He previously made films of the author’s “Horton Hears a Who” and “The Lorax,” a process that gave him close ties to the estate of Theodor Geisel (the man behind the Seuss pen name) and his widow Audrey. “The Grinch” is Meledandri’s third Seuss adaptation. It’s a story that has a lot of relevance today.” “The underlying story of ‘The Grinch’ is about how the innocence of one child is able to crack this character’s facade and to get him to see the world from a different perspective. “It’s about hope versus hopelessness,” suggests Meledandri. And “The Grinch” revolves around an ogre-like outcast who ends up rediscovering a sense of community while trying to ruin Christmas. “Sing” centers on a group of unlikely talent-show contestants, ranging from a bored housewife to a bank robber, who discover their purpose onstage. In “Despicable Me,” Gru, a self-described super-villain, finds his moral compass after taking in a trio of orphan girls. Yet there’s a thematic tissue that binds these films together: an emphasis on the creation of unlikely families and an allegiance with society’s underdogs. Meledandri’s movies have their sophomoric side. But at the same time he wants to spread joy with his movies, and nothing pleases him more than when he hears about a child or teenager with a special connection to one of his films.” The process can be fairly anxiety-provoking for him. “He stays up later thinking about an issue than anyone else. Since launching 11 years ago, Illumination’s movies have grossed more than $5.8 billion globally, and the company has fielded three of the top eight highest-grossing animated films ever released. Its “Despicable Me” series is the most successful animated franchise in history.ĭonna Langley, chairman of Universal Pictures, Illumination’s co-owner and distributor, likes to tease Meledandri by calling him Eeyore, after the famously pessimistic Winnie the Pooh pal. “He worries more than anyone else,” says Langley. That kind of alchemy has reaped dividends. “But the real sweet spot is when we find something that is not only subversive but also has some real emotion to it.” “We embrace the subversive,” Meledandri says during a two-hour interview with Variety in October. These films differentiated themselves from wave upon wave of Disney imitators because, in the words of Meledandri, they “have a little bite to them.” Illumination movies - which are produced for less than half of what a typical Pixar film costs (“Grinch” had a $75 million budget) - appeal to older viewers, not just kids, in part because they carry PG ratings, boast popular music from the likes of Pharrell Williams and Tyler the Creator and are as interested in scoring big laughs as they are in tugging heartstrings. Seuss’ classic holiday tale is the latest offering from Illumination, a company that has established itself as one of the preeminent brands in family entertainment thanks to the “Despicable Me” franchise as well as “Sing” and “The Secret Life of Pets.” 9, it will likely extend a run of box office hits that hasn’t been seen since Pixar’s glory days. “He’s a little bit of an enigma,” says Chris Renaud, the director of “The Secret Life of Pets” and “ Despicable Me.” “He’s a creative guy, but he looks like an executive type.
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