Another highlight of my Disney press junket was an interview with Director Rich Moore and Producer Clark Spencer from the movie Wreck-It Ralph.
The first part of the interview was about the authentic nature they wanted to convey to the audience. That involved not just creating a video game for the movie, but creating a real video game to be used in the movie! The actual video game is below, I even played it while at the studios!
Authenticity also meant having the real video game characters we all know and love from the various companies, participate in this project:
Clark:”And we went and Rich pitched the movie to the companies. Talked about where the characters might sit in the film. And they got really excited very quickly. And then it was a process over the course of many months, where we were talking with the companies, and the legal teams were all meeting with each other to talk about what can and can’t get done. Not simply, but surprisingly, it went a lot smoother than you might ever expect.”
You will see the movie and realize it is extra advertising for the gaming companies involved! What a boon for them to be involved! My son saw Sonic the Hedgehog in the poster and he was immediately hooked. Besides, who wouldn’t want to be connected to any project overseen by John Lasseter, the genius behind Toy Story! (Yes, we met him on the last day!).
Another interesting aspect of listening to the director and producer of any movie, is that you learn about some of the day to day processes. You don’t just stick some information into a computer and a few months later a great flick comes out in CGI form! Yes, I kind of thought that was generally how it worked. Ideas keep evolving, that was what was so interesting about talking to these 2 guys, an animator may make a suggestion regarding what works best for them, and then the movie changes because that suggestion made better sense. And I believe it is the smart directors and producers who are open to the ideas for everyone who touches a project that makes that project the best it can be.
The other component from Clark Spencer: “good directing is 75% good casting.” These animated characters take on the personality of the actors voicing them. It is this combo that makes for a great animated movie. Like Ellen DeGeneres in Nemo, she took Dory and made it her own. It is the same thing in this movie, I would never have thought to put Sarah Silverman in a little girls role, but she and her spunkiness were perfect! And the ad libbing with John C. Reilly came across so well that some of it made it into the movie.
Listening to the passion these guys have for their jobs, and this movie, is inspiring. And it certainly gave me a deeper appreciation for this and all movies. I had no idea the depth needed to create such a fine product!
Official site: www.disney.com/wreckitralph
Like Ralph on Facebook: facebook.com/WreckItRalph
Follow Ralph on Twitter: https://twitter.com/wreckitralph
Disclosure: Disney invited me on a press junket and paid all of my expenses. No other compensation was received. All opinions are always 100% my own and honest.
I’m really looking forward to seeing this movie. The games do look authentic!
I had no idea so much work went into making one of these movies. I hope it is as good as it sounds. I can’t wait to see it.
I am so jealous that you were able to do this. I love the game on my ipad and cant wait for the movie!