Business-suit-wearing babies, the world's cutest puppies, and Mary Poppins-inspired
babysitters//ninja toddlers//talking Wizard alarm clocks//wildly imaginative fantasy scenes/fantasies,
are just some of the things you'll find in DreamWorks new animated movie, The Boss Baby!
Yippee-ki-yay, movie lovers, it's Jan here!
And in this video, I'm going to be revealing some cool behind-the-scenes secrets and fun
facts about The Boss Baby movie.
Before we kick off, I'm giving away this fantastic hardback book from Titan called "The Art of
The Boss Baby" which has loads of sketches, storyboards and info on the movie.
All you need to do for a chance to win a copy is subscribe and leave a comment about The
Boss Baby movie on this video.
And for bonus ways to enter, check out the Gleam link in the video description below.
Ok, let's get stuck into some secrets and fun facts about The Boss Baby movie!
To make sure they captured the right facial expressions for Boss Baby, the movie's animators
spent many hours online watching videos of babies, especially ones that caught a baby's
first reaction to something, for example, a new flavour of food or seeing a pet for
the first time.
Likewise, when it came to creating the world's cutest dog, the Forever Puppy, the animators
found their inspiration by watching tons of online videos of super-cute puppies.
And one of the movie's animators, Dan Wagner, also brought in his rescue puppies for a visit
to the studio to further inspire his fellow animators.
During their work on early versions of the movie, the filmmakers planned to have Boss
Baby's special mission team of Staci, Jimbo, and the Triplets voiced by adult actors.
However, it soon occurred to them it'd be much funnier if they cast child actors instead
so they could play up the fact that although the team is supposed to be there to help Boss
Baby, they actually often hinder and annoy him, because they sometimes act and sound
more like babies than grown-ups.
Instead of aiming for a photo-realistic look that's now possible in animation thanks to
advances in technology, The Boss Baby director Tom McGrath wanted his movie to have a graphic,
stylised aesthetic and for his characters to be 'flexible and fleshy'.
So, he drew inspiration from the handmade look of the golden age of animation which
he and many of his crew grew up with.
For example, the movie's elastic visual style owes a lot to classic Looney Tunes and Merrie
Melodies cartoons and the work of legendary animators and directors such as Tex Avery,
Chuck Jones, Friz Freleng, and Bob Clampett, who brought to life stacks of iconic characters
including Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, Sylvester the Cat, and Road Runner.
Indeed, Alec Baldwin, who voices Boss Baby, says he learned a lot about playing tough,
demanding characters by watching Looney Tunes cartoons as a child, particularly the way
voice actor Mel Blanc played characters like Foghorn Leghorn with such swagger and authority.
Various Disney animated features also influenced the Boss Baby team, especially the charming
nostalgia of the 1950s classic Lady And The Tramp, and the beautiful creations of artist
Mary Blair, who worked on films such as Peter Pan, Alice in Wonderland, and Cinderella.
Although The Boss Baby movie was inspired by Marla Frazee's best-selling picture book,
it also draws heavily on the personal experiences of the filmmakers and artists, who often swapped
stories with each other about their own families during the production.
For example, Tim's stuffed toy, Lamb Lamb, was based on a much-loved toy lamb that belonged
to the daughter of the movie's screenwriter, Michael McCullers.
And it was director Tom McGrath who added an older brother and the idea of sibling rivalry
to the movie's story as it reminded him of his own childhood where he was the younger
brother or Boss Baby in his family.
So, for McGrath, the film became 'a loving homage' to his older brother.
Originally, Miles Bakshi, who plays Tim, was hired just to record a temporary voice track
while the filmmakers were working on their various storyboard ideas, but they thought
his performance was so good that they decided to cast him in the final movie.
Like his character Tim, Miles has a younger sibling of his own; in fact, his sister Nina
is the voice of adult Tim's daughter in the movie!
Indeed, you could say that animation runs in Miles's family because his grandfather
is director Ralph Bakshi, whose work includes the adult animated feature Fritz the Cat and
the 1978 animated Lord of the Rings movie, as well as the Mighty Mouse cartoon TV series
from the 1980s.
And, in fact, it was Ralph Bakshi who gave Boss Baby director Tom McGrath his first break
back in the early 90s on the movie Cool World.
Jimmy Kimmel may be best known for hosting his late-night TV talk show, but it was actually
hearing him being interviewed on the radio that gave director Tom McGrath the idea of
casting the well-known TV host as Tim's dad in the movie.
And Tom McGrath actually has his own cameo in the movie too as the voice of the TV chef
on the cooking show that babysitter Eugene watches at Tim's house.
By the way, if you've watched the Madagascar movies, you'll have heard McGrath before as
the voice of the penguin leader, Skipper.
And the movie also keeps things in the DreamWorks family by casting Trolls director Walt Dohrn
as the voice of the photographer who takes pictures of Tim and Boss Baby in their little
sailor outfits.
Now, have you seen The Boss Baby yet and what did you think of it?
And what would you like to see happen if they make a sequel?
Let me know in the comments below!
Don't forget to subscribe and comment for your chance to win this fantastic "The Art
of The Boss Baby" hardback book!
If you liked this video, do also check out my Boss Baby Easter Eggs video and my animation
playlist here.
And remember, I always appreciate your likes, shares, and comments on my videos.
Thanks for watching and see ya next time.
Yippee-ki-yay, movie lovers!