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Hot on the heels of releasing the Academy Award nominee Klaus, Netflix is back in the animated feature game with another film that rocks a stand-out visual style, Kris Pearn‘s adaptation of the Lois Lowry book, The Willoughbys. Will Forte steps in to voice one of the main characters, Tim, a 14-year-old with horrible parents. Determined to become orphans, Tim and his siblings devise a plan to get rid of them once and for all, but what they don’t expect is their parents hiring someone to watch over them while they’re gone. Cue Maya Rudolph‘s Nanny! She swoops in with all the energy in the world, ready and eager to cook, clean and support the kids however they need – something the Willoughby children are not used to at all.
With The Willoughbys now available to watch on Netflix, I got the chance to hop on a Zoom call with Forte and Rudolph to talk about their experience making the film. Check out the video interview at the top of this article to hear about how the character of Nanny evolved, what it’s like watching a animated feature come together over such a lengthy period of time, why voicing animated characters appeals to them so much, and more!
Image via Netflix
And if you’re looking for even more Willoughbys coverage, keep an eye on Collider.com because we’ll have chats with Terry Crews, Jane Krakowski and Alessia Cara coming your way soon!
Maya Rudolph and Will Forte:
- Rudolph on how much the character Nanny changed from script to final film.
- Forte on voicing a 14-year-old character; reuniting with director Kris Pearn.
- Pearn has called the process “slow motion stand-up;” would Rudolph and Forte agree with that descriptor?
- Rudolph and Forte have a good deal of experience in the voice acting realm; what keeps bringing them back to this medium?
- Forte is the king of characters with great haircuts.
Here’s the official synopsis for The Willoughbys:
Convinced they’d be better off raising themselves, the Willoughby children hatch a sneaky plan to send their selfish parents on vacation. The siblings then embark on their own high-flying adventure to find the true meaning of family.
