Coming to Digital and Bluray Multi Screen Edition on
November 6th from director Brad Bird and Walt Disney Home
Entertainment is the release of INCREDIBLES 2.
This fantastic family film has so much to offer everyone in
the way of superheroes, family fun, laughs and everything we have come to love
about the Parr family. I had the great opportunity to speak to Andrew Jimenez
and Bobby Rubio about their experience working on INCREDIBLES 2.
Andrew Jimenez is a Story Artist/Motion Graphics Lead and
graduate of San Diego
State University
Jeri Jacquin: Hello Andrew, thank you so much for taking the
time to talk to us today about your work on INCREDIBLES 2
Andrew Jimenez: Of course.
JJ: We are going to jump right in, tell me a little bit
about how you got
involved in the project.
AJ: After film school in San Diego
everyone knows how difficult it is to get into this work in Los Angeles
on a piece called THE IRON GIANT. Brad Bird was working on
the film and they wanted to try something new at that time called animatics
with storyboarding. That's how I met Brad and that process of storyboarding and
animatics worked out really well on that
project and when he came to PIXAR to do THE INCREDIBLES he
brought a few people with him to use that process. The storyboarding process is
pretty much the same for both 2D and 3D. I ended up in the Bay area working
with Brad on THE INCREDIBLES.
JJ: First of all a shout out to San Diego
AJ: It was a bit overwhelming in the right way. There is a
long walkway that leads to this beautiful lawn pathway and I thought it would
be great to have a steam train along that pathway. It's also good to know that
I wasn't the only one who thought that. What added to my excitement on the
first day of employment in 2000 is that it was the first day that this
particular campus was open for everyone to start working in. It was a great
equalizer because whether it was your first day like it was for me or a new day
on the new campus we all had the same questions. It was nice to figure it out
together.
JJ: What I noticed at PIXAR is the free environment of
thought and ideas. It seems like it is set up for you all to be free flowing.
AJ: Just this morning that happened as I was getting my
coffee in the atrium. We were having nerdy talk about Star Wars and work stuff
for the day. The best part of it was that it fed into everything we are doing,
this place encourages these kinds of conversations and that is an amazing part
of being here. A conversation about puppetry versus CG and the authenticity of
drawing versus computer animation - it is all applicable and essential to what
we do here.
JJ: Getting into INCREDIBLES 2, I have to say that the flow
into the first INCREDIBLES film into the second is seamless. It just doesn't
feel like there has been a gap in time at all. You pick up right where the last
left off. How did you manage to do that?
AJ: You are right in that there are so many years between
the two but our level of interest in wanting to know these characters hasn't
changed. So if you go in with the honest you can tell that story. Instead of
just coming in with the super hero elements, we look at how Bob, Helen and the
kids are adjusting. We can relate that to our own lives so coming back to them
is like meeting up with old friends and you feel as if time hasn't been lost at
all because you know that person so well. I think it's like that with these characters
in the film because when we see them again it actually is like time hasn't
passed. We have been honest with reintroducing these characters to the
audience.
JJ: At the end of the first INCREDIBLES, we all did have that
thought wondering what was going to happen to the Parr family. It is like you
got inside our heads and in INCREDIBLES 2 you put that right on the screen and
now on Bluray. We are thrilled so thank you for that.
AJ: Of course.
JJ: We have to talk about Jack-Jack.
AJ: Yes, we do.
JJ: I was amazing at what you all have done with Jack-Jack.
AJ: Brad does so with weaving character based story into all
of it, there are scenes with Jack-Jack The vocalization of Jack-Jack in the
scene where Bob is going crazy and Frozone is trying to help with it all but
Jack-Jack sees on television an old interview with Helen and he gives the most
priceless 'mama' but the little seed planted is what triggers him to turn into
these crazy characters. He wants his mom! Brad puts these magical gems in the
film that are pretty cool to catch.
JJ: It actually reminded me of a toddler going through the
terrible twos! I think I have seen all of that in a toddler a bit but the
visual is hilarious.
AJ: If you can turn into jelly-laser-shooting-fire-monsters
this would be exactly it.
JJ: With your work in this, what was the process like for you?
I know it has to be labor intensive so how do you go about taking Brad's
thoughts that are on paper and turn it into the magic we see on the screen?
AJ: I think what is amazing about Brad's storyboarding
process and what I love about the story boarding process is that it is the blue
print for the foundation of everything we do as we make the film. It's not just
little drawings, no, with Brad he wants to figure out everything very early.
The great thing about that is we can change things later when we've tried other
options and know what will work perfectly. Because we have figured it out early
on we know what works and that's kind of where I come in. If you can imagine
that there is six drawings to a shot with screen direction, when we are
watching it the film is in a critical stage. Story boarding gives us a chance
to make all the critical decisions before a scene goes into production before all
the time, money and effort takes place. To learn these things early is very
beneficial and the film is in its most vulnerable stage so the story boarding
is important. I take those story boards and make animatics which is a
visualization taking the actual drawing and moving a camera over the art work.
This allows us to make crucial decisions and actually see the movie flow shot
to shot as the closest approximation to it being later. We are making better
and informed decisions.
JJ: Also you aren't working with real actors
AJ: Yes, and sometimes when we are watching it play out we
are doing the voices ourselves. I know when I hear my voice I giggle. The
danger in that is what if we find things humorous but the outside audience
doesn't? To closely approximate what the
film will be early on we use our scratch voices, temporary
stuff to build the foundation of what the film will eventually become. One of
the biggest compliments after screening the story reels is that the audience
thought it was the finished film.
JJ: Thank you so much for talking to me today Andy!
Now it the opportunity to speak with Bobby Rubio who brings
a bit of both professional and a life long dream of not only working with
director Bird but being a part of Pixar!
Jeri Jacquin: Hi Bobby, thanks for taking time today to talk
with us as well about the INCREDIBLES 2.
Bobby Rubio: No problem at all.
JJ: I asked Andy this same question now I will ask it to
you, how did you get involved with this project?
BR: I casted into the role of the story board artist and we
all get picked to do certain projects. I have a background in comic books and
love super heroes. I go to San Diego Comic Con every year and have ever since I
was a little kid. I think they knew that I could fit into this world.
JJ: With the INCREDIBLES 2 and your love of superheroes,
what was it like to find out you were chosen to work on it?
BR: It was a dream come true. The funny thing is when the
first movie came out I was at Walt Disney Feature Animation and I remember my
buddy telling me 'oh my gosh we are working on a movie and you would love it',
when I finally saw it I was so jealous because I wanted to be a part of it. Now
here it is fourteen years later and I get a shot with it.
JJ: Tell me your part in INCREDIBLES 2.
BR: I'm a story board artist and I would get the script from
the director Brad Bird and he would give me certain sequences that I would
story board. I did certain sequences that I'm pretty happy about.
JJ: Working on the whole process, did you think was going to
turn out as it did?
BR: In certain aspects yes and in other aspects no. Seeing
the first film directed by Brad Bird, I idolized him because I loved his work
on The Simpsons, RATATOUILLE and the
IRON GIANT. I guess I was a little star struck working with him and he is a
great director and I've learned so much from him. The other side was that I
also saw that he was human and there was things to figure out. INCREDIBLES 2
was crafted several times before it worked and although it all was hard, it was
absolutely fun.
JJ: I'm sure a lot of people think this all looks so easy
for you to do. I was saying to Andy that it just flows so seamlessly that it
does look easy. Of course I know there are nuances and hardships in making
something like this as well yes?
BR: Definitely, I tell people and my friends that it isn't
always sunshine and lollipops and it takes a skill to be here. There is such
amazing talent here at Pixar and you want to bring your talents to the table as
well. You want to keep the ship moving forward and
the momentum going and yes, sometimes it's not easy. With a
team like we had and the talent we had working on INCREDIBLES 2, we worked
together so well and it was also a lot of fun.
JJ: The collaboration I have seen for myself when I visited
and maybe I was having a little geek out moment myself like your experience
with Brad but I still saw the ebb and flow between everyone there. I saw
everyone sitting and talking with the back and forth and I think that makes
where you are so amazing. It shows in what you create and do.
BR: I agree, it’s definitely a team effort. I enjoy
collaborating with everybody on the team and Andy was great. The funny thing is
that there were three of us from San
Diego
JJ: In all the work that you've done and you see it now on
the screen, two things, what does that mean to you personally and what do you
hope audiences get from seeing the film.
BR: Seeing my name in the credits, it’s very gratifying and
I know it makes my Mom and Dad proud and my family. I've been told by friends
from San Diego
inspirational as I can. I try to represent San
Diego the best I can, I will always love San Diego
JJ: What do you hope audiences take away was the second
question.
BR: I hope that audiences know its family first and that
even though you are going
through the bad times you can rely on your family that will
always be there. Everyone in their family chips in to rise to the occasion and
we are all superheroes in our own way.
JJ: Thank you so much Bobby, it means a lot coming from a
San Diego-Comic-Con-Pixar fan. Speaking with you brings back my visit to your
campus that I hope to do again one day. Congratulations on such an amazing
film.
BR: Thank you so much!
I truly enjoyed speaking with both Andy and Bobby about
their work on INCREDIBLES 2. The first film as well as the second are so
brilliantly done and bring us all the family fun we are happy to say works for
all ages. The creation of this family gives us a glimpse of their superhero
life as well as the life where they try to be as normal as they can be – a
feeling which we can all relate to.
That’s what makes INCREDIBLES 2 work! Picking up where the
story left off in 2004 giving us the feeling that no times has passed. Another
fantastic part of this is now having both films as part of our Disney Pixar
entertainment library so we can visit the Parr family again and again.
Once again thanks to Andy and Bobby for sharing their work
on INCREDIBLES 2 with us and they should be proud of their work and bringing us
such a flawless film.
In the end – it’s time to suit up again!
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