Writer/director DASH SHAW and animation director JANE SAMBORSKI go in-depth in this exclusive interview talking about the breathtaking, allegorical, kaleidoscopic, psychedelic, animated delight CRYPTOZOO!
Dash and Jane are the incredible team behind this fantastical tale that follows cryptozookeepers through a richly-drawn hallucinatory world as they seek out the mythical Baku, a dream-eating hybrid creature that looks much like a pig and baby elephant swirling in bubbles. Along the way we meet the most amazing mythological creatures collectively known as “cryptids” while thought-provoking discussion develops as the keepers/conservationists begin to wonder if they should display wondrous creatures like the Baku in a zoo or hide them and keep them safe from harm. With the military also seeking out the Baku for nefarious purposes, while wanting to kill all of the “cryptids”, lines are drawn between utopia and counter-culture idealism versus pragmatism leaving it up to each individual to choose their own path. With voice talents of Lake Bell, Zoe Kazan, Michael Cera, Louisa Krause, Peter Stormare, Thomas Jay Ryan, Grace Zabriskie and Angeliki Papoulia, Shaw’s story and Samborski’s animation soar with creativity, imagination, and entertainment.
With powerful metaphor behind Jane’s amazing animation, this is a film you’ll want to see more than once.
I spoke at length with writer/director DASH SHAW and animation director JANE SAMBORSKI as we talk about all things CRYPTOZOO:
- what came first – the animation or the story
- animation styles
- use of color
- designing and illustrating the “cryptids”
- story themes
- collaboration with composer John Carroll Kirby
- the meld of animation and music, Listen
- and for a bit of humor – tube socks
- and more. . .
TAKE A LISTEN. . .
by debbie elias, exclusive interview August 11, 2021
