August 31st, 2020 
Jackson Murphy 
Get ready to Move It! Move It! all over again. See the Madagascar gang of Alex, Marty, Gloria and Melman as kids on the new animated series Madagascar: A Little Wild. It debuts next Monday September 7th on Hulu and Peacock. Executive Producer Johanna Stein, Story Editor & Co-EP Dana Starfield, Supervising Director TJ Sullivan and Supervising Producer Saul Blinkoff preview the show. (This interview was conducted as an email Q&A.)
Jackson Murphy: Did you go back and watch the three Madagascar movies before diving into this series?
Johanna Stein: Yeah, I watched them pretty obsessively. Because this is a show for a younger audience than the movies, and we knew we weren’t setting out to make a prequel (our show exists on an “alternate timeline” from the movies), I was focused on the personalities and dynamics of our four main characters that the fans of the movies -me included- have come to love so much. I was also re-watching them to figure out how we would tell stories that embody the same comedy and heart as the movies, but for a younger audience, and in 22 minutes.
Dana Starfield: Yes, and we wanted to capture the spirit of mischievous adventure and wanderlust from the movies within the context of the new world we created.
JS: Once we began production, we would get together as a team to screen scenes from the movies during lunchtime “watch and discuss” sessions, to analyze the design, the animation, the storytelling style, the music. We talked a lot about the snappiness of the movies, and the antic cartooniness of certain sequences. And we broke down things like the characters’ physical signatures, like the way Melman uses his neck, and how and when Marty walks on four legs versus two legs.
TJ Sullivan: We were looking at the personality of the characters and how they moved, but also at the differences in the style of animation between the three movies – and stylistically what we wanted to do in terms of the animation, the tone, and the timing of the comedy. I was also looking at the camera angles and lenses that they used for each character. The third movie (Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted) we watched quite a bit, because of that great musical number – which we used as inspiration for how we would approach the musical numbers in our show.
JS: And of course the movies were a deep well of inspiration for the look of the show. Our Art Director, Jessica Bulinski, researched and dissected the designs of the movies, to come up with a unique visual esthetic for Madagascar: A Little Wild that would be different from the movies, but would stand on the shoulders of the iconic style that Kendall Cronkite (Production Designer of the Madagascar movies) created. Jessica and her incredible team of designers adapted the movies’ signature “whack” into a more simple, more playful, warmer style for a younger audience.
JM: One of the things that impressed everyone about the first film in 2005 was the attention to detail of New York City, including the Central Park Zoo and Grand Central Station. What kind of visual research of NYC did you do?
JS: Because of the constraints of television, we would never have the time, money, or bandwidth to replicate all of those iconic New York City locations the way the movies did, so we had to figure out a way to represent the city in a way that would be recognizable and appealing, but where the sets and locations could be used to tell a multitude of stories, through many episodes. Many of our crew members have been to, or even lived in, New York, so we talked a lot about the “feel” of the city, about different areas and types of buildings – the brownstones, diners, high-rises, parks, the streets, the vehicles — and how to use representative elements to create our version of New York.
Saul Blinkoff: Our goal was to create a timeless, childlike, whimsical version of New York City. We loved how authentic the movie’s version of NYC was – our goal was to create a more childlike version of New York City that would appeal to our preschool audience. We went on a field trip to the Universal Backlot for a day, with Jessica and our design team— everyone brought their sketchbooks and cameras, collecting visual reference, looking at and discussing the iconic shapes of NYC, and finding ways to simplify and stylize those elements for our show. In a way, we were looking to create something similar to the Universal backlot — our own CG back-lot version of New York as seen through a child’s eyes.
JM: How did you find the child voice actors for Alex, Marty, Gloria and Melman who could do the same inflections, have the same timing and capture the spirit of Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, Jada Pinkett Smith and David Schwimmer?
JS: Our incredible casting department – led by Ania O’Hare and Cymbre Walk Sklar – worked tirelessly, meeting and reading hundreds of kids. We weren’t focused on trying to find kids who “sounded” like Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, Jada Pinkett Smith and David Schwimmer. We worked backwards from who we knew the characters would become as “adults” – and looked for kids who could embody the essences of those characters. We auditioned so many talented kids who could deliver funny lines, but it became very clear, very quickly, that we needed kids who could do more than just be funny. They needed to be able to portray these quirky, often very flawed characters — while still remaining like-able (and loveable). They also needed to possess the acting skill to carry the storylines in episodes that can get really emotional. And we hit the jackpot with Amir O’Neil, Luke Lowe, Shaylin Becton, and Tucker Chandler — our “core four” as we call them — they’re all immensely talented, but beyond that, they’re terrific kids, with lovely supportive families who we’ve gotten to know and adore as we continue to record our episodes via videoconferencing.
JM: There are several new characters, including the gang’s caretaker/zookeeper Kate and the pigeon Ant’ney. What was the process like of coming up with them?
JS: One of the things that really appealed to me about this take was that when she developed this idea for television, Dana introduced several characters who could help keep our stories moving, and give additional perspectives to our core four when needed. Like Ant’ney – the gang’s pigeon friend who flies in from the city.
DS: Ant’ney was based on my friend’s husband, Ant’ney, who is a “foodie”. He’d always commute to the city from Long Island to eat. That felt like the perfect character for a pigeon — because who better to love New York food than a pigeon? He’s like a funny uncle to our gang, and is their view on the outside world.
JS: Ant’ney’s also a little older and a little wiser, and can function as the voice of a responsible adult when the kids need that. Watching the character of Ant’ney grow and evolve through our production process has been amazing— we’ve seen him come to life through his character design, in scripts, through the fantastic animation, and now hearing him voiced by the absolutely hilarious Eric Petersen, who never fails to break us up during records. Fun Fact – Eric is also a gifted singer (so of course, we’re going to discover that about Ant’ney as well).
Kate is the Habitat Director of Madagascar: A Little Wild — but she doesn’t just work at the zoo, she’s so much more than that. Even though she can’t communicate with the kids directly (like in the movies, humans can’t understand our characters), she’s their caretaker, someone they can depend on, a warm and loving presence who’s always there to wake them up in the morning and tuck them in at night. We also wanted to show that she has a life beyond our main four. In designing Kate’s office, Jessica and her team filled it with hints of her life outside the zoo— some of which we expand on in upcoming episodes.
DS: The inspiration for Kate was to have a woman who was a total expert in her field, and almost a nerd about it- she loves what she does, she loves science and animal facts. She’s a parental figure to the animals, but just like moms all over, that’s not her full identity- she’s a badass expert, a working professional with hopes and dreams – which is a nice metaphor for a working mom.
JS: Kate is another example of a character whose evolution through the production process has been incredible – from her design, to how she moves, to how she talks and sings! And of course, finding Jasmine Gatewood who voices Kate. Jasmine is not just a great actor, but has given Kate the most incredible speaking voice- just the sound of her talking makes you feel good. And then when Kate sings… it’s clear to see why our kids love her so much.
Then we have Pickles and Dave, the mischievous chimps who are loosely based on the chimps from the movies, in that Dave is deaf and communicates through ASL with his sister Pickles, who translates for our gang, and for our audience. From the very beginning we talked about how we didn’t want Dave’s deafness to be his defining characteristic. It’s just one facet of who he is, it doesn’t make him any more or less interesting, powerful – or powerless – than any of the other characters. We work with a team of ASL consultants (Justin Maurer, Delbert Whetter, and Jevon Whetter) who bring so much experience and expertise in helping us portray Pickles and Dave accurately and responsibly. They’ve also held sessions with our entire crew, helping us to learn how a character like Dave would communicate, not just through ASL but through expressions, gestures, and poses; and helping us to understand the subtleties and dynamics of his relationship with his sister, who is also his interpreter.
TJS: Our ASL consultants weigh in on the chimps’ dialogue in scripts, and send us video of how that dialogue would be translated to ASL. And because the speed with which we work on the storyboards doesn’t always allow us to capture all the timing and subtlety, our consultants review the scenes again at animation to make sure that we’ve captured the signs accurately, and that we haven’t accidentally missed something. They’ve also been instrumental in offering suggestions to help simplify their dialogue exchanges so that the communication comes across clearly, as well as interjecting ideas, gags, and suggestions to ensure that Dave is not just the “deaf” character – he is an active presence in our show.
JM: Music was such an important factor of the movies: “I Like to Move It”, “Afro Circus”, Katy Perry’s “Firework”. Why did you feel original songs needed to be a key component of this show?
SB: Because we’re telling stories that focus on the experiences of kids, when you get to a key emotional moment in a story, sometimes those feelings are too big for dialogue and are just better expressed through song. That’s especially so for our young audience, some of whom may not be able to verbalize their emotions yet— but the right song can do that, and help them understand those feelings.
JS: It’s also a great way to drive home a story’s theme. For example, having our characters sing a pop song like “Keep Going”, that makes you want to get up and dance, allows us to really focus on the core emotional idea of perseverance in a much more impactful way, than if a character were to just say the line, “You gotta keep going”. We are also very lucky that our brilliant Music Department — led by Alexandra Nickson and Frank Garcia — introduced us to songwriter, Alana D, who blows us away with songs that so perfectly encapsulate – lyrically and musically – the emotional stories we’re telling. We have yet to toss a genre or style of music her way that she can’t deliver. The songs are so catchy and fun to dance to — when we hear her songs for the first time, we often break out into spontaneous dance parties in the middle of music meetings— yes, even when we’re on video calls.
JM: The second episode is about the core four going to the movies. How did you decide on “Good Luck Truck” as the feature?
JS: Melman is a character who is prone to fixate on things – both good and bad — and our young Melman is obsessed with trucks. You name a truck, he wants to see it, hear it, know about it, play with it. So for the movie we envisioned a sweet, friendly truck that would appeal to a gentle soul like Melman — and crossed that with the idea of a Mad Max/monster truck movie mashup. It all came together when we had the character voiced by the legendary Charlie Adler (who is also our Voice Director) — and now we’re all curious to actually see the spinoff movie, Good Luck Truck!
JM: Indoor theaters are slowly opening up again, but they’re still not open everywhere in the country. What are your fondest memories of seeing DreamWorks Animation movies in theaters?
SB: I’ll never forget the day I saw the clip of the first Madagascar movie. It was the first time you saw snappy animation in CG. As animators we didn’t think that was possible, to have such stylized characters move in a way that was reminiscent of the wacky, fun WB cartoons that we grew up loving. For someone who came up in animation working on classic Disney movies like Tarzan, Mulan, Pocahontas, Hunchback… I could see that Madagascar was groundbreaking.
JS: Back in the day (waaaay back), before I was a professional writer, I was a freelance script reader for DreamWorks, and I was one of the readers assigned to give “coverage” (feedback) on the first Shrek as it was being developed. I then took a looong detour, spending the next 20+ years in between doing a whole bunch of different things… only to find my back to DreamWorks, only now as a showrunner.
JM: And also in this episode, we go to a library. In 1st Grade, I brought-in a “Madagascar” book for Show and Tell. What have libraries meant to you?
DS: Libraries are the best place to escape, because you get to escape to your imagination. So it felt fitting for this show. But this library is inspired by the New York Public Library, which is so exciting and grand in scale. It’s like a theme park for books- and it was always an exciting place to see growing up. It felt larger than life- and so this felt like a great place for our gang to go in one of the earlier episodes, to establish the many ways that NYC can feel like a giant playground for a kid.
JS: As a kid growing up in Canada I spent a TON of time at the library (I was never a winter-sports kinda kid) and learned that there’s nothing better than a warm library when the temperature is -40 degrees. I also learned, more recently as a parent, that there’s nothing better than developing a love of reading to help expose a kid to other people’s stories, lives and experiences. We talk a lot on our show about empathy, and we are always trying to craft stories that will help our audience learn that concept — so for me, reading is one of the most direct, immediate ways to foster that crucial life skill.
JM: Johanna, you voice the character of Millie on the show. That must be fun!
JS: It is! I’ve worn a lot of hats in my career… writer, director, producer, actor — I love them all, but getting to play a character as exuberantly clueless as Millie is — who can never seem to see what’s RIGHT IN FRONT OF HER (even when her husband Murray is literally begging her to see it) — is ridiculously fun. It’s also really helpful in that it gives me insight into the process that our voice actors go through, so if during a record I have a suggestion for a line reading, I can express it from the perspective of an actor.
JM: In the first movie, Marty celebrates his 10th Birthday. How many years of stories could we see from these characters on “A Little Wild”?
JS: Well, our goal with this show is to tell funny, heartwarming stories with impactful life lessons through the adventures and experiences of four characters who are so dear to us they feel like family. So if we’re doing our jobs right… hopefully we’ll be telling these stories for a looooong time.
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