Inside Sony Pictures Animation

While in California last month for the Critics Choice Movie Awards, I was invited to take an incredible, inside tour of the Sony Pictures Animation and Imageworks studios in Culver City. From the street you’d never know that behind some hedges and a small iron fence is the home of the talented filmmakers of such hits as “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs” 1 & 2, “Hotel Transylvania” and “The Smurfs” series. During my private, all-access visit I was able to get the inside scoop on some of Sony’s huge, in-the-works projects.

The SPA lobby is decorated with awards and memorablilia from each of their films, including puppets used in the “Cloudy 2” closing credits sequence, and actual working figures that starred in Aardman’s “The Pirates! Band of Misfits”. I was able to manipulate one of the claymation pirates, complete with its replacable mouths. (Sony Scoop #1: The studio currently has 30 projects in development, but over half of them will never see the light of day, and even fewer will eventually get made – which is typical for most animation studios).

I met up with “Cloudy 2” co-director Kris Pearn at the Ray Harryhausen theater for an exclusive screening of the deleted scenes from the movie, which are on the newly-released Blu-ray/DVD. (Sony Scoop #2: He and co-director Cody Cameron were given exactly 85 minutes to work with for “Cloudy 2”, not counting the credits.) He told me it’s always hard to let go of good material, but he had a blast working on the fun food-fest film.

“Hotel Transylvania” director Genndy Tartakovsky may be the busiest person on the lot. He’s in the middle of both “Transylvania 2” and a CGI, 3D update of “Popeye”. (Sony Scoop #3: While the Sailor Man’s return to the big screen isn’t for at least two more years, I got a look at some full character sketches, set designs and even watched a 90-seconds of test footage from the movie that very few, other than SPA employees, have seen.) An incredible thrill! I’m under an oath of silence not to give out any specific details, but I can say both traditional Popeye fans and younger moviegoers will like his updated look, and the style of the film is fast, fun and has great potential.

The Imageworks division is hard at work on the visual effects for this summer’s blockbuster, “The Amazing Spider-Man 2”. In their private office, complete with a couch and big screen, Mickey Levy and Veronica Kablan showed me how they’re bringing Jamie Foxx’s evil Electro to life. (Sony Scoop #4: From the trailers that are already out we can see that he’s a much different version from the comic book villian, but it’s his “sparks” that will take this character to the next level). I can’t divulge any of those secrets yet either (or they promised to send Electro after me). Mickey, Veronica and the rest of the Imageworks wizards are under tight, crucial deadlines with the May 2nd release date less than three months away.

I must thank SPA VP of Publicity & Communication (and great guy) Olivier Mouroux for setting-up and leading my tour, and all the artists who shared their time (and scoops).