Puss in Boots The Last Wish Director Joel Crawford Recs the Pod

After getting a HUGE shout out from Ryan Coogler in the last episode, Joel Crawford hops on the pod to talk about what movies inspire him, Sinners and Puss in Boots The Last Wish!

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Wake up?

Speaker 2 (00:04):
Did you time to go to work?

Speaker 3 (00:05):
All right?

Speaker 2 (00:06):
Can we talk about it?

Speaker 4 (00:08):
Get it?

Speaker 5 (00:10):
Wake up?

Speaker 1 (00:11):
I get it that get it that goal with everyone's
saying that up next, it's not my fault, the vocals
a goal that making that hit it so well that
my neighbor is a movie the way.

Speaker 2 (00:19):
Then that role they say had them people.

Speaker 1 (00:20):
Baby, you know I'm making everybody upset because we we
don't and I.

Speaker 5 (00:25):
Know, donning get bread, gunning, get bread, donning, get bread,
cunning get bread, donning bread bread.

Speaker 2 (00:35):
What's going on? Everybody?

Speaker 1 (00:36):
It's your boy, Juju Green aka straw had Goofy. You're
a movie guy. We have a very special guest in
the booth today. We have Joe Crawford, the director of
Puss in Boots The Last Wish, as well as crew.
It's a new age and your new film that you
just announced, Lost Island, correct forgotten Forgotten Islands? Yeah, forgotten
the Lost Island.

Speaker 4 (00:54):
But yeah, and there's just like a little thing they
came out with on it. But yeah.

Speaker 3 (00:58):
The exciting part with that is so my good friend
for many years, Daniel Mercado, Yes, who was co director on.

Speaker 4 (01:05):
Puss and Boots Last Wish.

Speaker 3 (01:07):
This is a personal project that we're writing and directing
and so excited when we can share it with the world.

Speaker 2 (01:13):
See.

Speaker 1 (01:14):
I find that the announcement of that time perfectly was
something that we're really going to get into later on
in this episode, because it was a big moment.

Speaker 2 (01:21):
But when I found out that you were working on
a new.

Speaker 1 (01:24):
Project, obviously, I think me and myself, myself and a
bunch of other people were just kind of like, oh,
one of the directors of Puss and Boots is coming
out with another banger, Like immediately the excitement is through
the room. Is there anything you could tell me about
this new film outside of kind of like what deadline?
And everyone says beyond you know, hey, Joel's working on
this new thing.

Speaker 4 (01:43):
Yeah, looking at my team.

Speaker 1 (01:47):
There's a team behind the camera. They're staring daggers at
you right now.

Speaker 4 (01:52):
Let me tell you this too.

Speaker 3 (01:55):
It's been so cool to take existing, uh you know,
move be like properties like like the crudes and and.

Speaker 4 (02:02):
Go where can we take that right?

Speaker 3 (02:04):
And how do we honor the original and then and
then bring bring it bring something new for the.

Speaker 4 (02:09):
Audience, right?

Speaker 3 (02:09):
And then the same with Puss and Mooshere we're like,
let's level that up, but to truly get to do
an original that is it's actually based on Januel Mercado
is Filipino American, and my wife is Filipino, and my
three kids, and so I could tell you that this
project is like deeply personal and it's also celebration of

(02:31):
friendship and that's definitely like with my buddy Janual.

Speaker 4 (02:34):
Okay, and so that's all I can say for now. Okay,
that's all I can.

Speaker 2 (02:38):
Say for now.

Speaker 1 (02:38):
We got something and I'm really that gets me really
excited for it, especially when you get stories that are
deeply personal, especially you know, with the medium of animation,
the amount you could do with that, the amount that
you have done with that. I'm really excited for this movie.
So when when's the release date for this happening again?

Speaker 4 (02:53):
September twenty fifth, twenty twenty six. I say that right,
I got it fair, all right?

Speaker 2 (02:58):
Next next stream Works Banker ready for twenty twenty six? Everybody? Yeah,
all right? So we got to get this out the way.
Elephant in the room.

Speaker 1 (03:04):
Man, you know, we've had some would say a generational
movie kind of hit theaters with Sinners, directed by Ryan Coogler,
starring Michael b.

Speaker 2 (03:12):
Jordan. Yes, and you know we had him on the.

Speaker 1 (03:15):
Last episode of the podcast. Great guy, great director of
great talent. But you saw the clip, my shock what
he said, you got up. I literally got up like
if I had, like if there wasn't chords like around
the on the floor, I would have jumped and ran
away like a couple of feet and ran back to
the seat. He revealed that death in your film was

(03:37):
a heavy inspiration for his villain Remiic and sinners. Tell
me about what was going through your mind when you
saw that.

Speaker 3 (03:46):
Yeah, if you could have seen my face where I
just think I was like, what, like like, I'm such
a fan of Ryan's, you know, working and he's so
such like a visionary director and to know like to that,
oh he was even if it's just a little bit,
looked at that and said, there's that's cool. That's gonna

(04:08):
inspire me to write this, you know. And the wolf
and Puss and Boots was something that we were so
proud of, like, yeah, that that character kind of.

Speaker 4 (04:18):
Coming to life, and so yeah, I was shocked.

Speaker 3 (04:24):
And then immediately was you know, talking to Daniel Mercado,
the co director, and together we were floored.

Speaker 4 (04:31):
And the whole crew.

Speaker 3 (04:32):
Just it's it's cool because we are still at DreamWorks
on this next movie, and so many of the people
working on the current movie.

Speaker 4 (04:38):
Were with us on puts some boots.

Speaker 3 (04:40):
So it rippled throughout dream Works are like are you serious?

Speaker 4 (04:46):
Yes, yes, and and and that's what it's. It continues
to be just incredibly just it's it's humbling.

Speaker 3 (04:54):
It's like this is it's amazing generosity from from Ryan
even just that the letter.

Speaker 1 (05:00):
I was gonna say, he wrote a letter like shouting
you out specifically you like, like that, how did that feel?
Because I read that letter and he didn't shout me out.
It's okay, Roan, I still love you.

Speaker 2 (05:10):
But reading that letter, dude, you're in there with the
likes of Christopher Nolan.

Speaker 1 (05:16):
You know what I'm saying, Like you're you're literally one
of the inspirations next to Christopher Nolan and as well
as like you know, many other.

Speaker 2 (05:22):
Names as well. But I was like, this is so
cool for you.

Speaker 1 (05:25):
This is so amazing, and yeah, like when you read
that letter, was there just kind of like a moment
of uh wow, Like because again with Puss and Booths,
I feel that a lot of people weren't expecting it, right,
A lot of people weren't expecting it to be as
great as it was. And I feel like that a
year was it a year out from like the rounds end?

Speaker 2 (05:45):
Or is it two years ago? Two years two years later?

Speaker 1 (05:48):
Even crazier two years later, it's like still influencing other films,
and it's influencing probably what we're calling like a generational film,
like a new classic.

Speaker 5 (05:58):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (05:58):
Like, so when you read that letter, talk to me
about just the thought process of the full circle moment
for you.

Speaker 3 (06:04):
Well, first of all, we were talking before and I
told you, like, now in my forties, I wear reading glasses,
so I was like double checking that my name was
actually on bout.

Speaker 2 (06:16):
Of course.

Speaker 4 (06:20):
That was the first thing, is like this can't be right.

Speaker 3 (06:22):
My brain went it process it, Yeah, just to see
amongst all of the other kind of heroes for me
to be included in that, And I think it was
another level of first you know, when when Brian told
you that put some moose to the wolf inspired, I
was like, oh.

Speaker 4 (06:42):
That that's awesome, that's cool.

Speaker 3 (06:44):
But to then go to the length of thanking me,
you know what it after the shock kind of settled
a little bit, like really like gratitude, like he kicked
in and it's it's that thing of like, well, what
I love about your podcast. It's like every time you're
you're getting together with people who love film and we

(07:04):
do this because we're geeks about it and we're pulling
in elements of our life, elements of experiences watching movies
in theaters that inspired that. And then you do it
in the moment you're just creating and that you're trying
to just make something that excites you, that that you're like, oh,
the audience is gonna love this to then go, wow,

(07:27):
the audience is it's stuck with it's it's it's lasted
the test of time, and you're like you're saying, inspiring people,
it's there. It's so like gratifying to know, like because
you know live action and animation, the crews, people don't
see all of the passion, the hard work, the love

(07:49):
that goes into every frame of these things, right, and
those kind of moments it all goes back to the
crew where you go like people people are feeling the
love you put.

Speaker 4 (07:57):
On the screen.

Speaker 1 (07:58):
Yeah, you know, it's crazy when you think talking about
the cruise is you have these different departments, right, and
each one the way I remember, I can't remember who said.

Speaker 2 (08:06):
I think it was Tom Cruise who told me this
is that when you're.

Speaker 1 (08:09):
Working on a movie and Tom, you know, Tom has
his hands in like every single part of the movie.
He sees everything, he knows everything, he tries to learn
about everything. But he said that when you're working on
a specific department, when it comes to a movie, you
only know what's in this department, right, and you hope
that you do your part, and then everything comes together
and then it creates like this movie, this this really

(08:31):
big thing. You see the final product and what this
team did and what this team did and what this
team did. And I think it's very interesting when we
talk about film, is that you have all these separate
teams doing separate things, but it's all towards this one goal, right,
And so I want to know, like from you kind
of you know, what was a moment from like let's say,

(08:53):
like a visit to like the art department or like
you know, like from screenwriting to whatever department you could
think of that may you go, this is going to
be something special.

Speaker 2 (09:01):
And I can't wait to see this when we add
it to the pot.

Speaker 4 (09:05):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (09:07):
And the cool thing with like animation, it's like every
like say, there's every department has ahead of their department
and they are a specialist in that they know way
more than I about that.

Speaker 2 (09:19):
Yeah, it's like you're relying on them to you know, under.

Speaker 3 (09:22):
And there's that thing of like I think as the
director where I'm like, my job is to know to
kind of like the soul of this movie and where
we're going and what I need to communicate to the department.
But the fun thing is the surprise where if I
do my job right, I'm communicating what like and why

(09:43):
this like shot needs to be in the movie or
this character like in the character design, or this line
of dialogue. And the thing I love in every department
is when they give you something back that is not
what you pictured but better and you're like and more personal.

(10:04):
Sometimes one of the fun things in animation is that,
you know, we get an amazingly talented like cast of
voice actors, you know, Tonio Mandariz Wagnama, and so you
get to experience almost twice that magic of finding the

(10:24):
performance because first it goes you know that you get
the lines from the actors, cut that in and then
when we're in animation, the animator is essentially an actor
as well. And there were times when the animator sometimes
they'll shoot and I think you've seen it sometimes.

Speaker 4 (10:44):
Like sometimes they pose out the characters.

Speaker 3 (10:47):
Other times they shoot reference of themselves acting it out
in a really quick way to go, I'm gonna spend
a lot of time on this.

Speaker 4 (10:52):
Is this the right performance?

Speaker 3 (10:54):
And they're going off of the like the audio, but
there were times where like they they're like, I think
you need to take extra twenty frames here for the
character to like look down and breathe and like, and
they just it. The magic of animation is that it
goes from nothing, from this made up thing to being
fully alive, and it's like every moment of that, I'm like,

(11:18):
I just cherish when we get together.

Speaker 4 (11:20):
So it's cool.

Speaker 2 (11:20):
That's really cool.

Speaker 1 (11:21):
Yeah. Now I mentioned before that you know a lot
of people didn't see Puss and Boost to the Last
Witch coming, Like I didn't see Puss and Boost the
Last Witch coming, to be honest, I saw the first one,
loved the first one, and then I saw that the
second Wolf was coming out. But in all the advertisements
that I saw, it looked different, right, because of the
different animation style and you know, of everything, and I
understand as I understand it, Percachetti, who was one of

(11:43):
the directors on into the Spider Verse, was brought on
to do it and then you kind of like came
in and took over.

Speaker 2 (11:48):
And so I was kind of like, Oh, a new
Puss and Boost movie. That looks pretty cool.

Speaker 1 (11:51):
And so I was invited to this like kind of
like screening of it where you can bring your friends
and family, and I said, Okay, this would be a
nice movie to show my daughter. Can't wait to see
what's happening.

Speaker 2 (12:00):
And immediately with the the eight deaths.

Speaker 4 (12:03):
How old was your daughter when you saw it?

Speaker 2 (12:05):
She was five.

Speaker 1 (12:08):
It's like he dies eight times on screen, and my
Dada's like huh, And I'm like what, Like the b
had this moment of like she goes is this for me?

Speaker 2 (12:17):
And I go is this for me?

Speaker 1 (12:20):
And we're both just having this moment looking at each
other like I guess we're on this ride.

Speaker 2 (12:24):
We're like we're locked in now.

Speaker 1 (12:25):
And then you know, the wolf shows up and he's
terrifying and he's scary, and I'm thinking to myself, the
last Puss and.

Speaker 2 (12:32):
Boots wasn't like this. I don't remember it being this.

Speaker 1 (12:34):
This dark, this true, this real, And I knew when
I saw it for that first time. I was telling everybody,
I said, you guys don't know what you're getting into
when this Puss and Boots comes out. See puts some
Boots the Last Wish. It's literally one of the best
animated films to come out in a long, long time.
So what was the surprise like of seeing people react

(12:57):
to this movie for the first time, making them cry, making.

Speaker 2 (13:00):
Them have this existential crisis?

Speaker 1 (13:02):
Is that a good feeling for you of like making
people wrestle with themselves?

Speaker 4 (13:10):
You know it was?

Speaker 3 (13:11):
And I love that kind of thing where you're like,
your daughter's going, is this for me? Like, and then
you're like getting giddy for me?

Speaker 4 (13:19):
I mean that that's the thing.

Speaker 3 (13:23):
One of the the cool things in animation is that
it's a storytelling device to tell any stories, right, but
in Western animation it has been kind of put in
this box.

Speaker 4 (13:36):
In a way.

Speaker 2 (13:36):
We're going to talk about that.

Speaker 3 (13:37):
Yeah, it's for kids, and there's expectations built in, and
I mean Brad Bird talking about it for years, right,
like just like it's not just for kids and me, yeah,
stories and and so there's always been that there's a
little bit of discomfort when something new comes. But I

(13:58):
think for us, like when we're making it, we weren't
thinking about like, oh, this is gonna shock parents, like
like this is gonna you know, make kids cry, like
and the cool part just to share real quick, Yeah,
we were nervous going into a preview screening where we
you know, where you have the movie. It's not all
the way done, but we're like, we're gonna show three
hundred people that have not seen this and get their feedback.

(14:23):
And I'm like, is this thing going to be too
too scary for this kind of general audience. At the
very end of it, the guy asked like, hey, what
what who liked this movie? And all the hands go
up and he goes, what's your what's.

Speaker 4 (14:38):
Your favorite part? And there's this ten year old kid
is raised his hand and he goes.

Speaker 3 (14:44):
The death wolf and he goes, he goes and how
this movie is about appreciating your life.

Speaker 4 (14:51):
I was like, did he just get the theme that?

Speaker 2 (14:54):
Like?

Speaker 3 (14:57):
And I think that the the thing we held with
us the whole I was like, look, in order to
tell this story, that is about appreciating life.

Speaker 4 (15:06):
To feel the light, you got to go to the dark.

Speaker 3 (15:09):
And as long as this feels when you come out
of the theater like it's a celebration of life.

Speaker 4 (15:14):
It's joyful, then it's okay to have a little bit
of the bumpy ride to get there. And so yeah,
it was. It's it's awesome seeing how.

Speaker 3 (15:25):
It kind of inspired maybe some younger like audiences, like
getting engaged with it and then to see really we
found out so much of the success how the movie
just had such long legs in the theater was because
of college students going and rewatching it. And we're like, yeah, yeah, yeah,

(15:45):
so no, it's like a gratitude.

Speaker 4 (15:47):
Man, it's so cool.

Speaker 2 (15:48):
It's something that I want to talk about.

Speaker 1 (15:50):
I've found that this will be a great topic for
this episode. Is just kind of you know, inspiration and
the validation of animation when it come to it inspiring
other pieces of work. Right, and when you talked about
you know, in Western culture, you know, animation is usually
seen as you know, it's for kids, you know, take
your family to see it, these type of things. When
you know those enough in those of us in the

(16:12):
industry know this, We could tell heavy stories and animation
is just a way of like how do you express
that story right? And so that validation of Ryan Coogler himself,
who everyone knows is a master of his craft, is
one of the best directors working today, who's making a
rated or mature movie about blues music and vampires. Says,

(16:32):
Puss and Boots is what inspires this, right everyone's looking
at from dust till Dawn rightfully. So, yeah, but Puss
and Boots is like a big inspiration to the fact
where he does put pen and paper and put your
name on there and says, thank you for making this
so that way I can. Without this, I wouldn't be
able to create this. So when it comes to animation
and like it's inspiration, I want to know, like, what

(16:54):
are some of your favorite animated works that have gone
on to inspire other things, because I can tell you
some of mine right now. But you know, like I
I love Chronicle. Speaking of Michael B. Jordan, I think
it's one of his best like roles.

Speaker 2 (17:07):
It's like one of his.

Speaker 1 (17:08):
First Like I don't want to say his first role
because I remember, you know, being a guy who watches
all of his movies.

Speaker 2 (17:13):
I watched Hardball, I watched like.

Speaker 1 (17:14):
All his things, but Chronicle was I feel like his
breakout role, you know, and directed by Josh Trank, and
that one was influenced by Akidda the animations, and I know.

Speaker 2 (17:25):
Akira is like your one of your favorite movies age.

Speaker 1 (17:30):
I feel like I blew all of our minds at
a young age, right, Like I remember first seeing that
and I remember being terrified, right, and you know, I
think I was at that age where, you know, like
most people, I've seen only kind of like strictly animated
movies that were for kids, you know, with the Lion
King here and there where I was traumatized by Mufasa dying.
But it was nothing too crazy until Akira shows up.

(17:51):
And there's nothing cute about that film at all, Like
it's it's it's a it's an epic, it's it's gritty,
it's smooth, it's slick. And watching this live action movie
of Chronicle. But and if you guys haven't seen Chronicle,
please like watch Chronicle.

Speaker 2 (18:06):
It's like one of them. It's so good.

Speaker 1 (18:09):
And I was, you know, I started like deep diving
into the movie and I was like, oh, well, Kida
is like.

Speaker 2 (18:12):
It is a Kida Like, that's really really dope.

Speaker 1 (18:15):
So like, talk to me about kind of like your
inspirations of like the animation movies that inspire you the most.

Speaker 3 (18:21):
Well, while we're on the subject of a Kira, Yeah,
because it because it's interesting with the Cure where uh Yeah,
at a young age when I saw it, I think
I don't know if I was like ten or eleven
or something, but it was it was so visceral, like
the the the effects, the like the love put into

(18:44):
like not just how the the the people were animated,
but the environments and everything was viscral. It's something that
I didn't didn't know was was a big part of
that experience at the time, but later on me, uh,
is the score.

Speaker 2 (19:02):
The school the score. I'm a score nut dude, like, and.

Speaker 1 (19:05):
A good score, I feel could take a movie from
already like an eight out of ten to like a
twelve out of ten. You're all saying, the score to
me is like everything and it fleshes out the world beautifully.
Like you said, we all know, like the character designs,
the you know, the backgrounds, the action, all of it
is great, but you need that extra juice and so.

Speaker 4 (19:26):
Much of the time.

Speaker 3 (19:26):
It is that kind of unconscious glue that you're experiencing
but you don't know, you're not like aware of because
it's sonic and that score, uh, it's that was a
unique weird thing at the time. They took like the
Indonesian gamalon bells. They had this synth.

Speaker 2 (19:46):
Yeah track. The synth is like one of my favorite
parts of it.

Speaker 3 (19:48):
They have these like chance going on like they chanting
they And later I was like, I love score.

Speaker 4 (19:56):
It inspires me, like especially when I'm writing and things.

Speaker 3 (19:59):
And so I was trying to find that composer more
works like that, and I think I'm.

Speaker 4 (20:06):
Horrible like remembering facts and stuff.

Speaker 3 (20:08):
But when I was trying to look that that composer
actually came from this kind of earlier in the seventies,
this experimental like collective of musicians and it seems like
a seventies thing, right, but that out of that they
came up with this crazy sound that was in a
kira And then going forward to to chronicle, like I

(20:30):
remember from the very beginning on that I was like,
it was that premise of what would you do if
you got superpowers?

Speaker 1 (20:37):
Right? Right?

Speaker 2 (20:38):
But corrupt?

Speaker 1 (20:39):
Will you be corrupted by it's it's like so many
great ideas that came out of that, but go ahead,
go ahead, but no, no, no.

Speaker 3 (20:44):
No, but and that that's where it goes. But where
it started was actually what hooked be if you're a
teenager and you get superpower, you.

Speaker 2 (20:52):
Start messing around with people.

Speaker 1 (20:54):
Yeah, like the store, the scene in the grocery store
where they pick up the bear and she's like, oh,
it's like it's I'm like I would do that, yes, And.

Speaker 3 (21:02):
I think that's that's what's cool, is like you take
something that inspires you and then you go but then
you bring you to it that Yeah, and I love
that it became that new thing and it wasn't I
mean it it got dark, but but it started in
a very relatable way.

Speaker 1 (21:15):
But it's exactly what you were talking about with Put
some Boots, where you know, when you talk about your
work is like you have to go to that dark
place in order to appreciate when things are light.

Speaker 2 (21:24):
And it does.

Speaker 1 (21:25):
It starts off in that well, it goes dark because
they have to go into this dark cavern, which at
the start.

Speaker 4 (21:29):
That the kids were like to know what they've lost.

Speaker 1 (21:32):
Exactly like you know, and again I don't want to
spoil it for people. It's been like fifteen years, twenty.

Speaker 2 (21:39):
Years now somebody fact check it.

Speaker 1 (21:42):
Oh God, okay, so about like thirteen years. But yeah,
but you know, you know, I'm gonna saying micheld be
Dorian dies in the movie. He dies, and the reason
why it still affects me to this day because he
didn't deserve it, and he was so nice in the movie.
He was such a great guy. And you only get
that when you see as interactions with Dane de Han

(22:02):
and like that relationship and they're joking around and like
when they're in the sky and before that Piole moment
happens and he said, you're my best friend. I'm with
you every single day, and then it's just so sudden,
and the movie doesn't it changes after that. It never
goes back to that lighthearted where kids having fun. These
powers are dangerous and now we're gonna answer the question

(22:25):
what are we going to do with this power? Right,
It's like it's in a way it takes on that
inspiration from Spider Man of like, with great power comes
really and and Dan de Han's character uses his responsibility poorly, right,
But you understand because you understand what he's been through
and things of that sort. And when I tell people like, yeah, man,
like a kid like is the thing that kind of

(22:46):
like like craft. It's the reason for why this movie
is the way it is. Yeah, but it's still its
own thing, and it's it's as a teenager watching that,
I was like, yep, I get it.

Speaker 2 (22:57):
I get it.

Speaker 1 (22:58):
But then it kind of creates this sin to you
of like, well, damn, what would I What would I
do if I really had these powers? It came down
to it like how would my upbringing effect how I
use my powers? You know? And I feel like these
are things that we don't really think about. I have
a I have some more like animation inspiration to live
action inspirations that we could talk about. So we talked

(23:20):
about Chronicle and Nikida, this one, this one personally, like
I hate having this argument with people.

Speaker 2 (23:27):
Avatar be it.

Speaker 1 (23:28):
It's like inspired by a bunch of things from Dancers
with Dancing with Wolves.

Speaker 3 (23:31):
I know where you're going with this' that's the story,
and that's the story.

Speaker 1 (23:38):
I grew up on, right, I grew up on it.
But I love Avatar like I love the world. I
love James Cameron's direction. I love I love the characters people,
but you can't name one character from Avatar, NTERII suit
A Jake Sully like, get out of my face with
that told this, you know, just like I love this

(24:00):
film so much, and again it still takes like those
themes and whatnot. A ferm Gully like the typical story
of white man goes.

Speaker 2 (24:08):
To like an indigenous like land and he becomes.

Speaker 1 (24:10):
One with the people and he's like there's an environmental
element to it.

Speaker 4 (24:14):
As well, you know nature, but it but the execution.

Speaker 2 (24:17):
The execution, yeah, exactly.

Speaker 3 (24:19):
I got one, okay, and I have no idea if
this is actually inspired by it. But Iron Giant amazing movie, right, yes,
And that was one of those like transformative like watching
it and going yep, I didn't know a story could
do this because it's like it was one of my

(24:41):
first ones of that too, because it is so fun
and then you go, like the Superman moment, just good zoo.

Speaker 4 (24:48):
I didn't I didn't see it in the theaters. I remember.

Speaker 3 (24:50):
I just bought the the VHS and it had the
little plastic iron Giant like on the case, right, So
I was just like, I love the animation. I didn't
know anything about it, and I was like, oh, let's go.
I gotta actually figure I canna watch this and that
other like like oh this is fun.

Speaker 4 (25:07):
I'm like, oh dang.

Speaker 3 (25:12):
The but that that story of essentially like the a
gun gaining consciousness and I love that I.

Speaker 4 (25:20):
Choose, uh, born identity.

Speaker 3 (25:24):
That's the thing that as he gets his memory back, Yeah,
it's and he finds out he was a murderer.

Speaker 4 (25:29):
Yeah, but now he can choose.

Speaker 2 (25:32):
And so I'm like, wait a minute, are a giant
born identity.

Speaker 3 (25:35):
I'm just saying that right now. I know I don't
know if those connect.

Speaker 1 (25:39):
No, but that makes sense though. That makes a lot
of sense, Like when you really think about it. It's
not obviously people will say like, oh, well, this one's
about a spy and it's more action packed in this
and this and that. But the concept of, like you said,
a gun gaining.

Speaker 3 (25:50):
Conder, not knowing their past and and discovering at the
end like this is what I am, but I choose
to be different.

Speaker 2 (25:58):
It's that's that's see. I haven't read that.

Speaker 1 (26:02):
We haven't we don't have a fact check on that,
but I'm accepting this from now on. Like, as Iron
Giant born out, it's cannon and we've done that.

Speaker 2 (26:09):
I can no research.

Speaker 1 (26:10):
I consider here to talk about Iron Giant all day
because I did see it in the theater. Yeah, and
I did remember walking out of it thinking that I
just saw one of the greatest movies of all time.
Right I walked out, I went to talk to my
friends about it, and it shocked me at the time
because I was like, you guys don't know.

Speaker 2 (26:25):
You didn't watch the Iron Giant, you know.

Speaker 1 (26:27):
And this was like during my earliest periods where I
would just talk about movies with anybody who would listen,
and I will always feel like the autum man out
because nobody really wanted to talk about So I was
just thinking, oh, it's just normal, nobody wants to talk
about movies with me. But it wasn't until I want
to say, I was sixteen seventeen where I found out
that it was a flop at the box office and
I just had this like I took it personal, Like

(26:48):
I took this very very personal.

Speaker 2 (26:50):
And I said, well, what can I do? What can
I do?

Speaker 4 (26:54):
This is an injust to rectify this.

Speaker 1 (26:56):
Yeah, I didn't do enough when I was what seven
but now I'm older, I know better. I'm gonna let
everyone I know the Iron Giant and now, you know,
having this big platform, I do have like these kind
of like moments every year where I say, all right,
you know what time it is, we're talking about the
Iron Gilt.

Speaker 3 (27:11):
Yeah, I mean that, but it's that and I love
on like on your podcast, like the way you you
you phrase the thing of like what's what movie? Like
change your DNA yes, and and that's like that is
the magic of movies. But you're like going, like I
this this reaction when I'm watching movies, especially in the
theater where I have to look at other people in

(27:36):
this moment, like and I'll give you like a couple
of Kung Fu Hustle that we're gonna talk about Kofo
hustle right now?

Speaker 4 (27:44):
Can talk about hustle?

Speaker 2 (27:45):
Do Kofu hustle?

Speaker 4 (27:46):
I literally?

Speaker 2 (27:47):
So Ben Wong was on the podcast.

Speaker 1 (27:48):
He's the new Karate Kid right It hasn't released episode yet,
but we both geeked out over Kung Fu Hustle and
we like we did a mount rushmore of like great
like uh, martial art and movies. Obviously, you know Jackie
Chan's up there, like Jetly was up there, Tony Jaws
up there, but we both were like Steven Steven Chow

(28:09):
is the freaking man between Kung Fu Hustle is shylin soccer,
like that man could do no wrong.

Speaker 3 (28:15):
Yeah, And and that's this goes back to to what
what Sinners is and what Sinners is doing for for
cinema is that thing when you have these clash of
tones of styles of like that that haven't been done
almost feel like they're breaking the rules, and you have
this feeling of.

Speaker 4 (28:33):
Like can you do that?

Speaker 3 (28:35):
And like yes, And that's why I like I have
to look around the theaters that like I'm and and
and like in Sinners like like at certain moments, I'm
just looking around to like this is cool.

Speaker 4 (28:45):
But but in Kung Fu Hustle to go from like.

Speaker 2 (28:49):
The mashing of tones in that movie is masterfully done, master.

Speaker 3 (28:52):
The fact that you you it doesn't pull you out
and you don't stop caring and it goes so dark,
like in the Village.

Speaker 1 (28:59):
There's like the oh my god, the village with the
people with who are playing that instrument and they're like
slicing everything and.

Speaker 3 (29:04):
That guy gets decapitated, that that one of those martial arts,
like one of the.

Speaker 1 (29:08):
Uncertain mostly too, like it's not like a big moment,
he doesn't get a chance to fight back.

Speaker 3 (29:12):
It's just there was not even there wasn't even music
under it was silent, no, silent, silent slow mo.

Speaker 4 (29:17):
You're like, oh my god, I remember and that that was.

Speaker 3 (29:22):
But twenty minutes earlier where even Chow had had knife
blades stick it out of.

Speaker 4 (29:28):
His arms running like the road Runner uses. Yes, and
you're going that is in the same movie.

Speaker 3 (29:39):
Yes, it's so, And that's that's the kind of things
that excite me is like and uh, what I continue
to try and put into movie is like it's I
think it has to come from an authentic place. Yes
that you go, it needs to hit this tone and
it needs to go here. Not I'm just gonna do
it because it's weird. But it's those experiences where I

(29:59):
go like, this is just taking like what what films
can be to another level.

Speaker 1 (30:04):
Kung Fu hustle do would you say that one changed
your DNA changed your brain?

Speaker 4 (30:08):
Can? I mean? And that's and I think it in uh, in.

Speaker 3 (30:15):
My movies, I like with Crudes and New Age, there
there's things where I think we're going, like we want
to honor what where it came from, but also I'm going,
can can you go a little further and we'll break
it and then and push the booths trying to also
juxtapose like that darkness and then also just like in
crazy like pushed comedy at the same time. So and

(30:38):
then in what we're working on right now, we're pushing
it quite far.

Speaker 2 (30:40):
Okay, Can I can I ask something?

Speaker 1 (30:42):
Because I just had like a moment and it could
I could be this could go nowhere, but I just
want to ask. But since you just gave so much
love to Kung Fu Hustle, I just watched the Cruise,
like not even three days ago, the original Cruds, and
there's a moment that like they're like it's like the
football moment in the opening of the movie and they're
running and I was like, this feels a lot like

(31:03):
the Kumfu Hustle seed Like I know you didn't like
you know, but.

Speaker 3 (31:07):
Because and and here's here's the other cool connection just
in terms of things inspiring Chris Sanders, you know, because
he directed the first Cruds and his sensibilities I've always
admired because he is that like incredibly like zany weird,
like quirky sense of humor and then these deep emotional

(31:31):
moments and and uh.

Speaker 4 (31:34):
That the coolest thing on Crudes.

Speaker 3 (31:36):
Uh directing Cruds a new age was having you know,
Chris Anders directs the first one, and then he had
left the studio at the time and was working on
something else. And when they asked me to direct the
second one, he came into the studio and started working
on the script and giving me thoughts and just he
is really nice, empowering handoff. Yes, And it was like

(31:56):
I was like, I can't believe what my heroes is.

Speaker 1 (31:59):
Yes, but I mean speaking speaking of one of heroes,
like he actually to moderate like his panel for the
Wild Robot.

Speaker 2 (32:07):
Yeah right, and like I saw that and and got
tr Instagram bro.

Speaker 3 (32:12):
And the fun thing there is like I've worked side
by side with him, uh even even kind of you
know at DreamWorks, like the directors will will put up
a screening and then the other directors will come, you know,
give you notes or help like punch up ideas.

Speaker 4 (32:28):
The whole time I've known him, I've never told him
I was a super fan.

Speaker 3 (32:31):
So I waited for that that opportunity to monterate go like, yeah,
I'm kind of just a huge fan of you.

Speaker 1 (32:36):
I think he knew somehow. It was the funny thing
because we also had a Chris on the podcast as well.
He's a good friend on the podcast.

Speaker 2 (32:42):
And you know, of all of us.

Speaker 1 (32:44):
But I remember, you know, I asked him because we
were talking about uh, you know, the Wild robot and
character design, and then the conversation skewed over into us
talking about you know, obviously how to train and dragon
and like, you know, he worked on Stitch as well,
and a lot of people tend to kind of like
put together Stitch and uh and Toothless together.

Speaker 2 (33:05):
Like like you know, in design and everything.

Speaker 1 (33:07):
And I remember he said that he did not intentionally
make like Toothless look like Stitch. However, the person who
designed Toothless admitted that he is a giant Lelod Stitch fan.
So I think I love how Chris is such he's
just one of those talents that surrounds himself with people
who are just fans of his.

Speaker 3 (33:32):
That makes him sound like a narcissist, but I mean
the truth is he's so he's like just that the
sweetest and just most genuine and full like childlike imagination
and that you can't help but be drawn to him.

Speaker 1 (33:46):
Yeah, yeah, no, I mean honestly, man, Like, you know,
getting a chance to talk to Chris was one of
the more surreal moments because having you know, worked on
a lot of the promo for the Wild Robind things
of that sort, and knowing that I watched Leland Stitch
and How to Try and Dragon everything that he's done.
I'm just kind of like this, how does one create
something that's so pure, so like introspective, you know what

(34:11):
I'm saying.

Speaker 2 (34:12):
I think that's it. It's like purity.

Speaker 1 (34:15):
And I remember we were in I can't believe we
I actually get to say this, but like we were
like hanging out in France, you know, and we were
talking about just movies, and he just had one of
the most calmon presences.

Speaker 2 (34:27):
He's just so.

Speaker 1 (34:29):
He's so like aware of just human emotion. He's so empathetic,
and the way he's able to inject that into his films,
you know what I'm saying, it's organic, you know, And
I think that right there is someone who takes the
medium of animation to speak to something bigger in film.

Speaker 2 (34:52):
You know, we saw it with the.

Speaker 1 (34:53):
Wild Robot right, and it's like, you know, I still
cry when I hear that score.

Speaker 2 (34:57):
We had Chris Bauers on the show as well.

Speaker 1 (34:59):
You know, we talked about to score it everything, and
so I again, it takes multiple people to make a movie,
a lot of people to make a movie. But when
you have like those those those heads who know how
to lead, who know who have empathy and who know
how to use this level of animation and also take
just take things in and just kind of like say, hey,
well we're the process of creating and putting that.

Speaker 2 (35:20):
I'm rambling at this point because I'm.

Speaker 4 (35:22):
Just I'm nodding agree.

Speaker 2 (35:25):
But it is great.

Speaker 4 (35:26):
But you know, that is the cool thing.

Speaker 3 (35:28):
And going back to even Ryan Coogler and just this
this the generosity of mentioning all the inspirations and taking
the time.

Speaker 4 (35:42):
That there is.

Speaker 3 (35:45):
When you work on these movies, you do feel you
see all of the talent that goes into them, and
you feel the fingerprint of everybody on that screen. And uh,
it's really.

Speaker 4 (35:56):
Cool to to know.

Speaker 3 (35:58):
It's hard to trace inspiration and sometimes because like we're
just talking about Chris Sanders, how many people has he inspired?
Conscious and unconsciously that end up working with him that
just like and and I think that it's the.

Speaker 4 (36:11):
Thing as artists where we're.

Speaker 3 (36:14):
When we see something great, it makes us want to
do what we do even more and you go.

Speaker 4 (36:20):
Yeah, okay cool.

Speaker 3 (36:21):
And then and then like I have so many times
I come out of the movie theater going I want
to write this, I want to do this, and like
it's it's just it's a it's a it is kind
of a community and a collective in a way that
that should be pushing things forward, not out of trying
to to change things, but just out of like this
momentum you can't stop, Like.

Speaker 4 (36:43):
I want to see where we can go next?

Speaker 2 (36:45):
Right right?

Speaker 1 (36:46):
Right?

Speaker 2 (36:46):
Yeah? Can I ask you something?

Speaker 3 (36:47):
Yeah?

Speaker 1 (36:48):
So I love this like conversation of you know, inspiration
and everything, like, so, you inspired Ryan Coogler for his
movie Centers. You are also inspired by Chris Anders, who
you've worked with and moderated for and things of that sort.
But you're in this position now where you're inspiring this
next level of creators and animators and directors and things

(37:12):
of that sort. Since Puss and Boots has come out,
did you have a moment where somebody directly told you
that you were the inspiration for them. I don't know
getting into art school or wanted to become an artist
or become a director.

Speaker 2 (37:24):
Do you have a moment that you could share.

Speaker 3 (37:27):
It's hard because there's one of the really cool things
is whenever you get to meet like film school students
right at so many where they come up and like,
I like and.

Speaker 4 (37:38):
They said that where you inspire me, and you're like what?
And more than anything, it's it.

Speaker 3 (37:45):
It has that kind of energizing thing of like knowing
that they're seeing what you're doing now and that's making
them want to go push stuff even further and more
of a curiosity like where where can things go? Because
if you're the next generation, I always feel bad where
I'm like there there are a lot of people who reach.

Speaker 4 (38:06):
Out, you know, through Instagram, through different.

Speaker 3 (38:08):
Sources, and and that I wish I could talk to
them all because it's it's it's so cool.

Speaker 5 (38:13):
But the.

Speaker 3 (38:15):
One of the cool things was while we're working on
put some Boots, Wagner Mora, who voiced the wolf, he
brought his sons into the studio. Uh, he's this is
the thing of like he from the beginning was so
such a partner and ah inspiration of finding that Wolfe's character,

(38:37):
he was like determined to find it and and then
he was like, hey, my my son's love animation can
can become in And so we were showing them, Yeah,
we were showing them like the like some of the
how how we animate. We had one of our Ludo Bonchow,
who's the head of character animation on put some boots

(38:58):
he you know, showed them how he animates and everything,
and they came away wanting to animate. And I saw
him like a few weeks ago Magner and his son
is still chasing that. And it's one of those things
where kind of the arts all kind of combining in
a way.

Speaker 1 (39:15):
Yeah, that's gotta be awesome to kind of like see
in real time the lights kind of light up, and
then the check in later is, oh, they're still going
for that. Yeah, that's really freaking sick. I love that,
all right, So I got a couple more here. So
how do you feel when people cite influence is almost

(39:36):
like a negative when it comes to film, Like we
talked about Avatar, and a lot of people will kind
of like make that a knock against the movie and
its merit and its achievement of what it's creating, right,
just because it was influenced by a fer and gully
or this or that.

Speaker 2 (39:50):
Like, as a creative, do you feel that? Do you
hear that?

Speaker 1 (39:53):
And like are you conscious of that when you're creating?
Like people will like clock that you're being influenced by
something and then kind of turn that around on you
as a negative.

Speaker 3 (40:02):
I think it's creatives aren't driven by being able to
say they did something. They're driven by doing something. And
I remember as a kid, I love drawing, and I
always loved drawing from my head and I remember, you know,

(40:25):
someone going, oh can you draw this? And and can
you just trace it? And for me, I like to
just trace a drawing. Why why am I going to
spend my time doing that? And to me, that feels
like the difference of as a filmmaker, you're telling something
because you have a strong why, You're like I need

(40:46):
to tell this.

Speaker 4 (40:47):
And of course you.

Speaker 3 (40:48):
Can be inspired by things, and there are essentially only
so many stories because we're telling them for humans who
always connect to the same emotional things, but going through
different time.

Speaker 2 (41:03):
Periods, through different genres.

Speaker 3 (41:06):
Different genres, you know, different cultural influences.

Speaker 2 (41:10):
I think I think that's I think that's very important too.

Speaker 1 (41:13):
You know, there was there was a creator that was
like really upset because Sinners was you know, it was
a movie set obviously in Mississippi nineteen thirty two, Jim Crow,
and he was really upset that there wasn't a lot
of Latino.

Speaker 2 (41:25):
Representation in the film.

Speaker 1 (41:27):
And he also tried to accuse the movie of being
a rip off of From Dust Till Don, Right, And
he was like, oh, yeah, Ryan Coogler needs to give
us our flowers because like this movie owes everything from
From Dust Till Don. He needs to come out and
publicly say that he was influenced by this when Ryan
has multiple times right, and everyone with eyes and ears

(41:47):
can see that there are influences of that movie in there,
like come on, like single location vampires, two Brothers, criminals
or you know.

Speaker 4 (41:54):
But if it was just that movie we've been talking about.

Speaker 1 (41:57):
We want to be talking about it, right, Like there's
you've got to talk about the influence of blues into it,
the cultural aspect to it, the surreal montage scene of
the one take, you.

Speaker 2 (42:06):
Know what I'm saying.

Speaker 4 (42:07):
Yeah, there's so many.

Speaker 1 (42:09):
We won't talk about that in a second, because I can't.
I haven't been able to stop talking.

Speaker 2 (42:12):
About it for a month now.

Speaker 1 (42:14):
Yeah. Yeah, But like there to take out of context
just what makes this film unique in its own thing,
and to accuse it of just being a ripoff because
there's some inspirations pulled from here and there.

Speaker 2 (42:28):
I think I think, as.

Speaker 1 (42:30):
I mean, as all of us who love movies, I
think it's a disservice to the ones creating the movies.
You know, Like I find myself just as a creator
who talks about movies, I'm influenced by other creators who
talk about movies all the time, right, Like they bring
out an idea and they say like, hey, I noticed
this thing in this film, and I go, oh my god,
I didn't think about that, and then my mind starts working.
Like we were talking about pussing Boots, and it was

(42:52):
a conversation that you and I were having about like
the idea of you know, being on your one life
and like living your life to the fullest.

Speaker 2 (43:00):
I have this idea.

Speaker 1 (43:00):
We're always like, wait a minute, if this movie is
set after the Shrek universe and he's already had eight lives.

Speaker 2 (43:06):
Did Puss and boots that we know die.

Speaker 1 (43:10):
You know, like you're like, you know what I'm saying,
And I couldn't get to that without talking to you
about what we're already it's seeing.

Speaker 3 (43:19):
And I think that's especially in like a writer's room,
in a uh talking to animators, talking to you know, cinematographers,
talking to actors. Yeah, Uh there, It's it's a language.
It's a way to communicate when you're like it's like
this movie, it's like this moment.

Speaker 2 (43:39):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (43:39):
And actually having directed to work with Nicholas Cage's huge sinephile. Yeah,
and and actually we like so many times, uh something
on the page reminds him of a performance from someone. Yeah,
and uh like even it's ridiculous, as like in Crews
a New Age, there's grug Is seeing bananas for the

(44:01):
first time and going on this like this nostalgic kind
of riff of like that what.

Speaker 4 (44:06):
They mean to him.

Speaker 3 (44:07):
And we had used like temp music and we had
it was a harmonica from uh, Once upon a Time
in the West, and then Nicholas Cage, we played the
music for him to to get into that kind of
uh whimsical moment and this wistful kind of thing and
he goes he was like yeah, Henry Fonda and then

(44:28):
like but he and to do that, it's like it's
it's a reference point, it's a community, a way to
communicate because some nice music say it without words, and
then to see what that does to his performance. It's
when it inspires. It's different than being derivative.

Speaker 1 (44:45):
Yeah, and thank you for Thank you so much for
saying that. And you know, I feel now now I
want to know more about, like you working with Nicholas
Cage because he's such a like an icon, right, he's
such an icon, like he is a centophile, Like the
man knows his stuff. I got to talk to him
very briefly at the Saturn Awards a little bit, and
this man was just like audit like he's on it

(45:06):
right and as you would expect like a lot of
actors to be.

Speaker 2 (45:09):
But he's like there's like here and then it's Nick.

Speaker 4 (45:12):
Yes.

Speaker 1 (45:12):
So what were some of the things that you and
Nick talked about when you guys were working together, Like
did you guys get into like some movie discussions and
stuff like that. Were you're blown away by his knowledge?

Speaker 4 (45:22):
You know it was.

Speaker 3 (45:25):
He works hard and like so you know every when
you're working with the actors, you bring him in every
few months, because the the advantage in and animation is we.

Speaker 4 (45:37):
Put up storyboards, we put up the whole.

Speaker 3 (45:39):
Movie, and we'll cut the actors' voices in and we'll
see how the whole movie's playing, and then what's working.
We moved animation other ones, we rewrite, got it, and
so when we bring it was kind of limited time.
When when Nick would come in and he was just like,
let let's get to it. But then it was more
of the riffing in the middle of the scenes that

(46:00):
it was like he was always bringing one hundred and
ten percent where he's like, oh, wait, this reminds me
of this, and and and.

Speaker 4 (46:06):
He would uh, he would totally.

Speaker 3 (46:09):
Just even something as small as a as as just
a character yelling would somehow relate to a print song
and a note that he hit. And then he's like, wait, wait,
I got this, and you're like, it is a ride,
and but it's it's like that you don't want him
just literally doing what you were picturing. You're going like,

(46:30):
where can this go? And let's and a lot of
times you're like, let's go too far, and then we
will definitely pull it back. But but yeah, it was
like it was more about like it was this He's
this force of of of talent, of of excitement.

Speaker 4 (46:43):
And it was just it was a joy to work
with him.

Speaker 1 (46:45):
Then in that way, Yeah, I again, I've only talked
to him. I guess I talked to him a little
bit at the Saturn Awards and I actually got a
chance to not talk to him, but I saw him
at unbearable wave.

Speaker 2 (46:57):
Of massive talent, and I was just looking at him
like that's Nicholas Cage, like he's this man.

Speaker 1 (47:03):
He's just.

Speaker 2 (47:06):
You know, I was trying not to be like a
dork in front of him. But yeah, but You're like,
can help me, You're just like yeah, right, like con
Air put the monkey back in the box. Oh my gosh.

Speaker 1 (47:20):
Okay, you are heavily influenced by spaghetti Westerns and things
of that sort. But I really want to know, do
you have a western, a spaghetti western that you could
recommend the pod right now for if you had to
have someone watch something from one of your favorite films,
what would you have them watch?

Speaker 4 (47:39):
M It's like, okay, where do we go?

Speaker 3 (47:41):
Because Once upon Time in the West is that's a
that's a good one that ah stuck with me for
a while. But the Western is essentially the Eastern with
the samurai.

Speaker 2 (47:54):
Yeah yeah, and I mean, you know is like your
guy too.

Speaker 4 (47:59):
I got a I got to drift over there because.

Speaker 3 (48:02):
Look, look how many movies, how many stories did Kisawa's movies,
So you got Hidden Hidden Fortress, which is Star Wars
and New Hope. Like, I mean, it starts out with
with two kind of bumbling guys who are trying to
evade this this war tried to like at it's a

(48:25):
CEE three po and r G G two Yo Jimbo
turned into inspired ser Giulioni with fistful adults shot by shot,
Like that was real.

Speaker 2 (48:35):
Yeah, I've seen that one either.

Speaker 3 (48:37):
I don't think it's Yeah, And that's the cool thing
is like I love Yo Jimbo, Yo Jimbo, Yo Jimbo. Yeah,
and I also love the Man with No Name, uh
you know series with from and and I didn't know
it at the time. When I'm watching one, I'm like,

(48:58):
this is what inspired and they are both their own
amazing thing. But yeah, so I think if I'm gonna
to mention one that that isn't that essentially what we
love about Westerns, which is kind of in this in
this lawless time, finding you know, someone to stand up

(49:19):
for the people who the little guy.

Speaker 4 (49:22):
Seventh Samurai.

Speaker 1 (49:23):
Seventh dude, I was I was waiting for you to
say that, to be honest, because every time I bring
up seven Samurai, obviously we know seven Samurai has influenced
many of the Magnificent Seven.

Speaker 2 (49:33):
You know what I'm saying.

Speaker 1 (49:36):
This is the whole reason I was gonna bring up
seven Samurai, the whole reason because people will say, like, oh, bugs.

Speaker 2 (49:43):
Life does not really want to pick stars best. I'm like,
it's the freaking seventh Samurai.

Speaker 1 (49:49):
Literally, yeah, a guy goes off to look for warriors
to bring back to village bands, the grasshoppers. It's the
seventh Samurai. Let's just keep it up up And people
say like, oh, well, ANTS was better. Yes, I love ANTS.
I love Ants. Answers one of like the best animated
films that more people should talk about, with the one

(50:09):
of the best cast Jennifer Lopez, Sly Sly, you got Sly,
you got Woody Allen, you got you know, Christopher Walkins
kerk check yes, like like he has one of the
most harrowing war scenes in film with Danny Clover his
head gets cut.

Speaker 4 (50:28):
Off is an ant Sharon Stone.

Speaker 2 (50:30):
Sharon Stone like right.

Speaker 1 (50:34):
Ants is amazing, But Buck's life is Seventh Samurai and
I love that. I'm so sorry if I blew out
these mics like I'm.

Speaker 2 (50:45):
Okay, but you know, you know what I.

Speaker 3 (50:46):
Think Seven Samurai has mentioned so much. It's it's one
of the seems like expectations, right when you come into
something what you expect and you expect what you've seen before.
When I watched Seven Samurai, I was I was ready
for an awesome Samurai movie.

Speaker 4 (51:02):
Yet they're defending that they're they're they're.

Speaker 3 (51:04):
Fighting, yeah good, and they're taking out bandits.

Speaker 4 (51:08):
The humanity in it, that's the and And.

Speaker 3 (51:12):
To Shimfuni being this kind of like he's the wild
card out casts who's lying about being a Samurai, stuck
with the other actual honorable samurais and the journey of
him of to share how he starts out as like
just trying to tag along for the glory, and then

(51:33):
he's even lying about his his his name, and he's
got a stolen kind of identity pretty much, but then
ends up kind of being the heart.

Speaker 1 (51:45):
He's the proxy like for like the audience, right, you know,
is he kind of by way of not being like
an honorable samurai like these other characters, he introduces you
to the world and it's the classic kind of like
heroes journey character arc, right, and that's where the humanity
comes from.

Speaker 2 (52:02):
Right, There's it's like where.

Speaker 4 (52:03):
Him you know? And that that was it.

Speaker 3 (52:06):
It's there was a scene in it where the other samurai,
you know, they're getting ready to defend the village and
to Shermfuni comes back and he's like he's like he's
got all the the armor, yeah, that from some other
fallen uh samurai and the the the actual samurai like

(52:26):
how dare you disrespect?

Speaker 4 (52:28):
How dare you go steal armor?

Speaker 2 (52:30):
Offs?

Speaker 3 (52:30):
And and then it comes out in that scene that
he was actually a farmer. He came from a farmer's
like a village, and he's seen the other side of it.
What what samurai have done too? And he's like, I'm
just looking out for the little people. And it's like
that was actually in a way and put some boots Parrito.

Speaker 2 (52:54):
Yes was it was.

Speaker 4 (52:55):
Actually he was trying to be the dog with no name.

Speaker 3 (53:00):
What we kept going I don't, right, but like we were,
like he ends up being the heart of that movie.

Speaker 2 (53:08):
Harvey is so good Harvey.

Speaker 3 (53:10):
Yeah, Harvey yan Man is talking about he brings one
hundred percent and and so much of that character is
Harvey just like the most lovely person.

Speaker 4 (53:22):
Yes, yes, I.

Speaker 1 (53:23):
Think I think if we all had a chance for
Harvey to be like our stress person, I think we'll
take that.

Speaker 4 (53:31):
He's pure joying Harvey.

Speaker 1 (53:35):
I know it would be looked down upon if like
I patted his head or rubbed his belly, but like
it would be I would listen. But you you set
yourself up with Pito Man. All Right, dude, Honestly, it's
been such a pleasure talking to you. We gotta we
gotta do this again. And just like just we have
to like even outside because I can talk about pussing
boots all day, but just even outside of like talking
about pussing boots and centers, like just chop it up

(53:57):
about just like our favorite things that we're watching.

Speaker 2 (54:00):
We'll make it like a regular segment or something.

Speaker 3 (54:03):
Seriously, because there's there's way more I would I would
actually can't share one last one last yeah, because it's
like just because you're always asking like what movie inspired you?

Speaker 4 (54:15):
There's a movie you mentioned that inspired me? When actually.

Speaker 3 (54:20):
Back in like a year ago, when I had knee surgery,
messing my knee, I was at home and I was
a fan of the movie.

Speaker 2 (54:31):
Yeah, yeah, and.

Speaker 4 (54:34):
I love the music in that movie is so beautiful.

Speaker 2 (54:36):
Where who is Red? Yes?

Speaker 3 (54:40):
And then you mentioned your favorite what's your favorite movie?

Speaker 2 (54:45):
So my favorite movie of all time is Her?

Speaker 4 (54:47):
Okay.

Speaker 1 (54:47):
But but the fact that you're talking about Szu or did.

Speaker 2 (54:53):
You watch Your Name?

Speaker 3 (54:54):
You went, and here's here's here's why it is a
special memory for me.

Speaker 4 (54:59):
I'm I'm at home.

Speaker 3 (55:00):
I can't go to the movie theater and watch stuff.
My daughter, who was ten at the time, was I
have three kids. She she's the one who chose to
stay by her dad. But so she she like squished
in the couch next to me, and we're on the
laptop and I'm like, you know what, Juju mentioned your name?
I love Susan me and we watch it together and

(55:21):
there's a big turn in a big reveal.

Speaker 1 (55:23):
Yeah, I don't want to spoil it. People who haven't
seen it need to go in blind. I'm not gonna
do the but uh.

Speaker 3 (55:33):
The magic of movies is that it takes people from
different ages, different points of view, and you put them
in the same emotional moment at one time. And my
daughter and I when this big reveal comes, we both because.

Speaker 4 (55:46):
We're shoulders squished on this couch.

Speaker 3 (55:50):
Like we literally like take your breath away, gasped, and
I felt it was so sick because our shoulders went
out the same time.

Speaker 4 (55:56):
And it's honestly.

Speaker 3 (56:01):
A really special memory watching that movie with my daughter,
and I have you to thank for that, So thank
you man.

Speaker 1 (56:08):
First off, here man man, because because like like it's
one of my four perfect movies of all time, all
of all time, and I try to talk about it
with anybody who would listen. I'm gonna watch it today
at home. I'm not even joking, Like that movie is
so good, it is so beautiful. I went out and
bought a piano so I can learn the score myself.

(56:29):
I know how to play the song date when he
goes on the Date.

Speaker 4 (56:32):
Really I learned.

Speaker 2 (56:33):
I learned how to play that.

Speaker 1 (56:34):
And that's and I literally bought the piano two days
after watching the movie. That's how much that movie has
influenced me. I was very fortunate enough to go to
a Susan May screening where Macolos Shinkai was doing a
Q and A, and I just wanted to say, you
created a masterpiece, sir. I think this is your magnum opus.
I think it's a perfect film. Congratulations. And he was
so shy and so like is he is, like everything right?

Speaker 3 (56:56):
Everything like he's like editing, uh yeah, story, storyboarding, animating,
is like so talented man.

Speaker 2 (57:02):
But yeah, it's great. I think it's his best film.

Speaker 1 (57:05):
I love Susan May, but I think like, like that's
one of those rare films where from everything from writing
to the animation, to the music to the script to
voice acting from both Japanese and English, like it's just yeah,
it's I love watch your Name please please.

Speaker 5 (57:24):
Yeah.

Speaker 2 (57:24):
All right, well, thank you so much for coming on
the show this.

Speaker 4 (57:27):
Yeah, we need more time.

Speaker 3 (57:28):
But also I think I'd love to talk to you
in the future absolutely anytime. Daniel Mercado and I directed
this movie together, and he when I told him I
had I hadn't seen your name, He's like, what Daniels
got the references?

Speaker 4 (57:42):
And yeah, so wait to have you doctor, dude.

Speaker 1 (57:45):
Man, So let me know when you when you guys
need anything for Forgotten Island, Like, you know, if you
need another random voice roll of like a gym teacher,
if there's a gym teacher in.

Speaker 4 (57:53):
A mo like hit it up a dude.

Speaker 2 (57:59):
They thank you so much for watching this episode.

Speaker 1 (58:01):
Make sure you guys support us on subsec where the
episode will be on first and then after we'll be
on YouTube. Spotify is also coming out and then Apple,
so make sure you guys check out Get rec with
stra Ha, Goofy.

Speaker 2 (58:10):
I'm here with Joe Crawford and you.

Speaker 1 (58:12):
Guys please like, share, subscribe, and hit the belt to
get notified for our other videos.

Speaker 2 (58:16):
Can I be your movie Guy,