| GETTING THE PRODUCTION READY FOR TAKEOFF John Williams, who produced "Shrek" and "Shrek 2," came across "Valiant" as a story treatment which was submitted to Vanguard by George Webster, the original writer. Vanguard then developed the script and decided to make it their first CG animated film. The film became the first in a multi-picture North American distribution deal between Vanguard and Disney. Vanguard's goal was to deliver the animation production with a two-year schedule, which had never been previously accomplished in a CG animated film. The studio committed to produce a state-of-the-art CG animated film at approximately half the cost and half the time of other major-studio CG animated films. Vanguard turned to co-producers Curtis Augspurger and Buckley Collum to organize and produce this ambitious plan. "Valiant" began production at Vanguard Animation in Los Angeles in January 2003, commencing with character and location design, storyboarding and animatic creation. During that time, the production team built its state-of-the-art European CGI animation studio with over 200 employees housed at Ealing Studios in London. According to co-producer Buckley Collum, "We built a 13,000-square-foot studio equipped with a stateof-the-art hardware technology infrastructure and a complete suite of CG industry-proven, commercially available software tools which are found in animation and visual effects studios in Hollywood and around the world." In September 2003, the production unit moved to the Vanguard Animation studios in London and then traversed the world to bring together a team of quality filmmakers, resulting in the hire of over 200 artists from 17 different countries. Co-producer Curtis Augspurger said, "The artists spoke seven different languages, making it a very multinational crew. This actually brought us quite a few benefits. Bringing this diverse and talented group to Ealing enabled us to build a strong team and create a kind of family with a very large energy point." Williams described Gary Chapman's route to the director's chair by saying, "Originally, Gary was on board as character designer, but the range of content of his ideas for the story, the settings, and the music quickly proved him to be my ideal choice to direct this." Chapman recalls, "One of my main concerns was establishing a look for the film. It is a comedy adventure but I thought it important to have some sort of homage to reality. At no point did we approach this like a cartoon." The music was also crucial to the mood and atmosphere of the movie. "We wanted to have the music reinforcing the swing stance of World War II," explained producer Collum. "Gary was very keen on having the music of the period." With this in mind, the production secured the creative talents of Oscar® nominee and award-winning composer George Fenton. Williams concurs, "What we were trying to do is to keep consistent with the period—in the production design, musically—in every way, but with some slight touches that will make it feel very contemporary in its tone and subject. Ultimately, there is a big comedy entertainment element in this movie, but it is the jeopardy and suspense that is the driving part of the story." "The storyline," says Augspurger, "is a coming-ofage story that every child will be able to ascribe to and every adult has experienced. It is the plight of someone who is told they are incapable when they are too small or too young, and then they go off and prove themselves. The enjoyment of this movie is merging its two aspects. When we get into the adventure, I believe we have enough understanding of our characters that you really care about them and want them to succeed. You want them to make it through." ASSEMBLING A TOP-FLIGHT VOCAL CAST When it came to the casting of the voices for the lead characters, producer John Williams and executive producer Barnaby Thompson attracted an impressive array of comedic talent. Gary Chapman observes, "I have developed a great respect for the actors that do this kind of voice work. They stand behind a microphone, get hold of a character and make it live. Each one is chosen for the quality of their voices, and they come in and deliver. They take a kernel of an idea and turn it into something wonderful." For the lead role of Valiant, the plucky pigeon, the producers cast the Scottish actor Ewan McGregor, acclaimed for his performances in the "Star Wars" films, "Moulin Rouge" and "Trainspotting." Said McGregor: "I play a young, brave, heroic pigeon who's destined to fight for King and country. It was wonderful working with director Gary Chapman. There was a great sense of fun about the recordings. It was especially fantastic to watch the character develop over the course of those sessions." "When you listen to Ewan's voice," says Chapman, "it has a definite youthful vitality to it. Ewan is not a comic, but he's a fine actor who is also very funny. Valiant's character draws inspiration from a variety of classic actors like Charlie Chaplin, Norman Wisdom and Errol Flynn. I gave Ewan the essence of the character, and he went for it." Playing the voice of Bugsy, the street-wise, independent con man of a pigeon, is the Golden Globe® Award-winning British comedian Ricky Gervais, famed for his creation of, and acting in, the hit television series "The Office." "It was a pleasure to be part of 'Valiant,'" said Gervais. "I have always wanted to be a big mouthy bird!" "Voice work was a new medium for Ricky," said Chapman. "It was a challenge for him. He was used to writing and performing his own material, but once he got his character, he let loose and added something special. You'd throw something at him, and he would just go with it. He has this comedic spontaneity that stand-up comedy breeds." Tim Curry first came to the attention of movie audiences in the cult phenomenon "The Rocky Horror Picture Show." Since then his career has embraced all media including extensive voice work. Cast as the voice of the villainous falcon, Von Talon, Curry clearly relished the role. "Tim captured the menace and haughtiness of Von Talon," notes Chapman. "The Falcons are masters of the sky—the fastest, the strongest and potentially the most vicious, and therefore superior. I wanted Von Talon to be full of arrogance and posturing. Tim was so versatile in bringing that to the character." Hugh Laurie stepped forward to claim the character of Gutsy, the personification of pigeon excellence. He was also filming "Flight of the Phoenix" at the time and came back and forth to complete his voice role. Academy Award® winner Jim Broadbent, who took on the voice of Sarge, observed, "I loved doing 'Valiant.' It gave me the opportunity to play a type of role that I have always wanted to play, a sergeant who is a grizzled veteran, the very epitome of an Army drill sergeant." The voice of Felix, the crusty old seabird, was played by Britain's critically acclaimed and versatile John Hurt. The voice of Von Talon's sidekick was voiced by the popular comedic actor Rik Mayall. Olivia Williams ("The Sixth Sense") was thrilled to be cast as the voice of the nurse, Victoria, who is the object of Valiant's affections. "This," said Williams, "could be my only chance to snog Ewan McGregor— even if it is only a peck on the beak." A notable casting was John Cleese to voice the role of Mercury. Cleese said: "Doing animation is like radio and it's my favorite medium." The actor was heard as the voice of the King in "Shrek 2." "John Cleese," says Chapman, "is the Professor of Comedy. I didn't want his character, Mercury, to be stereotypical. He needed to be the sort of officer who had risen through the ranks. John delivered this wonderfully." "Valiant," the first 3D CGI film to be produced in the UK, was completed in January 2005. THE FLYING HEROES—THE TRUE STORY "Valiant" tells of the adventure of a little wood pigeon who becomes a hero in World War II when he joins Great Britain's Royal Homing Pigeon Service, an organization that advances the Allied cause by flying vital messages regarding enemy movements across the English Channel, while evading attacks by the enemy's Falcon brigade. In reality, fiction is based on fact: pigeons have long been used to carry messages in war situations, including during both World War I and World War II. Many pigeons delivered messages that saved human life, and large numbers of them died in the attempt. Some were awarded the Dickin Medal, the animal equivalent of the Victoria Cross, to recognize their bravery and contribution. Two animal organizations, The Amalgamation of Racing Pigeons and The People's Dispensary for Sick Animals (PDSA), were instrumental in providing support and reference to Vanguard Animation during the creation of "Valiant." They retold stories of the activities of pigeons in war and provided the opportunity for the animators to visit pigeon lofts, where they could examine the birds, study their behavior and record those behaviors to reference during the production. Derek Partridge, co-founding member of the Amalgamation of Racing Pigeons, an organization attached to the National Pigeon Service which did such an outstanding job during the war said: "We were keen to help the production by giving them a true reflection of what pigeons achieved in war time. Many people today who have not been to war know nothing about how pigeons were instrumental in saving so many lives." The military divisions of the Army, Navy and Air Force all used pigeons to relay important messages. When in difficulty, the forces would either attach these vital messages to the pigeon's leg or place them in capsules attached to their backs. They could then release the birds, knowing that they would use their homing instincts to find their way back to base. The PDSA presented the filmmakers with a copy of the Dickin Medal. It was given a place of honor in the studio so that all the animators could feel the reality of the story and to remind them that during the war, these little birds really did complete brave and amazing journeys. |
