RW

And for obvious reasons. I hope the ASIFA and Annie Nominating Committee keep that in mind when the time comes next year, because I…I’ve always loved his comic work, and I think he may well be the greatest comedic animator of his generation. I just don’t think there’s anybody whose sense of timing is as refined and delightful. I still think Meeko is one of the most extraordinary, accomplished and hysterical pieces of pantomime character animation in all of Disney. But to know that he’s pulled out something like Lewis…well, I just think Nik is a softy underneath all his curmudgeony kvetching. I think Nik is a very dear soul and it’s so nice to hear this.

SA

Yeah, I totally agree with you.

RW

So, are you excited? Are you nervous?

SA

Both

RW

Are you going to any screenings tomorrow (Friday)?

SA

Probably not. We’ll probably go to one on the boat [Editor’s Note: Anderson and his family are taking some of their vacation on a cruise ship, during which time the Director will participate in some presentations in conjunction with the film’s debut weekend]. It’s an interesting moment and we’ve been traveling around doing all of our press and publicity and the response has been very positive from the various journalists we’ve seen. Mind you, I’m trying to keep that in check and not get overly confident, because you never know what’s going to happen.

RW

No, you don’t. But ultimately every movie needs to be judged not against other films, but on it’s own unique merits. So….back to my first questions…

SA

Yeah, back to that a little bit.

RW

What does the present look like compared to the future you had in mind at the start of production?

SA

Well the one thing that was really daunting at the start, because everyone responded so well at the screening, there was a certain amount of ‘don’t mess it up!’ every time we would change something. People would start going ballistic whenever we’d change the slightest little thing because it was different from that first screening. It was a little scary too, because at that moment, at the Bake-Off – we called it the Bake-Off, that first screening – was really very exciting for all of us, and we definitely wanted to be true to that movie, but we also wanted to make it better, so it was hard to know what the life of the movie was going to be. Also, once we got into production, and I think this happens on every production, there was this notion of “how are we actually going to make this movie?�?. Because the movie we screened ended up being bigger than what the Studio’s sense of the movie was at that point. So, the first year, what I would say, was ‘how are we actually going to make this thing?’; it felt like we had a tiny box and we had a huge giant movie to fit into that tiny little box. So my fear in the initial stage was that we were going to have to compromise the production values of the movie so far just to be able to make it that I worried if were going to be able to do it justice. The cool thing is that I look at the move now and it exceeds what I ever expected we were going to be able to do. I’m so amazed at the talent levels and what they’re able to achieve on the relatively tight schedule. Especially with the last year after John came in and we got all the notes from Pixar. But the amount of work and the quality of the work has just blown me away. So I think what we ended up with, especially in terms of production value, certainly exceeded my expectation. It’s more than I’d ever imagined it would be.

RW

Did John make you a better director?

SA

What’s great about them is that they put the responsibility on your shoulders. That’s what John and Ed have said continually is that the responsibilities for these movies are on the directors and producers, and the success or the failure of them is going to be directly attributed to them. So, what’s great about it is that now you can’t just pass it off and say “well the studio made me do that�?, or if it’s a failure blame the studio, or blame the development department or blame whatever. You only can blame yourself. So what I think is great about that is that the way they run Pixar and the way they’re going to run the studio is that you’ve got no one to blame, so you are responsible for making it great. It makes you operate on a higher level, and makes you go to every single solitary resource you have and use that, draw from that. It makes you exhaust every possible avenue to make your movie great. I think that makes you better, because you have to keep pushing, pushing, pushing. Pushing yourself, pushing your team, and it makes you a better leader and a better film maker. So I think definitely.

RW

Are you the kind of director you thought you were going to be?

SA

The great thing is that I hear a lot of people talking about how they felt nothing but trust from myself and Dorothy McKim, our Producer, and that’s really what I really always hoped to have people come off of a movie and say that, say “I felt respected, I felt trusted, I felt like I was heard.�? I’ve always hoped that would be the outcome so I’m very pleased to hear that people are saying that, that people felt that.

RW

I will tell you that I’ve spoken to quite a number of artists and production staff on this feature over the past few years, just in passing, and without fail every single one of the, without being prompted when I said “Oh, Steve Anderson’s directing that, right?�? would respond with “Man, he is so great. He gets it and I’m so loving working with him.�? Every one of them.

SA

Well, that’s great. That’s very nice to hear and that makes me very happy.

RW

Do you think it would make a difference if on the next project you were to be the head of story again on someone else’s project before you went on to direct another project?

SA

I’ve even thought about that. If someone needed that role filled I’d love to do that, and I think it might be really interesting to go back to that for a while. I’d be interested to see where my head was at for a while and see if I would do that job differently. After doing this, I think it would be good. I think I have that part of me that I can go and be in service of someone else.

RW

You can take the director hat off and put on the story man’s hat again?

SA

Yeah, I think I’m able to do that. I don’t have a problem with that and I think, certainly now that I’ve gotten this out of my system it might even be easier for me, because prior to doing “Meet the Robinsons�? I knew I wanted to direct and that was a goal of mine, and in the back of your head you’re looking at what other directors are doing and thinking “well if it were me I would to it this way.�? And now that I’ve gotten the chance to do it my way, if you will, quote unquote “my way�? …and it’s not “my way�?

RW

No, I understand.

SA

I wonder if now would be even easier for me to kind of step back, because I know what I needed in head of story or story artist, and I’d want to fulfill that. I’d want to be able to do that for somebody else and I think definitely I’ve come to understand the story process and understand being a story artist better now. Because I continued to board on this movie, so it’s interesting. Like I said, now that I’ve seen it from a different angle now I know what I need out of a story team and how I need that to function. So I think it’s taught me a lot more about how to be a story supervisor again.

RW

Well, look at how you turned out as a director! Not so bad, huh!?

SA

(laughing) Thank you, that’s very nice of you to say. It’s pretty thrilling. It’s really a dream come true for me to both be working at Disney Feature Animation and to have my name as director on one of the movies. It’s the realization of all my childhood fantasies and whatever happens this weekend, I’m just proud that I got the opportunity to do this.

RW

Thanks, Steve, for “Meet the Robinsons�? and for interrupting your vacation. Here’s to a bright and beautiful tomorrow!

SA

Thanks!

• • •

-- Posted March 30, 2007