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Excerpts:
Encanto was made during the lockdown, how did you all manage to pull it off with the directors?
Norman: I personally didn’t work with Lin-Manuel Miranda or the directors, but what we have been doing is developing technologies where we were able to sync videos and images. In that way, directors could review those scenes and images while in their homes. Of course, there were technical difficulties when things didn’t sync and someone’s computer conked off. But the technology team has been very helpful in keeping us all connected and keeping us together in this work process.
Tell us what went into creating these visual spectacles and characters like the Madrigals?
Norman: Making a movie is not easy. It is a lot of work, especially an animated movie where you have to make everything, even the grass you see was made from scratch by artists from Disney animation. The movie is about family. That is what we are when we come together to make a movie. Everybody works together, the animators, the story artists, FX artists, they all come together to make this movie. Especially during these hard times when we all have been working from home, when I watch it now, it makes me cry.
Archana: I think the inspiration for the Madrigals is everyone’s own families and their experiences. That is why all the characters are very relatable no matter where you are from. The cultural aspects were inspired by Columbia with its rich heritage and vibrant visuals that were wonderful to see it all come to life. As far as the technical aspect is concerned, a lot of recent movies have been shifting in this direction. It comes down to being as authentic as possible whether it is making water realistic or environments realistic, it is also about making characters as realistic as possible.
Encanto was Disney’s 60th animated feature. From a technical aspect how has making animated movies evolved over the years and which classic film would you have loved to be a part of?
Archana: So much has changed for sure. For every film, there are newer technology and workflow improvements that we keep adding. In ‘Big Hero 6’ we had a new renderer that improved the quality of our movie. In ‘Moana’ we developed a new system to animate water.
‘Lion King’ was my favourite movie growing up. It is beautiful and perfect and I don’t think I could have contributed to it in any way. It inspired me to take up animation. I grew up on a healthy diet of Disney movies.
Norman: I would have loved to be a part of ‘Beauty and the Beast’. But then again, that’s what Disney is, it evolves with technology. From paintings to moving everything to the computer, and we are constantly modifying technology to make movies better for the artists and the viewers. We have plans in place to evolve our pipelines, but we also keep an eye out for better technology and contribute to the animation industry at large.
In the world of animation, what comes first? The songs and dialogues and then the animation or is it the other way around?
Norman: The story comes first but actually, everything has to work together.
Archana: An animated film takes almost 3-4 years. We spend the first 2 years developing the characters, the story, script and a little visual development. It is only later that you have the modellers create the asset, set production, layout and animation, where you set up the camera person and then finally lighting, studio and effects.
Everything in Encanto keeps up to the Columbian beat whether it is the music or visuals or even the dialogues, everything is so quick. How difficult or easy was it to keep up with this pace?
Norman: During production, the animators need the songs to bring them alive on-screen, but things may change and you get a new song. But you need song and dialogue to animate. Sometimes, the voice actors come later so it is the animators who lend their voice or even shoot an entire sequence and use that as reference. You call them animators, but in a way, they too are actors here.
Archana: Cultural experts also played a big role. They were holding continuous talks throughout the production to familiarise everyone with the cultural aspects including the movements of the characters and the way they talk and how their movements also have a rhythm.
In Raya and The Last Dragon, you took us on an adventure to Kumandra. In Encanto, the journey is more inward and confined within the Caseta, do you think that widened the canvas for you to better explore each one’s gifts?
Norman: It all comes down to the message we want to give in the story. In Raya it was ‘trust would bring the whole world together’. In Encanto, it is all about family and its 12 main characters. That in itself adds huge constrain. I don’t know if we only wanted to keep it within the Caseta, but that place in itself was amazing.
Archana: The same amount of attention has to be given whether you are travelling to different lands or to different rooms within the same house.
There is so much Oscar buzz about this film. Should it win an Oscar for Best Animation, how would you react to this?
Norman: It would be amazing! We would all be humbled by it. Encanto is an amazing movie and it would be great to win. We put in a lot of hard work and would be really proud. All the films that get nominated are very good movies, but who would not love to win the Oscars?
Archana: I would be so excited and proud that I was able to contribute to this film, even if it was something small. Just to be able to contribute to something that makes people happy and spreads joy, is the biggest reward.
As the people who have spent 3-4 years working on this film, what message do you hope gets across to the audience?
Norman: The important thing that got to me too was understanding how important family is and understanding that family is not perfect. This search for perfection is what drives people apart from appreciating it for what it is. We often get annoyed with the smallest things, but in reality, in the big picture, you wonder if these small things really matter.
Archana: The biggest takeaway for me is getting to know your family. I think that is the essence of the story of ‘Encanto’. You may live together, but you may not know everything each member of your family goes through. So it is about having an open mind and empathising with everyone you meet.
Whether it is Encanto or Game of Thrones, there are so many Indian teams creating such beautiful content, where do you think Bollywood is lacking in the animation or visual effects department?
Norman: I would not say that Bollywood is lacking. In fact, India has been doing animation since long, there are wonderful companies doing animation and outsourcing it to Hollywood. It’s not that India can’t do it, India has always been doing it.
Tell us a little about your next project
Archana: I am currently working on Zootopia +, a short series based on the characters in the film Zootopia. It is interesting because the kind of content we are making has shifted over the lockdown. We are exploring newer characters, and going deeper into the different types of stories. From feature films, we are moving to short episodic content.
Norman: There are a lot of projects like Zootopia +, Baymax, Moana. I am also developing technology for better user experience for future shows and films as well.
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