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Earth to do. I cannot hand it over to Hollywood — even with all the assurances and even with being a producer or director. … “At first I was going to direct it. They all said no. “They all offered tons of money. I was offered so many Faustian bargains, I felt like my soul was up for purchase — insane sums of money were offered, and I had to go, ‘No. These are the conditions of which I will do this. Take it or leave it.’ And they’d say, ‘No, but here’s a shitload more money.’” He stood firm because he was very interested in the film’s audience, and cautious about the way money works. “These characters stay vivid and powerful in kids’ imagination,” he says. “More than if they are handing out coupons or selling products on TV. The way you see them in your head as a kid is pretty magnificent. [The Easter Bunny, Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy] do all these things in one night. They judge you. There’s a lot more mythic power to them as a child than when you are a grownup. We wanted to honor that. “You shouldn’t let large fast-food chains define who Santa Claus is, OK.” When DreamWorks heard his plan and saw the film Joyce and Oldenburg made, its team was interested. “The head of the studio, Jeffrey Katzenberg, said, ‘I like this idea. I like your take on it. I like that you want Santa Claus and the Guardians to be grand heroes. I like it epic,’” Joyce says. They inked a deal in early 2007, and Reel FX, which had been using the film as one of its calling card demos, pulled the film off the Internet as part of the deal with DreamWorks.
Gambit > bestofneworleans.com > november 13 > 2012
In 2009, Joyce was at a point in which he wanted to travel less. He’s a Shreveport native, his daughter was ill and he wanted to be away less often.
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The concept art for E. Aster Bunny and the DreamWorks version in Rise of the Guardians. CONCEPT ART PROVIDED BY WILLIAM JOYCE. RISE OF THE GUARDIANS © 2012 DREAMWORKS ANIMATION LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.