With ‘Migration,’ Illumination’s Chris Meledandri Emphasizes Auteurism
variety.comBen Croll With “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” riding high to the tune of $1.3 billion in global receipts, and as Pharrell Williams lay in the wings to offer the producer a lifetime achievement award, Illumination CEO Chris Meledandri made sure to direct the lion’s share of attention to “Migration” director Benjamin Renner as the pair sat before a packed auditorium at the Annecy Animation Festival on Wednesday.
Taking the stage after premiering 25 minutes of “Migration” footage, Meledandri stepped (quite adeptly) into the role of interviewer, putting Renner in the spotlight and peppering the French filmmaker with questions about inspiration and artistry.
If the interest was genuine, it was also no doubt strategic, as Meledandri inferred to Variety in an interview following the presentation. “I would love for people to hear [directly] from Benjamin about his process and his intention,” said Meledandri. “That’s a very old fashioned idea — to get the filmmaker out there.
But that wasn’t necessarily a key part [of our last few releases.] The filmmaker attention came after ‘Mario,’ as opposed to before.” Of course, “Migration” is a markedly different beast.
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