Interview: Vincent Paronnaud (Into The Wonderwoods)
Into The Wonderwoods is a charming French animated CG feature now available on digital in the United States via Shout Factory. Originally titled Angelo Dans la Foret Mysterieuse (Angelo in the Mysterious Forest) it is adapted from a graphic novel by Vincent Paronnaud. The film is directed by Paronnaud (Persepolis) and Alexis Ducord (Zombillenium).
The film follows Angelo, a 10-year-old aspiring explorer, after he gets accidentally left behind by his family at a rest stop. Heading into the nearby woods, he meets all manner of characters and critters as he searches for his family.
We got to sit down (virtually) with Vincent Paronnaud to talk about the making of the film, his career so far and his filmmaking philosophy. It should make an interesting read.
AFA:.. How did you get into animation?
Vincent: Err, I get into animation.. I made a short cut, a long time ago, with no money and I share a studio with Marjane Satrapi, when we used to make the comic books, and she proposed to me because we were friends… we ARE friends, always.. And she proposed to me to participate in the direction of Persepolis. This is the beginning of my career.
How did the original graphic novel of Into The Wonderwoods come about?
10 years ago I did the book, and after there was success of the book I could do the movie.
Why did you choose Wonderwoods to be your animated feature directorial debut?
I made a lot of short cuts with adaptation. I used to adapt my comics but it was just short cuts. For this one, for Into The Wonderwoods, it was easy for me to take the book and make a movie with this. I have the space for a movie. Sometimes it’s not possible in my work when I make comics. So it was possible, that’s why I made this movie.
The animation has an almost stop-motion look to it. How did you achieve this?
It’s a little bit technical, but we put away some frames to have this sensation of stop-motion. Just to have a style.. And I like this style of animation, a little bit artisanal. Because sometimes with 3D it’s a bit like a machine. So, we put some dirt on the animation
Why did you decide to use 2D animation for the fantasy sequences?
We used 2D for fun! We can tell a parallel story. We think it’s just funny. And it’s a kind of tribute to old movies in 2D; like black and white or Japanese or trash movie or Czechoslovakian movies. For the fun. And you have to have a little bit of fun when you make movies.
Out of all the various characters, who was the most challenging to animate? And who was your favourite?
Goo, the spirit of the forest, was a challenge because we have to incarnate the character, with leaves and branches.. And you have to be soft and a little bit weird, and huge.. So it was a little bit complicated. My favourite character is probably the squirrel, because he wants to be a bird. And it’s not perfect but it’s how I see life. To try.. And even if it’s not perfect, that’s enough for me. To try.
What were the influences on the style or the story of Into The Wonderwoods?
Maybe the old tapes… I don’t know it in English but Con de Tero[?] this kind of stuff. Also Miyazaki, I think, a little bit. Maybe a little bit of David Lynch (Laughs) because I like him. I really don’t know because I think it’s a mix in my brain. There is a lot of influence for sure but not one so it’s complicated. I like to do tribute to stuff I like.. I love. But it’s not for me to just do a list.
Do you think it is a particularly French film in its approach?
Yeah,, for sure, a little because I used to watch American movies and I think the big difference is it’s not moralistic and is ironical (sic) all the time, I want to say. The way I told the story is a little bit different. And when I use Cliche, I know perfectly what I am doing. I use all the clichés in animation movies, and I tell the story, but I know perfectly that it’s the second degree all the time. Like this, I can speak to the children and I can speak to the adults, too.
How did you decide on how faithful to remain to the original graphic novel?
I don’t have respect for my work.When I draw or make a book it’s not appropriate for me to just destroy my work and just do something else. For me the importance is the meaning and the story and the character. For me it was exciting to do something else, my work is not sacred, so I like to do other things all the time. I don’t like to be bored.
There are some darker themes in the film, how did you balance them with the needs of a children’s film?
I think if you have a brain, it’s possible. You can tell a story without ultraviolence and sex, or you can tell a story y’know? It’s not appropriate for me to tell a story for children… When you are honest, there is no problem. When you think about children [inaudable] then there’s a problem. When you think you have to learn something to the children, this is the moralistic way I was speaking about at the beginning. You have to be honest and everything is alright.
