ANIMATED SHORTS: TALKING TO KEVIN MUNROE

[MattBrady]

KEVIN MUNROE INTERVIEW
DIRECTOR CHECKS IN FROM HONG KONG ABOUT LOVING THE TURTLES

by Steve Fritz

It’s 10:00 p.m. and the phone rings. On the other end is Kevin Munroe, director of the new Turtles movie TMNT and he’s calling from Hong Kong.

That’s right. Hong Kong. As it turns out the man had a lot to say about his debut about a director. Let’s not waste time and get right to it.

NEWSARAMA: OK. Your resume shows you wrote the scripts for Donner and Flying Freaks to this. How did you go from those two films to directing TMNT?

KEVIN MUNROE: Well, that’s the IMDB encapsulation. My background is more into design than it was with writing. My actual entry was actually character design. For instance I did design for the Nickelodeon show Hey Arnorld!. I did a lot of design for Nickelodeon, Warners and Disney, and more for development than production. I’m living proof that you can actually work for over a decade, make a decent living at it, everything you do will never see the light of day and nobody will know who you are. My career was a lot of that.

I think my biggest problem was the studios wanted to hook me up with other writers, but I was such a control freak I would constantly tell them I could do it and turning them down. So one day I finally decided that I was going to do a spec, and if it didn’t do anything I’d have learned my lesson. So I did that spec and immediately sold it to Stan Winston’s Studio. Next thing you know, I was developing shows, writing the pilot script and Bible and doing that for the next ten years.

Q: What were some others you worked on?

KM: Hey Arnold was one of them. I also worked on the Blues Brothers. I worked with a few comedians who wanted to do their own shows. I also developed a show for the Disney/Square game Kingdom Hearts. It would have been really cool and I was real happy. We did do a pilot, but one thing led to another. I also developed a show for the WWE that would have been a big action adventure at Warner Bros. I also worked on one based on a comic book called Jason & The Argobots.

Q: You actually did some comic books yourself, right?

KM:Yeah, I did some comics as well. I did one for Dark Horse called El Zombo and one for IDW called Olympus Heights.

Q: So how did you hook up with Imagi and the Turtles?

KM:About a 1 ½ years ago I got tired of living the same way but I also knew a lot of people. Now there are a lot of people like Imagi who want to do animation and become the next Pixar, but all they’re really doing are pirated versions of Finding Nemo. They just don’t get it.

I actually met Imagi over a project called Cat Tale, which really wasn’t that inventive of a story. It was the tale of a cat, who was going to be voiced by Sean Astin, who thought he was a dog. I came in under the auspices of doing a rewrite of it. That’s when I heard they were trying to get the film writes to the Turtles. When I heard that I told them they had to hire me because I loved them. It could be more than Over The Hedge with the Ninja Turtles. It could be dark and moody and big fun.

Q: More like the source.

KM:Right. So I pestered them every day about it. I think they finally gave me the green light to get them off their back. So I then went to meet Peter Laird because they told me that if I could get his blessing I would get the job. Lo and behold it happened!

Q: What was it like working with Laird? I mean I had met Kevin Eastman and the last time I met him I only wanted to punch him out.

KM:You couldn’t have met a more opposite of a guy. Kevin and Peter are virtually night and day. Peter is just a normal guy. You would never know that he co-created this incredible franchise. He’s just this very sweet, genuine guy who cares a lot for his property.

So when I first met him I got a look like how was I going to screw up his babies like the last guys did. But as we talked we developed a really good relationship really quickly.

Q: Well, for the movie it looked like you went back to the original TV show.

KM:I would say we went even further back, to the original comic book. To me, the comic book shows actual depth in the characters. In the shows and movies the Turtles all became shallow caricatures of themselves. It was like Raphael is the angry one, so push a button and he’ll say something angry.

Q: The Turtles really do come out well in CGI.

KM:Yeah. Their skin is just perfect for CGI. I think old guys, wrinkly guys and animals come out really good in CGI. Whenever you have to do a regular person that’s when things get really challenging. At best they’ll look like The Incredibles.

Q: Yeah, two of the characters that looked the stiffest were April and Casey. Do you think the tech is just not there yet?

KM:You know, I think it’s a style choice. The tech is really catching up and you’ll see it in the next movie. CGI is becoming more and more sophisticated and growing up. I do have to agree with you on April and Casey, but also understand that we really wanted to concentrate on the Turtles themselves. We went out of our way to make sure we properly articulated their mouths and things like that.

Q: With the voice cast, did you go radio style or isolation?

KM:We actually did radio style with the Turtles themselves. That was something I demanded we do from day one. It just bothered me so much that with most movies they would have the actors show up whenever. Those performances lacked that natural back-and-forth that comes with regular conversations. It just doesn’t happen.

My philosophy is you can try to capture it in isolation, but actors really do need that interaction with each other. The drama goes up with each line. You never get that if Raph’s in on Tuesday and Leo’s in on Thursday. When they are all together in person, they can hear each other sitting next to them and react to that person’s voice. So I made sure we did that from the very first day.

I love imperfect line deliveries. I love the idea of people who stutter a little bit. So the idea was to get the main four guys into a room and have them go at each other. After all, they were all really talented voice actors. It wasn’t like trying to get four big name celebrities into the room. Because of that, the improv was hot. We never achieved anything near as dramatic and challenging with the name stars.

Q: But you did get a great side cast of comic book/animation geek favorites such as Patrick Stewart, Kevin Smith and Sarah Michelle Geller. You’d think they’d be up for the party.

KM:Yeah. It’s definitely a genre cast. We did have Buffy, Johnny Storm and Capt. Picard/Professor X, but they were more just one-off isolation because of their schedules. If it really mattered, they would show up, but the studios and the stars don’t really like to work that way.

Q: What was it like working with Mako? Obviously this was one of the last projects he was on.

KM:Yeah. In fact, he got the diagnosis for his throat cancer while we were recording. He was really such a nice guy and his work ethic was still insane. He insisted on finishing up the job and did eight hours a day to make sure. He was just so determined to get things right. He was fatherly but he was also firm. He was just such a cool combination with the young guys.

Q: Now to get one thing straight, this film is set after Trapped In Time, right?

KM:A little bit. You know, with Trapped In Time you could read every bit of material available and when you look at that film you could tell the people behind it didn’t know what they were doing. What we did was watch every TV episode and all the movies to try to distill what was the best of the Turtles. At the end of the day we all finally looked at each other and said ‘You know what? Screw it!’

So we worked from the idea that the Turtles had all these adventures and for some reason had come apart. We’ll make the movie about them coming back together. I treated it like a story of a family that had to get back together again. That’s really what I pitched to Peter when I met him. It never changed from that.

Q: So what are you working on now, Cat Tale or Gatchaman?

KM:Cat Tale has been shelved. I think that Imagi realized that you couldn’t come out with that right after TMNT. It would definitely struggle. It’s just not the right follow-up. So hopefully it’s going to be Gatchaman.

Q: I admit, I have the complete nine-volume boxed set ADV put out, that’s a hard one to do in one movie. You’re going to go up against some really hardcore fans.

KM:You do? Yeah, that’s really cool and I got it, too. I was a huge fan of Battle of the Planets when I was a kid. I even used to wear a helmet like theirs that I made out of a hockey helmet and tin foil and built space ships like theirs out of Lego’s. I even wrote my own first short stories based on them. I was such a geek about them. The owner of Imagi, Francis Kao, is like 29 years old and also grew up a huge fan of them. So we have this mutual love of the property.

What I love is there is just something so visceral about the show.

Q: So are you working with Tatsunoko (Gatchaman’s creators--ED) on this one?

KM:We are. They have just given us full reign on it. They told us that they hadn’t been able to crack the Western market try as they might. They just saw the Turtles and were really impressed with it. They basically just told us to make it work for a big Western audience. They know if the movie is done right it can make well over $200 million in Japan alone.

Q: Well, Tatsunoko is such a legendary studio. You would think they know something about what they’re talking about.

KM:I know! I look at something like Karas, which they just did, and it’s amazing! I was totally blown away by it. What we’re talking about is working their anime style into the CGI. It’s still very early in discussion but we’ll try to stay as loyal to the fans as possible.

Q: So are you talking 2-3 years on this one?

KM:Oh yeah. We just finished the script and are in early design. We actually came out here to Hong Kong to work over those details with them. If all goes well, when we get back we go full bore into story boards. I would say if all goes well, we will get this done in 2009.

SANDERS JOINS CLEESE AND DREAMWORKS

DreamWorks Animation announced filmmaker Chris Sanders is set to helm the upcoming project Crood Awakening, a comedy set in the Stone Age. Sanders previous animation film credits include some of the genre’s most successful and groundbreaking films Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, Mulan and Lilo & Stitch.. The screenplay was written by British comedy icon John Cleese (Monty Python and A Fish Called Wanda) and Kirk De Micco (Racing Stripes).

Crood Awakening is described as a comedy set in the Stone Age, but further details of the plot are being kept under wraps.

Regarding the announcement, Chris Sanders states, “I look forward to working with Jeffrey and the other filmmakers at DreamWorks Animation. They have dedicated themselves to a complex and classic craft, but have also proven that they are driven to take it to new places. It is their willingness to break boundaries that makes them unique. I've seen firsthand where they are headed, and I'm excited to be part of it."

DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg commented, “Chris is one of the most inventive and imaginative filmmakers I’ve ever worked with. His unique storytelling style and sensibility are perfectly suited for Crood Awakening. It is such a pleasure to collaborate with him once again on another exciting project. We are so happy to have him on board at DreamWorks."

According to sources at DreamWorks, no date has been set for Crood.

NEXT COLUMN: We will meet two of the creative forces of Meet The Robinsons…TOMORROW. That’s right. Friday. See you then. .

[KyleCowstar]

Coolness. The movie was great.

[astronato]

My 15 year old niece went to see the Turtles movie last weekend with some friends and they all loved it. It looks great but the Turtles aren't really my thing, so I'll wait for HBO.

But I wanted say.........Gatchaman in cgi but keeping with the original anime style? Hell Yeah!!!

I got into Gatchaman through Battle of the Planets too but the original was superior. I hope the only thing they keep from BotP is the theme music.

good luck!

[Akoya]

Originally Posted by MattBrady

KM:We actually did radio style with the Turtles themselves. T

YES!!! Thank-You!!
I always found it strange, especially with anime to have every person go in separately! Interaction=good!

[neko85]

KM: Hey Arnold was one of them. I also worked on the Blues Brothers. I worked with a few comedians who wanted to do their own shows. I also developed a show for the Disney/Square game Kingdom Hearts. It would have been really cool and I was real happy. We did do a pilot, but one thing led to another. I also developed a show for the WWE that would have been a big action adventure at Warner Bros. I also worked on one based on a comic book called Jason & The Argobots.

WHAT??!?! They were going to make Kingdom Hearts show?!?!?! WHY DIDN'T THEY!?

T_T

[Toneloak]

Steve would you know if the second DVD for KARAS is still set for April 3?

My two nephews just seen the turtles movie and love it. I don't think I'll be seeing it but Mr. Munroe has to be doing something right. I hope one day to be work with someone like him. He seems to enjoy animation and great characters designs atleast as much as I do.

[Mr. B]

Gatchaman's gonna ROCK!

[sfritz]

Originally Posted by Toneloak

Steve would you know if the second DVD for KARAS is still set for April 3?

My two nephews just seen the turtles movie and love it. I don't think I'll be seeing it but Mr. Munroe has to be doing something right. I hope one day to be work with someone like him. He seems to enjoy animation and great characters designs atleast as much as I do.

That's so funny you should ask. I was talking to my Manga rep yesterday and it looks like it's delayed. We did talk about Tactics 4 and Noein 3, but I'm not sure about Karas. -s

[Shred Head]

Originally Posted by neko85

KM: Hey Arnold was one of them. I also worked on the Blues Brothers. I worked with a few comedians who wanted to do their own shows. I also developed a show for the Disney/Square game Kingdom Hearts. It would have been really cool and I was real happy. We did do a pilot, but one thing led to another. I also developed a show for the WWE that would have been a big action adventure at Warner Bros. I also worked on one based on a comic book called Jason & The Argobots.

WHAT??!?! They were going to make Kingdom Hearts show?!?!?! WHY DIDN'T THEY!?

T_T

Theres two reasons why this show didn't get made. One guess its because Disney are idiots and just passed it off for some god awful spinoff series to movie know one really cared about in the first place. That or copy right issues and they didn't want to shell out the bucks for non Disney SquareEnix characters to be used.

[Kolimar]

Interesting interview.

[Kolimar]

The complete list of comics-based movies

[JLAJRC]

TMNT was a good movie, although I did think that Winters looked like the dad from Incredibles with black hair.

[SuperturboZ]

I can not wait for the new Gatchaman OVA/movie. The artwork looks amazing!

[beta-ray]

Originally Posted by sfritz

That's so funny you should ask. I was talking to my Manga rep yesterday and it looks like it's delayed. We did talk about Tactics 4 and Noein 3, but I'm not sure about Karas. -s

Sheesh, I wonder what could be holding it up?

Also... wonder what the conflict between Sanders and Lasseter was (read there was one at another website)? That's a bummer.