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Lilo and Stitch
With Chris Sanders and Clark Spencer
Director/Writer and Producer
Wednesday, May 1, 2002; 3 p.m. EDT
The latest animated feature from Disney, "Lilo and Stitch," follows the misadventures of the galaxy's most-wanted extra-terrestrial (Stitch) and a young girl's (Lilo) close encounter with him. Writer/director Chris Sanders conceived of the idea over 17 years ago and also provided all of Stitch's dialogue and non-verbal sounds in the film.
Sanders and the film's producer, Clark Spencer, were online Wednesday, May 1 at 3 p.m. EDT, to discuss the film and the art of animation.
The transcript follows.
Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control
over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.
Washington, D.C.:
Hi Guys-
I've been seeing the previews for this film a lot in theaters and it looks great -- very unconventional and fun. It seems as though Stitch will soon be known as the bad-ass of Disney annimation. Seeing as Disney usually goes the "lovable character" route, I was wondering if you had any trouble convincing the powers at Disney to buy into the idea of Stitch. Best of luck and I can't wait to see it!
Chris Sanders and Clark Spencer: Chris: THis is a character that does defy Disney conventions and everybody, including the president of animation was so behind the film. We all saw it as a step in a new direction. Tom Shumacker in particular kept it a secret for a while so we were fully able to work out the quirks before we rolled it out and show a lot a people.
Clark: I think Tom was very smart in how he approached the project in terms of protecting it in its incubation period, so by the time it rolled out, the entire idea was very gettable -- and people would understand that it's unconventional, but very reminiscent of the films of the 1930s and 40s.
Arlington, Va.:
Chris -- you directed/wrote AND voiced Stitch? That's a lot of work. How did you handle the varied responsibilities? And how long did this movie take to make?
Chris Sanders and Clark Spencer: Chris: I actually didn't do it entirely alone. In animation you have a co-director who helped me out. Dean and I both came from the story dept at Disney and we made a deal with our crew (320 people) -- we promised we would write in the story board a very unusual, solid movie if they would take on the responsibility of doing their own approvals in their own departments. So we were absent from meetings we would normally be at. We had to let go of some of the responsibilyt. The Florida studio is a very talented studio.
When you're in development, it's about two years to the actual movie.
Stitch's voice is a voice I always used to amuse my friends and Stitch doesn't really speak English, so rather than hire a prestigious actor to grunt and squeak, we thought I could do it. The less dialogue he spoke the more effective it was.
Clark: The only thing I would say is that Chris and Dean being the screenwriters and storyboarding is that you get this vision so focused and not having other people coming in the path. They know exactly what they want to see on the screen. As Chris said, you have to have a lot of faith in the people who head up the rest of those departments. We were very fortunate in that. Everyone took on part of the directors burden. It made the process really easier.
Malvern, Pa.:
How do you feel about the creation of the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature Film?
Chris Sanders and Clark Spencer: Chris: I'm really excited because as everybody knows, these are as legitimate as every other film and take as much talent, yet it's always difficult to compete with a live action film -- because they are very different while just as legitimate. So it's a very welcome one.
Clark: I would concur with Chris. Fantastic.
Harrisburg, Pa.:
What age groups are you hoping to reach? Might Stich appear, at least in the advertising on the Web site, too frightening for young children?
Chris Sanders and Clark Spencer: Clark: I think we hope that we are going after everybody. Obviously there's a core Disney following. In some ways, we're writing them for ourselves. Part of the ad campaign is getting this different character out there so people get a sense of who he is before the film. We hope people see him as exciting and mischeiveious, but also cute and funny. People seem to be very intrigued by him.
Chris: I can't imagine anybody not liking him. I think his edge is something exciting. He has as much sweetness to balance out the edge. There's a deep emotional core that's probably going to surprise a lot of people.
Fairfax, Va.:
I really like the interactive games that Disney puts out on sites for the movies. Did you have any role in planning or programming on the Web sites?
Chris Sanders and Clark Spencer: Clark: It's a little bit of both. A Web group and us. They met with us early on. That we'd start by revealing a bit at a time, then revealing Lilo. But specifically, the games are done by another department. We're very fortunate in that.
Chris Sanders and Clark Spencer: Clark: I think because Stitch is so interesting and Lilo is wonderful, there are so many things to play on -- space and Hawaii.
Baltimore, Md.:
Hi! I'm a big Disney Fan and have loved the movie previews. Will characters from other Disney classics appear in the movie or is that just part of the movie trailers?
Chris Sanders and Clark Spencer: Chris: That's just the trailers. It occurred to us that Stitch really doesn't fit in with the traditional Disney characters -- so that's why we did that and always have a piece of the real film on these little trailers.
Boston, Mass.:
Hi Chris and Clark!
I had a question about the process of making "Lilo and Stitch." As you initially came up with the idea 17 years ago, I was wondering how much of that original idea was part of the final product? Was there anything pertaining to the movie either of you wished you could have accomplished, but had to sacrifice?
Chris Sanders and Clark Spencer: Chris: THe character of Stitch is largely unchanged. His design was updated and his situation was largely changed, but the character retained all the things I thought of from the beginning. A frightening character with an inner innocence that would develop throughout the story. And that's one of the most exciting aspects of the movie. We have a lot of stuff that didn't get in the movie. We have many different scenes that had to be removed because of time constraints. There was one with LIlo reading to Stitch about mummies at the breakfast table -- one of her fondest dreams. She pointed to out to Stitch that Eva Peron was one of the greatest mummifications of all time and that had to be cut out. In a lot of cases, characters have a history that you're never going to see. And Lilo and Stitch are no exception.
Clark: The process takes so long, we're already in production for a sequel and TV series. We'd like to take some ideas that couldn't be used in the film.
Arlington, Va.:
What should someone study in order to break into the film animation business? How does one get an entry level position?
Chris Sanders and Clark Spencer: Chris: There's a lot of different types of animation now, so it's wonderful in that you can approach it in different ways. Drawing by hand are still valid ways. Even if you choose to go into the computer aided side, the space you deal with on a computer screen is no different than those on paper.
In all cases you eventually are going to bring a portfolio to a studio somewhere, so you need to become skilled. You can find out what each studio is looking for by giving them a call.
Washington, D.C.:
When does the movie open? I'd love to take my kids!
Chris Sanders and Clark Spencer: Clark: It opens nationwide on June 21.
Bethesda, Md.:
Did you have any trouble getting permission to use the Elvis songs in the movie?
Chris Sanders and Clark Spencer: Clark: We were really fortunate. The idea of Elvis coming in to the movie raised concerns. But when the idea was pitched to the record companies and Graceland estate, they immediately embraced the idea -- because it reaches out to a whole new generation of fans. We had an opportunity to show the film to Graceland about four months ago. And they were thrilled.
Harrisburg, Pa.:
What was is like working for Disney? Is there a "Disney formula" you had to work within? How much creativity does Disney provide you?
Chris Sanders and Clark Spencer: Chris: The great thing about working for Disney as an artist is that the sky is the limit as far as what you want to bring to the party. We wanted to break with convention and formula wherever we could. The studio completely welcomed that. I think we'll see more of that in the future as we search for different kinds of stories to tell.
Gardena, Calif.:
What are your opinions on Disney's recent trend of issuing straight-to-video sequels produced by off-shore (and in my opinion, sub-par) animators?
Chris Sanders and Clark Spencer: Chris: The sequels are always well recieved and it seems to be something people enjoy seeing, but at the same time we're not going to continue to re-release sequels. So, don't be worried, because Disney will always be breaking new ground.
Washington, D.C.:
Is it just me, or is Stitch reminiscent of a Gremlin?
Chris Sanders and Clark Spencer: Chris: There are lots of qualities to Stitch. I think they're referring to the movie Gremlins. Not deliberately, but he does share characteristics. I think he shares most of his heritage with bats. I think there couldn't be a more alien species on the planet. I also got rid of the idea of having pupils... he has these glossy black eyes that are actually really expressive. I think sometimes giving an odd character black eyes allows you to read emotions into that character more easily.
Chris Sanders and Clark Spencer: Chris: I'm super thrilled that everybody has seen this film to be different, because it is. It is a very bold step and very emotionally charged film. Everyone should see it if they have an interest. They'll have a thoroughly fanstastic time.
Clark: I think Chris is right in terms of the film being completely different, but that emotionall charged component is somethign we see as a surprise, but it is still reminiscent of "Bambi" and "Dumbo." So, it is very similar to what Walt and his team did back then. So we hope to give people something they expect and something they don't expect -- both at the same time.
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