*For the first time Pixar Animation Studios is taking moviegoers to a world featuring the conveniences of suburbia – with vermin unicorns roaming the streets – in “Onward.”
The computer-animated urban fantasy film follows two elf brothers on a quest to spend one more day with their father. EUR correspondent Fahnia Thomas went to Pixar Studios in Emeryville, California and spoke with director Dan Scanlon, producer Kori Rae, head of story Kelsey Mann and animator MontaQue Ruffin.
Q: How did you start working in animation and at Pixar?
MontaQue Ruffin: Growing up I was really into video games, art and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I was very fortunate to have supportive parents and went to the School of Visual Arts in New York and got a BFA in art animation. From there I got an internship at Pixar after my senior year. Now I work in the character animation department and specialize in the acting and performance aspect of things.
Q: Which character is your favorite and why?
MontaQue Ruffin: I can relate to Ian Lightfoot (voiced by Tom Holland) a little bit and I grew up with an older brother too. Ian has big aspirations and dreams and everyone has insecurities every once in a while and sometimes you need that older brotherly love to help push you here and there. And I was more of an introvert growing up.
Kori Rae: I really love The Manticore (Corey voiced by Octavia Spencer) because she is super tough and I love her arc and how she changes and comes out of her shell. She’s part scorpion, bat and lion. She’s a quintessential fantasy character with too much stuff.
Kelsey Mann: I get very upset when people call Guinevere a van. Depending on which department you talk to they will ask, ‘is she’s a set [piece] or a character?’ I’ll say, ‘she’s a character but technically she needs to go through the set department pipeline.’ When I hear people say, ‘the van,’ I will say, ‘she has a name and it’s Guinevere!’
Dan Scanlon: Sometimes we will just listen to the voice with the animated character up on the screen without knowing the voice actor – sometimes you can tell who it is like with Julia Louis-Dreyfus (voice of Laurel Lightfoot) I could tell immediately – but it’s a wonderful moment because we both desperately wanted to work with her. When we heard her voice and realized who she was playing and saw her with the mom character, we thought, ‘oh my god she’s perfect!’
“Onward” opens in theaters on March 6th.
For more details follow at @pixaronward or click here
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