BEE MOVIE
Creator Jerry Seinfeld presents "Bee Movie," a comedy that will change everything you thought you knew about bees.
Get a closer look at the world of these tireless creatures through the eyes of - Barry B. Benson (played by Emmy and Golden Globe winner Jerry Seinfeld). New graduate Barry wants more from life than the inevitable career that awaits him like everyone else in New Hive City - a job at Honex, the honey factory. Barry grabs the opportunity to venture out of the hive, coming into contact with an absolutely extraordinary world. When Barry accidentally runs into Vanessa, a lively Manhattan florist (played by Academy Award® winner Renée Zellweger), he breaks one of the basic rules of the bee world - he talks to her. A friendship develops between the two, and Barry receives a quick course on the way humans live. When he discovers that anyone can buy honey at a grocery store, he is shocked that humans have been stealing this unique bee product for years for profit. Outraged, he decides to avenge this outrage by suing the human race.
"Bee Movie" is Seinfeld's first animated film, an act of love for the celebrated comedian who not only voices the lead character but also co-wrote and produced the film. In addition to Seinfeld and Zellweger, other extraordinary actors have lent their voices to the animated characters. Matthew Broderick ("Deck the Halls", "The Producers") plays Adam Flayman, Barry's best friend and college mate, happy to be working for Honex. John Goodman ("Cars", "Monsters & co.") Creates the talkative and powerful unscrupulous lawyer Layton T. Montgomery. Chris Rock ("Madagascar", "The Other Dirty Last Goal") is Mooseblood the Mosquito, an interesting insect with his own personal point of view on the life of insects, whom Barry encounters on a windshield during his journey into the world of humans. Patrick Warburton ("Boog & Elliot's Friends," "Chicken Little") plays Vanessa's aggressive tennis partner and would-be boyfriend Ken. Oscar® winner Kathy Bates ("Charlotte's Web", "At Home with Her") and Academy Award® winning director / producer Barry Levinson are the proud parents of Barry, Janet and Martin Benson, who are amazed by the rebellious character of your child. Other performers include Megan Mullally ("Will & Grace"), Larry Miller ("Prince Charming") and Rip Torn ("Balls to the leap") respectively in the parts of the Honex travel guide; Dean Buzzwell of Winger University, Barry's alma mater; and Lou Lo Duca, who heads a select team of Top Gun bees known as the Pollen Jocks (Axes of the Pollen).
DreamWorks Animation SKG presents, in association with Columbus 81 Productions, "Bee Movie", which will be distributed by Universal Pictures International Italy. The film stars Jerry Seinfeld, Renée Zellweger, Matthew Broderick, John Goodman, Chris Rock, Kathy Bates, Patrick Warburton, Barry Levinson, Megan Mullally, Larry Miller and Rip Torn. The film is directed by Simon J. Smith and Steve Hickner and written by Jerry Seinfeld and Spike Feresten & Barry Marder & Andy Robin. "Bee Movie" is produced by Jerry Seinfeld and Christina Steinberg. Music is by Rupert Gregson-Williams.
PRODUCTION
THE BEEHIVE THAT SPEAKS
There is a maxim in Hollywood that everyone now holds sacred - only who you know matters. The creation of "Bee Movie" is the proof of the validity of this maxim even if, in this case, it could be extended to "It is not only who you know, but who they know ... you know, right?"
For more than a decade, Jeffrey Katzenberg, the head of DreamWorks Animation, has been trying to attract comic icon Jerry Seinfeld to animated films, who triumphed first as a stand-up comedian and then as co-creator and lead performer of the acclaimed sitcom "Seinfeld". Seinfeld's busy schedule - with numerous tours, the historic television series and his responsibilities as a parent - had always kept him from accepting the offer. Also, explains the comedian, he had never found the right material to debut in the world of animated films, until the night he was having dinner with Steven Spielberg and this idea came to him almost by accident.
Seinfeld was having dinner with Spielberg in the Hamptons. At one point, due to an unexpected interruption in the conversation, to fill the silence Seinfeld had nervously, and completely extemporaneously, exposed his idea of making a film about bees, which he proposed to call "Bee Movie" - resuming the unflattering term that was used to define low-budget films during the golden age of Hollywood. Spielberg was immediately impressed with the title and called Katzenberg, his DreamWorks partner. The next morning the latter contacted Seinfeld to tell him they wanted to move on with the "Bee Movie" project. "And then I found myself making this movie," Seinfeld recalls. "But I still didn't have the slightest idea about the subject. I only had the title. Fortunately, in the end, everything went well."
Even if Spielberg's speech had been improvised, the same cannot be said of the underlying logical mechanisms. Seinfeld had always been fascinated by the world of bees: "I find the hive and bees in general very interesting. Their social hierarchies, their work processes, their geometries are all very interesting themes. Honey is an incredible product for an insect. Don't you think? So when it came to my mind, I thought I could do something fun with it, and I think it did. "
For Seinfeld, "Bee Movie" would have explored the hidden lives of these too often misunderstood creatures. The worry, however, would have been honey. Seinfeld explains: "If you want to tell a story about bees, what do you want to talk about? And I thought the most sensational thing is that humans steal honey from them. They work so hard to produce it and we take it without their knowledge. produce it for themselves. And we take it from them and put it in cans. We make money while they work as slaves. So I said to myself, we need to talk about this. This is my subject. "
Despite his long stint in show business, Seinfeld was a novice when it came to the world of animation cinema. And once again it was crucial to have the right contacts, as one of them was responsible for making some of the most successful animation series in history - a trio of films (with a fourth in production) starring a giant green ogre from name Shrek.
Once he received the green light for "Bee Movie", Seinfeld was given a sort of advanced animation course from Katzenberg, who maintained the role of advisor throughout the film's production. As Seinfeld explains, "I didn't know anything about how these movies were made. I had to learn everything. Jeffrey taught me everything ... he was my mentor from start to finish. I can write funny things, but I didn't know how to use them in this. type of project. So he gave me a kind of flash course on how to make one of these films and pushed me to make it myself. The credit for making this project is entirely yours. My involvement in making the project it is solely his merit. "
"Bee Movie" was not a 'write and run' project for Seinfeld. His proverbial attention to the smallest details is evident in all aspects of his first animated film just as in the case of his legendary television series. In the four years of production Seinfeld had three roles: writer, producer and lead actor. The result is a new kind of animated comedy with its unmistakable comic stamp in all frames: the story of anyone, Barry B. Benson, and his quest for a different life, outside the hive - a ' adventure that sees him at the center of a lawsuit between bees and humans that will have a significant impact on the future of relations between the two species.
“I've used the playground analogy with the sand corner before, but with animation it's like working in a big corner of the sand,” explains the actor. "It's like they say, 'We'll give you a corner of the sand where you can create anything you want. You can use the sand to bring any shape or character to life - you can do it any way, any style, and create. exactly the universe you want. "But we'll give you the sand grain by grain, and it will take you four years." This was the only catch. "
A SERIE 'A' TEAM FOR "BEE MOVIE"
For computer animation expert and director Simon J. Smith, Seinfeld's idea of bringing together the world of bees and that of humans was somewhat bizarre. "My first thought about the script was, literally, 'This is crazy. It's a crazy idea,'" Smith recalls. "A crazy idea in a good way, because, when you read the story and see how the characters develop, it's pretty awesome. The most sensational thing about the project was to have with Jerry Seinfeld's sense of humor and point of view, something never seen before. And the fantastic thing is that in reality the story reflects a bit of that of us all, it is a sort of mirror of our society and of our often ridiculous behavior ".
The acclaimed animation director Steve Hickner also thought the pairing of Seinfeld and bees was right. "Jerry is the king of observation comedy," he says. "I think the key to his comedy is just knowing how to grasp the peculiarities and idiosyncrasies of people and present them in such a delicate way that we laugh. Jerry is definitely a part of Barry Benson, but he's a different character than he would have. played on his TV show - because on TV you can't run out of characters because otherwise the show can't go on. In a movie, on the other hand, that's just what you have to do. And so, Barry shows us all the different sides of Jerry Seinfeld that we have never been able to appreciate before. "
For producer Christina Steinberg ("Mystery of the Templars"), having Seinfeld at the helm felt like receiving new gifts every day. "I think there was a moment when Jerry thought he was just going to hand the script over to us and that we were going to make the film that he would only see when the work was complete," he explains. "But then he moved into the studio permanently and worked on the project for at least eight hours a day. For the animators, contact with Jerry was crucial, as he was both one of the screenwriters and the lead interpreter of the film. He played for them. every line of the film even physically twice a day. In the almost three hours he devoted to him every day they had the opportunity to imitate his movements and learn from him. They started by becoming familiar with his acting style and ended up absorbing even the timing of his lines ".
The script was produced using a style similar to what Seinfeld had used to great success in his television series - that is, through a complete collaboration. That flexible teamwork also took place between Smith, Hickner, Steinberg and Seinfeld. The mutual admiration they felt for each other was tangible. Says Smith: "They were a great group. Steve, Christina, Jerry and I - along with editor Nick Fletcher - worked closely in one room for three and a half to four years to make this film. And it was fantastic. I had. worked with Steve Hickner previously on a couple of other projects and and we always got along. He's a great person to work with - he has a lot of energy and has just as much experience. It was wonderful to work with him again and to collaborate with such a talented group. "
Hickner shares these feelings. "Simon is a very talented director who leaves an indelible and intelligent imprint on all of his projects. He had just completed 'Shrek 4-D' for the Universal theme park, and it's true Simon style. It's incredible. 11-minute experience that's not only visceral - as you'd expect from an amusement park attraction - but is also full of love and has a great story. He was the perfect partner to make this movie with. "
Producer Steinberg had never worked with either director in the past, "We've gotten very close over the past few years and it's been a great experience working with them," she says. Steve is something of an animation expert who grew up at DreamWorks and has a great talent for telling a story. He knows DreamWorks in detail and is great at helping you connect the story and characters and make sure they do whatever they need to do. Simon is a great director. He has a great visual sense and great style as well as an excellent sense for comedy. He is great with the animators and loves to perform for them. He knows how to make a movie on every level. So, it was a wonderful experience to work with both of them. I think they complement each other perfectly. "
Adds Seinfeld: "They were great. Simon, Steinberg, Steve and Seinfeld, so we had a lot of 'S', and it helped to strengthen the group. We became this kind of little commune doing everything together. It was fantastic, we got along really well and it allowed us to come up with a lot of great ideas. It's the thing I will miss most - this group we had created. "
Universal Pictures International Italy Press Office
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Original title: | Bee Movie |
Country: |
USA
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Year: |
2007 |
Gender: |
3d animation |
Duration: |
91 ' |
Directed by: |
Steve Hickner, Simon J. Smith |
Official site: | |
Production: |
DreamWorks Animation |
Distribution: |
UIP |
Exit date: | December 21, 2007 |
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