56,888
and gets up
the next morning and takes the...
372
00:16:57,360 --> 00:17:00,125
Who leaves everything
and takes the family to Egypt.
373
00:17:00,960 --> 00:17:03,042
So you can see
there is a real journey there
374
00:17:03,120 --> 00:17:05,009
in terms of a guy
who's learning to trust God.
375
00:17:05,240 --> 00:17:07,322
And that's part
of what we wanted to show here.
376
00:17:07,560 --> 00:17:10,689
We get to it more
halfway through the movie,
377
00:17:11,040 --> 00:17:13,930
but Joseph is a guy
who eventually is going to be...
378
00:17:14,320 --> 00:17:17,722
He planned for a perfect trip
to Bethlehem for his wife.
379
00:17:17,800 --> 00:17:19,643
And in the end
his wife's giving birth in a barn,
380
00:17:19,720 --> 00:17:21,085
and that's hard for a guy
381
00:17:21,160 --> 00:17:22,241
- who really tried...
- Right.
382
00:17:22,320 --> 00:17:23,560
...to plan everything out.
383
00:17:23,920 --> 00:17:26,446
But he has to embrace the fact
that God's in charge
384
00:17:27,040 --> 00:17:29,611
and that he's gotta let God
take the wheel a little bit.
385
00:17:29,800 --> 00:17:31,006
He does.
386
00:17:31,080 --> 00:17:34,721
And I think that journey
is very relatable,
387
00:17:35,160 --> 00:17:39,449
and I think that we were trying,
when we were doing this script
388
00:17:39,840 --> 00:17:41,001
and also working on the movie...
389
00:17:41,120 --> 00:17:46,524
It's hard to take these Bible characters
like Mary and Joseph
390
00:17:46,760 --> 00:17:49,081
and make them relatable
to a modern audience.
391
00:17:49,320 --> 00:17:52,005
So I think Joseph is really a key,
392
00:17:52,160 --> 00:17:53,605
a lynch pin to that.
393
00:17:53,880 --> 00:17:56,724
So that anyone watching the film
can find their selves
394
00:17:57,000 --> 00:17:59,480
in the Joseph character
395
00:17:59,720 --> 00:18:04,806
and also appreciate the obedience
and the commitment of Mary
396
00:18:05,200 --> 00:18:08,966
- to her faith and to what God is...
- To God's plan.
397
00:18:09,040 --> 00:18:12,123
Yeah, to God's plan,
what God has called her to do.
398
00:18:12,360 --> 00:18:14,442
Yeah, and actually
it's great you mentioned
399
00:18:14,520 --> 00:18:15,726
that what God calls you to do
400
00:18:15,800 --> 00:18:17,006
because I think that's really,
401
00:18:17,080 --> 00:18:18,889
in some ways,
also the theme of Bo's story.
402
00:18:19,040 --> 00:18:20,041
Yes.
RECKARTI Like Bo's...
403
00:18:20,240 --> 00:18:22,641
You could look at Bo's story
as a story about vocation,
404
00:18:22,720 --> 00:18:25,724
and Bo trying to discern,
"What is God calling me to do?"
405
00:18:25,800 --> 00:18:28,246
Well, of course,
Bo doesn't, maybe, think
406
00:18:28,320 --> 00:18:29,845
in terms of what
God is calling him to do.
407
00:18:29,960 --> 00:18:32,088
But maybe for him,
it's more in terms of the star.
408
00:18:32,160 --> 00:18:34,401
That star means
he's supposed to do something great.
409
00:18:34,960 --> 00:18:37,088
And I think that's really true
for all of us.
410
00:18:38,880 --> 00:18:40,041
We're part of God's plan,
411
00:18:40,120 --> 00:18:42,771
but the question is exactly how,
412
00:18:42,840 --> 00:18:46,128
and I know that
a lot of us are hoping that,
413
00:18:46,440 --> 00:18:47,726
"Well, whatever it is, God,
414
00:18:47,800 --> 00:18:51,282
"l hope it involves me being
a zillionaire and being pretty famous,
415
00:18:51,400 --> 00:18:53,050
"and having a really nice car."
416
00:18:53,600 --> 00:18:55,011
For most of us
that's not gonna be the case,
417
00:18:55,080 --> 00:18:56,411
but that doesn't mean
it's any less great.
418
00:18:56,480 --> 00:18:59,848
And ultimately, that is
the message of the Christmas story
419
00:18:59,920 --> 00:19:03,766
because God chose to do something great
in the most humble way possible...
420
00:19:03,840 --> 00:19:04,887
Yes.
421
00:19:04,960 --> 00:19:08,681
As a baby born to two peasants
in a stable among the animals.
422
00:19:08,760 --> 00:19:11,286
- Correct.
- And so, really,
423
00:19:11,440 --> 00:19:13,204
that's what we tried to
build a story for Bo
424
00:19:13,280 --> 00:19:17,171
that would be very parallel to that
central theme of the Nativity,
425
00:19:17,240 --> 00:19:20,244
which is that great things
don't always look great on the outside.
426
00:19:20,320 --> 00:19:22,846
They can look humble, but it doesn't
mean they're any less great.
427
00:19:23,080 --> 00:19:24,081
And that applies to all of us.
428
00:19:24,360 --> 00:19:28,206
Whether our vocation is to be a mother,
or our vocation is to...
429
00:19:28,280 --> 00:19:30,009
- Be a father, to be...
- Be a fifth grade teacher,
430
00:19:30,080 --> 00:19:31,241
- whatever it is.
- Yeah.
431
00:19:31,320 --> 00:19:32,401
That's right.
432
00:19:32,480 --> 00:19:34,164
- Executive. ..
- Right.
433
00:19:34,240 --> 00:19:38,802
Drive Uber or Lyft.
It's all the same, it's the same idea.
434
00:19:39,040 --> 00:19:41,805
God really seeks us
where we are.
435
00:19:41,880 --> 00:19:42,881
FRAN KL|NI That's right.
436
00:19:42,960 --> 00:19:44,371
- That's how I would put it.
- That's right.
437
00:19:44,440 --> 00:19:45,441
Mary named me.
438
00:19:45,520 --> 00:19:46,521
"Bo." Hmm.
439
00:19:46,920 --> 00:19:48,649
That's got a nice ring to... Wait.
440
00:19:48,880 --> 00:19:50,405
That lady person named you?
441
00:19:50,760 --> 00:19:51,807
I said hide here...
442
00:19:51,880 --> 00:19:54,804
And what's so interesting is
even when you see Dave the dove,
443
00:19:55,520 --> 00:20:00,162
it's these characters
finding themselves where they are
444
00:20:00,240 --> 00:20:01,844
and embracing that.
445
00:20:02,800 --> 00:20:04,131
And embracing that moment.
446
00:20:04,200 --> 00:20:09,604
I love the dynamic between Dave and Bo
because there's such a friendship there,
447
00:20:09,680 --> 00:20:11,045
and there's such a connection there.
448
00:20:11,120 --> 00:20:13,646
And I think that that really underscores
449
00:20:13,720 --> 00:20:17,850
the power of one of the themes
of the film, which is friendship,
450
00:20:17,920 --> 00:20:19,843
which is connection, which is community.
451
00:20:20,000 --> 00:20:22,731
These animals
didn't do this by themselves.
452
00:20:22,800 --> 00:20:25,804
- Each animal played a part...
- Yes.
453
00:20:25,880 --> 00:20:27,882
But it was the collective
that really helped.
454
00:20:28,520 --> 00:20:30,204
And I love the dynamic
between those two.
455
00:20:30,280 --> 00:20:34,001
And this is another scene
that we worked very hard on
456
00:20:34,080 --> 00:20:38,369
to really strike the balance
because as you mentioned earlier,
457
00:20:38,440 --> 00:20:40,647
in scripture, Joseph is very reluctant.
458
00:20:40,920 --> 00:20:44,083
And an angel visits him in a dream.
459
00:20:44,200 --> 00:20:47,761
And so we were trying to find
the balance of this scene
460
00:20:47,840 --> 00:20:51,003
to keep it poetic,
which was your vision,
461
00:20:51,160 --> 00:20:55,245
yet at the same time,
include enough in this moment
462
00:20:55,320 --> 00:21:00,611
that would show
the presence of the angel.
463
00:21:00,680 --> 00:21:01,681
Right.
464
00:21:01,760 --> 00:21:03,762
So I really liked
this balance.
465
00:21:03,840 --> 00:21:08,528
Yeah that was... "Balance"
is the right word because we...
466
00:21:08,640 --> 00:21:11,291
This movie was never supposed to
just be the Nativity.
467
00:21:11,360 --> 00:21:14,330
And there really is
a danger of letting...
468
00:21:14,400 --> 00:21:16,243
If you really spent too much time in
469
00:21:16,320 --> 00:21:18,607
the beats of what's in the Bible,
then that will...
470
00:21:19,160 --> 00:21:21,686
When I say "beat," what I mean is
a story beat or a scene.
471
00:21:23,920 --> 00:21:27,527
Those threatened to overwhelm the story
we're actually trying to tell here,
472
00:21:27,640 --> 00:21:28,971
which is the animal point of view,
473
00:21:29,040 --> 00:21:32,931
and so we're trying to include
just enough that the audience knows,
474
00:21:33,000 --> 00:21:34,490
- "Here's where we are."
- Right.
475
00:21:34,560 --> 00:21:37,484
But there is a bit of
a presumption, I think, on our part,
476
00:21:37,560 --> 00:21:39,449
that most of the audience
is gonna be familiar
477
00:21:39,520 --> 00:21:42,126
- with the basics of what this story is.
- Yes. Right.
478
00:21:42,200 --> 00:21:45,010
And that gives us room
to do something like this.
479
00:21:45,080 --> 00:21:46,445
Yes, I know. I love it.
480
00:21:46,520 --> 00:21:49,205
A good friend of mine, Kirk Franklin,
481
00:21:49,320 --> 00:21:52,290
blessed us with this song,
this reimagining of We Three Kings.
482
00:21:52,360 --> 00:21:53,885
- I love this song.
- I love it, too.
483
00:21:54,040 --> 00:21:55,530
- It's so good.
- Yeah, it's so good.
484
00:21:55,720 --> 00:21:59,520
And here's Tracy Morgan,
and that's Tyler Perry as Cyrus.
485
00:21:59,600 --> 00:22:03,161
And then there's Oprah
as Deborah the camel.
486
00:22:03,240 --> 00:22:06,289
And it's just these three,
Tracy, Oprah and Tyler
487
00:22:06,360 --> 00:22:10,809
coming together to do these voices
is just an embarrassment of riches...
488
00:22:10,880 --> 00:22:12,609
- RECKARTI Oh, totally.
- ...and talent.
489
00:22:12,920 --> 00:22:15,127
And this is also
a good example of
490
00:22:15,200 --> 00:22:17,521
how we tried to approach
the animal point of view.
491
00:22:17,600 --> 00:22:19,807
Because we all know about
the Three Wise Men,
492
00:22:19,880 --> 00:22:21,803
but we thought, "How are we gonna
handle these three camels,
493
00:22:21,880 --> 00:22:23,848
"they always have the Wise Men
on their backs?
494
00:22:24,000 --> 00:22:26,082
"How are you gonna
literally frame the camera
495
00:22:26,160 --> 00:22:28,367
"so that we're focusing on the animals
and not the humans."
496
00:22:28,440 --> 00:22:29,680
And the way we decided to treat...
497
00:22:29,760 --> 00:22:30,841
You can see their heads are cut off
498
00:22:30,960 --> 00:22:32,246
at the top of the frame.
499
00:22:32,760 --> 00:22:34,250
The way I put it was,
500
00:22:34,320 --> 00:22:37,244
"They wear these Wise Men like
the Wise Men wear hats."
501
00:22:38,400 --> 00:22:40,004
...the Son of God?
502
00:22:41,760 --> 00:22:44,445
Uh-oh. Deborah's crazier
than a box of rocks.
503
00:22:45,000 --> 00:22:46,445
I believe the expression is...
504
00:22:46,520 --> 00:22:48,443
And it works so well because,
505
00:22:48,520 --> 00:22:51,205
going back to the original conceit
of the script,
506
00:22:51,400 --> 00:22:54,847
we really wanted to do
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern.
507
00:22:54,960 --> 00:22:57,008
- Yeah, that's right.
- So it was completely
508
00:22:57,080 --> 00:22:59,128
that point of view where it's like
509
00:22:59,200 --> 00:23:02,204
you really, in that version,
would never see the humans.
510
00:23:02,280 --> 00:23:05,443
You would always stay low.
So, seeing the animals
511
00:23:05,560 --> 00:23:10,407
and the camels framed in that way
is very much in the spirit...
512
00:23:10,480 --> 00:23:11,845
- Yeah...
- ...of the original
513
00:23:12,080 --> 00:23:14,048
- reason why we were gonna do the script.
- Right.
514
00:23:14,320 --> 00:23:16,766
Yeah, it is sort of
an obscure reference,
515
00:23:16,840 --> 00:23:19,446
but that played, and like the play,
516
00:23:19,520 --> 00:23:21,363
Rosencrantz and Guildenstern,
one of the pleasures
517
00:23:21,440 --> 00:23:23,283
is that you're following
this completely separate story
518
00:23:23,360 --> 00:23:25,522
that occasionally dips into Hamlet.
519
00:23:25,600 --> 00:23:26,931
That's exactly what we tried to do here,
520
00:23:27,000 --> 00:23:29,048
where you recognize,
"A-ha! King Herod, boom."
521
00:23:29,160 --> 00:23:30,366
But then we're back out of it again.
522
00:23:30,440 --> 00:23:33,728
We're just dipping in
and dipping back out
523
00:23:33,800 --> 00:23:35,404
with these beats that you recognize.
524
00:23:35,520 --> 00:23:37,602
FRAN KL|NI Absolutely. Oh, WOW.
525
00:23:38,560 --> 00:23:41,803
So talk about this because this idea...
526
00:23:41,880 --> 00:23:45,123
The dogs were in the original script.
527
00:23:45,680 --> 00:23:48,684
And we have
Ving Rhames and Gabriel lglesias,
528
00:23:48,880 --> 00:23:50,928
aka Fluffy, playing the dogs.
529
00:23:51,240 --> 00:23:53,049
- Where did that come from?
- We...
530
00:23:53,640 --> 00:23:57,725
This character of the hunter
is not in the Bible as such.
531
00:23:57,800 --> 00:24:02,044
But we do know that King Herod
sent his soldiers
532
00:24:02,160 --> 00:24:05,846
to hunt down this newborn king.
533
00:24:06,520 --> 00:24:08,602
And ultimately,
534
00:24:08,840 --> 00:24:12,322
if we're trying to let this story
be driven by animals,
535
00:24:12,440 --> 00:24:15,444
we can't really have King Herod
be the primary bad guy
536
00:24:15,560 --> 00:24:17,608
who's doing all the detective work.
537
00:24:17,720 --> 00:24:22,169
But at the same time,
Herod can't be talking to two dogs
538
00:24:22,240 --> 00:24:24,288
and telling two dogs
to go do his bidding.
539
00:24:24,400 --> 00:24:27,404
So the figure of this character
that we called the Hunter,
540
00:24:27,480 --> 00:24:29,642
he's the master of the dogs.
541
00:24:30,320 --> 00:24:33,290
In some ways, I see him
as somewhere halfway between
542
00:24:33,360 --> 00:24:36,489
the animal world and the human world
because he never speaks.
543
00:24:37,400 --> 00:24:39,846
You know, there's something
a little bit beast-like about him,
544
00:24:41,400 --> 00:24:45,803
and he's there to kind of bridge the gap
between King Herod who's,
545
00:24:45,920 --> 00:24:48,400
of course, the originator
of all this kind of bad guy plotting.
546
00:24:48,480 --> 00:24:51,484
And then the dogs who are ultimately
really our focus in this movie,
547
00:24:51,560 --> 00:24:55,406
and they're the ones who have
a beat of redemption at the end.
548
00:24:55,600 --> 00:24:58,649
The other nice thing about it
is it means that we don't have to...
549
00:24:58,760 --> 00:25:01,206
We need our bad guys
in this movie to be scary,
550
00:25:01,280 --> 00:25:03,328
but because it's also a Christmas movie,
551
00:25:03,480 --> 00:25:06,131
we want there to be room for redemption.
So we could...
552
00:25:06,200 --> 00:25:09,249
It allowed us to put
a lot of that scary stuff on the Hunter
553
00:25:09,360 --> 00:25:12,330
and let the dogs be
a little bit more fun and not so mean,
554
00:25:12,400 --> 00:25:14,641
so that there is room for them
to be redeemed at the end.
555
00:25:14,720 --> 00:25:15,846
Yes.
556
00:25:15,920 --> 00:25:17,285
And that we're actually
rooting for that
557
00:25:17,360 --> 00:25:18,930
because we've seen they're not all bad.
558
00:25:19,000 --> 00:25:22,322
Right, it's funny
'cause the dogs, their dynamic,
559
00:25:22,640 --> 00:25:26,087
they reminded me of a little more of a
sinister version of Abbott and Costello.
560
00:25:26,360 --> 00:25:27,646
Exactly, right.
561
00:25:27,720 --> 00:25:29,210
Yeah, I thought about it,
there were a lot of those...
562
00:25:29,280 --> 00:25:33,205
I thought about the...
You remember in 101 Dalmatians,
563
00:25:33,560 --> 00:25:36,848
the two bad guys in that,
the two sort of bumbling fool bad guys,
564
00:25:36,920 --> 00:25:38,888
and also the thieves in Home Alone.
565
00:25:38,960 --> 00:25:39,961
Oh, yes.
566
00:25:40,040 --> 00:25:42,008
Sort of the comedic
bad guy duo.
567
00:25:42,160 --> 00:25:44,242
- And yeah, that was...
- The Joe Pesci...
568
00:25:44,320 --> 00:25:46,163
- Yeah. Mmm-hmm.
- ...approach.
569
00:25:47,880 --> 00:25:50,167
Get rid of the problem.
570
00:25:53,680 --> 00:25:55,091
When you look at this set,
571
00:25:55,160 --> 00:25:56,924
this was one of the first sets
that we actually saw.
572
00:25:57,040 --> 00:25:58,041
That's right.
573
00:25:58,160 --> 00:26:02,085
And to see it come to life
is fantastic, and in that scene,
574
00:26:02,160 --> 00:26:07,007
one of the Wise Men, the one with
the gray beard was played by Joel Osteen
575
00:26:07,160 --> 00:26:09,891
for those of you who are keeping count
of our vocal...
576
00:26:10,080 --> 00:26:12,162
- Cameos.
- ...Easter eggs.
577
00:26:12,240 --> 00:26:14,129
- And this is Kristin Chenoweth...
- Yeah.
578
00:26:14,200 --> 00:26:16,248
- ...who plays...
- Abby the mouse.
579
00:26:16,360 --> 00:26:19,284
Abby the mouse. And she...
Her voice is just awesome.
580
00:26:19,360 --> 00:26:21,362
I know, that's the...
I mean, it's like...
581
00:26:21,440 --> 00:26:23,886
No one has a better voice
for a mouse than Kristin Chenoweth,
582
00:26:23,960 --> 00:26:27,681
- and I love these sounds that she makes.
- Yes.
583
00:26:27,920 --> 00:26:29,649
These little squealy...
584
00:26:29,720 --> 00:26:33,520
It's like she's hitting a frequency
that I think only dogs can hear.
585
00:26:33,600 --> 00:26:35,045
- Right.
- You know what I mean?
586
00:26:35,160 --> 00:26:38,801
Right, and I love Gabriel's...
587
00:26:38,880 --> 00:26:40,564
- I just love this scene.
- Yeah, this whole scene...
588
00:26:40,640 --> 00:26:42,210
- It's so good.
- And it's just this image
589
00:26:42,280 --> 00:26:45,045
of a mouse saying,
"Excuse me, I'm not a rat."
590
00:26:45,120 --> 00:26:47,566
- VVhile she's...
- "I'm a pygmy jerboa."
591
00:26:47,640 --> 00:26:50,644
So, yeah, and jerboas
are actually amazing creatures.
592
00:26:50,720 --> 00:26:52,768
This is... It's a real desert animal.
593
00:26:53,120 --> 00:26:55,521
And I personally find them really cute.
594
00:26:55,600 --> 00:26:59,321
You can search them on YouTube
and find videos of these things.
595
00:26:59,400 --> 00:27:03,450
But they're really remarkable creatures
that actually don't need to drink water.
596
00:27:03,520 --> 00:27:06,808
They literally generate water
from the dry seeds that they eat.
597
00:27:06,880 --> 00:27:11,283
And so, anyway,
that's all to say I love these animals,
598
00:27:11,400 --> 00:27:13,926
and I'm glad that I finally get
to put them in a movie.
599
00:27:14,040 --> 00:27:17,044
See, attention to detail. I love it.
600
00:27:17,200 --> 00:27:21,524
And Ving Rhames, come on,
just the quintessential
601
00:27:21,600 --> 00:27:24,683
bad guy voice. And he's so good.
602
00:27:24,760 --> 00:27:28,003
Yes, quintessential
bad guy voice, but at the same time,
603
00:27:28,080 --> 00:27:29,809
when we talked to him about
604
00:27:29,880 --> 00:27:31,484
why he wanted to be involved
in this movie,
605
00:27:31,560 --> 00:27:33,483
it was because
606
00:27:33,560 --> 00:27:35,847
he wanted to do something
that he could share with his family.
607
00:27:35,920 --> 00:27:37,570
Although this is a guy
608
00:27:37,640 --> 00:27:41,406
that we all associate with all these
kind of R-rated action movies...
609
00:27:41,480 --> 00:27:42,925
- Tough, yeah.
- ...and tough things,
610
00:27:43,000 --> 00:27:44,889
this is a guy
who like dearly loves his children
611
00:27:44,960 --> 00:27:47,440
and wants to do something that...
612
00:27:47,560 --> 00:27:50,484
It's sort of a change of pace
for him in a good way.
613
00:27:50,560 --> 00:27:53,689
Yeah, that was one of the
reasons why Tyler Perry wanted to do it.
614
00:27:53,760 --> 00:27:56,650
He has a son and he...
615
00:27:56,720 --> 00:27:59,326
His faith is very important to him,
and he loved the Nativity story.
616
00:27:59,400 --> 00:28:01,846
But in the opportunity
to do the animated version,
617
00:28:02,000 --> 00:28:03,923
through the animal's point of view,
he thought,
618
00:28:04,160 --> 00:28:07,209
"Wow! This'll be a great thing
to share with my son."
619
00:28:07,280 --> 00:28:08,520
Right.
It's a way to make this...
620
00:28:08,600 --> 00:28:10,125
We've all heard this story
so many times,
621
00:28:10,200 --> 00:28:12,009
and this is a way to make it fresh
622
00:28:12,080 --> 00:28:14,924
and make it feel like you're almost
hearing it for the first time.
623
00:28:15,000 --> 00:28:17,970
Because the characters,
whose eyes we're looking at it from,
624
00:28:18,040 --> 00:28:21,203
have a totally new point of view
on it that we've never heard before.
625
00:28:21,320 --> 00:28:23,607
Absolutely and this is, again,
626
00:28:23,720 --> 00:28:28,851
one of those scenes
where just the technical ability here
627
00:28:28,920 --> 00:28:31,321
and what you've done,
I just always admire.
628
00:28:31,400 --> 00:28:33,004
Mary's feet in the water,
629
00:28:33,120 --> 00:28:35,441
the shadows coming through part...
630
00:28:35,520 --> 00:28:38,569
She's in the shadows,
but the other part is in the light.
631
00:28:38,640 --> 00:28:42,611
It's just a very beautiful scene.
632
00:28:42,680 --> 00:28:46,651
Actually that image of Mary
with her feet in the pail of water,
633
00:28:46,840 --> 00:28:51,129
that came directly from a drawing done
by our character designer, David Colman,
634
00:28:51,200 --> 00:28:53,567
and part of the character design process
is not only figuring out
635
00:28:53,640 --> 00:28:56,041
what their face is gonna look like,
but also how do they use their body
636
00:28:56,120 --> 00:28:57,246
and what positions are they in.
637
00:28:57,320 --> 00:29:00,290
And he did this just amazingly
evocative sketch of Mary
638
00:29:00,360 --> 00:29:05,446
with her feet in a bucket of water
with her veil wrapped around her head
639
00:29:05,520 --> 00:29:06,726
like she was having a headache.
640
00:29:06,800 --> 00:29:08,882
Because pregnancy's hard and it was...
641
00:29:08,960 --> 00:29:11,088
I just thought that is such
a humanizing image of Mary
642
00:29:11,160 --> 00:29:12,810
that we've never seen before.
643
00:29:12,880 --> 00:29:15,087
And so I was very glad
that we could get that in the movie.
644
00:29:15,160 --> 00:29:16,571
I love it.
645
00:29:16,680 --> 00:29:18,444
Well, looks like you got me.
646
00:29:20,320 --> 00:29:21,321
Come here!
647
00:29:22,360 --> 00:29:23,407
Ha-ha!
648
00:29:24,560 --> 00:29:26,369
And with the comedy,
649
00:29:26,440 --> 00:29:31,287
what I appreciate about the balance
of what we were able to strike is,
650
00:29:31,440 --> 00:29:34,364
there are broad comedic moments,
651
00:29:34,600 --> 00:29:37,649
but they all are based in character...
652
00:29:37,720 --> 00:29:40,007
- Yeah, right.
- ...and in characterization,
653
00:29:40,080 --> 00:29:41,844
and why was that important to you?
654
00:29:42,000 --> 00:29:43,889
Right, because
this whole scene,
655
00:29:43,960 --> 00:29:47,885
there's a lot of slapstick pratfalls
in this sequence,
656
00:29:48,000 --> 00:29:50,685
but it's all based on
building up this rivalry
657
00:29:50,760 --> 00:29:54,048
between Joseph and Bo,
which is ultimately serving the story.
658
00:29:54,120 --> 00:29:56,122
It's not just there for laughs.
659
00:29:56,280 --> 00:30:01,730
This is ultimately there
because both Joseph and Bo
660
00:30:01,800 --> 00:30:04,929
are going to have to sort of
get over their differences
661
00:30:05,000 --> 00:30:06,729
in order to both work together
to help Mary.
662
00:30:06,800 --> 00:30:11,567
The thing that unites them is that
they both love Mary very deeply.
663
00:30:12,080 --> 00:30:15,004
But, then the difference is, of course,
664
00:30:15,080 --> 00:30:18,004
they sort of resent
each other in different ways.
665
00:30:18,160 --> 00:30:19,605
And I guess, yeah,
666
00:30:19,720 --> 00:30:22,485
we found that to be like
a very heartfelt thing
667
00:30:22,560 --> 00:30:27,043
about this story was that two guys
sort of find what they have in common,
668
00:30:27,120 --> 00:30:29,088
again, looking ahead
to the middle of the movie
669
00:30:29,160 --> 00:30:33,722
when Bo tells Joseph, "Hey, man,
you gotta go check on your wife."
670
00:30:33,800 --> 00:30:35,723
- Right.
- "Leave all this stuff here.
671
00:30:36,520 --> 00:30:38,443
"You gotta focus on what's important."
672
00:30:38,520 --> 00:30:40,090
Yeah.
673
00:30:40,640 --> 00:30:42,483
And it's interesting to see how
674
00:30:42,560 --> 00:30:45,404
their dynamic evolves
over the course of the story
675
00:30:45,480 --> 00:30:48,962
and they both come to realize
that they actually need one another.
676
00:30:49,600 --> 00:30:52,126
This sequence, this is one
of my favorite sequences in the movie.
677
00:30:52,600 --> 00:30:56,810
This is when the dogs burst in
to investigate,
678
00:30:56,880 --> 00:31:00,646
and this is a good example
of the process
679
00:31:00,720 --> 00:31:04,327
because now our head of story,
680
00:31:04,400 --> 00:31:08,007
Louie del Carmen, was working
on this sequence with Karina McBeth,
681
00:31:08,160 --> 00:31:11,164
and we were trying to find a way
to make this sequence more fun.
682
00:31:11,240 --> 00:31:15,404
And they hit on this idea
of the dance of the royal dove.
683
00:31:15,640 --> 00:31:17,847
And it was... That's all it was.
It was just an idea.
684
00:31:17,920 --> 00:31:20,526
It was a few drawings of a dancing bird.
685
00:31:20,880 --> 00:31:23,008
And it seemed really promising.
686
00:31:23,520 --> 00:31:25,329
But it didn't really come to life
687
00:31:25,400 --> 00:31:27,971
until we presented this idea
to Keegan-Michael Key,
688
00:31:28,040 --> 00:31:30,930
and it was just so amorphous.
689
00:31:31,000 --> 00:31:33,128
I remember in that session,
I was like, "Okay, look, Keegan,
690
00:31:33,200 --> 00:31:35,726
"l don't know what to tell you,
but at this part,
691
00:31:36,120 --> 00:31:38,282
"what we need is we need Dave
to start singing,
692
00:31:39,320 --> 00:31:42,529
"and he's gonna dance,
and so, I don't know,
693
00:31:42,600 --> 00:31:44,204
"can you like improvise
something like that?"
694
00:31:44,280 --> 00:31:45,964
And he was like,
"Yeah, I think I got something.
695
00:31:46,040 --> 00:31:47,405
"Just give me a sec."
696
00:31:47,480 --> 00:31:50,370
And he proceeded to do
two and a half minutes straight
697
00:31:50,440 --> 00:31:52,090
of this incredible scat singing,
698
00:31:52,160 --> 00:31:54,481
and everyone in there
was holding their breath
699
00:31:54,560 --> 00:31:56,483
because they did not wanna
ruin the take.
700
00:31:57,080 --> 00:31:59,606
And what he said was
that he and Jordan Peele
701
00:31:59,720 --> 00:32:01,563
used to kind of scat like that
backstage on Key and Peele...
702
00:32:01,680 --> 00:32:03,125
ls that right?
RECKARTI ...and that
703
00:32:03,200 --> 00:32:05,407
he was glad to finally be able
to put it in a movie.
704
00:32:05,480 --> 00:32:06,686
Oh, my goodness.
705
00:32:06,760 --> 00:32:10,446
And in this scene, this dancing,
706
00:32:10,520 --> 00:32:13,251
his improv right here and the scat,
707
00:32:13,320 --> 00:32:16,005
it's like this scene kills with kids.
708
00:32:16,120 --> 00:32:19,044
I guess... ls "kill" the right word?
709
00:32:19,120 --> 00:32:21,202
This scene performed so well with kids.
710
00:32:21,280 --> 00:32:23,851
It was in our teaser trailer.
It's in our trailer.
711
00:32:24,320 --> 00:32:25,810
When we screened the film,
712
00:32:25,920 --> 00:32:30,244
this is one of the standout moments
that kids really respond to and love.
713
00:32:30,400 --> 00:32:33,051
And that's the beautiful thing
about animation is that
714
00:32:33,120 --> 00:32:35,361
it didn't start out as good
as it turned out
715
00:32:35,440 --> 00:32:36,965
because then the next stage, of course,
716
00:32:37,040 --> 00:32:41,170
is that then having gotten Keegan's
vocal performance, then an animator
717
00:32:41,240 --> 00:32:42,844
- has to...
- Now you gotta go match that.
718
00:32:42,920 --> 00:32:45,810
And there's that great shot
where Dave the dove
719
00:32:45,880 --> 00:32:49,043
is kind of doing this dainty little
catwalk towards the camera.
720
00:32:49,480 --> 00:32:53,485
There is video reference of an animator
named Kyle Moy doing that.
721
00:32:53,800 --> 00:32:56,451
He was one of our animators
up at Cinesite.
722
00:32:56,960 --> 00:33:01,443
And, yeah, that's... The combination
of all these different artists
723
00:33:01,520 --> 00:33:05,161
is what ultimately leads to something
that functions that well.
724
00:33:05,360 --> 00:33:07,647
And it's, yeah...
This is such a collaborative process,
725
00:33:07,720 --> 00:33:09,484
and it's so satisfying
when something comes together
726
00:33:09,560 --> 00:33:11,801
that way with the contribution
of so many different people.
727
00:33:11,960 --> 00:33:16,010
And it's interesting because
the process behind the scenes mirrors
728
00:33:16,640 --> 00:33:19,689
the story in front of the camera,
which is,
729
00:33:19,760 --> 00:33:24,243
it really does take everyone
working together in order for
730
00:33:24,960 --> 00:33:28,851
the story to progress
and for the heroes to be victorious,
731
00:33:28,920 --> 00:33:30,365
and then behind the scenes,
732
00:33:30,440 --> 00:33:32,568
this being my first animated film,
733
00:33:32,680 --> 00:33:34,489
it was a surprise to me
734
00:33:34,600 --> 00:33:38,207
how much collaboration
is required on all fronts
735
00:33:38,320 --> 00:33:41,847
from everyone involved in the story
on every single sequence.
736
00:33:41,920 --> 00:33:44,605
And what people don't always realize
is that
737
00:33:44,680 --> 00:33:46,648
when you see one sequence of animation,
738
00:33:46,800 --> 00:33:48,564
there are so many different people...
739
00:33:48,640 --> 00:33:52,486
From the person doing the lighting
to yourself, the director,
740
00:33:52,560 --> 00:33:57,168
to the painters, to the animators,
to the performance artists,
741
00:33:57,240 --> 00:33:59,811
to the vocal talent
that have to come together.
742
00:33:59,880 --> 00:34:02,326
Yeah, it's funny,
we haven't talked about it yet,
743
00:34:02,400 --> 00:34:03,890
but just looking
in the background of this,
744
00:34:03,960 --> 00:34:06,122
you can see this house with the sort of
yellow and red painting,
745
00:34:06,200 --> 00:34:08,123
and then ultimately in a second
we're gonna cut wide
746
00:34:08,200 --> 00:34:12,649
and see all of the buildings in town,
and it's the background,
747
00:34:12,720 --> 00:34:15,690
so it's easy to ignore it,
but everything you see on screen
748
00:34:15,760 --> 00:34:20,721
had to be designed and was designed
by painters whose really...
749
00:34:20,800 --> 00:34:23,929
Our task in this was to find a way
to make a Biblical movie
750
00:34:24,040 --> 00:34:26,088
that was not just shades of brown.
751
00:34:26,160 --> 00:34:29,084
Because we've seen the Bible
that way too many times.
752
00:34:29,440 --> 00:34:33,968
And this is a movie with a lot of joy
in it and excitement and liveliness.
753
00:34:34,360 --> 00:34:36,761
So, you could see
these yellow wildflowers,
754
00:34:36,840 --> 00:34:38,968
a lot of lush greens.
755
00:34:39,280 --> 00:34:42,011
And, of course,
painting the sides of buildings,
756
00:34:42,080 --> 00:34:44,811
which really,
at least from our research we found,
757
00:34:45,000 --> 00:34:47,401
was a custom that
the ancient Romans would do.
758
00:34:47,520 --> 00:34:50,922
So, even though we're maybe used
to thinking of ancient Rome
759
00:34:51,000 --> 00:34:54,800
as just being all white marble
and sort of white marble statues,
760
00:34:54,880 --> 00:34:56,803
in reality it was a lot more
colorful than that.
761
00:34:56,880 --> 00:34:58,325
And what's interesting,
though,
762
00:34:58,400 --> 00:35:02,530
is then how that influence
made its way into Israel,
763
00:35:02,680 --> 00:35:06,207
into Jerusalem, which is fascinating
764
00:35:06,280 --> 00:35:11,684
because I've never seen...
We've never seen this area of the world
765
00:35:11,920 --> 00:35:16,323
and our history rendered
with so much vibrancy.
766
00:35:16,400 --> 00:35:18,289
Yeah, it's one of the things...
767
00:35:18,360 --> 00:35:23,526
So many of the live-action films set
in the Holy Land
768
00:35:24,640 --> 00:35:27,211
take their cue from the fact that
769
00:35:27,560 --> 00:35:29,403
a lot of these buildings
are in ruins now.
770
00:35:29,520 --> 00:35:30,567
Yes.
771
00:35:30,640 --> 00:35:32,529
Of course,
they weren't in ruins 2,000 years ago.
772
00:35:32,600 --> 00:35:33,806
They all had a fresh coat of paint.
773
00:35:33,880 --> 00:35:36,167
Everything was shiny and new.
774
00:35:36,320 --> 00:35:38,687
Not everything, of course,
but people were living in it.
775
00:35:38,760 --> 00:35:40,762
It was... And so, really, it should have
776
00:35:40,840 --> 00:35:42,842
the feel of a village
that's currently being lived in
777
00:35:42,920 --> 00:35:47,881
more than anything with sort of
a patent of historical age on it.
778
00:35:48,640 --> 00:35:53,362
Right, which I love,
having been to the Holy Land before.
779
00:35:53,920 --> 00:35:57,561
It's an incredible experience,
and so the opportunity to render it
780
00:35:58,440 --> 00:36:01,842
in an animated way was a great one.
781
00:36:01,920 --> 00:36:05,003
And I love the way
that it looks, and it just...
782
00:36:05,080 --> 00:36:08,129
We see it in a different lens
that we've never seen before,
783
00:36:08,200 --> 00:36:12,888
and I think that was also one of the
keys to making the story feel modern.
784
00:36:13,080 --> 00:36:15,811
- This is a period piece...
- Right.
785
00:36:15,880 --> 00:36:18,121
...yet you don't feel that.
786
00:36:18,280 --> 00:36:22,569
You feel like you're in a world
that you can access that has texture,
787
00:36:22,640 --> 00:36:25,610
that has light,
that is a world you wanna be in.
788
00:36:25,680 --> 00:36:29,401
- RECKARTI Yeah.
- And I love that dynamic Of it.
789
00:36:29,720 --> 00:36:31,290
And then this is an awesome...
790
00:36:31,360 --> 00:36:33,567
Yeah, I wanted to talk
about this scene.
791
00:36:33,760 --> 00:36:37,481
This is where we introduce Ruth
who's voiced by Aidy Bryant.
792
00:36:38,000 --> 00:36:40,924
And, yeah, there were so many...
793
00:36:41,000 --> 00:36:43,002
Again, this is one of those pieces where
794
00:36:43,280 --> 00:36:45,806
in storyboards this scene
was pretty funny.
795
00:36:45,880 --> 00:36:50,044
But then when the animator got in here
and gave us expressions like that on Bo,
796
00:36:50,320 --> 00:36:52,721
the comedy quotient just really jumped.
797
00:36:52,800 --> 00:36:56,850
And it's also really cute
because ultimately
798
00:36:56,920 --> 00:36:58,922
- Ruth's heart is in such a good place.
- Yes.
799
00:36:59,000 --> 00:37:01,890
She just really wants a friend.
She's a sheep without a flock.
800
00:37:02,040 --> 00:37:03,963
- And that's really hard for a sheep.
- Yes.
801
00:37:04,080 --> 00:37:06,208
Because sheep are used to being
surrounded by friends.
802
00:37:06,280 --> 00:37:07,566
And so when she's alone,
803
00:37:07,640 --> 00:37:09,768
she's just really not gonna let go
of those friends
804
00:37:09,840 --> 00:37:11,365
that she finds along the way.
805
00:37:11,440 --> 00:37:12,601
No, not at all.
806
00:37:12,680 --> 00:37:15,763
And I love the joke
about the personal space.
807
00:37:15,840 --> 00:37:17,251
- RECKARTI Yeah, right.
{FRANKLIN LAUGHS)
808
00:37:17,400 --> 00:37:19,528
You gotta think,
if you're a sheep, you don't know.
809
00:37:19,600 --> 00:37:21,489
FRAN KL|NI Yeah, totally.
810
00:37:21,560 --> 00:37:27,169
And also what I love about this sequence
is the animation of Bo's ears.
811
00:37:27,480 --> 00:37:30,086
And they really come to life,
and even the moment
812
00:37:30,400 --> 00:37:32,448
when his ears were covering his eyes,
813
00:37:33,360 --> 00:37:35,761
there's such a great opportunity
with animation
814
00:37:35,840 --> 00:37:38,491
to use so many different things, too.
815
00:37:38,560 --> 00:37:40,642
Yeah, there's the ears,
the tail.
816
00:37:41,000 --> 00:37:43,287
And then with quadrupeds,
with four-legged animals,
817
00:37:43,360 --> 00:37:45,328
there's different ways
that they can move.
818
00:37:45,400 --> 00:37:47,562
They can bound up and down
if they're feeling joy.
819
00:37:47,640 --> 00:37:50,928
They can sort of trudge,
they can gallop.
820
00:37:51,480 --> 00:37:54,324
So you can get a lot of emotion
using the whole body.
821
00:37:54,640 --> 00:37:56,051
- Yes.
- And see those,
822
00:37:56,120 --> 00:37:57,849
- Bo's ears just popped up.
- Yep.
823
00:37:58,000 --> 00:37:59,286
"Where is Dave?"
824
00:38:01,360 --> 00:38:02,600
I love this.
825
00:38:04,880 --> 00:38:08,009
Now that's another comic beat
826
00:38:08,120 --> 00:38:12,842
which we talked a lot about just trying
to find the right tone for the comedy,
827
00:38:13,160 --> 00:38:15,731
so that it would still feel fresh
828
00:38:15,920 --> 00:38:20,130
but not irreverent
or out of place for the story.
829
00:38:20,200 --> 00:38:23,841
Right. And to me, I...
Maybe it's just me,
830
00:38:23,920 --> 00:38:27,970
but I'm a real sucker for taking
the character that deserves it
831
00:38:28,040 --> 00:38:29,485
and then just pummeling him.
832
00:38:29,560 --> 00:38:31,528
I think there's probably like 16 times
833
00:38:31,600 --> 00:38:34,331
that Dave gets squashed
or smashed in this movie.
834
00:38:34,400 --> 00:38:36,721
And the truth is, I think it's funny
because he kind of deserves it.
835
00:38:36,800 --> 00:38:38,529
Because he's occasionally
a little bit of a jerk.
836
00:38:38,600 --> 00:38:40,648
So, you know?
837
00:38:40,800 --> 00:38:45,806
Yes, and that's another moment
the audience loves.
838
00:38:45,880 --> 00:38:49,089
And I love this dynamic here
839
00:38:49,160 --> 00:38:51,686
where you have
just the friendship building.
840
00:38:51,760 --> 00:38:56,527
And Dave could not tolerate Ruth.
841
00:38:56,600 --> 00:38:58,011
He's like, "No, we don't need her."
842
00:38:58,080 --> 00:39:01,243
But interestingly enough,
she is needed and...
843
00:39:01,320 --> 00:39:03,049
Well, yeah,
and that's where we end up.
844
00:39:03,120 --> 00:39:04,804
Right? We start out with this rivalry.
845
00:39:04,880 --> 00:39:07,690
And at first, it seems competitive,
but then at the end of the movie,
846
00:39:08,520 --> 00:39:12,411
Dave and Ruth are really working
together to help save the day.
847
00:39:12,480 --> 00:39:13,606
Yes.
848
00:39:16,920 --> 00:39:19,446
- Felix, come on.
- Shouldn't we be sneaking out?
849
00:39:20,640 --> 00:39:23,041
Here are the camels, again,
850
00:39:23,120 --> 00:39:27,091
and Tracy Morgan just does
a fantastic job
851
00:39:27,280 --> 00:39:29,521
of adding so much humor,
852
00:39:29,840 --> 00:39:35,768
and then Tyler does a great job
of playing the...
853
00:39:35,840 --> 00:39:36,841
He's snobby basically.
854
00:39:36,920 --> 00:39:38,251
Snobby, there you go,
thank you.
855
00:39:38,480 --> 00:39:41,962
That little... I just wanna say
that guard falling down
856
00:39:42,040 --> 00:39:44,611
is one of my favorite bits of animation
in this whole movie.
857
00:39:44,680 --> 00:39:49,288
That's done by Jason Ryan who's
a many-year veteran of animation.
858
00:39:49,360 --> 00:39:52,091
It's just so beautifully timed
with that finger up in the air
859
00:39:52,200 --> 00:39:53,929
and then, clunk,
when he hits the ground.
860
00:39:54,000 --> 00:39:56,207
Yeah, and Oprah does
a great job of delivering that line.
861
00:39:56,280 --> 00:39:57,406
RECKARTI Yes.
862
00:39:57,480 --> 00:39:59,403
And this is actually
one of my favorite sequences here,
863
00:39:59,480 --> 00:40:01,005
so creative.
864
00:40:01,080 --> 00:40:03,447
RECKARTI This, yeah, it's...
ltjust is.
865
00:40:03,520 --> 00:40:05,602
- Almost surrealistic.
- Yeah.
866
00:40:06,320 --> 00:40:07,446
It's completely absurd.
867
00:40:07,520 --> 00:40:11,002
And this came from storyboard,
all these...
868
00:40:11,080 --> 00:40:12,286
Everything you see on screen
869
00:40:12,360 --> 00:40:16,285
starts in the storyboard stage,
and when this gag was first boarded,
870
00:40:16,640 --> 00:40:19,211
I thought, "Okay, good luck to them.
871
00:40:19,280 --> 00:40:20,645
"We'll see how they're gonna
actually do it."
872
00:40:20,720 --> 00:40:22,802
I thought they'd have to cheat
by creating a 2D element,
873
00:40:22,880 --> 00:40:24,530
a two-dimensional element
or something like that.
874
00:40:24,600 --> 00:40:26,807
But actually that shadow
is literally created
875
00:40:26,880 --> 00:40:29,850
by just shaping those camel bodies
into that shape.
876
00:40:29,920 --> 00:40:32,002
Wow. They did such a good job.
877
00:40:32,280 --> 00:40:34,362
See, there's the Joel Osteen character
on the right.
878
00:40:34,440 --> 00:40:38,604
And I love...
We have the Laker fans represented here.
879
00:40:38,680 --> 00:40:40,125
- That's true.
- And then we have the Warrior fans
880
00:40:40,200 --> 00:40:43,124
represented on the left.
I'm from the Bay area,
881
00:40:43,200 --> 00:40:45,726
- so I'm a big Golden State Warriors fan.
- Mmm-hmm.
882
00:40:47,600 --> 00:40:53,687
This sequence, I also really
like just because it's so unique.
883
00:40:53,760 --> 00:40:56,525
The idea of putting the flowers here
884
00:40:56,640 --> 00:40:59,325
and then creating business
around the flower
885
00:40:59,400 --> 00:41:01,402
and the joke,
and not only just the joke,
886
00:41:01,520 --> 00:41:03,682
but also a story point to show,
887
00:41:03,760 --> 00:41:07,287
"Oh, my goodness, this guy is actually
much more sinister than we thought
888
00:41:07,400 --> 00:41:09,767
"because of what he does to the flower."
889
00:41:09,840 --> 00:41:11,365
Very, very detailed.
890
00:41:11,440 --> 00:41:13,124
Yeah, and so that's
kind of the trick
891
00:41:13,240 --> 00:41:15,368
that we were exploring here is,
892
00:41:15,440 --> 00:41:18,125
"What if it was really the camels that
893
00:41:18,200 --> 00:41:20,487
"clued into the fact that Herod
was up to no good?"
894
00:41:20,560 --> 00:41:21,561
Mmm-hmm.
895
00:41:21,640 --> 00:41:24,803
So it was one of those things
that helps us contrast the difference
896
00:41:24,880 --> 00:41:26,882
between the human point of view
and the animal point of view.
897
00:41:26,960 --> 00:41:28,291
Yes.
898
00:41:34,800 --> 00:41:36,723
Mary-
899
00:41:36,800 --> 00:41:38,484
Are you sure you don't want
to sit in the cart?
900
00:41:38,600 --> 00:41:43,003
It's worth commenting on
the score here written by John Paesano.
901
00:41:43,880 --> 00:41:45,723
What John was going for is
902
00:41:45,800 --> 00:41:47,404
what we were going for
throughout the movie,
903
00:41:47,480 --> 00:41:49,130
which was something that gave us
the flavor
904
00:41:50,840 --> 00:41:52,490
of kind of a time and place.
905
00:41:52,840 --> 00:41:54,251
There's a little bit of presence
906
00:41:54,360 --> 00:41:56,328
of what we called
the ethnic wind instruments,
907
00:41:56,400 --> 00:41:58,323
which are sort of not
what you'd normally have
908
00:41:58,400 --> 00:42:01,324
in your big orchestra
to give it a sense of place,
909
00:42:01,400 --> 00:42:02,401
but at the same time,
910
00:42:02,480 --> 00:42:03,845
something really classical and universal
911
00:42:03,920 --> 00:42:06,844
and timeless that just feels like
a big epic film score.
912
00:42:06,960 --> 00:42:09,486
And a big inspiration for us was
913
00:42:09,600 --> 00:42:13,002
the big Biblical epics
of the mid-20th century.
914
00:42:13,080 --> 00:42:16,084
Ben Hur and Jesus of Nazareth,
915
00:42:16,160 --> 00:42:21,644
The Greatest Story Ever Told,
and all those big historical epics,
916
00:42:21,720 --> 00:42:23,085
The Ten Commandments.
917
00:42:23,920 --> 00:42:27,322
And John does an awesome job
918
00:42:27,440 --> 00:42:31,047
of taking those ideas and references,
but yet modernizing them.
919
00:42:31,600 --> 00:42:35,002
And it really makes the story
feel much bigger.
920
00:42:35,080 --> 00:42:36,081
Bigger and more epic.
921
00:42:36,160 --> 00:42:37,764
And like an epic journey.
Absolutely.
922
00:42:37,960 --> 00:42:41,601
An epic journey that also has
animals doing charades.
923
00:42:41,720 --> 00:42:44,963
Which I love, this is
another one of my favorite sequences.
924
00:42:45,080 --> 00:42:46,286
But you gotta look at Dave
in this shot.
925
00:42:46,360 --> 00:42:47,771
That's the best part of this shot.
926
00:42:47,840 --> 00:42:49,649
I always wonder how many in the audience
927
00:42:49,720 --> 00:42:52,724
are actually looking at Dave
when Ruth is doing her dog impression,
928
00:42:52,840 --> 00:42:54,046
but he is hilarious.
929
00:42:54,120 --> 00:42:55,770
- Probably very few.
- Yeah, it's great.
930
00:42:55,840 --> 00:42:57,604
I love it.
931
00:42:57,720 --> 00:43:02,442
But the challenge of Dave is that
Dave was small.
932
00:43:02,840 --> 00:43:05,650
And so there was a challenge
in some of these scenes
933
00:43:05,760 --> 00:43:08,969
to make sure that we could see
his expression.
934
00:43:09,040 --> 00:43:11,771
Right, that's true.
Yeah, and at the same time,
935
00:43:11,840 --> 00:43:13,490
we had to not make him
look like a seagull
936
00:43:13,560 --> 00:43:15,403
by just blowing him up that big.
937
00:43:15,520 --> 00:43:18,000
So, yeah, it was...
938
00:43:18,080 --> 00:43:20,970
We adjusted a few shots after we saw
939
00:43:21,040 --> 00:43:23,247
how small he was to make sure
that he was gonna
940
00:43:23,320 --> 00:43:25,846
- be featured properly.
- Yes.
941
00:43:25,920 --> 00:43:28,605
Yeah, it's one of those things
about an animal movie is that
942
00:43:28,680 --> 00:43:30,808
you can have two best friends,
one of which is
943
00:43:31,120 --> 00:43:33,202
- a tenth the size of his best friend.
- Right.
944
00:43:33,320 --> 00:43:35,243
Yeah, they've been following us
since we came down the cliff.
945
00:43:35,320 --> 00:43:36,810
Couldn't you have pointed
that out sooner?
946
00:43:36,880 --> 00:43:39,008
Oh, no. They followed us right to her.
947
00:43:39,160 --> 00:43:40,889
Well, why don't we hide...
948
00:43:40,960 --> 00:43:44,089
So this big set piece
coming up here,
949
00:43:44,160 --> 00:43:46,367
we knew we wanted to do
950
00:43:46,440 --> 00:43:49,842
an action set piece at a watering hole,
essentially a well.
951
00:43:49,920 --> 00:43:51,160
We would treat it like sort of
952
00:43:51,240 --> 00:43:53,971
a highway rest stop
but from 2,000 years ago.
953
00:43:54,440 --> 00:43:58,161
And this whole sequence
was boarded by Stephan Franck,
954
00:43:58,280 --> 00:44:01,602
who's an animation director
at Sony Pictures Animation.
955
00:44:02,520 --> 00:44:05,330
He sort of did the first draft on it,
and we were fine from there.
956
00:44:05,400 --> 00:44:07,562
But so many of these beats, really,
957
00:44:07,640 --> 00:44:10,405
from the very first draft
that he did stuck with us.
958
00:44:10,480 --> 00:44:13,086
He's really the guy
that gave structure to this scene.
959
00:44:13,760 --> 00:44:17,242
But then you've got little things
like this gag, which I love.
960
00:44:17,320 --> 00:44:20,403
This came out of a story...
Sort of a comedy brainstorm meeting.
961
00:44:20,480 --> 00:44:21,925
I love this guy.
962
00:44:22,360 --> 00:44:23,725
FRAN KL|NI It's great.
963
00:44:23,800 --> 00:44:27,441
It just underscores
that this guy's not to be messed with.
964
00:44:28,040 --> 00:44:31,089
And also there's
just so many little things
965
00:44:31,160 --> 00:44:34,926
that go into making sure that the story
966
00:44:35,000 --> 00:44:39,210
never loses energy, never loses tension,
967
00:44:39,320 --> 00:44:44,201
and so that's a great moment of comedy
and tension and character, too.
968
00:44:44,280 --> 00:44:46,567
Right.
It's like you want some comedy,
969
00:44:46,640 --> 00:44:49,564
but you don't want
the comedy to deflate the scene.
970
00:44:49,640 --> 00:44:51,404
Yes.
RECKARTI Yeah.
971
00:44:51,480 --> 00:44:54,404
And that's where, really,
all of the tools available to us
972
00:44:54,480 --> 00:44:57,165
come into play, in particular the music.
973
00:44:57,480 --> 00:45:00,324
The music but also the camera work
and the way that we frame these things
974
00:45:00,400 --> 00:45:02,289
and the way that the editing is paced.
975
00:45:02,360 --> 00:45:03,407
Yes.
976
00:45:03,920 --> 00:45:10,565
And what I love about this sequence,
it's just... I love it.
977
00:45:10,640 --> 00:45:12,051
I love...
978
00:45:12,120 --> 00:45:14,646
Aidy Bryant does such an awesome job,
979
00:45:16,560 --> 00:45:22,283
and you get a chance to see
these animals do their best to save Mary
980
00:45:22,640 --> 00:45:25,041
without Mary really
being able to understand
981
00:45:25,120 --> 00:45:26,406
what it is that they're trying to do.
982
00:45:26,480 --> 00:45:29,245
Yeah, that was another thing
in crafting all these sequences
983
00:45:29,320 --> 00:45:32,847
that we had to negotiate,
because the fact that none of...
984
00:45:32,920 --> 00:45:37,005
That there's no mention of the Hunter
or his dogs in the Bible meant that
985
00:45:37,080 --> 00:45:40,801
somehow we're gonna have to need Mary
and Joseph to be totally in the dark,
986
00:45:40,880 --> 00:45:43,201
oblivious about the fact
that this guy's chasing them.
987
00:45:43,320 --> 00:45:44,890
The animals can know
988
00:45:44,960 --> 00:45:48,009
because the animals ultimately
weren't part of writing the Bible.
989
00:45:48,080 --> 00:45:49,969
- So...
- Right.
990
00:45:50,640 --> 00:45:53,007
But as, yeah...
So it was kind of this tricky thing
991
00:45:53,080 --> 00:45:56,129
of how do you keep Mary and Joseph
involved in the story
992
00:45:56,200 --> 00:45:57,725
but also keep them in the dark.
993
00:45:58,560 --> 00:45:59,607
And it works really well.
994
00:45:59,680 --> 00:46:01,762
Right,
because ultimately, then,
995
00:46:01,840 --> 00:46:04,320
Joseph doesn't understand
why Bo is doing this.
996
00:46:04,400 --> 00:46:05,481
Right.
997
00:46:05,600 --> 00:46:10,162
And it helps create the misunderstanding
that creates more conflict for them.
998
00:46:10,320 --> 00:46:11,481
Right.
999
00:46:11,760 --> 00:46:15,560
And this is kind of
your Rube Goldberg...
1000
00:46:15,640 --> 00:46:17,404
Rube Goldberg machine, yeah.
1001
00:46:17,480 --> 00:46:20,131
Yeah, so Bo has
a talent for this sort of thing,
1002
00:46:20,200 --> 00:46:23,647
these crazy ideas that go badly wrong
1003
00:46:23,720 --> 00:46:25,404
until at the end they actually work.
1004
00:46:25,480 --> 00:46:27,244
Yes.
RECKARTI You know?
1005
00:46:27,480 --> 00:46:28,561
FRAN KL|NI Exactly.
1006
00:46:29,320 --> 00:46:30,321
Did you do this?
1007
00:46:31,840 --> 00:46:38,530
And what I love about this
dynamic, and I think it rings true with
1008
00:46:38,600 --> 00:46:42,889
when you have pets or you have animals,
there is this communication.
1009
00:46:42,960 --> 00:46:44,928
You're always constantly trying...
1010
00:46:45,000 --> 00:46:48,368
They're trying to communicate to us,
and we're trying to communicate to them.
1011
00:46:48,440 --> 00:46:50,329
And then we're trying to
understand what they're saying,
1012
00:46:50,400 --> 00:46:52,289
and they're trying to
understand what we're saying.
1013
00:46:52,360 --> 00:46:55,842
And so I do think a sequence like this
brings the truth of that dynamic
1014
00:46:56,240 --> 00:46:58,561
to life in a very entertaining way.
1015
00:46:58,640 --> 00:46:59,641
RECKARTI Yes.
1016
00:47:01,480 --> 00:47:02,925
And he's just this...
I love it.
1017
00:47:03,000 --> 00:47:06,527
Gabriel lglesias is just...
His delivery is just spot on.
1018
00:47:06,600 --> 00:47:07,726
- RECKARTI Yeah.
- You know?
1019
00:47:07,800 --> 00:47:09,165
He's really fun to work with.
1020
00:47:09,240 --> 00:47:10,446
Oh, yeah.
1021
00:47:10,520 --> 00:47:14,889
That's one of the great things
that every artist, every actor
1022
00:47:14,960 --> 00:47:17,486
that brought their voice to the movie
1023
00:47:17,560 --> 00:47:19,085
completely threw
themselves in the story.
1024
00:47:19,160 --> 00:47:20,571
Yeah, and actually it's...
We haven't talked
1025
00:47:20,640 --> 00:47:24,690
about Zachary Levi who plays Joseph
or Gina Rodriguez who plays Mary.
1026
00:47:24,960 --> 00:47:27,930
Both of them were
really amazing voice artists.
1027
00:47:28,960 --> 00:47:31,201
As we've mentioned,
1028
00:47:31,280 --> 00:47:33,248
that's when the characters
really come to life
1029
00:47:33,320 --> 00:47:34,970
and acquire some kind of specificity.
1030
00:47:35,080 --> 00:47:37,048
Zachary Levi, in particular,
1031
00:47:37,600 --> 00:47:40,001
would always, kind of, craft these lines
1032
00:47:40,080 --> 00:47:42,970
that we'd written
in a very specific individual way
1033
00:47:43,040 --> 00:47:46,681
so that Joseph would feel like
a specific guy, not just...
1034
00:47:46,800 --> 00:47:47,847
Yes.
1035
00:47:47,960 --> 00:47:50,327
And then what Gina Rodriguez
brought to Mary
1036
00:47:50,400 --> 00:47:52,926
was part of
what we were talking about where
1037
00:47:53,000 --> 00:47:54,684
Mary would feel contemporary
1038
00:47:54,760 --> 00:47:57,809
and would feel like someone
that you know, someone familiar.
1039
00:47:58,400 --> 00:48:01,847
She's not playing Mary
like some distant Holy person.
1040
00:48:01,920 --> 00:48:04,287
She's just playing her like a teenage...
1041
00:48:04,400 --> 00:48:08,007
Well, teen, however old she was,
young woman anyway,
1042
00:48:08,200 --> 00:48:10,931
who has a big struggle.
1043
00:48:12,080 --> 00:48:17,211
And that struggle is one
that through this medium
1044
00:48:17,280 --> 00:48:19,931
you can really see it
in a different way.
1045
00:48:20,200 --> 00:48:22,931
Through animation
and through this story,
1046
00:48:23,000 --> 00:48:24,764
you're able to really
understand her struggle.
1047
00:48:24,880 --> 00:48:29,010
And I do think that Gina Rodriguez did
an awesome job of bringing Mary to life
1048
00:48:29,080 --> 00:48:32,004
and giving her so much heart
and humor and love.
1049
00:48:32,080 --> 00:48:36,688
And Zachary's performance,
he does do such a good job
1050
00:48:37,080 --> 00:48:40,971
of grounding the heart of Joseph
and grounding the reality
1051
00:48:41,040 --> 00:48:44,931
that he is tasked with doing something
that he feels inadequate to do.
1052
00:48:45,000 --> 00:48:46,126
Right.
1053
00:48:46,200 --> 00:48:51,445
And Zachary does a really
fantastic job of communicating that
1054
00:48:51,520 --> 00:48:53,409
through how he reads the lines
1055
00:48:53,480 --> 00:48:56,324
and how he
brings Joseph's story to life.
1056
00:48:57,200 --> 00:49:01,603
And the Hunter is back.
You can't keep a good villain down.
1057
00:49:01,680 --> 00:49:02,966
RECKARTI No.
1058
00:49:04,000 --> 00:49:08,085
What was the process
of putting the Hunter together?
1059
00:49:08,680 --> 00:49:13,322
Because he is clearly much larger
than any other human in the story.
1060
00:49:13,400 --> 00:49:17,485
Right, part of our design
thing was what I mentioned earlier,
1061
00:49:17,600 --> 00:49:19,762
was the idea that this guy's
1062
00:49:19,840 --> 00:49:22,127
somewhere halfway between the animal
and the human world.
1063
00:49:22,200 --> 00:49:26,000
And so in order to communicate that,
we gave him this fur cape.
1064
00:49:26,440 --> 00:49:30,604
He's got a bracer on his wrist
that's made of alligator hide.
1065
00:49:30,680 --> 00:49:33,047
- It's got these alligator spikes.
- Right.
1066
00:49:33,520 --> 00:49:36,729
And then even his armor
could have been,
1067
00:49:36,800 --> 00:49:38,290
sort of, like a plate mail,
1068
00:49:38,360 --> 00:49:40,124
but actually
it's what's called scale mail,
1069
00:49:40,200 --> 00:49:42,043
which gives him
also a little bit of a reptilian look.
1070
00:49:42,120 --> 00:49:48,048
So a combination of alligator,
reptile and wolf fur,
1071
00:49:48,120 --> 00:49:51,090
which as far as we know could have
been one of his previous dogs.
1072
00:49:51,200 --> 00:49:53,885
- Right. Or a meal, so to speak.
- Yeah.
1073
00:49:54,000 --> 00:49:56,685
The music in the film
is such an important character,
1074
00:49:56,760 --> 00:50:00,731
and this song,
His Eye is on the Sparrow, is just
1075
00:50:00,920 --> 00:50:07,007
a very, very famous and well-known
gospel/Christian song
1076
00:50:07,200 --> 00:50:10,966
and performed by the Casting Crowns,
which did a...
1077
00:50:11,040 --> 00:50:14,442
They did a phenomenal job
on this rendition, too.
1078
00:50:14,640 --> 00:50:17,928
And it's so cinematic,
the singing,
1079
00:50:18,000 --> 00:50:20,810
not only the singing,
but also the orchestration behind it.
1080
00:50:21,200 --> 00:50:22,611
Ron Fair.
1081
00:50:22,680 --> 00:50:24,444
That's right, Ron Fair
was the producer of our album.
1082
00:50:24,520 --> 00:50:28,161
Yes, he did
a really incredible job
1083
00:50:28,240 --> 00:50:32,245
of cinematically
bringing these songs to life
1084
00:50:32,320 --> 00:50:33,890
in a way that really fit with the movie.
1085
00:50:33,960 --> 00:50:37,328
That's the key thing for me
because too often you see movies
1086
00:50:37,400 --> 00:50:40,165
where there's a song
that feels shoehorned in,
1087
00:50:40,240 --> 00:50:42,208
and what I really wanted to do,
1088
00:50:42,280 --> 00:50:46,001
given that we also wanted to do a big
Christmas album along with the movie,
1089
00:50:46,080 --> 00:50:48,003
I just wanted to make sure
they really worked together.
1090
00:50:48,080 --> 00:50:52,210
And I think, earlier we saw
the part where Joseph's looking at Mary.
1091
00:50:52,280 --> 00:50:55,011
He's not sure. That's the
perfect moment for What Child is This?
1092
00:50:55,080 --> 00:50:58,448
And we... That song
really actually helps tell the story.
1093
00:50:58,520 --> 00:51:00,284
It's not just there for music.
1094
00:51:00,360 --> 00:51:01,691
It's there to help us tell the story
1095
00:51:01,760 --> 00:51:04,161
and tell us what's going on
in his head, "What child is this?"
1096
00:51:04,240 --> 00:51:07,449
And then here as well,
"Why should I feel discouraged?"
1097
00:51:07,520 --> 00:51:11,605
As Bo, in theory,
he's walking towards the thing
1098
00:51:11,680 --> 00:51:15,207
that's really the joy of his heart,
he thinks, it's really the goal.
1099
00:51:15,280 --> 00:51:16,281
But somewhere...
1100
00:51:16,360 --> 00:51:17,361
Which is
following the royal caravan.
1101
00:51:17,440 --> 00:51:18,930
The royal caravan,
but somewhere deep down,
1102
00:51:19,000 --> 00:51:20,365
he knows, "You know what?
This is not..."
1103
00:51:20,440 --> 00:51:21,851
- "Something's not right."
- Yeah.
1104
00:51:21,920 --> 00:51:24,241
Something's not right.
It's not what he's supposed to do.
1105
00:51:24,400 --> 00:51:28,485
And I think that struggle
is so relatable.
1106
00:51:29,360 --> 00:51:31,488
When you think you want something,
1107
00:51:31,560 --> 00:51:33,528
but there's
something inside you that says,
1108
00:51:33,600 --> 00:51:35,523
"Mmm, maybe I'm supposed to
do something else,"
1109
00:51:35,600 --> 00:51:40,242
and Bo really listens to that
and follows the star
1110
00:51:40,320 --> 00:51:43,688
and follows what's in his heart,
and as a result,
1111
00:51:43,760 --> 00:51:46,684
it ultimately leads him
on the journey he needs to be on,
1112
00:51:46,760 --> 00:51:49,650
even though it may be different
than the journey he wants to be on.
1113
00:51:49,720 --> 00:51:50,767
RECKARTI Yes.
1114
00:51:51,000 --> 00:51:52,968
And I think this scene
is also a great scene
1115
00:51:53,040 --> 00:51:55,884
that underscores the value
and the power of friendship.
1116
00:51:55,960 --> 00:51:58,611
Because this is where Dave
explains for the first time like,
1117
00:51:58,680 --> 00:52:02,446
"l could have done it already.
I can fly.
1118
00:52:02,880 --> 00:52:04,928
"But the whole point wasn't
me doing it by myself,
1119
00:52:05,000 --> 00:52:07,651
"l wanted us to do it together."
1120
00:52:07,720 --> 00:52:10,041
And so really Dave is saying
the same thing that Bo is saying,
1121
00:52:10,120 --> 00:52:11,121
which is that,
1122
00:52:11,200 --> 00:52:13,487
you could do something really great,
1123
00:52:13,560 --> 00:52:15,164
but if you don't have
people that you love around you,
1124
00:52:15,240 --> 00:52:16,651
- then what's the value in it?
- Yes.
1125
00:52:16,720 --> 00:52:18,404
That's why
Dave's not going to leave Bo,
1126
00:52:18,480 --> 00:52:20,608
and that's why
Bo is not going to leave Mary
1127
00:52:20,680 --> 00:52:24,765
because ultimately that relationship is
more important than what you're doing.
1128
00:52:24,880 --> 00:52:29,044
Yes, there's an old
Diana Ross, Billy Dee Williams movie
1129
00:52:29,280 --> 00:52:31,328
where the famous line is,
1130
00:52:31,400 --> 00:52:33,448
"What good is success
if you have no one to share it with?"
1131
00:52:33,520 --> 00:52:35,443
- That's right.
- And that's apropos.
1132
00:52:35,520 --> 00:52:36,885
That's exactly right.
1133
00:52:37,480 --> 00:52:41,405
And then, with the animation
here and the lighting...
1134
00:52:41,480 --> 00:52:45,007
The lighting tells the story
so much in this film,
1135
00:52:45,280 --> 00:52:47,089
and so here are...
1136
00:52:47,160 --> 00:52:51,324
Darkness is falling,
the mist is starting to rise,
1137
00:52:51,400 --> 00:52:54,165
things in the movie are not going well,
1138
00:52:54,240 --> 00:52:55,765
and the environment reflects that.
1139
00:52:55,840 --> 00:52:59,526
And this is all in service
of giving Joseph,
1140
00:52:59,600 --> 00:53:03,400
really, the turning point for his arc,
where all is lost for Joseph.
1141
00:53:03,480 --> 00:53:07,246
Joseph is a guy who this whole time's
been fighting to make this trip work,
1142
00:53:07,320 --> 00:53:10,085
to make this trip work for Mary,
for his wife who's pregnant,
1143
00:53:10,160 --> 00:53:11,730
and the cart is breaking.
1144
00:53:11,800 --> 00:53:13,609
All of the stuff has fallen apart.
1145
00:53:13,680 --> 00:53:17,366
Mary's not happy with him
for kicking the donkey out.
1146
00:53:19,120 --> 00:53:21,248
And, ultimately,
in that moment of desperation,
1147
00:53:21,320 --> 00:53:22,810
he turns to God and asks for help,
1148
00:53:22,880 --> 00:53:26,407
and help comes in the form
of not some amazing miracle
1149
00:53:26,480 --> 00:53:28,084
but actually in the form
of something humble,
1150
00:53:28,160 --> 00:53:29,207
that same donkey that he kicked out,
1151
00:53:29,280 --> 00:53:33,126
and oftentimes
that's how prayers are answered.
1152
00:53:33,800 --> 00:53:36,724
It's not with some lightning bolt
that solves your problems,
1153
00:53:36,800 --> 00:53:42,204
it's just more of a flash of awareness
of what you already have around you.
1154
00:53:42,320 --> 00:53:44,368
FRAN KL|NI Absolutely.
1155
00:53:45,640 --> 00:53:51,363
And we really wanted to
embrace prayer in this movie
1156
00:53:51,840 --> 00:53:58,485
in a way that felt organic to the story
and not be afraid of showing
1157
00:53:58,560 --> 00:54:02,406
Joseph and our characters
in moments of great need
1158
00:54:02,480 --> 00:54:07,281
and in that need resorting to prayer
and calling out to God.
1159
00:54:07,520 --> 00:54:11,605
And it was really important
to include that in the story,
1160
00:54:11,680 --> 00:54:15,287
and even though
we're telling the story in a new way,
1161
00:54:15,360 --> 00:54:20,048
those were integral parts of the story
that we felt were necessary to preserve.
1162
00:54:20,120 --> 00:54:24,489
Well, because God is never
exactly seen in this movie,
1163
00:54:25,360 --> 00:54:28,489
but His presence is felt
by the way the characters relate to Him.
1164
00:54:28,560 --> 00:54:30,130
Yeah.
1165
00:54:30,360 --> 00:54:31,646
I'm a sheep.
1166
00:54:32,400 --> 00:54:34,164
Thank you for coming back.
1167
00:54:35,040 --> 00:54:39,967
Coming up here,
is what you can call Mary's low point,
1168
00:54:40,040 --> 00:54:45,570
where Mary gets scared
about what's coming, and now this...
1169
00:54:46,280 --> 00:54:49,090
The thinking behind this
is a little bit out of order
1170
00:54:49,160 --> 00:54:50,321
in terms of how the story goes,
1171
00:54:50,400 --> 00:54:53,802
but of course, down the road,
in the real Biblical Nativity story,
1172
00:54:53,880 --> 00:54:58,090
Mary's going to take Baby Jesus after
he's born to the temple and present him,
1173
00:55:00,200 --> 00:55:03,363
and she's told by...
She meets Simeon and Anna in that scene.
1174
00:55:03,440 --> 00:55:05,442
And that's where she's told that
1175
00:55:05,520 --> 00:55:08,126
this child of yours is
going to be a stumbling block,
1176
00:55:08,240 --> 00:55:10,208
and he's going to be
a sign of contradiction,
1177
00:55:12,200 --> 00:55:14,407
and I think what's key about that
1178
00:55:14,480 --> 00:55:17,450
is that if God chose to use these
figures to tell this to Mary,
1179
00:55:17,520 --> 00:55:19,010
it's something that Mary needed to hear,
1180
00:55:19,080 --> 00:55:21,560
and I think that's what
I'm trying to represent,
1181
00:55:21,640 --> 00:55:25,281
I think, here with this scene,
is that Mary may not...
1182
00:55:25,360 --> 00:55:28,603
She accepted God's invitation,
but that doesn't mean
1183
00:55:28,720 --> 00:55:32,566
she fully knew what was coming,
at least not at first,
1184
00:55:32,680 --> 00:55:35,570
and I think here
what we're trying to show is that
1185
00:55:35,640 --> 00:55:39,611
Mary's having this intuition
that the road ahead may be painful,
1186
00:55:39,920 --> 00:55:43,003
and ultimately does lead to the cross,
you know?
1187
00:55:43,080 --> 00:55:45,845
There is a lot of joy in it,
but there's also a lot of sorrow,
1188
00:55:45,920 --> 00:55:48,651
and that's something
1189
00:55:48,720 --> 00:55:51,530
that she really does
embrace in the Bible story,
1190
00:55:51,600 --> 00:55:54,365
and given the sort of
chronology of this movie,
1191
00:55:54,440 --> 00:55:55,851
the only place to put it,
really, was here.
1192
00:55:55,920 --> 00:55:58,764
Was here, and this is
one of the most emotional scenes
1193
00:55:58,840 --> 00:56:00,365
in the movie for me,
1194
00:56:01,320 --> 00:56:06,645
to see the real emotion of Mary
and her expressing her fear
1195
00:56:06,720 --> 00:56:08,802
yet still having the courage
to push through it.
1196
00:56:08,880 --> 00:56:09,927
Definitely.
1197
00:56:10,000 --> 00:56:14,244
And this song that is now
playing is an original song
1198
00:56:14,320 --> 00:56:17,767
by Mariah Carey and Marc Shaiman,
The Star,
1199
00:56:17,840 --> 00:56:23,006
and Mariah's contribution to the film
is just very, very personal,
1200
00:56:23,080 --> 00:56:26,766
and I'll never forget
going to the studio
1201
00:56:27,800 --> 00:56:31,282
with her watching some of the scenes,
1202
00:56:31,360 --> 00:56:32,566
and then within 48 hours,
1203
00:56:32,640 --> 00:56:33,721
- she came back.
- No kidding.
1204
00:56:33,800 --> 00:56:34,881
Forty eight hours, she came...
1205
00:56:34,960 --> 00:56:37,201
Her and Mark Shaman, 48 hours,
wrote this song,
1206
00:56:37,280 --> 00:56:40,682
and it was so interesting
because it's a mix
1207
00:56:40,760 --> 00:56:43,604
of really articulating
what's happening in the movie
1208
00:56:43,680 --> 00:56:46,047
and doubt and fear
1209
00:56:46,120 --> 00:56:51,001
but still wanting to follow the star
and acknowledging that God is there,
1210
00:56:51,080 --> 00:56:53,481
yet we still have to
follow what we hear,
1211
00:56:53,560 --> 00:56:58,407
no matter what anxiety or frustration
or conflict we may face.
1212
00:56:58,480 --> 00:57:02,007
Right. That's what just really
worked for me about this song
1213
00:57:02,080 --> 00:57:03,650
is how well it fits with the story
1214
00:57:03,720 --> 00:57:06,121
we're trying to tell at this point.
1215
00:57:06,200 --> 00:57:09,727
Just thunder and rain, and that even
1216
00:57:09,800 --> 00:57:12,406
in the darkest of circumstances
there's that beam of light.
1217
00:57:12,480 --> 00:57:14,767
Yes.
1218
00:57:15,800 --> 00:57:21,648
And I think it's so anthemic
to anyone watching and anyone listening
1219
00:57:22,560 --> 00:57:23,721
that, similar to Bo,
1220
00:57:23,800 --> 00:57:27,202
Bo just felt like, "You know what,
I have to follow what I feel,
1221
00:57:27,280 --> 00:57:29,203
"even though it goes against the facts,"
1222
00:57:29,280 --> 00:57:34,491
and I think that this song does a great
job of doing that, and she has...
1223
00:57:34,560 --> 00:57:36,005
She's a legend,
1224
00:57:36,080 --> 00:57:38,811
and for us to be blessed with her
was pretty amazing.
1225
00:57:38,880 --> 00:57:40,211
It was fantastic.
1226
00:57:40,320 --> 00:57:44,803
And that sequence,
that looking out over Bethlehem,
1227
00:57:44,880 --> 00:57:49,522
one of my favorite artistic moments
in the film, so beautiful.
1228
00:57:49,600 --> 00:57:51,204
Yeah, it's really one of
those iconic things,
1229
00:57:51,320 --> 00:57:54,051
that is one of the things
we've seen a million times, but I think,
1230
00:57:54,120 --> 00:57:55,804
yeah, the goal here was to kind of
1231
00:57:55,880 --> 00:57:57,769
finally have this
connection point of, boom,
1232
00:57:57,840 --> 00:57:59,524
Mary's riding the donkey,
1233
00:57:59,600 --> 00:58:01,250
they're cresting
over the hill to Bethlehem,
1234
00:58:01,320 --> 00:58:04,483
that's what you think of as the
O Little Town of Bethlehem moment,
1235
00:58:04,560 --> 00:58:08,690
and so it's one of those little beats
that I think you get a little
1236
00:58:08,800 --> 00:58:11,963
sort of boost of emotion when you
really recognize, "Ah, we're here."
1237
00:58:12,040 --> 00:58:13,769
FRAN KL|NI Yes, definitely,
1238
00:58:13,840 --> 00:58:17,526
and this sequence is the famous
"No room at an inn."
1239
00:58:17,920 --> 00:58:19,365
Yeah, but what I think
is really cool
1240
00:58:19,440 --> 00:58:22,569
about the way we handled it here
1241
00:58:22,640 --> 00:58:25,291
is that everyone thinks,
"Oh, we're done, movie's over.
1242
00:58:25,360 --> 00:58:28,045
"We got to Bethlehem,
they're at the inn."
1243
00:58:28,120 --> 00:58:32,569
No one knows necessarily that this
whole story is going to end in a stable.
1244
00:58:32,640 --> 00:58:33,766
Correct.
1245
00:58:33,840 --> 00:58:35,922
And that's one of
the cool things about doing it
1246
00:58:36,000 --> 00:58:37,889
from the animal point of view
is that we can
1247
00:58:37,960 --> 00:58:41,169
- explore what went wrong.
- Yes.
1248
00:58:41,240 --> 00:58:43,846
Bo disappeared
in a moment of need,
1249
00:58:44,360 --> 00:58:47,409
Mary and Joseph
are left without any money,
1250
00:58:47,480 --> 00:58:49,562
without any stuff.
1251
00:58:49,640 --> 00:58:52,007
The inns are full,
but they're also just desperate,
1252
00:58:52,080 --> 00:58:54,765
and all of these pieces
kind of stack on each other
1253
00:58:54,840 --> 00:58:57,286
to make the whole thing
a lot more stressful.
1254
00:58:57,360 --> 00:59:00,489
Yes, and seeing it
in this way,
1255
00:59:01,080 --> 00:59:05,847
I think, again,
just shows us the story of...
1256
00:59:05,920 --> 00:59:10,642
I've heard the, "No room at an inn"
part of the story my whole life,
1257
00:59:10,720 --> 00:59:12,768
but never had I looked at it like this.
1258
00:59:12,960 --> 00:59:19,605
Never had I really thought about
the fear of, "Where are we going to go?"
1259
00:59:20,160 --> 00:59:23,323
And the desperation
of, "What are we going to do?"
1260
00:59:23,400 --> 00:59:26,210
And then when you see the animals
1261
00:59:26,280 --> 00:59:31,127
express the desire to want to help,
but they aren't sure what to do,
1262
00:59:31,200 --> 00:59:34,124
it really brings this moment
to a reality
1263
00:59:34,200 --> 00:59:37,761
I had never embraced
before doing the film.
1264
00:59:39,800 --> 00:59:42,929
Yeah, and so what I love
about this sequence here
1265
00:59:43,000 --> 00:59:46,004
is just that this is where finally
all the threads of the story converge.
1266
00:59:46,080 --> 00:59:51,246
We've got Bo and the miller
having their sort of interaction there,
1267
00:59:51,320 --> 00:59:54,847
Mary and Joseph are stressed out,
Ruth and Dave,
1268
00:59:54,920 --> 00:59:56,445
and then meanwhile
the dogs are arriving,
1269
00:59:56,520 --> 00:59:58,090
also the Three Wise Men are arriving.
1270
00:59:58,160 --> 01:00:01,687
Everything is finally converging
in Bethlehem right here in this scene.
1271
01:00:01,920 --> 01:00:03,206
Yes.
1272
01:00:04,240 --> 01:00:07,528
And, yeah, that tells us,
"Here we are in Act Ill,
1273
01:00:07,600 --> 01:00:10,604
"everything's coming together,
and let's see what happens."
1274
01:00:13,080 --> 01:00:15,447
You know, this joke about Bethle-ham,
1275
01:00:16,040 --> 01:00:18,441
it's, sort of, based in reality because
1276
01:00:18,520 --> 01:00:20,887
so many of our
sessions with voice artists,
1277
01:00:20,960 --> 01:00:23,327
the voice artists would say
"Beth|e-ham," and I would have to...
1278
01:00:23,400 --> 01:00:24,447
"BethIe-hem."
1279
01:00:24,520 --> 01:00:26,409
I would very pedantically
get on the mic and say, "Actually,
1280
01:00:26,480 --> 01:00:28,847
"can we try that again,
and can you say 'Bethle-hem' this time?"
1281
01:00:29,600 --> 01:00:31,967
So, actually I'm Cyrus in this scene.
1282
01:00:32,040 --> 01:00:34,202
Right.
It's like, "Why not use it?"
1283
01:00:34,280 --> 01:00:37,523
And I love this joke,
1284
01:00:38,120 --> 01:00:41,886
of just the plebeians
and the hats and...
1285
01:00:41,960 --> 01:00:43,166
Thinking this guy's a king.
1286
01:00:43,240 --> 01:00:44,844
Yeah, correct.
1287
01:00:45,320 --> 01:00:47,163
Run for your life!
1288
01:00:48,800 --> 01:00:51,565
- Run like the wind!
- Will you cut that out?
1289
01:00:51,640 --> 01:00:53,768
And what's interesting
is that,
1290
01:00:53,840 --> 01:00:58,209
with someone like Tracy Morgan,
who does so much improv,
1291
01:00:58,280 --> 01:01:02,330
that really, really helped bring so much
of these sequences to life.
1292
01:01:02,400 --> 01:01:03,561
Definitely, yeah.
1293
01:01:03,680 --> 01:01:07,526
Yeah, we thought we knew the character,
and then we cast Tracy Morgan,
1294
01:01:07,640 --> 01:01:09,881
and then we really knew
who the character was.
1295
01:01:09,960 --> 01:01:11,041
And the amazing thing about Tracy Morgan
1296
01:01:11,120 --> 01:01:13,851
is that he can make a line funny,
even if it's not funny on paper.
1297
01:01:13,920 --> 01:01:15,524
If it's not, that's right.
1298
01:01:15,800 --> 01:01:18,246
It's funny when his voice...
It comes out of his voice, you know?
1299
01:01:18,360 --> 01:01:19,566
FRAN KL|NI That's right.
1300
01:01:20,120 --> 01:01:23,681
And I love the idea of the callback
to the miller.
1301
01:01:23,760 --> 01:01:28,721
This was really unexpected,
and of course he gets to the location,
1302
01:01:28,800 --> 01:01:32,646
he puts them in the location
that ultimately history knows.
1303
01:01:32,720 --> 01:01:33,767
Right.
1304
01:01:33,880 --> 01:01:37,771
Yet, it's so much fun to see
how we get to the manger
1305
01:01:37,880 --> 01:01:40,360
in a way that has never been
seen before, the stable.
1306
01:01:40,440 --> 01:01:44,081
Yeah, Bo's low point turns out
to be really his destination.
1307
01:01:44,160 --> 01:01:45,241
Correct.
1308
01:01:45,320 --> 01:01:46,765
The miller,
played by Phil Morris.
1309
01:01:46,840 --> 01:01:47,841
Yeah.
1310
01:01:48,320 --> 01:01:49,321
It's fine.
1311
01:01:50,640 --> 01:01:54,167
And maybe there's a lesson here
for us all, where he thinks,
1312
01:01:54,240 --> 01:01:56,481
"I'm stuck, God, this is
not where I want to be."
1313
01:01:56,560 --> 01:01:58,449
It turns out, "No, this is exactly
where I want you to be."
1314
01:01:58,520 --> 01:01:59,521
And it's exactly
where he needs to be.
1315
01:01:59,600 --> 01:02:00,601
Right.
1316
01:02:00,680 --> 01:02:04,526
And this is another moment
that I just find so endearing
1317
01:02:04,600 --> 01:02:10,323
where we have Bo emulate prayer,
because he's seen it with Mary,
1318
01:02:10,400 --> 01:02:11,970
and he's seen it with Joseph,
1319
01:02:12,080 --> 01:02:14,481
and this is just
such a cute moment to me.
1320
01:02:14,560 --> 01:02:15,686
RECKARTI Yeah, it is.
1321
01:02:15,760 --> 01:02:18,001
Where he's trying to put
his hooves together, and he calls out,
1322
01:02:18,080 --> 01:02:19,605
and then his prayers get answered,
1323
01:02:19,680 --> 01:02:21,808
but again,
in a way that he never expected.
1324
01:02:22,040 --> 01:02:24,088
Yeah, it was another
really great example
1325
01:02:24,160 --> 01:02:28,529
of how Steven Yeun's
really great performance of that prayer,
1326
01:02:28,640 --> 01:02:31,211
which is human,
it's not a preachy prayer.
1327
01:02:31,280 --> 01:02:33,886
It's very innocent
and stumbling and stuff,
1328
01:02:33,960 --> 01:02:37,521
and then taking that,
and an animator named Gabriel Bégin
1329
01:02:37,600 --> 01:02:40,524
is the one that animated it, and really,
I think, brought him to life
1330
01:02:40,600 --> 01:02:43,444
in a way that really
was true to everything
1331
01:02:43,520 --> 01:02:45,522
that Steven was doing
in the vocal performance.
1332
01:02:45,600 --> 01:02:47,887
Yeah, and we have
such incredible actors
1333
01:02:47,960 --> 01:02:49,530
who brought the stable animals to life.
1334
01:02:49,600 --> 01:02:51,967
We have Anthony Anderson
playing Zach the goat,
1335
01:02:52,080 --> 01:02:54,481
Kelly Clarkson playing Leah the horse,
1336
01:02:54,560 --> 01:02:57,564
and Patricia Heaton
playing Edith the cow.
1337
01:02:57,640 --> 01:03:01,884
And Zach was one of the
first characters that we actually saw,
1338
01:03:01,960 --> 01:03:04,088
going way back to... We were doing
the character development...
1339
01:03:04,160 --> 01:03:05,161
That's true.
1340
01:03:05,280 --> 01:03:08,090
Zach was one of the first ones
that we saw very, very early.
1341
01:03:08,160 --> 01:03:10,845
It's one of those things where
you can just take so much inspiration
1342
01:03:10,920 --> 01:03:12,604
from the way
these animals naturally look,
1343
01:03:12,680 --> 01:03:15,126
and actually all three characters
are great examples of that
1344
01:03:15,200 --> 01:03:17,680
because cows,
the way they chew their cud,
1345
01:03:17,760 --> 01:03:21,890
it just reminded me of the way
people chew gum.
1346
01:03:21,960 --> 01:03:25,407
So, we thought, "Okay, maybe
Edith the cow is this sort of bored,
1347
01:03:25,480 --> 01:03:27,881
"gum-chewing, cud-chewing character,
and then Zach..."
1348
01:03:27,960 --> 01:03:30,167
Goats have really crazy looking eyes,
1349
01:03:30,240 --> 01:03:32,208
and so we thought,
1350
01:03:32,400 --> 01:03:34,721
"What if we actually
have Zach's eyes..."
1351
01:03:34,800 --> 01:03:35,801
Going in different directions.
1352
01:03:35,880 --> 01:03:37,086
Exactly, yeah,
and then, of course...
1353
01:03:37,160 --> 01:03:38,571
And it's so fun to see him
come to life.
1354
01:03:38,640 --> 01:03:40,768
Horses are gorgeous animals,
and we thought,
1355
01:03:40,840 --> 01:03:42,524
you know, especially
after casting Kelly Clarkson,
1356
01:03:42,600 --> 01:03:45,490
"Wouldn't it be fun if she was like
almost the teenage older sister
1357
01:03:45,560 --> 01:03:48,245
"who's always preening and
fawning over herself?"
1358
01:03:48,320 --> 01:03:49,321
Right.
1359
01:03:49,400 --> 01:03:51,402
If she had a phone, she'd be
taking the selfies all the time.
1360
01:03:51,480 --> 01:03:52,766
Exactly, yeah.
1361
01:03:52,840 --> 01:03:54,683
And I love these runs
1362
01:03:54,760 --> 01:03:56,808
that we were able to get Kelly to do,
they're the best.
1363
01:03:56,880 --> 01:03:57,881
RECKARTI I know, it was like,
1364
01:03:57,960 --> 01:03:59,325
"Okay, Kelly,
then you're supposed to do a run,"
1365
01:03:59,400 --> 01:04:02,882
and she did it,
and everyone was floored.
1366
01:04:02,960 --> 01:04:06,248
She was like, "Do you guys want
another one?" It's like, "Uh, sure."
1367
01:04:06,360 --> 01:04:08,442
"Yes."
1368
01:04:09,560 --> 01:04:15,169
In this particular scene,
we talked a lot about Bo being active
1369
01:04:15,240 --> 01:04:19,086
and Bo putting it together that,
"Oh, the star is here.
1370
01:04:19,280 --> 01:04:20,725
"This is where it's led me.
1371
01:04:20,800 --> 01:04:22,848
"Oh, now I understand why,"
1372
01:04:22,960 --> 01:04:25,611
and so his desire to escape
as he understands
1373
01:04:25,680 --> 01:04:27,603
that now he has to go get
Mary and Joseph
1374
01:04:27,680 --> 01:04:28,966
and bring them here.
1375
01:04:29,040 --> 01:04:31,327
Just as we're leaving
this scene, something's occurring to me,
1376
01:04:31,440 --> 01:04:34,683
talk about the sound design
of the movie,
1377
01:04:34,760 --> 01:04:37,366
because that's a phase that maybe
a lot of people don't think about.
1378
01:04:37,440 --> 01:04:39,681
There's just a really cool example
of sound design.
1379
01:04:39,760 --> 01:04:42,889
Our sound designer, Tim Chau,
recorded Mahjong tiles
1380
01:04:42,960 --> 01:04:45,406
clacking against each other
for Bo's hooves
1381
01:04:45,480 --> 01:04:47,209
clacking against each other
when he's trying to pray.
1382
01:04:47,320 --> 01:04:50,608
And it's a really cool job, actually,
doing the sound design
1383
01:04:50,680 --> 01:04:53,684
because it's all sorts of things
like that where
1384
01:04:53,760 --> 01:04:56,240
the sound of one thing actually sounds
like a totally different thing
1385
01:04:56,320 --> 01:04:57,810
- when it's put up to picture.
- Absolutely,
1386
01:04:57,880 --> 01:05:01,680
and those sounds
are what bring the story to life.
1387
01:05:02,240 --> 01:05:05,289
And what bring you into the environment
1388
01:05:05,360 --> 01:05:08,250
because if something is off
in the sound, you know it.
1389
01:05:08,320 --> 01:05:09,446
And if it's not,
it's invisible.
1390
01:05:09,520 --> 01:05:10,681
If it's not, it's invisible.
1391
01:05:10,800 --> 01:05:12,643
Right, and especially
in an animated film.
1392
01:05:12,760 --> 01:05:15,081
In a live-action film,
you have microphones there on set,
1393
01:05:15,160 --> 01:05:17,401
and you're actually recording the sounds
that are happening in real life.
1394
01:05:17,480 --> 01:05:21,326
Of course, all of this is created
in a computer, so there are no sounds.
1395
01:05:21,400 --> 01:05:23,209
Every sound you hear has to be recorded
1396
01:05:23,280 --> 01:05:26,523
and chosen and edited
by someone whose job that is,
1397
01:05:26,600 --> 01:05:31,447
so this whole world
and its sound is built from scratch.
1398
01:05:32,000 --> 01:05:34,571
Which makes it
that much more profound
1399
01:05:34,640 --> 01:05:37,484
and that much more powerful to do that.
1400
01:05:37,720 --> 01:05:38,721
Well, you could really
design it.
1401
01:05:38,800 --> 01:05:39,801
Yes.
1402
01:05:39,880 --> 01:05:41,882
- It's all custom.
- Yes.
1403
01:05:42,200 --> 01:05:43,201
Anybody!
1404
01:05:43,280 --> 01:05:44,281
Oh, look, a flock of sheep.
1405
01:05:45,360 --> 01:05:48,330
That kind of looks like my...
Oh.
1406
01:05:50,920 --> 01:05:53,082
We wrote that line
specifically for Aidy.
1407
01:05:53,160 --> 01:05:57,529
We wrote, "Oh, that kind of looks like
my F-L-O-O-O-O-0" on the script,
1408
01:05:57,640 --> 01:06:01,087
because we knew that just from her work
on Saturday Night Live
1409
01:06:01,160 --> 01:06:03,970
that she's so good with the...
1410
01:06:04,040 --> 01:06:05,769
Kind of freaking out stuff.
1411
01:06:05,840 --> 01:06:08,810
And she does such a good job
of bringing that to life.
1412
01:06:09,840 --> 01:06:12,684
And this is also...
When you go back to the Bible story,
1413
01:06:12,760 --> 01:06:17,049
one of the things that we
were looking to do was to make sure
1414
01:06:17,160 --> 01:06:22,451
that the full story was represented,
and so this moment is important.
1415
01:06:22,880 --> 01:06:27,568
This moment when the sheep and the
shepherd get the visitation,
1416
01:06:27,640 --> 01:06:29,165
that's a big part of the Bible story.
1417
01:06:29,240 --> 01:06:32,084
Right, and the fun
is presenting it in our own...
1418
01:06:32,160 --> 01:06:34,766
- That's right.
- Sort of with our twist.
1419
01:06:34,840 --> 01:06:39,767
That's right, exactly,
and it gives Ruth her heroic moment.
1420
01:06:39,840 --> 01:06:42,730
Right, it's like we all knew
the angels appeared to the shepherds,
1421
01:06:42,800 --> 01:06:46,088
but what you didn't know is that that
was the assist that Ruth really needed
1422
01:06:46,160 --> 01:06:47,491
- to get her flock to help.
- That's right.
1423
01:06:47,560 --> 01:06:49,289
That's right.
1424
01:06:50,200 --> 01:06:51,486
One thing you can see
in this scene
1425
01:06:51,560 --> 01:06:53,210
is the way that we're presenting
the angel, which,
1426
01:06:53,320 --> 01:06:55,891
because this is
an animated version of the Nativity,
1427
01:06:55,960 --> 01:06:57,200
it seemed like an opportunity to do
1428
01:06:57,280 --> 01:06:58,805
something really different
with the angel,
1429
01:06:58,880 --> 01:07:01,042
and the first thoughts were like,
1430
01:07:01,160 --> 01:07:04,767
the scene not too far off from
this is the Blue Fairy from Pinocchio,
1431
01:07:04,840 --> 01:07:08,686
the idea of something magical
coming down into the house with Mary,
1432
01:07:08,760 --> 01:07:13,049
and using that as a jumping-off point
and really going off some sketches
1433
01:07:13,120 --> 01:07:16,169
that were done
by our story artist, Art Hernandez,
1434
01:07:16,240 --> 01:07:18,686
we came up with
this idea of an angel that
1435
01:07:18,760 --> 01:07:20,922
is kind of hard
for your eyes to focus on.
1436
01:07:21,000 --> 01:07:23,128
It's almost like there's
someone in the room with you,
1437
01:07:23,200 --> 01:07:26,329
but your eyes are not built
to actually see this person.
1438
01:07:26,880 --> 01:07:30,487
But ultimately the goal being
to make it feel magical,
1439
01:07:30,680 --> 01:07:33,684
more than, let's say, Biblical.
1440
01:07:34,480 --> 01:07:35,481
Please, God, help us.
1441
01:07:36,440 --> 01:07:37,965
Mary! Joseph!
1442
01:07:38,360 --> 01:07:41,330
Traditionally, we always,
in a Christmas pageant,
1443
01:07:41,400 --> 01:07:44,165
it's an innkeeper who says,
"Oh, you can come use my stable,"
1444
01:07:44,240 --> 01:07:46,641
but here we're exploring the idea
of what if they just really thought,
1445
01:07:46,720 --> 01:07:47,846
"Okay, we're stuck.
1446
01:07:47,920 --> 01:07:50,844
"We might be having
this baby on the streets,"
1447
01:07:50,960 --> 01:07:54,726
and what's great about that is
that it means that our animals,
1448
01:07:54,840 --> 01:07:57,764
ultimately, can be the ones who invite
Mary and Joseph into their space
1449
01:07:57,840 --> 01:07:59,205
because Mary and Joseph
1450
01:07:59,280 --> 01:08:01,521
didn't give birth to the baby
in the worst possible place.
1451
01:08:01,600 --> 01:08:05,685
It wasn't a trash heap... It was just
a home that belonged to animals,
1452
01:08:05,760 --> 01:08:07,967
and because this story
is from the animals' point of view,
1453
01:08:08,040 --> 01:08:09,769
it's worth pointing out that
1454
01:08:09,840 --> 01:08:12,002
that's actually a sign of hospitality.
1455
01:08:12,080 --> 01:08:15,209
And that there's a certain nobility
that's conferred on the animals
1456
01:08:15,320 --> 01:08:18,403
by the fact that they were the ones who
were able to welcome Mary and Joseph.
1457
01:08:19,400 --> 01:08:20,811
And it's sacrifice.
1458
01:08:20,880 --> 01:08:25,920
It's really a sacrifice
and out of their love and kindness.
1459
01:08:26,000 --> 01:08:27,047
Mmm-hmm.
1460
01:08:28,600 --> 01:08:32,446
And this sequence
was actually very difficult to do
1461
01:08:32,720 --> 01:08:36,088
because so much of it takes place...
It's all at night,
1462
01:08:36,280 --> 01:08:40,649
so still trying
to keep it inviting, entertaining.
1463
01:08:41,440 --> 01:08:43,010
You've got tobe able to
see what's happening.
1464
01:08:43,080 --> 01:08:44,491
Correct.
1465
01:08:44,560 --> 01:08:45,607
I love this coming up,
1466
01:08:45,680 --> 01:08:48,763
so this shot here
where the dogs just look so scary.
1467
01:08:48,840 --> 01:08:49,921
- With the red eyes.
- The red eyes,
1468
01:08:50,000 --> 01:08:51,684
and also the teeth
are glowing a little bit,
1469
01:08:51,760 --> 01:08:55,003
and that was really a great effect
that Cinesite pulled off,
1470
01:08:55,080 --> 01:08:57,970
ultimately, based on some storyboards
by Denise Koyama,
1471
01:08:58,040 --> 01:09:01,840
where she drew it like that, and all
of us were like, "Whoa, that's scary."
1472
01:09:01,920 --> 01:09:04,366
So it's one of those things
1473
01:09:04,440 --> 01:09:05,930
where an idea comes in, and you just...
1474
01:09:06,000 --> 01:09:07,889
Wherever the idea comes from,
it rises to the top
1475
01:09:07,960 --> 01:09:10,531
- and ultimately makes it into the movie.
- Absolutely.
1476
01:09:10,920 --> 01:09:11,967
Joseph.
1477
01:09:14,080 --> 01:09:15,081
It's time.
1478
01:09:19,440 --> 01:09:21,522
It's the moment
where Joseph just lets go
1479
01:09:21,600 --> 01:09:24,046
and says,
"Okay, this is what we're doing."
1480
01:09:24,120 --> 01:09:27,124
And accepts the moment
and says, "Okay, we can do it."
1481
01:09:27,360 --> 01:09:29,567
It may not have been
the ideal situation,
1482
01:09:29,640 --> 01:09:32,803
but it's better than the other options.
1483
01:09:37,560 --> 01:09:41,724
And of course here,
all of the odds are stacked against Bo,
1484
01:09:41,800 --> 01:09:46,010
and this is really where the character
becomes the hero that he's been
1485
01:09:46,080 --> 01:09:47,809
building up to this whole time,
1486
01:09:47,880 --> 01:09:51,885
because he's been up against these dogs
earlier in the movie and was hiding.
1487
01:09:52,000 --> 01:09:53,001
Yes.
RECKARTI You know?
1488
01:09:53,080 --> 01:09:55,560
And now here's a moment
where he puts his life on the line,
1489
01:09:55,640 --> 01:10:00,567
puts himself between Mary and the dogs.
1490
01:10:00,640 --> 01:10:02,961
And this kind of reminds me
of an old Western,
1491
01:10:03,040 --> 01:10:05,611
where the town has all gone indoors.
1492
01:10:05,720 --> 01:10:07,245
It's deserted.
1493
01:10:07,320 --> 01:10:09,129
The leaves are blowing,
1494
01:10:09,200 --> 01:10:12,443
and our hero and the villains
are getting ready to square off.
1495
01:10:12,560 --> 01:10:13,561
Definitely.
1496
01:10:13,640 --> 01:10:16,120
Yeah, that was definitely
part of the goal for the look.
1497
01:10:16,200 --> 01:10:17,964
Ultimately, the Hunter shows up,
1498
01:10:18,040 --> 01:10:20,088
like this little remote figure
down the street,
1499
01:10:20,160 --> 01:10:22,049
just like an old gunslinger would.
1500
01:10:24,600 --> 01:10:26,204
You're mine!
1501
01:10:30,520 --> 01:10:34,047
It might be interesting
to talk about figuring out exactly
1502
01:10:34,120 --> 01:10:36,566
where to put the dial
for how scary the Hunter could be
1503
01:10:36,640 --> 01:10:40,087
because there was a point
where John Paesano had scored
1504
01:10:40,160 --> 01:10:43,130
some really scary-sounding
male choir going...
1505
01:10:43,360 --> 01:10:44,930
Like,
"Wait a minute, too heavy."
1506
01:10:45,000 --> 01:10:46,001
RECKARTI And it was...
1507
01:10:46,080 --> 01:10:48,890
All the kids are going to be
running out of the theater.
1508
01:10:48,960 --> 01:10:53,010
So, scary, yes, but not
completely terrifying and traumatizing.
1509
01:10:53,080 --> 01:10:56,368
That's right.
But one thing to note,
1510
01:10:56,480 --> 01:10:58,801
which is a very important detail,
1511
01:10:58,880 --> 01:11:03,442
the Hunter has taken
the garment of Mary...
1512
01:11:03,520 --> 01:11:05,204
That's right.
It was the bandage
1513
01:11:05,320 --> 01:11:08,483
that Mary put on Bo's leg
that flew away.
1514
01:11:08,560 --> 01:11:13,691
He found it along his sort ofjourney
searching for them,
1515
01:11:13,760 --> 01:11:17,526
and then now that's what
he sets on fire for his torch.
1516
01:11:17,600 --> 01:11:20,171
Yes, and so that,
Mary's bandage,
1517
01:11:20,240 --> 01:11:23,210
subtly plays a very important part
1518
01:11:23,280 --> 01:11:27,171
in the movie because it's also when Bo
sees the bandage flying in the air,
1519
01:11:27,240 --> 01:11:31,802
it's what reminds him
of what's really important.
1520
01:11:33,080 --> 01:11:36,971
So that awesome battle cry
you just heard
1521
01:11:37,040 --> 01:11:39,327
is straight out of Oprah's mouth.
1522
01:11:39,440 --> 01:11:44,571
We said, "Okay, Oprah, here we need
a battle cry, what do you have for us?"
1523
01:11:44,640 --> 01:11:48,167
And she was silent for like 30 seconds
and then suddenly did that,
1524
01:11:48,280 --> 01:11:50,282
and we were like,
"Oh, wow! That's it. That's the one!"
1525
01:11:50,360 --> 01:11:54,285
She went to town on that.
It was great, absolutely great,
1526
01:11:54,360 --> 01:11:58,888
and she really had so much fun doing
the part and brings so much life...
1527
01:11:59,000 --> 01:12:00,445
That was what
really impressed me.
1528
01:12:00,520 --> 01:12:02,807
I was just so glad that she was so game,
1529
01:12:02,920 --> 01:12:05,730
because she could have
come in and sort of
1530
01:12:05,840 --> 01:12:07,842
been skeptical about
what we wanted to do there,
1531
01:12:07,920 --> 01:12:11,083
but she just was so generous with us
and gave us everything we asked for.
1532
01:12:11,160 --> 01:12:14,084
Yes, and the movie
really benefits because of it.
1533
01:12:15,960 --> 01:12:19,567
And in this scene, I really appreciate
1534
01:12:19,760 --> 01:12:23,970
because Bo shows such humanity here.
1535
01:12:24,280 --> 01:12:27,170
Thatjust because they have made...
1536
01:12:27,280 --> 01:12:31,922
These animals have made a bad choice,
they're not bad inherently.
1537
01:12:32,000 --> 01:12:34,970
Right, and they're
characters in need.
1538
01:12:35,040 --> 01:12:37,327
When Bo sees them
dangling off the cliff,
1539
01:12:37,400 --> 01:12:40,688
they're not so scary anymore, in fact,
they need someone to help them.
1540
01:12:40,800 --> 01:12:43,201
And here's Bo, sacrificially,
1541
01:12:43,280 --> 01:12:47,251
going to help the very ones
that have looked to destroy him.
1542
01:12:47,320 --> 01:12:50,324
And using the skills
that he's acquired over the movie,
1543
01:12:50,400 --> 01:12:51,765
because at the beginning,
1544
01:12:51,840 --> 01:12:53,683
we get the sense
that Bo's got a fear of heights,
1545
01:12:53,760 --> 01:12:55,410
but Ruth teaches him how to climb,
1546
01:12:55,480 --> 01:12:57,881
and now he uses
those skills to save the dogs,
1547
01:12:58,240 --> 01:13:00,288
with the help of the camels.
1548
01:13:00,360 --> 01:13:03,045
The collars are broken off,
so really everyone works together
1549
01:13:03,120 --> 01:13:06,363
to open a path
for these dogs and their redemption,
1550
01:13:06,440 --> 01:13:08,602
but they can only open the door.
1551
01:13:08,680 --> 01:13:10,489
It's really the dogs that have to choose
1552
01:13:10,880 --> 01:13:12,769
- what's ahead of them.
- The path they want to go on.
1553
01:13:12,840 --> 01:13:15,002
We're bad dogs.
1554
01:13:16,640 --> 01:13:18,449
You don't have to be.
1555
01:13:18,520 --> 01:13:19,601
You're free now.
1556
01:13:19,680 --> 01:13:21,808
That's really what
that chain represented.
1557
01:13:21,880 --> 01:13:28,650
The chain represented, in some ways,
being enslaved by the forces of evil,
1558
01:13:29,040 --> 01:13:31,930
and now that those chains are broken,
they have a choice.
1559
01:13:32,000 --> 01:13:34,002
And I think
that was so important,
1560
01:13:34,080 --> 01:13:35,969
and one of the reasons
why we wanted to do that
1561
01:13:36,200 --> 01:13:39,409
is it's so important to show that
sometimes we just look at people
1562
01:13:39,480 --> 01:13:42,484
who make bad choices as inherently bad,
1563
01:13:42,560 --> 01:13:44,449
but there are sometimes circumstances
1564
01:13:44,520 --> 01:13:47,364
from which those bad choices
are created,
1565
01:13:47,440 --> 01:13:49,249
but under different circumstances,
1566
01:13:49,360 --> 01:13:52,921
the real humanity and the goodness
in someone can come out,
1567
01:13:53,000 --> 01:13:56,766
and it was important to not
just treat the dogs as bad,
1568
01:13:56,840 --> 01:13:58,251
but they were under duress.
1569
01:13:58,320 --> 01:14:00,641
They were in prison, and as a result,
1570
01:14:00,720 --> 01:14:02,882
they were making
the choice under duress.
1571
01:14:03,000 --> 01:14:05,651
But hopefully, with freedom,
they might make a different choice.
1572
01:14:05,720 --> 01:14:07,051
And then now here is the...
1573
01:14:07,120 --> 01:14:10,010
With this great O Holy Night
sung by Yolanda Adams,
1574
01:14:10,080 --> 01:14:12,242
who's a real legend of gospel music,
1575
01:14:12,320 --> 01:14:15,881
and actually this track is extended
beyond what you see in the movie,
1576
01:14:15,960 --> 01:14:18,201
so I hope that you can all
hear it on the album
1577
01:14:18,280 --> 01:14:22,604
where it sort of turns into this really
cool gospel breakdown at the end.
1578
01:14:22,880 --> 01:14:25,929
- Yeah, she takes it to church.
- But there's no other song
1579
01:14:26,000 --> 01:14:29,527
than O Holy Night for this ending
beat, it'sjust so...
1580
01:14:29,600 --> 01:14:36,529
It sort of conveys the power
of the moment and the intimacy of it.
1581
01:14:36,840 --> 01:14:39,605
And that moment when she sings
"Fall on your knees..."
1582
01:14:39,680 --> 01:14:43,127
Oh, my goodness, it just
really brings me to tears when you...
1583
01:14:44,120 --> 01:14:47,681
You'll see how all the animals
and everyone
1584
01:14:48,000 --> 01:14:50,970
are in line with the lyrics of the song.
1585
01:14:51,040 --> 01:14:53,520
I think this is so many
people's favorite Christmas carol.
1586
01:14:53,600 --> 01:14:56,410
I know it's a lot of my
aunts' favorite Christmas carol,
1587
01:14:56,480 --> 01:14:59,723
they always try to hit the high note
after having a few too many eggnogs,
1588
01:14:59,800 --> 01:15:01,928
it never quite sounds
as good as Yolanda Adams.
1589
01:15:02,000 --> 01:15:03,809
My aunts do the same thing.
1590
01:15:03,880 --> 01:15:07,487
One of my aunts used to... Aunt Donna,
she used to be able to hit it.
1591
01:15:07,560 --> 01:15:10,609
She can't hit it anymore, but there were
days that she'd get that note.
1592
01:15:11,280 --> 01:15:12,770
...this is Mary and Joseph.
1593
01:15:12,840 --> 01:15:14,330
And that's their new baby.
1594
01:15:14,840 --> 01:15:15,841
The flock is growing.
1595
01:15:18,000 --> 01:15:20,367
And here come the dogs.
1596
01:15:20,440 --> 01:15:23,011
We were trying to use
the visuals to tell the story here.
1597
01:15:23,120 --> 01:15:26,249
The eyes are glowing red, just 'cause
that's how dogs work at night,
1598
01:15:26,320 --> 01:15:28,926
but it doesn't mean...
Just 'cause they look scary,
1599
01:15:29,000 --> 01:15:30,684
it doesn't mean that's what's inside.
1600
01:15:30,760 --> 01:15:34,890
Yeah, and I love how Rufus and
Thaddeus come in at this moment,
1601
01:15:34,960 --> 01:15:37,088
and they want to be a part of it.
1602
01:15:38,400 --> 01:15:41,290
Yeah, and this thing from
Tracy Morgan is great, too, because
1603
01:15:41,360 --> 01:15:43,761
it's also reasonable to be
a little skeptical of this.
1604
01:15:43,840 --> 01:15:44,887
- Completely.
- I love this.
1605
01:15:44,960 --> 01:15:45,961
Look with your eyes.
1606
01:15:49,840 --> 01:15:50,841
See?
1607
01:15:51,040 --> 01:15:52,041
He's just a baby.
1608
01:15:53,160 --> 01:15:54,161
Aw. Look at him.
1609
01:15:54,760 --> 01:15:59,687
I love this.
This is just the best scene. ltjust is.
1610
01:15:59,760 --> 01:16:01,330
RECKART Well, and it's important, too,
1611
01:16:01,400 --> 01:16:03,880
that Thaddeus' response is not
"Yeah, we're good dogs now."
1612
01:16:03,960 --> 01:16:06,201
His response is, "We have to try,"
'cause it's hard.
1613
01:16:06,280 --> 01:16:09,841
- It's a process.
- Well, and all of us...
1614
01:16:10,640 --> 01:16:14,281
You don't just have to stop
struggling ever.
1615
01:16:14,360 --> 01:16:17,125
- You're always trying to be a good dog.
- That's right.
1616
01:16:19,320 --> 01:16:20,606
This was great.
This was, to me,
1617
01:16:20,720 --> 01:16:22,290
one of the really great opportunities
1618
01:16:22,360 --> 01:16:25,523
in this tone for the movie
was the awkwardness
1619
01:16:25,640 --> 01:16:27,369
of these three guys in big costumes
1620
01:16:27,440 --> 01:16:29,807
wandering in when Mary and Joseph
just had a baby and like,
1621
01:16:29,880 --> 01:16:32,850
"Um... Can we help you?
What are you guys doing here?"
1622
01:16:32,920 --> 01:16:38,086
Right, and I love this scene
also because it's the first time
1623
01:16:38,440 --> 01:16:40,807
that the animals, specifically Bo,
1624
01:16:40,880 --> 01:16:45,488
realize that they've been in the midst
of the King the whole time,
1625
01:16:45,560 --> 01:16:50,168
and that Bo ultimately did what
he had wanted to do the whole time,
1626
01:16:50,240 --> 01:16:53,801
but he was able to do it
by sacrificing himself
1627
01:16:53,920 --> 01:16:56,127
- for the greater good.
- Sacrificing his dream,
1628
01:16:56,240 --> 01:16:58,049
and ultimately his dream was fulfilled.
1629
01:16:58,120 --> 01:17:00,202
And I love this,
all the animals bowing.
1630
01:17:00,280 --> 01:17:04,683
This is why we do it.
1631
01:17:04,760 --> 01:17:06,649
It's where the whole
movie's been leading.
1632
01:17:06,720 --> 01:17:09,963
Yes, and it's so powerful,
1633
01:17:10,040 --> 01:17:12,247
having been in the church my whole life
1634
01:17:12,320 --> 01:17:16,962
and been part of so many Nativity plays
and read the story a million times,
1635
01:17:17,040 --> 01:17:20,487
but to see it rendered this way
is so powerful, and then to have
1636
01:17:20,560 --> 01:17:25,521
Deborah played by Oprah articulate
the power of the moment,
1637
01:17:25,840 --> 01:17:27,569
it just takes it to another level.
1638
01:17:27,640 --> 01:17:31,008
Right, and as always,
every time we go a little bit,
1639
01:17:31,080 --> 01:17:33,765
sort of a little bit
heartfelt and sappy,
1640
01:17:33,840 --> 01:17:36,684
we've got to undercut it with
a little bit of our comedy tone to it.
1641
01:17:36,760 --> 01:17:39,809
-Okay, Deborah.
-She's back to talking crazy again.
1642
01:17:40,040 --> 01:17:42,805
- Just great, yeah.
- Yes,
1643
01:17:42,880 --> 01:17:45,167
and we talked a lot about Baby Jesus.
1644
01:17:45,240 --> 01:17:47,322
There was a lot of conversation of...
1645
01:17:47,400 --> 01:17:49,801
Yeah, one thing
we haven't talked about at all yet
1646
01:17:49,880 --> 01:17:52,406
is representing the ethnicity
of Mary and Joseph.
1647
01:17:52,520 --> 01:17:54,204
And one thing we really
wanted to be true to
1648
01:17:54,280 --> 01:17:57,011
was the idea of them as people
from the Middle East.
1649
01:17:57,080 --> 01:17:59,924
People who live on
the coast of the Mediterranean,
1650
01:18:00,000 --> 01:18:02,924
- people with darker skin, black hair.
- Yep, ethnicity.
1651
01:18:03,040 --> 01:18:04,849
- Color.
- More so than what
1652
01:18:04,920 --> 01:18:07,890
we've been accustomed to,
which is the portrayal
1653
01:18:07,960 --> 01:18:11,169
in the Italian Renaissance where they
look like Northern Italian people.
1654
01:18:11,240 --> 01:18:13,481
Right, and that was
really important
1655
01:18:13,560 --> 01:18:17,087
to portray Mary and Joseph
and Baby Jesus...
1656
01:18:17,160 --> 01:18:18,571
That's right.
1657
01:18:18,640 --> 01:18:22,406
...with the cultural
and geographical ethnicity
1658
01:18:22,600 --> 01:18:26,161
that history has told us that they had.
1659
01:18:27,080 --> 01:18:30,527
And we talked a lot about
how much to show him,
1660
01:18:31,920 --> 01:18:34,082
and I'm glad that we ultimately
decided to show the Baby Jesus.
1661
01:18:34,160 --> 01:18:36,606
RECKARTI I think it's...
1662
01:18:36,680 --> 01:18:39,081
Yeah, 'cause the Savior
came to Earth as this little,
1663
01:18:39,160 --> 01:18:42,130
innocent little guy who's just yawning,
1664
01:18:42,360 --> 01:18:44,567
and it's a beautiful thing.
1665
01:18:44,640 --> 01:18:47,689
So, that little image you saw there
just briefly,
1666
01:18:47,760 --> 01:18:52,721
Joseph buying Bo from the miller,
that used to be a whole scene.
1667
01:18:52,800 --> 01:18:54,643
We used to have a whole scene
at the end of this movie,
1668
01:18:54,720 --> 01:18:58,247
but ultimately we realized
people want to see the Nativity,
1669
01:18:58,320 --> 01:19:01,403
so we kind of deleted that scene
1670
01:19:01,480 --> 01:19:04,086
and just put that little image in there
to tell you,
1671
01:19:04,160 --> 01:19:06,527
"Look, eventually the miller
does come back and he's like,
1672
01:19:06,600 --> 01:19:09,285
"'Who are all these people
sleeping in this stable?“
1673
01:19:09,360 --> 01:19:11,203
- And Joseph buys him, so...
- Right,
1674
01:19:11,280 --> 01:19:14,329
but it was the right choice just to end
1675
01:19:14,400 --> 01:19:16,926
on the quintessential moment
that everyone has come to see
1676
01:19:17,000 --> 01:19:20,561
and has the most famous moment
of the whole story,
1677
01:19:20,640 --> 01:19:23,644
which is the birth of Jesus
underneath the stars.
1678
01:19:23,720 --> 01:19:27,042
I do really also love
these images, this is another thing
1679
01:19:27,120 --> 01:19:29,407
that I was really interested in doing
was just having the opportunity
1680
01:19:29,480 --> 01:19:32,131
to show Mary and Joseph
as young parents,
1681
01:19:32,200 --> 01:19:35,409
Mary throwing Baby Jesus in the air.
1682
01:19:35,480 --> 01:19:37,323
Why didn't Da Vinci paint that?
1683
01:19:37,400 --> 01:19:39,448
Mothers have been doing that
for thousands of years.
1684
01:19:39,520 --> 01:19:42,444
Maybe sometimes it's the dad,
and the mother's going,
1685
01:19:42,520 --> 01:19:43,965
"Do you have to? Not so high."
1686
01:19:44,040 --> 01:19:47,965
But the way that we portrayed Mary,
I think that's Mary's job there.
1687
01:19:48,040 --> 01:19:53,285
And, then, ultimately,
Jesus was Joseph's apprentice,
1688
01:19:53,360 --> 01:19:55,169
and who's to say how early it started?
1689
01:19:55,240 --> 01:19:57,527
As soon as the kid was able
to hold a little toy hammer...
1690
01:19:57,720 --> 01:19:59,882
That's right, you never know.
1691
01:19:59,960 --> 01:20:02,122
You never know.
But it's fun to speculate.
1692
01:20:02,240 --> 01:20:03,969
RECKARTI Yeah.
1693
01:20:05,200 --> 01:20:06,804
Whoo!
Life is good
1694
01:20:07,920 --> 01:20:09,968
You know, we really couldn't
have made this movie
1695
01:20:10,040 --> 01:20:13,362
without the support of everyone
at Sony Pictures Animation,
1696
01:20:13,440 --> 01:20:14,680
especially Kristine Belson.
1697
01:20:14,760 --> 01:20:18,651
Yes, Jenny Marchick,
our producer, Jenni Magee-Cook,
1698
01:20:18,720 --> 01:20:22,247
all of the executives at Sony
and all the artists.
1699
01:20:22,320 --> 01:20:26,484
And casting and we just had a village.
1700
01:20:26,560 --> 01:20:28,050
And the team
at Affirm Films as well,
1701
01:20:28,120 --> 01:20:29,770
who helped guide us and make sure
1702
01:20:29,840 --> 01:20:33,049
that we were making a really good film
for a faith-based audience.
1703
01:20:35,440 --> 01:20:39,161
The music in the film
is such a big character,
1704
01:20:39,240 --> 01:20:43,290
because we really wanted
to make sure that the film
1705
01:20:43,800 --> 01:20:46,610
not only represented the time
in which it's being released,
1706
01:20:46,680 --> 01:20:50,127
but we wanted to find
great songs of the season,
1707
01:20:50,240 --> 01:20:52,846
and of the Christmas season
that were familiar songs,
1708
01:20:52,920 --> 01:20:54,604
but also find some new songs as well,
1709
01:20:54,680 --> 01:20:57,251
and Spring Aspers who is just...
1710
01:20:57,320 --> 01:21:00,688
She's been in the music business
for a very long time,
1711
01:21:00,760 --> 01:21:02,808
one of the most talented
music executives that I know,
1712
01:21:02,920 --> 01:21:06,367
her and I have actually
worked on five films together.
1713
01:21:06,440 --> 01:21:09,125
This is our fifth collaboration,
1714
01:21:09,200 --> 01:21:12,204
and she does such a great job
of making sure
1715
01:21:12,280 --> 01:21:15,250
that every song that is
in the film services the story.
1716
01:21:15,320 --> 01:21:18,369
And one of her top lieutenants
is Tim Ahlering,
1717
01:21:18,440 --> 01:21:22,650
and he is fantastic, and Epic Records
has Joey Arbagey.
1718
01:21:22,720 --> 01:21:26,281
And Epic Records
partnered with us on this, on the music,
1719
01:21:26,400 --> 01:21:30,200
and Joey Arbagey,
who is the EVP of music over there,
1720
01:21:30,320 --> 01:21:34,211
really was a partner
along with Sylvia Rhone from day one
1721
01:21:34,280 --> 01:21:37,329
when we started talking to them
about how to do the music,
1722
01:21:37,400 --> 01:21:40,882
and they were so open, and they said,
"Listen, we want to get Mariah,
1723
01:21:41,000 --> 01:21:42,286
"we want to get Fifth Harmony,
1724
01:21:42,360 --> 01:21:45,682
"we want to help you do this
as best as it could be done."
1725
01:21:45,760 --> 01:21:47,046
They really hit some home runs
1726
01:21:47,120 --> 01:21:49,202
as far as attracting talent
to this project.
1727
01:21:49,280 --> 01:21:53,171
They did.
Zara Larsson, Great Big World,
1728
01:21:54,760 --> 01:21:58,890
Casting Crowns, Kirk Franklin,
Fifth Harmony, Mariah Carey,
1729
01:21:58,960 --> 01:22:01,201
Jesse James Decker.
1730
01:22:01,280 --> 01:22:03,806
The soundtrack is as
star-studded as the cast of the movie.
1731
01:22:03,880 --> 01:22:06,008
Right, so true.
1732
01:22:07,960 --> 01:22:10,042
Thanks so much for listening,
this has been a lot of fun.
1733
01:22:10,160 --> 01:22:12,640
Thank you so much
for listening. It's been a blast.
1734
01:22:12,720 --> 01:22:14,529
I hope you've had as much fun
as we have.
1735
01:22:24,160 --> 01:22:26,970
I've waited all my life
to feel this feeling
1736
01:22:27,040 --> 01:22:28,530
That I feel right now
1737
01:22:28,600 --> 01:22:33,811
Open up your eyes
and see the world is brighter now
1738
01:22:33,880 --> 01:22:3
148467
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