Annecy: Netflix lifts the lid on "We The People" melting pot

Annecy: Netflix lifts the lid on "We The People" melting pot


Animation lovers from around the world who attended France's esteemed Annecy Festival this morning got an inside look at a very American project, while Netflix unveiled a studio focus on We, the people - a civic theme 10 x 3 min. animated music video series by executive producers Chris Nee (Doc Mcstuffins), Barack and Michelle Obama, Kenya Barris, Tonia Davis and Priya Swaminathan. By pairing different animation directors working in 10 different animation styles with original songs, the anthology will debut appropriately on July 4th.

The panel, moderated by Heather Tilert, presented Chris Nee and four of the project directors (who, the producer points out, were chosen to be representationally diverse and include both top talent and emerging talent) as they discussed their goals, inspirations and processes. The streamer also debuted with new stills scheduled to launch the virtual session from the featured directors episodes.

"Like many people, I was distressed to see our country lose a sense of what the common idea of ​​what it was to be an American was, and I felt like we had lost the common language of civics - which is a nonpartisan language. which tells us how this country is put together and also how you can get involved, "explained Nee. The award-winning producer also noted that former President Barack Obama was very involved in the project: "He was the one who said, 'Let's move on, let's take a look at actually engaging the generation that's in the moment to look around and move on. what the hell are you going through, and what am I going to do about it? '" '

Taking inspiration from his assigned song, Peter Ramsey (Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse) honed her heroine's mindset: "One person in the world, you see all these things around you, is overwhelming and you don't think you can do much on your own - but someone has to ignite the little spark and get that first hint of inspiration in. course." Working with the BUCK studio, Ramsey drew inspiration including French illustrator Moebius and the Beatles Yellow submarine for the 2D part. “We just held hands and thought, how crazy can we get the color that goes in the end? How big of a change can we make from start to finish to really hammer this house? "

Trisha Gum (The LEGO Movie 2: The second part) channeled his cut-out animation background into his themed short film on the Charter of Rights. “The Bill of Rights is a document, it's paper, it's old… we were talking about making it feel really relevant to people now,” Gum recalled thinking after hearing his assigned song. “I was really inspired by the real, physical card and I wanted it to come to life and transform. This was a bit of the idea behind it, and the inspiration is just like, how does that card turn into something alive and influencing me, and does it concern us all? "

We The People - Episode 7 (Jorge R. Gutiérrez)

“The pandemic was a huge inspiration for the piece. Working with people from all over the world and seeing a small window of their countries [over video call] " Jorge R. Gutiérrez (The book of life) revealed. His episode focuses on the contributions immigrants make to America's "cultural stew". Gutiérrez and his wife / collaborator Sandra Equihua have designed a series of dancing characters representing different countries in segments that pay highly sought-after tributes to their cultural flavor (including Amelie for France). The director worked with Cincia. “We tried to get artists from all over the world. We also tried to get immigrants like us… "Hey, this guy is first generation Greek-American, he's going to liven up the Greek moment."

Working from a Brandi Carlile song, Mabel Yes (kid cosmic) tuned into his music video wheelhouse. "The way I make music videos, it's so spontaneous and it's honestly - it's so personal, it's embarrassing, but I'm no longer ashamed," confessed Ye. "I wanted to keep that kind of spontaneous and pure emotion that I felt when I listened to the song". The director and producer of the Titmouse short have chosen to keep a small "total indie production" crew of probably less than 10 for the low-fi 2D concept. "I'd just look at everyone's work and say, 'This is amazing, let's do it!' ... I always think the first kind of iteration is the most, I guess, the expression, of that emotion you want to portray."

Il We, the people studio focus is available to stream for registered participants in Annecy.

We The People - Episode 5 (Mabel Ye)



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