Masashi Ando, animator on such iconic Japanese animated films as Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away, now directs his first feature, The Deer King. This R-rated movie coming to theaters nationwide through Fathom Events this Wednesday and Thursday July 13th and 14th (with a regular release on Friday July 15th) is about a mysterious disease killing many, the search for a cure and the man and young girl who seem to be immune. Ando joined me for an insightful Animation Scoop Q&A all about The Deer King. (This interview was conducted over Zoom with a translator and was edited for length and clarity.)

Jackson Murphy: There is so much power to this film. Because it’s about a disease, finding a cure and survivors — and you made this movie before and during the COVID pandemic — what kind of impact does that have on you?

Masashi Ando: When we started the production, it was pre-COVID. By then, the story and the overall scheme of what’s going to happen was already decided. In that sense, COVID didn’t really influence that.

MA: Of course, COVID did impact the production process. The staff was really hesitant on how to work when COVID hit. We did have to adapt to a style where we started working remotely. That was really difficult. And towards the end, especially, that’s when COVID really hit us. What was affected the most was the release date. It was moved drastically.

Thematically, it’s not like we wanted to focus on the disease just because of COVID, but as we were working on it, we did expect for what the characters were going through in the movie to be relatable to the audiences.

JM: And it definitely is relatable. At one point Van says, “My soul was saved by Yuna.” I love this relationship you show. What were your goals in wanting to give us this relationship?

MA: The whole relationship between Van and Yuna being so important to the story — the original novel is like that. Van’s life doesn’t really start until he meets Yuna. Van meeting Yuna is essential to the story. We really wanted to focus on Van meeting Yuna and where they end-up in the story would be the climax of the movie. We really wanted to show the journey.

And this is a private matter but during production… I have a family and we had a small child. My child was born around the time of production. To be honest, I’m a little old. I’m old to be a father. So I was worried if I’m gonna be an okay father. I’m 54. I was really worried about becoming a father. I really resonated with Van. Van had lost his family. He lost his wife and son. But then he becomes a father again by meeting Yuna. So I really resonated with that. And I really based my feelings on how I felt towards my child to Van and then moved on with the film.

JM: Wow. So much meaning there. And congratulations on your child!

MA: Thank you.

JM: What do you find so majestic about deer and nature? The animation in this is spectacular.

MA: The theme of this movie is life, and the connection to life is really huge. Even Van — his power is how he’s able to connect to different parts of life. There are people who will use that power with malicious intent and then those who are not. They are the big themes. The concept of life had to really be drawn with a lot of care in this movie. It connects to the reason why I took on this project.

MA: I’ve drawn a lot of animals in my career, including Princess Mononoke. I’m known to be an animator who can draw animals well. I really took care in keeping that, not reputation, but knowing the importance that I took on this project because I can draw animals well, especially hand-drawn animals well. There are fewer animators now who can draw animals realistically. I really wanted to express that with importance, and I do think about how we continue on with being able to draw animals well and realistically in this industry.

JM: This is your directorial debut. How did this experience of being a director change your life?

MA: The biggest difference is being in interviews like this.

JM: (laughs)

MA: It’s a rare and nice opportunity, but I have to start speaking in public more. When I was an animator, I used to just be at my desk and just constantly be drawing. But now I have to come out and promote the film and speak in public. Even talking to the cast when directing or being in social situations where I have to use a little bit more communication has been a big change in my life. It’s rare, but it’s a nice opportunity. Although, after this I’m gonna go back to being one of those hermit-type animators.