A delightful and fun in-depth exclusive interview with the creative force that is JEREMY ZAG talking about bringing his acclaimed popular animated children’s series “Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug and Cat Noir” to Netflix with MIRACULOUS: LADYBUG & CAT NOIR, THE MOVIE.
No stranger to the “Miraculous” franchise thanks to catching various episodes of the computer-animated series over the years, I was tickled to learn there would be a stand-alone movie telling the adventures of ordinary teenager Marinette whose life in Paris goes superhuman when she becomes Ladybug. In this stand-alone movie, rather than pick up from the series, Jeremy Zag starts with fresh eyes introducing us to Marinette aka Ladybug. In MIRACULOUS: LADYBUG & CAT NOIR, THE MOVIE, we learn of Ladybug’s magical power of creation as she unites with her opposite power Cat Noir in order to save Paris as a new villain unleashes chaos unto the city.
The Founder and CEO & CCO of ZAG, a global independent studio, JEREMY ZAG is an award-winning producer, director, writer, and music composer for films, television series, and digital entertainment designed for kids and families. Under the “Zag Heroez” label, Jeremy has created the globally beloved MIRACULOUS: TALES OF LADYBUG & CAT NOIR franchise (including this first standalone film) as well as “Ghost Force”, among others.
Written and directed by JEREMY ZAG and co-written by Bettina Lopez Mendoza, with score and songs composed by Jeremy Zag, MIRACULOUS: LADYBUG & CAT NOIR, THE MOVIE stars the voice talents of Cristina Vee Valenzuela (Marinette / Ladybug), Bryce Papenbrook (Adrien / Cat Noir), Keith Silverstein (Gabriel Agreste / Hawk Moth), Carrie Keranen (Alya), Selah Victor (Chloé Bourgeois), Zeno Robinson (Nino), Chris Smith (Tom), Anne Yatco (Sabine), Paul St Peter (Wang Fu), Mela Lee (Tikki), Max Mittelman (Plagg), Cassandra Lee Morris (Sabrina), and Sabrina Weisz (Nathalie).
One look at MIRACULOUS: LADBYBUG & CAT NOIR, THE MOVIE and I was utterly enchanted. And one of the things that really stands out for me with this film is that it is an animated musical, a musical in the truest sense of the word. As if designed by the renowned creatives in the Arthur Freed unit at MGM in the Golden Age of Hollywood movie musicals, every song is part of the dialogue and story. Everything about this film is cohesive. Nothing is just “dropped in” to fill a place. Every aspect of this film has a purpose from the animation to the use of color and the specificity of the color; a beautiful blend of Asian influences and the mythology of these “Miraculouses” and Kwami; the hallmarks for what Paris is most known. And the characters are fantastic. Each has traits, especially our heroes and their BFFs, that are resonant and that we can connect to. And most notable are the themes of self-esteem and self-belief as important messages that carry through the entire film. But above all, it is Zag’s decision to deliver an origin story at a feature film level that everyone can enjoy that truly makes MIRACULOUS: LADYBUG & CAT NOIR, THE MOVIE, a joyous delight.
JEREMY ZAG is an exuberant delight. You hear the excitement and passion in his voice as he discusses at length the making of MIRACULOUS: LADYBUG & CAT NOIR, THE MOVIE. Just some of the topics we discuss in this interview are:
- The importance of having the right voice cast in the movie.
- Giving every character a purpose with sufficient screen time so the audience knows their purpose in the grand scheme of the story
- Animation Design and Music
- Developing the animation design with full-scale musical production numbers, including nods to Baz Luhrmann’s “Moulin Rouge”
- Composing the music and how the music elevates the cinematic experience
- Color and its purpose for characters and tonal bandwidth
- Visual references such as the paintings of Monet
- Themes, particularly the power of believing in oneself
- Approaching the film from his memories as a kid and watching class Disney movies and Japanese anime
- Setting the film in Paris and finding the balance between Old World charm and modern day
- His directorial learning curve going from individual episodes of “Miraculous” to a feature film
- and more!
TAKE A LISTEN. . .
by debbie elias, exclusive interview 07/26/2023
MIRACULOUS: LADBUG & CAT NOIR, THE MOVIE is now streaming on Netflix.
