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The age-old myth that Storks deliver babies hails back as far as the middle ages, when European folklore deemed that the large white bird with its distinct red pointed beak and long legs was responsible for bringing babies to new parents. Interestingly enough, there has never been a film about the legendary bird until Warner Bros. Pictures latest animated film Storks which will debut in theaters on September 23, 2016.
Storks follows the story of Junior, the top delivery stork at global internet giant Cornerstore. Junior’s work consists of delivering packages instead of babies, and just as he is about to be promoted, he inadvertently activates the Baby Making Machine. The result is an adorable but completely unauthorized baby girl. Junior and his friend human friend Tulip set out to deliver the baby girl before his boss learns about the blunder. Filled with adventure, humor and heart, Storks will use the age-old legend to delight audiences in a fun, vibrant story with a poignant message about the importance of family.
Storks Talk with Andy Samberg and Kelsey Grammer
During a recent press conference, Jessica McDonald from The Healthy Mouse sat down with Kelsey Grammer (Hunter), Katie Crown (Tulip), Andy Samberg (Junior), Director Nicholas Stoller, Director Doug Sweetland, and Producer Brad Lewis to talk about Storks.
First up, we interviewed Kelsey Grammer (who plays Junior’s boss Hunter) and Stephen Kraemer Glickman (who plays Pigeon Toady). In asking about what attracted him to playing this role, Grammer expressed his love for animated films:
Kelsey Grammer: Well, I am attracted to animated films basically because I have children and because I am grateful to all the actors that voiced the movies that were important to me when I was a child.
I still think that animated films are probably the best movies being made today, and I think that may have been true for a long time. 101 Dalmatians is still one of my favorite movies, and I watch that all the time with my daughter. So, every time somebody calls me to do one of these, it’s a presumptive joy.
And just as the audience was pleasantly surprised at the level of diversity in the film, the cast members take great pride in showcasing many types of families, too:
Stephen Kramer Glickman: Well, honestly, one of the pieces in the movie that touched me a lot, and I thought it was really, really well done, and it came as a surprise to me because I hadn’t seen this in any versions of it at this point, was at the end when all the babies are being given to all the different families.
And you’re like these different families that are receiving these babies, it’s like, there are gay couples receiving babies, and there’s all different sorts of couples with wonderful experiences and just great diversity in that scene. And it really touched my heart and made me feel so happy that I was part of it.
Q: Did either of you buy into the whole “stork delivering babies” theory growing up?
Kelsey Grammer: Did not buy into it, never believed it, but liked it.
Stephen Kramer Glickman: Yes.
Kelsey Grammer: Because I think you can also acknowledge that the metaphor is loving and I guess you’d call it supernatural in a weird way, like the creative imagination to say the purpose of these beautiful birds is to bring love into your life. I thought what a great thing that the creative minds have been capable of throughout our cultural and historical evolution.
The Writer, Director, and Producer Talk about Storks
Next, we were able to interview Storks’ writer/director Nicholas Stoller, Director Doug Sweetland, and producer Brad Lewis.
Q: Improvisation was a big factor in this film, and it seemed to really show through in many of the mannerisms and how the characters interacted. Could you speak a little bit about the process and how that’s a little bit unusual for a film like this?
Nicholas Stoller: Yes. Yes, I mean, you know, I’ve done a lot of–in my live action movies that I’ve done, I always do improv. I do it to get jokes and stuff like that, but I also do it to kind of create natural performances.
It’s almost more important in the emotional scenes to do improv because it keeps actors a little bit off their game and it makes those scenes more kind of awkward and real, which then makes them more emotional. And I really wanted to bring that into animation, and Brad and Doug were game for that.
And so, very early on we cast scratch actors that were comedic talent, you know, improv people and improv’ed the scenes. And actually, Katie Crown was [the voice to Tulip] originally a scratch actor for the movie. She was so good we ended up casting her in the film.
Brad Lewis: I mean, one of the hardest things about animation is to get a spontaneous vocal performance, because everything’s done in isolation because everybody wants perfect sound every step along the way.
So, Nick worked in this way. It’s jazz for Nick. He comes in and he knows what the scene’s about. And the actors are great and they know their characters, and then they build it. And like one scene that might be two minutes is, like, three or four hours of material that gets sifted through.
Q: What message are you hoping families walk away with after watching your film?
Brad Lewis: The thing about this movie is we’re all busy. Everybody in this room is busy, right? And so, for me, one of the messages, you know, it’s that it used to be stop and smell the roses, but this is like let a baby affect your life.
And even if it’s not a baby, if it’s some little moment of innocence or beauty, stop, take it in, enjoy it, and then get back on the train. That’s what you’re going to do, right? So, the movie is about allow yourself to get connected.
We finished off the day by interviewing the actors who play Junior and Tulip, Andy Samberg and Katie Crown!
Q: It seems that the trend in Hollywood lately is about female characters that are heroines. How do you feel about your character being a role model for so many kids, especially girls?
Katie Crown: I feel great. Yes, I hope they like her. I think she’s a really cool character. It’s nice playing someone who’s really fun, affable, but also super smart. She’s an inventor. She builds this great plane. You know, she’s got a lot of good ideas. It’s really fun being able to play someone like that.
Q: What were your thoughts on the inclusion of diversity in the film?
Andy Samberg: I found it emotionally powerful, at the end especially, when it showed all the babies being delivered to all different types of families.
I grew up in Berkeley, California. That’s been how I thought of the world and was raised since I was young. And only until I left there did I realize that it was a problem and that people didn’t think of everything that way. I think it’s especially important for a movie that a lot of kids are going to be watching, to see that represented.
I think that’s happening more and more, which is incredible. And you’re seeing new generations of kids growing up where that’s the norm.
Andy Samberg: And it’s beautiful. It’s utopia. It’s what I’ve always thought was the dream.
Katie Crown: I like seeing that coming out more and more too. I work on another cartoon where the families are very diverse, and it’s really exciting to see that kind of stuff coming out more and more. It’s really important.
It was fantastic to hear how much pride and joy the actors and crew put into this film. Storks is sure to become a household classic animated film!
Storks comes out in theaters September 23rd, you can catch a sneak peek in the trailer below:
Keep up to date by following Storks on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
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