Director lifts lid on 'Epic'

By Zhang Rui: 0 Comment(s)Print E-mail China.org.cn, April 26, 2013

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American film director Chris Wedge talks to the host at the press viewing of five exclusive clips from "Epic" in Beijing, April 23, 2013. [China.org.cn]

American film director Chris Wedge gave Chinese fans their first glimpse of his new film "Epic" during the 3rd Beijing International Film Festival.

"Epic" is an animated feature film based on William Joyce's book, "The Leaf Men and the Brave Good Bugs" and it tells the tale of a teenage girl who finds herself in a secret world where she must help a team of quirky characters to save their world, which will, in turn, save the real world.

Wedge, who is the founder of Blue Sky Studios which produced the blockbuster animation series "Ice Age," said that "Epic" is different from the hilarious "Ice Age," which included many fun characters.

"It is a big adventure film, like 'Avatar', " said Wedge."It is an evolution from my recent works."

Wedge denied, however, that he was inspired by James Cameron's "Avatar." "We were writing and drawing [for ‘Epic’ before we ever saw 'Avatar', said Wedge. I went to see 'Avatar' one time with my son and when we walked out of the cinema, my son said, 'dad, it is a lot like Leaf Men." The Leaf Men are the protectors of the forest in Wedge's film.

He added: "I think there are resemblances [between 'Epic' and 'Avatar'], but the tone is quite different, it is fun and it is an adventure. Wedge also commented that his biggest challenge was finding fresh ideas.

China.org.cn was invited to the Chinese press viewing of five exclusive clips from ‘Epic’ and can reveal that based on the clips, the film really lives up to its name and also shows innovative and amusing flashes.

Another highlight of film is that several iconic musicians have been cast to voice the characters, including R&B diva Beyonce, rapper Pitbull and Aerosmith's legendary singer Steven Tyler. Other famous voices for the main characters include movie stars Colin Farrell, Josh Hutcherson and Academy Award winner Christoph Waltz.

Wedge denied having any plans to open a branch in China as DreamWorks Animation did with Oriental DreamWorks. "We are small company and we'd like to work under one roof so that we can communicate with each other easily," he said.

When asked if he had any advice for China's animators, Wedge gave a concise two-word answer: “Work hard.”

"Epic" will be released in the United States on May 24 and will likely hit Chinese theaters soon.