nWave Pictures, a multinational company dedicated to producing and distributing immersive 3D/4D content worldwide, is launching its newest feature film, The Inseparables, in numerous territories in the coming weeks.
Blooloop hears from the studio’s president and CEO, Matthieu Zeller, and director Jérémie Degruson, who share their thoughts about creating movies to capture the imaginations of cross-generational audiences.
Introducing The Inseparables
nWave has been producing animation films for over 25 years. It has a portfolio of over 100 releases which include titles for features, attractions, ride simulations and giant-screen documentaries.
The Inseparables is the studio’s 10th feature film. It follows the highly successful 2022 release, Chickenhare and the Hamster of Darkness. This new release is an original tale from Toy Story writers Joel Cohen and Alec Sokolow, inspired by the adventures of Don Quixote. It is a partnership between nWave Studios, Octopolis and A Contracorriente.
Zeller sets the scene, saying: “The film is a perfect buddy movie.”
He continues: “It’s an adventure comedy in Central Park. You have two characters, Don and DJ Doggy Dog, who are two outsiders. Don wants to be an actor. He wants to become a hero – but he is a fool in a puppet theatre so is frustrated about that. DJ Doggy Dog thinks he’s a big rapper and a big artist, but he has just one weak, pre-recorded rap phrase.”
Two unlikely friends embark on an adventure
The Inseparables begins with Don in the puppet theatre, dreaming of something more.
“Once the curtains come down, Don finds refuge in his daydreams and invents himself as a knight,” adds Degruson. “This overflowing imagination, which sometimes flirts with mild madness, will lead him to leave the theatre and venture into Central Park and then into the streets of New York in search of his imaginary grail: the castle in the clouds.
“He’s not the only one with big dreams. His path crosses that of DJ Doggy Dog, a cheap electronic plushie who dances hip-hop and thinks his pre-recorded music is the coolest thing on earth. DJ Doggy Dog is looking for street cred.”
The film sees the two unlikely friends embark on an adventure into Don’s imagination. Through his eyes, Central Park is transformed into a real-life theatre for spectacular stories. For instance, a mini golf windmill becomes a flying dragon and an overenthusiastic puppy is turned into a menacing lion. Along the way, they meet a cast of characterful critters such as baby racoons, gossipy pigeons, and a horse desperate for a wild ride through the big city.
However, Don and DJ Doggy Dog’s world takes a sinister turn when all the other puppets are stolen from the theatre. The pair must venture into the streets of New York to save their friends in an imagination-fuelled rescue, which journeys between fantasy and reality.
From fantasy to reality
The Inseparables‘ transitions between fantasy and reality are marked by a shift in animation style.
“Our main challenge was to make the back and forth between reality and fantasy readable and entertaining, to engage the viewer in Don’s fantasies fully,” says Degruson. “We decided to use a very different animation style for these epic daydreams. We use a 2D treatment that amplifies the gap between this vintage character and his time.”
“I am fortunate to live in an era where the coexistence of various animation techniques allows the genre to continue to reinvent itself and surprise the viewer! I wanted to playfully treat these daydream scenes like epic and surreal video game levels. Integrating details taken from reality allowed us to fluidify these back-and-forth scenes and emphasize Don’s ability to dream absolutely EVERYTHING around him.”
The Inseparables builds on nWave’s reputation for exceptional animation
nWave is renowned for its exceptional animation. Zeller explains:
“We have a strong reputation when it comes to the quality of the animation we are delivering, that’s CGI, the way we master, the 3D animation. We are well established in that domain. In the independent market, we are considered one of the best independent studios to deliver high-quality projects that have the potential of studio or almost studio movies.
“That’s why we have so many loyal partners. And what is also a specificity is that all partners know we deliver on budget, on time, and on quality, because we are a fully integrated studio. We have a consistency in the quality and the ability to deliver a movie.”
In The Inseparables, the studio had opportunities to experiment with both its animation style and its storytelling approaches.
“My favourite scene is where Don is realising he is dreaming, and there is a fall. You fall from what he believes to be the castle in the sky, to a cover of Where is My Mind? by the Pixies. It’s very poetic, it’s very fantastic, it’s a realisation. I think it might be the most emotional scene in the movie. It’s not an action scene. It’s new for us.”
Making memories & creating stories
Zeller joined nWave in 2018, having previously co-founded BAMBOO Film, Octopolis,
and MZM. Before this, he had a highly successful career in the cosmetics industry.
He explains the similarities between these roles:
“I spent 17 years working at L’Oréal, with many luxury brands. I spent the last few years at Lancôme working on the brand at the international level.
“At this time I had the opportunity to join Studiocanal, so that was a shift. There are many common points – at the end of the day, you’re telling stories. When you are selling a fragrance, you are telling a very short story. And when you’re working on films, you’re also working on archetypes and working on memories and creating stories.
“It’s not the same job. But you are triggering the same qualities, and it’s an industry and content that I like personally. I spent four years at Studiocanal, and I left to create my own production company. You want to put your hands on and make the movies, not only distribute and market them.”
Likewise, Degruson’s experience includes storytelling for a range of audiences. He has worked on commercials, theme park films, large format and feature films.
Cross-generational storytelling in The Inseparables
Zeller and Degruson work to create content which will appeal to cross-generational, family
audiences.
“We are obsessed with the family audiences and the joint audiences,” says Zeller. “We want families to come together in a theatre or on a couch to watch a movie together. That’s always our goal, to be able to have a different level of understanding and have humour so that parents, grandparents, and kids can be interested in and can laugh at the movie.
“We also try to always bring a message of positive humanity. We are not doing pure comedies. We’re doing adventure comedies with always something that has to do with the coming of age, the evolution of a character.
“I like all movies to be not only entertaining but also that can trigger a conversation between parents and kids, grandparents and kids on basic values like friendship, for example. That’s positive. I think we have a mission on that level. We are talking to kids, and a movie can be important for kids. So, I think it’s key to bring positive messages.”
The Inseparables, Degruson explains: “is a tribute to true friendship and the emancipating power of imagination for dreamers of all ages; that will speak to anyone who has ever felt slightly disconnected from the contemporary world and found refuge in fantasy. This film is also an ode to imagination and creativity. For me as a father and filmmaker, these are essential educational values for future generations, especially with the advent of artificial intelligence.
“I wanted this movie to convey a universal, timeless message about the importance of dreaming big and living even bigger. The world belongs to dreamers… and perhaps even more to those who dare to live their imagination with others!”
Screenplays with potential
This complex combination of cross-generational humour and meaningful messaging must begin with a strong script. Talking about the key features that stood out in this screenplay, Zeller says:
“I’m always looking for three big elements in an animated movie. I need action, I need comedy, and I need emotion, warmth. We need those three elements to do something successful.
“It is important also to have key characters who are original and who can create a strong bond with the audience. I think that has been the case on this one. Especially with DJ Doggy Dog, who is a character that you have not really seen before. That kind of brashness, pre-recorded phrases etc. is very endearing. You feel empathy for him.
“When we feel that we have those kinds of characters that are likeable at first sight and that you will follow until the end of the movie, then we know that is an ingredient to make a very good movie.”
Degruson adds: “This is the 4th animated feature film I have had the opportunity to direct. I was attracted by the richness of this story, its characters, and its real and imaginary worlds. I was instantly drawn in by the back and forth between the reality of a contemporary megalopolis and the fantastic and epic worlds imagined by Don.
“This journey between reality and fantasy spoke to me. It’s a big gap that filmmakers are used to making in their work – especially in animation! This timeless theme of imagination and creativity coexists with modern elements embodied by the characters, who combat completely outdated misogynistic clichés.
“I also found the variety of characters very interesting. Puppets, stuffed animals, and humans promised a rich and fun New York melting pot.”
Characters to create connection
The key characters in The Inseparables, Don and DJ Doggy Dog, have been crafted to help audiences connect with the narrative while sharing the movie’s key message.
Zeller says, “One is a dreamer. The other one is very grounded. As you can imagine, in any friendship, these differences create an unexpected dynamic. But that will help each of them to work to become what they can be. So, they will end up being best friends but also being better at what they’re doing.”
Don and DJ Doggy Dog, along with their cast of supporting characters, are each designed to engage different audience demographics.
“We always try to have as large an audience as possible,” explains Zeller. “We feel that there is something very easy to understand for the younger audience. And we’ll try to be entertaining for parents and grandparents too.
“It’s always challenging to get the teenagers on an animated movie, except when you have franchises like Toy Story where they know the characters and want to see the next one. But in an original movie, it’s very difficult to get the teen target. Sometimes you have families, so you have all the kids coming together, and we hope the teenager won’t be bored by the movie.
“We try to have characters that are very easy to get for the younger audience. For example, in the movie, we know that the younger audience loves the baby raccoons. Meanwhile, a character like Don will be more interesting for a teenager. So, we try to have those kinds of layers.”
An evolving narrative
The original script for The Inseparables was written by Toy Story writers Joel Cohen and Alec
Sokolow. Both Zeller and Degruson were deeply involved in the writing process.
Zeller says: “The first act and the second act are quite loyal to the original screenplay. When you start working on the character design, when you start working on storyboards, you are putting in place elements that will bring you to something a little bit different. There is a dynamic in the characters, a dynamic in the story where you think ok, that could lead to something a little bit different. There is a dynamic between those two characters that we want to emphasize.”
“I would say the biggest part of the writing that we did with Jérémie is focused on the third act. During the process of making the movie, we decided we wanted to finish the movie with a musical piece. It was not in the original script. But we found that it was logical and nice to have everybody go back to the puppet theatre.
“We wanted them to transform the puppet theatre and make it like a Broadway stage, that the journey they had lived had made them able to create something bigger than anything they had ever done before.
“That’s something that we wrote from scratch, based on reflecting on the whole story. It’s also nice for the audience to experience. It’s a way to relive the adventures with the heroes, so there’s a shared experience, a shared emotion, between the audience and the characters of the movie.”
Chickenhare returns
The Inseparables premiered at the Annecy Film Festival in June. It will launch publicly in the coming weeks across numerous territories. In addition, the studio has created a new 4D/3D attraction, Theater of Dreams. This follows Don and DJ Doggy Dog on another adventure into fantasy. It premiered at the IAAPA Expo in Orlando in November.
nWave has also already begun production of its next feature film. Zeller reveals:
“Our next movie will be the sequel of Chickenhare and the Hamster of Darkness, which has been really successful. We love that project. And we have created a brand-new world.”
“That was the first time we had been able to work on a fantasy world and a complete world-building. So that is very exciting, very positive and having a world as original as this is so unique. We wanted to work on these characters, having new characters, new worlds, and new places where they will travel.
“We are in the process of producing this movie, and animation has started already. It will be ready by the beginning of 2025.”
