PRODUCTION NOTES For additional publicity materials and artwork, please visit: http://lionsgatepublicity.com/theatrical/rockdog/ Rating: Run time: U.S. Release Date:
PG for action and language 90 minutes February 24, 2017
For more information, please contact: Liz Berger Lionsgate 2700 Colorado Avenue Santa Monica, CA 90404 P: 310-255-3092 E:
[email protected]
SYNOPSIS For the Tibetan Mastiffs living on Snow Mountain, a dog’s life has a simple riff: Guard a peaceful village of woolmaking sheep from the thuggish wolf Linnux (Lewis Black) and his rabid pack. To avoid distractions, Mastiff leader Khampa (J.K. Simmons) forbids all music from the mountain. But when Khampa’s son Bodi (Luke Wilson) discovers a radio dropped by a passing airplane, it takes just a few guitar licks for his fate to be sealed: Bodi wants to be a rock ‘n’ roll star. Yet that means defying his father’s wishes, heading to the city, and locating the legendary – and reclusive – musician Angus Scattergood (Eddie Izzard), who needs to write a new song and fast. If Bodi can put a band together, help Angus with his song, and defeat the wolves’ plot to take Snow Mountain, his life will be in tune. Bodi will become what he’s always dreamed of being: More than a dog … more than a Rock God… he’ll be a ROCK DOG! Summit Premiere presents, a Huayi Brothers Media Corp. and Mandoo Pictures production, in association with Huayi Tencent Entertainment Company, Eracme Entertainment, and Dream Factory Group.
DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT When I started on Rock Dog as a story consultant, I never planned to direct it. But it was like the girl who’s just a friend, until one day you’re suddenly in love with her. There was a lot to love about the project — producers at Mandoo who generously allowed me creative freedom, the challenge of making a high-quality movie with only a fraction of the budget of the major studio features (in itself a worthy creative endeavor), and the seeds of a compelling story already in place. Having had a lengthy background at Pixar, I share that studio’s love for simple storytelling and a focus on finding great depth and humor within each character. My approach to directing is to guide the film as gently as possible, and allow for everyone to plus the ideas, making room for possibility and happy accidents. This approach extended to the recording of our actors; the usual method is to record each actor separately. In the case of Rock Dog we brought them together, allowing them the freedom to play off each other and to improvise, and we walked away with superb performances and deeper characters. With our characters and natural performances in place to ground the film, I wanted to embrace a “cartoon” style with the animation and look of picture. The character designs are intentionally simple, borrowing from the strong shapes and silhouettes of hand-drawn animation. We even used “smear frames” and multiple limbs on characters for the more frenetic moments. With the music we had the opportunity to make the most of the animation medium; when Bodi hears a rock song on the radio for the first time, we go into his mind’s eye and see abstract visuals sync’d with the music. Bodi’s journey through this world of colors, shapes and sounds allows us to feel how the song makes him feel, and it becomes his de facto “I want” song. Because the main plot of Bodi’s musical journey was potentially thin for an 82-minute run time, we staged another story around it - a revenge plot involving a wolf gang aiming to attack Bodi’s village of sheep. By carefully weaving the two plots together, we found a way to create additional conflict, tension and humor, and give Bodi something bigger to fight for beyond just becoming a musician. That led to the discovery of the theme of the movie: “You get what you give.” Bodi’s dilemma, how to chase his own dream and also fulfill his responsibility to his family and community, is something we all encounter in our lives, and I hope the movie strikes a chord. But most of all I hope that Rock Dog reminds us that making music is a joyful thing.
- Ash Brannon
YOU CAN TEACH A TIBETAN DOG NEW GUITAR TRICKS Everyone knows dogs rule the rock world. From Elvis’ “Hound Dog” to Led Zeppelin’s “Black Dog” to AC/DC’s “Dog Eat Dog” – and from Neil Young to The Stooges to Joe Cocker to Three Dog Night – Man’s Best Friend has long been music’s greatest muse. No less than Bruce Springsteen said it best in “Promised Land”: “The dogs on Main Street howl ’cause they understand / If I could take one moment into my hands….” Now, in Rock Dog, one hound named Bodi takes the moment into his paws to save his mountain home, a legendary musician, a village full of sheep – and his own dreams of glory. The film is based on the popular Chinese graphic novel Tibetan Rock Dog, written and illustrated by Zheng Jun, who is renowned as one of China’s first and most popular rock stars, known for hits including “Back to Lhasa” and “Cinderella.” Published over a decade ago in two volumes, the fanciful fable Tibetan Rock Dog was rooted in what Zheng has called “A language we all share – cartoons, animals, and music.” At the time of the graphic novel’s publication, Zheng, who grew up in Tibet, relayed how his inspiration came from a very simple and sweet place: Zheng’s young daughter, he said, “loved dogs, and so I made up a story about dogs for her … I shifted my passion for rock music to Tibetan Mastiffs.” The story, Zheng explained, boils down to a simple message: “You need to pursue your dream with all your heart. But there is always something more important than your dream – love and loyalty.” Almost immediately upon publication, there was discussion of bringing Tibetan Rock Dog to the screen. “It really came as a pleasant surprise to me,” said Zheng, who noted that morphing his graphic novel into an animated feature would be a terrific chance to “introduce cross-cultural values and philosophies.” “Compared to rock music, [animated movies] are a universal language, which surpasses the boundaries of different cultures,” said Zheng, whose album “Naked” was an instant hit in China in 1994 and who won an MTV Video Music Award in 2002 for “1/3 Dream.” Plus, as Zheng has said, “Dogs and rock music make a perfect combination!”
WHO LET THE DOGS OUT?
When the time came to bring Rock Dog to the screen, Ash Brannon was the perfect person to know which notes to hit. An esteemed animator and filmmaker, Brannon was a story artist on Pixar’s historic and groundbreaking Toy Story (1995) and their popular follow-up, A Bug’s Life (1998). Brannon shared story credit on, and co-directed with John Lasseter and Lee Unkrich, 1999’s Toy Story 2, which won a Golden Globe® as Best Motion Picture (Comedy or Musical) and went on to make almost $500 million worldwide. In 2007, Brannon co-wrote and co-directed the Sony Pictures hit Surf’s Up, which was nominated for a Best Animated Feature Academy Award®. But for Rock Dog, Brannon channeled his inner Bodi and brought the new film together using a grass-roots approach. “Rock Dog was a lot different from the studio productions I’ve done, because we really had to create a whole infrastructure from nothing,” recalls Brannon. “With an independent film… you have to build a team and a workflow, and do it with minimal resources. We were literally building the film inside a loft in Venice, California, that wasn’t designed to be an animation studio. We had about four story artists working at their computers.”
“But that was the fun of it,” he added. “There’s a lot of excitement when you’re doing that, and that excitement really does transfer to the screen.” “It was very exciting, but also daunting,” Brannon notes. “We have this character, Bodi, who is undaunted, and so determined to become a musician. And Bodi kind of became our inspiration in those moments when we weren't sure what would happen the next day.” What happened in real life was that Brannon and his team made a movie that will charm and inspire kids, but which will also strike a chord with older audiences as well, he says. “We tried to layer in more adult themes and more adult comedy that would work for grown-ups but that would also work on a different level for kids,” says Brannon. “I wanted something simple in terms of its storytelling but deep in terms of character development.” Much of that depth came from Zheng Jun himself. Brannon reveals that the character of Bodi, especially the one animators brought to life, is very much a reflection of his creator. “Zheng Jun came over from China several times as we were trying to get the film going, and we sat and talked and got to know each other,” says Brannon. “And as he told me about his own life, the story of Rock Dog became less about the graphic novel, and more about Zheng Jun's life.” “Because he is Bodi, if you look at what happened to him,” adds Brannon. “His parents were pushing him to go into international finance until one day in the ’80s when he heard a Springsteen song. Then all of a sudden, he was off to Beijing to find a way to make a living as a musician, struggling, never giving up.” Beyond the spiritual specificity of Zheng’s biography, the creative team behind Rock Dog knew they needed a bigger yard for Bodi the Mastiff to play in, as it were. “There are a lot of cultural differences between China and the West, but quite a few commonalities too, and so we tried to really focus on what we have in common,” says Brannon. “And the themes of the movie are universal – finding your dream, and asking yourself questions: How do you pursue your dream and yet not forget your home, where you came from and the obligations you have to your family? Those are the types of themes that the story is all about, and really those work anywhere in the world.” As for the era in which Rock Dog is set, Brannon lets us in on a little secret – one that harkens back to the era of homegrown, flannel sweater-wearing, sing-it-and-get-signed grunge music. “One interesting little thing is that Rock Dog is set, if you look closely, not in the present day,” says Brannon. “It’s set maybe around 1990. We have cassette tapes and reel-to-reel tape portrayed in the film, and all the analog versions of audio that you don't see anymore.” “We did that mainly because those are physical objects,” he adds. “It’s all visual. I don’t know if you call that an Easter egg or not, but it’s kind of fun.”
ROCK ‘N’ ROLL, UNLEASHED! The musical tapestry in Rock Dog was a crucial part of the storytelling. Knowing it was so important, the filmmakers understood the film needed something to make audiences sit up and pay attention.
“The music for the film was a bit of a challenge,” says Brannon. “I wanted a really strong score because we needed strong themes for the emotional content. Rolfe Kent delivered that and more; his score is both eccentric and deeply moving. For the rock element we found songs that are classics and stand the test of time – from Radiohead, Foo Fighters and Beck – and the songs supported the emotional state of Bodi.” “I really love all the rock songs that we’ve put in the film,” Brannon continues. “Liza Richardson, who is a DJ in KCRW in Santa Monica, was our music supervisor. We worked together on Surf’s Up. And I loved finding songs that, when we cut them in, just landed naturally, and were the perfect fit.” Bodi’s adventure is punctuated by Beck’s “Dreams,” Foo Fighters’ “Learn to Fly,” and Radiohead’s “No Surprises,” and set to an equally mesmerizing score by composer Rolfe Kent, who’s scored the films of Alexander Payne (Citizen Ruth, Election, Sideways, About Schmidt), Jason Reitman (Thank You for Smoking, Up in the Air, Young Adult) as well as many other films, including Mean Girls, Wedding Crashers and TV’s “Dexter.” For Bodi’s most personal song, however, Brannon and his team needed to up the ante. “‘Glorious’ is the backbone of the movie,” says Brannon. “But it was also a real challenge for us. We knew that we wanted Bodi to create a song onscreen that would be very rough at first, just the seed of an idea. And then you would see the song grow and mature, until at the end of the movie, you get to see it performed for the first time.” “And it really all came about through a happy accident.” In 2013, Rock Dog producer David B. Miller’s daughter Ariel and her friend James Burnett spread the word at the Berklee College of Music, which both Ariel Miller and Burnett had attended, alerting students that the Rock Dog team were looking for a new song to anchor their film. Over 3,000 songs were submitted. “We thought it would be kind of cool if we could use an up-and-coming musician’s songs in the movie somewhere, maybe in the park where all the musicians like Darma, Germur and Trey are busking for money. But there was one that stood out.” That one was “Glorious,” written by former Berklee students: Adam Friedman, Julia Hoffman, Sam Fischer and Lijie Yang. It was created as an assignment for a class called “Hit Writing” and originally titled “I Can Love You More.” The four reworked some lyrics and changed the title to “Glorious.” “‘Glorious’ was exactly what we were looking for at the moment we needed it,” says Brannon. In 2014, Friedman met with Brannon and Miller to discuss the song. Originally written as a more serious, romantic tune, Friedman collaborated with Brannon to revise the lyrics so they synced better with the themes and morals of Rock Dog. Then Friedman got yet another honor. “Adam, in fact, has a voice that sounds very much like Luke’s, so he was also able to perform all of Bodi's singing parts for the film,” says Brannon. “It really was serendipity to the extreme.”
THE LEADERS OF THE PACK In the world of Rock Dog, Mastiffs guard sheep, wolves cook up plots, and one super-cool cat sits inside a mansion, fretting about his next smash record. To bring them all to life, Brannon brought in a funny and frisky collection of actors – then watched the fur fly.
“You choose voice actors once you have a really good sense of who the characters are,” says Brannon. “You want to find actors who can represent that character without having to try too hard, and who can really emote the entire performance through their voices. That's much harder than it sounds.” But everything turned out pitch-perfect. Wilson makes Bodi the perfect pedigree of laid-back coolness and hopeful hound, Simmons adds bite as Bodi’s mystically-powered dad, and Elliott provides his famous gravelly gravitas for Fleetwood Yak, the resident storyteller of Snow Mountain. Surrounding them are some of the funniest talents in TV, film and on the comedy stage. One of the behind-thescenes tricks used was allowing these performers to go with the flow. As Brannon says, “When you have comedians like Eddie, Keenan, and Lewis, you're insane if you don’t let them do what they’re great at. They were so good at improvisation that it was impossible to stick to the script! They understood they needed to get from point A to point B, but they found brilliant ways of getting there.” “The hard thing was really picking just one take, because at the end of the day, you can’t pick two,” adds Brannon. “They brought so much to the story and the characters that wasn’t in the script.” For Rock Dog’s famous cat rock star, Angus Scattergood, Izzard – whose stand-up often sees him quickly slip in and out of various personas and voices – he feels he created the character of Angus channeling all the senior rock stars he has ever heard of. He then just added a bit of his own understanding of fame and the creative process. “I wasn’t channeling a ‘cat,’ per se,” Izzard has explained, “but more a rock creative person who’s made such a ton of cash that they’ve lost all logic. Their feet aren’t on the ground. Their closest friend is a robot. I can’t relate to that, but, Angus is half me and half a crazed, paranoid cat who has lost his creative mojo. “There is a bit though where I say: ‘I didn’t sign off on that photograph!’ That is actually me,” Izzard jokes. “That has happened a few times.”
CHARACTER PROFILES
BODI Bodi is eternally optimistic and wants nothing more than to play music. Conflicted between his sense of duty at home and pursuing his dream in the city, Bodi is determined to be in a rock band and make his dad proud.
KHAMPA Khampa takes his duties as the village guard extremely seriously. Although he may be too militaristic or overly suspicious of outside threat, he’s motivated by his love for the villagers and his son. He wants Bodi to follow in his footsteps, but more importantly – he wants him to be happy.
ANGUS SCATTERGOOD Angus Scattergood is a rock legend with platinum records to prove it – but now suffers from a serious case of songwriter’s block. With enormous pressure from his record label to release a new hit single, he hides away in his grandiose mansion with Ozzie, his robot butler, as his only companion.
LINNUX Linnux gives new meaning to the phrase “big, bad wolf.” He is the CEO of Linnux Industries, alpha male of a sinister wolf gang and club owner of the Fight Palace. For those that stand in his way or get on his bad side, he’ll make them go head-to-head with his prize fighter, the Grizz.
FLEETWOOD YAK Fleetwood Yak is a cool and wise elder with many stories to tell. Having left the city life long ago, he has found peace living in Snow Mountain among the happy band of sheep, Bodi, and his old friend Khampa.
SHEEP The sheep are simple, happy and carefree folks, even when danger looms just beyond the mountain. They are obsessed with music and can get easily distracted, having the attention span of, well... sheep.
SKOZZ Skozz is Riff’s silent, but not so deadly partner in crime. Without peeping a sound, he frivolously complies with all of Riff’s villainous plans – or at least he tries to.
RIFF Riff is the smallest henchman with the biggest ego in the wolf pack. He tries to take on jobs bigger than himself just to impress his boss Linnux, but they almost always result in epic failure due to the lack of unity between him and his absent-minded partner, Skozz.
DARMA Darma has been playing her bass guitar at Rock ’n’ Roll Park for years, knowing that persistence and hard work will get her somewhere. With her approachable demeanor and grounded sensibilities, she is not only a cool rocker, but a genuine and loyal friend.
GERMUR Germur may be the most mellow goat around, but he can wail on a drum set like no other. Although he’s often forgetful or mentally checked-out, he can get along with just about anybody.
TREY Trey is arrogant, egotistic, and finds pleasure in humiliating any opposition he has. Like the best schoolyard basketball players, his great talent on the electric guitar is overshadowed by his inability to play well with others.
OZZIE Ozzie is Angus’ robot butler. Beyond his metal, square-shaped exterior, he is seemingly full of personality and wit and can get under the reclusive rock star’s skin quite easily.
THE GRIZZ The Grizz is the undefeated champion at Linnux’s Fight Palace. Hulking in size and more ferocious than any other animal, the Grizz can make the best fighters around want to run home to their mommies.
ABOUT THE CAST J.K. Simmons (Khampa) has appeared in a diverse range of projects spanning from motion pictures, television and the stage on and off-Broadway. He won the 2015 Academy Award® for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of merciless jazz instructor in Sony Pictures Classics’ Whiplash. His performance in the film also garnered him a Screen Actors Guild Award®, Golden Globe®, Independent Spirit Award and BAFTA Award, as well as many critics’ group awards around the world; Whiplash premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, winning the Dramatic Audience Award and Grand Jury Prize for Best Film. Along with his role in Whiplash, J.K. Simmons is best known for playing J. Jonah Jameson in Sam Raimi’s original Spider-Man trilogy & the off-beat, but not deadbeat, father in Jason Reitman’s hit comedy Juno. In October 2016, Simmons was seen in Gavin O’Connor’s The Accountant with Ben Affleck and Anna Kendrick. Most recently, Simmons can be seen in Patriots Day, which centers on the Boston marathon bombing and is directed by Peter Berg; he also recently wrapped Justice League, where he portrayed the iconic role of Commissioner Gordon. In 2016, Simmons completed production on The Snowman (starring Michael Fassbender), I’m Not Here (directed by his wife Michelle Schumacher), and The Bachelors (alongside Julie Delpy). Also in 2016, Simmons was seen on the big screen in The Meddler alongside Susan Sarandon, as well as his notable voice work in the hit animated features Zootopia and Kung Fu Panda 3. Additional select feature credits include Up in the Air, Burn After Reading, Thank You For Smoking, The Gift, The Mexican, The Ladykillers, Hidalgo, I Love You Man, Terminator: Genisys, Jennifer’s Body, and Labor Day. On the small screen, Simmons is also known for his iconic roles on Oz, The Closer, and Law & Order. Simmons has also appeared on the Broadway stage in performances of Guys & Dolls, Laughter on the 23rd Floor, A Change In The Heir, Peter Pan, and A Few Good Men.
Luke Wilson (Bodi) has established himself as of one the most versatile actors of his generation with his indelible performances in broad comedies, thoughtful dramas and provocative independent features. Wilson co-starred in the emotionally charged comedy, The Skeleton Twins, featuring Bill Hader and Kristin Wiig as estranged fraternal twins who coincidentally cheat death on the same day, prompting them to reunite. The film premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, and was released by Roadside Attractions in the fall of 2014. Wilson also co-directed, wrote, and starred in the short film Satellite Beach, which follows the unique journey of the Endeavour space shuttle as it travels through the streets of Los Angeles to the California Science Center, and the final move of the Atlantis Space Shuttle to the Kennedy Space Center. Wilson portrays ‘Warren Flowers,’ a devoted and unlikely shuttle manager who navigates the missions on his own accord while the citizens, reporters, and officials are perplexed by his involvement.
Satellite Beach won awards at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival, the High Desert International Film Festival, and the Knoxville Film and Music Festival. It was official selection at fourteen film festivals. Wilson can recently be seen in Justin Reardon's romantic comedy Playing It Cool, about the motivation pull of unrequited love and starring alongside Michelle Monaghan, Chris Evans and Aubrey Plaza. Additional projects include Kevin Connolly's Dear Eleanor; Ride, which was written and directed by Helen Hunt and the crime drama Meadowland. In 1996, Luke Wilson made his film debut in the acclaimed short Bottle Rocket, directed by Wes Anderson. The short premiered at the Sundance Film Festival, and after attracting the attention of James L. Brooks, the short became a
full-length feature film. From that moment, Wilson went on to star in more than 50 film and television projects including the two more Wes Anderson classics Rushmore and The Royal Tenenbaums. In 2005, Wilson wrote, starred in, and co-directed (with his brother Andrew Wilson), The Wendell Baker Story, alongside Eva Mendes, Owen Wilson and Eddie Griffin. Wilson's credits include Old School, the beloved college comedy with Will Ferrell and Vince Vaughn; the Legally Blonde franchise with Reese Witherspoon; the Charlie's Angels franchise with Cameron Diaz and Drew Barrymore; Blades of Glory and Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy also with Ferrell; Ivan Reitman's My Super Ex-Girlfriend opposite Uma Thurman; Mike Judge's satirical Idiocracy; the western 3:10 to Yuma; the heartwarming My Dog Skip; Hoot, based on Carl Hiaasen's beloved children's book of the same name; and Neil Labute's 2010 Death at a Funeral. Wilson also starred in the 2008 film Henry Poole is Here, which was nominated for the Humanitas Prize at the Sundance Film Festival. On television, Wilson's credits include co-starring with Laura Dern in the acclaimed HBO series “Enlightened”; as well as Fox's “That 70's Show”, HBO's “Entourage” and Comedy Central's “Drunk History.” Luke Wilson was born in Dallas, Texas in 1971.
Eddie Izzard (Angus Scattergood) is already one of the most celebrated comics of his generation and has also developed an equally stellar reputation as a film, television, and stage actor. Izzard is currently on his standup comedy tour, Force Majeure. Force Majeure is the most extensive comedy tour ever (we think). Launched in March of 2013, the tour has taken Izzard to 29 countries on five continents including all 50 of the United States. Izzard was also recently cast in Stephen Frears’ film, Victoria and Abdul, for Universal. Izzard will play the role of Bertie, Prince of Wales, who disapproves of the relationship between his mother, Queen Victoria (Judi Dench) and a young Indian servant (Ali Fazal) and tries to force the servant out of the Royal Household. On television, Izzard was last seen in the Sony PlayStation Network superhero fantasy and crime noir series, “Powers.” He also recently captivated audiences with his masterful performance as ‘Dr. Abel Gideon’ in Bryan Fuller’s series, “Hannibal.” Izzard also starred in and served as a producer on the critically acclaimed FX Networks series, “The Riches.” His other notable television credits include Castles in the Sky, Treasure Island, and Lost Christmas. Highlights from Izzard’s film career include Boychoir, Valkyrie, Ocean’s Thirteen and Ocean’s Twelve, Across the Universe, Mystery Men, Shadow of the Vampire, and The Cat’s Meow. His dramatic stage appearances include David Mamet's Race and The Cryptogram, the title role in Marlowe's Edward II, 900 Oneonta, and A Day in the Death of Joe Egg in London and on Broadway, which garnered him a Tony nomination for Best Actor. Izzard has also achieved great success with his one man shows including Stripped and Force Majeure. He now tours his show in four languages (English, French, German and Spanish) and on the 70th anniversary of D-Day, in Caen Normandy, he performed his show Force Majeure 3 times, in 3 hours, in 3 languages - German, English, and French (the 3 languages that the Battle of Normandy were fought in.) All proceeds went to charity. His performance in Dress to Kill earned him a New York Drama Desk Award and two Emmy® Awards. In 2010, Believe: The Eddie Izzard Story received an Emmy® Award nomination.
Izzard made his West End stage debut in 1993 in his one-man show Live at the Ambassadors, in which he received an Olivier Award nomination for Outstanding Achievement. Live at the Ambassadors was followed by a succession of critically-acclaimed shows including Unrepeatable, Definite Article, Glorious, Dress to Kill, Circle, Sexie and Stripped. On March 20, 2016, Izzard completed running 27 marathons in 27 days in South Africa as a tribute to Nelson Mandela and raised over £2.6 million ($3.3 million) for Sport Relief, a charity that helps improve the lives of people in impoverished countries. In 2009, Izzard ran 43 marathons in 51 days through England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland for charity and helped raise £1.8 million ($2.7 million) for Sport Relief.
Lewis Black (Linnux) is one of the most prolific and popular performers working today as he executes a brilliant trifecta as stand-up comedian, actor and author. Black's live performances provide a cathartic release of anger and disillusionment for his audience. He is a passionate performer who is a more pissed-off optimist than mean-spirited curmudgeon. Black is the rare comic who can cause an audience to laugh themselves into incontinence while making compelling points about the absurdity of our world. Black came into national prominence with his appearances on The Daily Show in 1996. Those appearances led to comedy specials on HBO, Comedy Central, Showtime and Epix. In 2001, he won the Best Male Stand-Up at the American Comedy Awards. He has released eight comedy albums, including the 2007 GRAMMY Award®-winning "The Carnegie Hall Performance." Black won his second Grammy Award for his album Stark Raving Black. Black has written three best-selling books, “Nothing’s Sacred” (Simon and Schuster, 2005), “Me of Little Faith” (Riverhead Books 2008) and “I’m Dreaming of a Black Christmas” (Riverhead Books 2010). In 2016, Black voiced “Anger” in the Academy Award®-winning Pixar film, Inside Out. As a playwright, much of his work has been produced around the country. The Deal, a dark comedy about business, was made into a short film in 1998 and picked up by the Sundance Channel. His play, One Slight Hitch, has been performed at The Williamstown Theatre Festival, ACT in Seattle, Washington, and the The George Street Playhouse in New Brunswick, New Jersey.
Kenan Thompson (Riff) has made numerous contributions to Saturday Night Live with his slew of hilarious impressions that include Rev. Al Sharpton, Charles Barkley, Steve Harvey and David Ortiz, and by playing memorable characters such as DJ Dynasty Handbag, the scathingly fierce co-host of Deep House Dish, boisterous second wife Virginiaca Hastings, and “Weekend Update” correspondent Jean K. Jean. Thompson has most recently garnered praise from audiences for playing characters Lorenzo McIntosh, a convict who uses "scare tactics" with delinquents, and D'Andre Cole, the disruptive singing talk show host on the wildly popular sketch, "What Up with That." A native of Atlanta, Thompson made his television debut as a member of Nickelodeon's all-kid sketch comedy series All That. He and his partner Kel Mitchell debuted on a spin-off show, Kenan and Kel, in 1996. Thompson also had a recurring role on the WB's Felicity. Thompson showcased his voice talents as Greedy Smurf in the animated films The Smurfs and The Smurfs 2. His past projects include starring opposite Samuel L. Jackson in "Snakes on a Plane," "Wieners" and "The Magic of
Belle Isle" with Morgan Freeman. Thompson has also lent his voice to the animated comedy "Space Chimps, the television series Sit Down, Shut Up and the Kobe/LeBron Nike puppet campaign during the 2009 NBA Playoffs. Other feature film credits include Fat Albert, D2: The Mighty Ducks, Good Burger, The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle, Heavyweights, My Boss's Daughter, Barbershop 2, and They Came Together. He was the voice of Austin Impresario Sullivan in the Hulu animated series The Awesomes. Thompson lives in Florida and New York City with his wife and daughter. His birthday is May 10.
Mae Whitman (Darma) is a versatile actress in both film and television. She recently starred in CBS Films’ comedy The DUFF as Bianca, a high school senior who instigates a social pecking order revolution after finding out that she has been labeled the DUFF (Designated Ugly Fat Friend) to her prettier more popular friends. Mae is also known for starring as Amber Holt, the bright, but rebellious daughter of Sarah Braverman (Lauren Graham) in NBC's drama series “Parenthood,” which recently had its finale after six seasons. For her role, she won a Gracies Award for Outstanding Female Actor in a Breakthrough Role and earned a Critics’ Choice Television Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. Mae appeared in the critically acclaimed film The Perks of Being a Wallflower, as Mary Elizabeth, starring opposite Logan Lerman, Emma Watson and Ezra Miller. She also let her comedic chops shine, reprising her role as Ann Veal in the Emmy Award®-winning “Arrested Development” on Netflix. A talented voiceover actress, Mae is the voice of Tinker Bell in the hugely successful Disney Fairies franchise and she voices the character of April O’Neil in “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” on Nickelodeon. Next came the record-breaking feature Independence Day, appearing as the President's daughter. One Fine Day was Whitman's fourth feature film (in which she played George Clooney's daughter). Robert Altman and Kenneth Branagh introduced her to improvisation with The Gingerbread Man. In Hope Floats she worked alongside Sandra Bullock, Gena Rowlands and Harry Connick Jr. Next came a trio of independents: the award-winning American Rhapsody with Scarlett Johansson; Henry Jaglom's Going Shopping and the festival hit Bondage with lleana Douglas and Michael Angarano. Whitman also appeared in Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World, the film adaptation of the underground graphic novel sensation. Whitman starred opposite John Cusack in the thriller The Factory, and the comedy Spring Breakdown, with Amy Poehler, Parker Posey and Amber Tamblyn. She also played Diane Lane's daughter in Nights in Rodanthe.
Jorge Garcia (Germur) is well-known by audiences worldwide for his numerous roles in film and television, where he has played sweet and genuine characters that lead unusually extraordinary lives. Prior to “Hawaii Five-0”, Garcia’s breakout role was as Hugo 'Hurley' Reyes on the Emmy® and Golden Globe® Awardwinning series “Lost.” He earned two Alma Awards for his work on the show. Garcia has guest starred in the television series “How I Met Your Mother”, on the Network, “Fringe”, “Once Upon a Time”, “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” Spin City and the television movie Columbo: Columbo Likes the Nightlife. Also, he was a series regular on “Becker,” on the Network, and the J.J. Abrams series “Alcatraz.” Recently, Garcia wrapped on the Happy Madison feature The Ridiculous 6, opposite Adam Sandler, Taylor Lautner, Terry Crews, Steve Buscemi, Danny Trejo, Will Forte, Nick Nolte and Luke Wilson. Soon, he will shoot the feature film The Healer, opposite Camilla Luddington and Jonathan Pryce. Next, he will appear in the feature film When We
Were Pirates. Garcia’s additional film credits include Cooties, The Wedding Ringer, Deck the Halls, The Good Humor Man, Little Athens and Sweetzer. Garcia first realized that acting might be his forte when he played a villain in his school’s seventh grade musical production. After graduating from UCLA, he joined the Beverly Hills Playhouse and has been working steadily ever since. On stage, he has appeared in productions of The Midnight Zone, Something Borrowed, Something Blue, Romancing Valentino, Fiddler on the Roof, Hurlyburly and Guys and Dolls. A native of San Juan Capistrano, California, Garcia resides in Los Angeles. His birth date is April 28. Follow him on Twitter @jorgegarcia.
Matt Dillon’s (Trey) successful film career has spanned over three decades and has showcased his wide range of dramatic and comedic talents. Dillon displayed his versatility with an arresting performance co-starring as a racist cop in the critically acclaimed Paul Haggis film Crash. This role earned him nominations for an Academy Award®, Golden Globe® Award, Screen Actors Guild® Award, Critics Choice® Award, BAFTA® Award and won him an Independent Spirit Award. In addition, the film earned him a Screen Actors Guild ® Award and a Critics Choice® Award for Best Ensemble. As the New York Times’ Film Critic A.O. Scott put it, “He seems to be getting better with every film.” He starred in Nothing But The Truth, opposite Kate Beckinsale and Vera Farmiga, Disney’s Old Dogs, opposite John Travolta, Robin Williams and Kelly Preston, and the Screen Gems films Armored and Takers. He starred opposite Kate Hudson and Owen Wilson in Universal Pictures’ comedy, You, Me And Dupree, and Factotum, for which he received glowing reviews for portraying Charles Bukowski’s alter ego when the film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. From his breakthrough performance in The Outsiders to his hilarious turn as an obsessed private investigator in There’s Something About Mary, he has proven himself to be one of the most diverse actors of his generation. In 1990 Dillon won an IFP Spirit Award for his gritty performance as a drug addict in Gus Van Sant’s Drugstore Cowboy. From there he went on to star in such films as Ted Demme’s Beautiful Girls opposite Uma Thurman and Natalie Portman, Cameron Crowe’s Singles, In & Out with Kevin Kline, Kevin Spacey’s Albino Alligator, Francis Ford Coppola’s Rumble Fish, Garry Marshall’s Flamingo Kid, Van Sant’s To Die For with Nicole Kidman, and John McNaughton’s Wild Things. Aside from being an accomplished actor, Dillon wrote, and made his feature film directorial debut with City Of Ghosts, in which he also starred with Gérard Depardieu, Stellan Skarsgård, and James Caan. Prior to City Of Ghosts Dillon made his television directorial debut in 1997 with an episode of HBO’s gritty prison drama “Oz.” Dillon’s achievements continue with television appearances in an HBO adaptation of Irwin Shaw’s Return To Kansas City, and a part co-narrating the documentary Dear America: Letters From Home . Dillon’s multi-talents have also landed him on stage starring on Broadway in The Boys Of Winter as well as the PBS/American Playhouse production of The Great American Fourth Of July And Other Disasters. His recent film credits include the comedy Girl Most Likely opposite Annette Bening and Kristen Wiig; the drama Sunlight, Jr opposite Naomi Watts, and the heist comedy The Art Of The Steal opposite Kurt Russell. Dillon also
starred in season one of M. Night Shyamalan’s hit television event series “Wayward Pines” for FOX. Dillon is currently in post-production on a documentary he directed about Cuban soul singer El Gran Fellove. Dillon resides in New York.
Sam Elliott’s (Fleetwood Yak) iconic career all began with a bit part in the classic film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. He rose to stardom playing the lead of the Paramount Pictures’ cult classic Lifeguard. Some of his most memorable roles include playing ‘Virgil Earp’ in Tombstone, ‘The Stranger’ in The Big Lebowski, ‘Lee Scorseby’ in New Line Cinema’s fantasy adventure The Golden Compass, ‘General Ross’ in Ang Lee’s Hulk, and ‘Kermit Newman’ in Rod Laurie’s The Contender. Elliott’supcoming work includes the independent feature The Hero, opposite Laura Prepon, Nick Offerman, Krysten Ritter, and Katharine Ross. The film was directed by Brett Haley, making it Elliott’s second collaboration with the director after their breakout hit I’ll See You in My Dreams, in which he starred opposite Blythe Danner. Recent films include Grandma, directed by Paul Weitz in which he co-stars with Lily Tomlin, Digging for Fire, directed by Joe Swanberg and with Orlando Bloom, Anna Kendrick, and Rosemarie DeWitt, as well as Disney’s The Good Dinosaur, directed by Peter Sohn, and opposite Frances McDormand, Anna Paquin, and Steve Zahn. His countless film credits include The Company You Keep, We Were Soldiers, Ghost Rider, The Hi-Lo Country, Did You Hear about the Morgans?, Barnyard, Off the Map, Gettysburg, Rush, Prancer, Fatal Beauty, Mask, Up in the Air, and Thank You for Smoking. On television, Elliott currently stars opposite Ashton Kutcher, Danny Masterson, and Debra Winger in the Netflix comedy series The Ranch, which is presently in its second season. He recurred on the hit series Justified, for which he won a 2015 Critics’ Choice Award. Elliott also recurred on Parks and Recreation. He was nominated for an Emmy® and a Golden Globe® for his role in Buffalo Girls. Other television credits include Fail Safe, You Know My
Name, which was a movie for TNT that won the first Golden Boot “Best of the West” Award, the miniseries Murder in Texas, Gone to Texas, The Sam Houston Story, The Yellow Rose and Fugitive Nights.
ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS Ash Brannon (Director, Screenwriter) is an Academy Award® nominated writer-director with over twenty-five years of experience in the industry. He directed and co-wrote the animated feature Surf’s Up at Sony Pictures. The film earned him an Academy Award® nomination for Best Animated Feature. From 1993 to 2000 Brannon was with Pixar Animation Studios, serving as a story artist and directing animator on Toy Story, and a story artist on A Bug’s Life. In 1996 he began development on Toy Story 2, for which he was a co-director, character designer, and story co-creator. His earlier career helped him to acquire a broad range of experiences. Starting as an animation trainee on Disney’s The Little Mermaid, he went on to serve as an animator at Amblin Studios in London, DreamWorks and Warner Bros. Animation. After studying the Character Animation Program at California Institute of the Arts, Brannon returned to teach a character animation class for two years. Currently Brannon is a creative consultant at Riot Games in Santa Monica. Brannon is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Kurt Voelker (Writer) was born and raised in Texas and went to graduate film school at USC, where he wrote and directed the award-winning short Decade Of Love. He has since written feature screenplays for Warner Bros, Disney, Fox, Sony, Paramount, MTV, Jerry Bruckheimer, Jerry Zucker and others. His work includes the Warner Bros. release Sweet November, starring Charlize Theron and Keanu Reeves. He also co-created “Sweden, Ohio,” a comedy pilot for Fox, developed the one-hour primetime drama “Naked” for We and recently worked on the writing staff of the NBC drama “Game Of Silence.” Voelker wrote and directed the award-winning independent feature Park and is currently in postproduction on The Whole New Everything, an independent feature that he wrote and directed, starring J.K. Simmons, Julie Delpy, Odeya Rush and Josh Wiggins. Zheng Jun (Creator, Screenwriter, Producer) founded Mandoo Pictures in 2009 to produce Rock Dog, the 3Danimated adaptation of his graphic novel “Tibetan Rock Dog.” A Chinese cultural icon for over twenty years, he has also released five studio albums and served as a judge on the popular television singing competition “The Voice of China.” Amber Wang (Producer) is an award-winning entertainment industry executive and producer with a history of facilitating China-U.S. collaboration. She brings extensive experience and connections on both sides of the Pacific Ocean to her leadership of Mandoo Pictures, and the background in both finance and production to manage projects from concept to completion. Among other credits, she produced both The Robbers (2009) and An Inaccurate Memoir (2012), which won a combined eight awards on the festival circuit. She previously worked as a vice president at Mirage Entertainment, facilitating the company's expansion into China and serving as its chief representative in Asia. Rob Feng (Producer) is an award-winning filmmaker, sought-after creative mind, and talented marketer with the rare ability to connect with audiences across many mediums and formats. Most notably, he won an Emmy ® Award in 2011 for his work on HBO's “Game of Thrones” and a Cinema Eye Honors Award in 2012 for his work on Errol Morris' feature film “Tabloid.” His diverse background also includes directing award-winning commercials in territories around the world, creative consultation for 20th Century Fox's video game division, and brand development and implementation for the successful startup dublab.com.
CREDITS Summit Entertainment Presents A Huayi Brothers Media Corp. and Mandoo Pictures Production In Association with Huayi Tencent Entertainment Company Eracme Entertainment Dream Factory Group Rock Dog In Memory of David B. Miller Directed by ASH BRANNON Screenplay by ASH BRANNON KURT VOELKER Story by ASH BRANNON ZHENG JUN Based on the Graphic Novel “Tibetan Rock Dog” by ZHENG JUN Produced by AMBER WANG JOYCE LOU DAVID B. MILLER ROB FENG ZHENG JUN Executive Producers WANG ZHONGJUN ZHENG JUN DENG FENG ANGELA WU ANDREW YANG WANG ZHONGLEI JERRY YE XU XIAOPING LIU SHENGYI TAN FEI CHUCK PEIL URI FLEMING MIKE BUNDLIE LAUREN SELIG Co-Producers NIU XUE BENJAMIN GILBERG HUANG BIN ALONZO RUVALCABA Associate Producers RICHARD ZHANG FELIX LIU YANG RUIYI ROGER LUO
Music Composed and Conducted by ROLFE KENT LUKE WILSON EDDIE IZZARD J.K. SIMMONS LEWIS BLACK KENAN THOMPSON MAE WHITMAN JORGE GARCIA With MATT DILLON And SAM ELLIOTT as FLEETWOOD YAK Casting by JEN RUDIN, CSA Edited by IVAN BILANCIO ED FULLER Production Designer ELAD TIBI Art Director CHRISTIAN SCHELLEWALD Character Design by MATTHEW BATES Additional Character Design by PETER DESÈVE Head of Layout JOHN CLARK Digital Supervisors DAVID ESNEAULT SCOTT PETERSEN Supervising Animator BILL HALLER Music Supervisor LIZA RICHARDSON Sound Design by STEVEN TICKNOR Production Manager JOANNA D. FERGUSON CAST Bodi LUKE WILSON Angus Scattergood EDDIE IZZARD Khampa J.K. SIMMONS Linnux LEWIS BLACK Riff KENAN THOMPSON Darma MAE WHITMAN Germur JORGE GARCIA Trey MATT DILLON Fleetwood Yak SAM ELLIOTT Floyd / Carl WILL FINN
Ian ASH BRANNON Radio DJ LIZA RICHARDSON Additional Voice Talent JULIE CRAIG DENG FENG KELLEN GOFF JENNIFER HALE MATT TAYLOR STORY Head of Story CAROLYN GAIR Storyboard Artists ASH BRANNON WILL FINN JOSHUA ZINMAN Additional Storyboard Artists KEITH BAXTER DENISE KOYAMA PHIL LANGONE OLIVER THOMAS Additional Story Material DENISE BRADLEY WILL FINN VINCENTE DISANTI CAROLYN GAIR NICOLE MCMATH JOSHUA ZINMAN Script Supervisor KATHY CAVAIOLA Story Coordinator VINCENTE DISANTI EDITORIAL First Assistant Editor LAWRENCE GAN Second Assistant Editor LAWRENCE GAN Second Second Assistant Editor SARAH DISANTI VFX Editors MASON HAYNES THORSTEN KNATZ Editorial Production Coordinator JEFFREY PHILLIPS ART DEPARTMENT Concept Artists JOHN BELL DENNIS GRECO Visual Development TUNA BORA ARMAND SERRANO ALEXANDRE DIBIONE ELISE HATHAWAY 3D Visual Development RAVINDER KUNDI CHRISTINA LEE
BIN LI Design Artists MICHAEL COY DUSTIN D'ARNAULT PETER J. DELUCA LUC DESCHMARCHEL SUNMIN INN KRISTY KAY JORDAN LAMARRE-WAN EDMUND LIANG PERRY DIXON MAPLE JAKE PARKER CLAYTON STILLWELL NICOLE MCMATH OLIVER TSZENG Supervising Production Manager Art CHRIS CRAIG Associate Production Manager Art KAT ELLIOTT Associate Production Manager Art/Editorial for Reel FX OLIVER BENAVIDEZ ADDITIONAL VISUAL DEVELOPMENT Jim Henson Visual Development Team Development Producer TROY NETHERCOTT Concept Development RUSTAM HASANOV Visual Development ERIC MARTIN RICHARD SMITHEMAN MICHELLE THIES Character Design DAVE COLMAN GARY DUNN Design Artists ELIZA CHAIKIN KENAN DAVID MERRITT ROY SANTUA Sculptor IRENE MATAR Video House Animation Studio Art Director ZORAN CVETKOVIK Animation Supervisor DAMJAN MITREVSKI Animation JOVAN MATOSKI MIHAIL NAUMOV Modeling TOMI DZUROVSKI DARKO MITEV Rigging ELENA BOSHKOSKA Texture IVAN NAJDENOVSKI
Lighting OGNEN JANKOVSKI TECHNICAL SUPERVISION Technical Supervisors HARRY MICHALAKEAS BRANDON L. HARRIS CG Supervisors ANDREW KINNEY GLO MINAYA Technical Directors WALTER BEHRNES RYAN BLAND TONY FAN MICHAEL JEFFERIES LOGAN KELLY JOSEPH KISER CHUN-WEI LAI TATSUYA NAKAMURA HIROMI ONO CHRISTOPHER PENNY TODD BOYCE CASEY JOHNSON GATES ROBERG-CLARK SETH SCHWARTZ Technology Project Manager ARI Q. PATRICK MODELING Modeling Supervisor TOM JORDAN Modelers TODD FECHTER MATTEO GHEZZI STEVE A. HILBERT SING KHAMNOUANE SARAH MOORE LIZ PARADIS CHRISTIAN SMITH NATHAN SMITHSON KEVIN TAYLOR RYAN TRAMMELL RIGGING Rigging Supervisor JOSHUA CAREY Lead Rigger DOUGLAS BELL Riggers ERIC BAKER JAMES DIREEN STEVE EGER KEN KANIPE DANIEL R. MCCRUMMEN RYAN PORTER SURFACING Surfacing Supervisor AARON THEDFORD Lead Surfacing Artist MEGAN SHAFFER
Surfacing Artists KAHI ASPELUND DIANE BRADLEY LAUREN DAVIS RON BUSHAW TODD HARPER MEG HIGGINBOTHAM HOLLAN HOLMES TYLER HUNTER CASEY KREFT KRYSTAL MCCRUMMEN MEGHANN ROBISON SARA SIMON-BEHRNES DANIEL ZINCK Associate Production Manager Digital Assets KYLE LAWSON Digital Assets Production Coordinator BRIDGET KIEFFER Look Development, Reel FX ALAN CHAN FRANCIS WU Shader Technical Director MARLIN ROWLEY ROUGH LAYOUT Rough Layout Artists TOM BRUNO JR. STEPHANE COUTURE JOSPEPH JONES CHRISTOPHER LEONE LETIA LEWIS MICHAEL WALSH BRIAN WALTERS KYOUNG PARK MONTY GRANITO DANIEL ZAMORA Rough Layout Coordinator MEGAN CAPRI FINAL LAYOUT AND SET DRESSING Layout Technical Director GERALD MCALEECE III Additional Layout Technical Direction JOSEPH P. JOHNSTON Set Dressing Lead AMY CHEN Final Layout and Set Dressing DALLAS DIETRICH ROD DOUGLAS MARISOL GLADDING GREG HULET MIKE WALLACE 3D Stereo Supervisor TOM DANEN Layout and Set Dressing Production Coordinator RACHEL NEYLAND ANIMATION Lead Animators ERNESTO BOTTGER
ERIC DROBILE RAY CHASE JASON PETROCELLI Feature Animators KENT ALFRED PAUL ALLEN BRYON CALDWELL HEATHER CARPINI JOSEPH CHONG STEVE CUMMINGS STEVE CUNNINGHAM MARIANO LOPEZ DAU MONICA ASTON NATHAN DILLOW DON DIXON SEAN ERMEY ROB FOX SHAUN FREEMAN ANDREW GONZALEZ TIM HATCHER J. RANDY HAYES KIM HAZEL KEVIN HERRON SHAWN JANIK MICHELLE KELLEY SHELDON KRUGER ALEXANDRE FORNARI KUMPEL AMELIA KURTH MATTHIAS LAPPE ROBERT PAUL LAZZARINI PAULO LOMBARDI WESLEY MANDELL SEAN MCCOMBER ALEXISS DAWN MEMMOTT MANU MENÉNDEZ DIXIE PIZANI MACK BO ROSS JASON RYAN BENJAMIN WILLIAM SANDERS BROOKE SHAY GEORGE SCHERMER CHASE SHIELDS ANDREA SIMONTI ALEX SNOW DORIAN SOTO ANGELO STA CATALINA CHRIS STREET MATTHEW THURMAN MIURIKA VALERY DIAZ DARRELL VASQUEZ VITOR VILELA LEON W. GITTENS BILLY WARD ADDITIONAL PRINCIPAL ANIMATION Little Zoo Studios Animation Supervisor JASON TAYLOR Lead Animators TODD WILBUR
Manager of Studio Operations STACY TAYLOR BRUNO CELEGÃO MONTEIRO Crowd/Fix Animation Lead DAVID B. VALLONE Crowd/Fix Animators CHRIS BURNHAM GERALD GREEN CODY CHILDRESS JOREEN DOLIN BILL JONES AMELIA KURTH SCOTT SIMMONS Associate Production Manager Digital Front-End Production Coordinators MELISSA BEERY LEA KOCUREK ANDREW MCTIGHE Production Assistant NATALIE WILLIAMS CHARACTER EFFECTS Character Effects Supervisor MONIKA SAWYER Character Effects Technical Supervisor PAUL-JOZEF MACOY TORREVILLAS Character Effects Artists ANDREW ANDERSON CHRIS BROWNE BARBARA ELLISON PATRICK GRAY SEAN MCEWAN JENNA RENARD DAN WRIGHTSELL RACHEL CRISCOLO SNEHA SHUKLA EFFECTS Effects Supervisor D. ERICH TURNER Additional FX Supervision JAKE RUSCH Effects Artists RYAN BOWDEN NUFFIELD JOSEPH BURNETTE JR. NICK ILYIN WILLIAM KONERSMAN CHRIS RASCH Effects and Character Effects Coordinator LILLY SECHRIST DIGITAL MATTE PAINTING Digital Matte Painting Supervisor RONN BROWN Technical Digital Matte Painter RYAN PRESTRIDGE Digital Matte Painting Artists QUIMET DELGADO CAROLEEN JETT GREEN ERIC URQUHART
Digital Matte Painting Coordinator VONG LEE LIGHTING Lighting Supervisor JEFF ALCANTARA Lighting Leads JESSICA HOGAN JEFF MASTERS CHRIS JOLLY TIMOTHY MORING Compositing Lead DOUG HOGAN Technical Lighter JULIE TERRELL Senior Lighting/Compositing Artists CHRIS FOWLER KEATON JAZZ KRAMER ELIZABETH HAUSER HEMME PETER MCCORD Lighting/Compositing Artists ALBERTO BEGUERIE BILLY B. BURSON III AMANDA FUJITA DANIEL GUINDI HILERY JOHNSON TYLER DELISLE KYLE HUMPHREY BETHANY LO RANDALL MANNING CHRIS MILLER CHAD ORR ESTHER PAROBEK SUNGMAN PYUN KELSEY RANDLE SIDDHANT SATOSKAR NICK SHIRSTY ANDY STIFEL ANDREW TRASK EDUARDO VELASQUEZ ED WHETSTONE LORI WILLIAMS SKY KEE YOUNG MICHAEL ZOLLINGER KATHY TRAN NICH ZUHOSKI Associate Production Manager Digital Back-End STEVEN WEIGLE Lighting/Compositing Coordinator ALLISON HARBIN Lighting/Compositing Production Assistant CASEY BRADEN BARNES Opening Sequence Animation by ELASTIC Director CARLOS STEVENS Art Director MAX ULICHNEY
Producers ANGELA FOSTER HEATHER JOHANN Line Producers WES LUI CASH B. LIM KATIE HASLEHAM TYLER PRATT Production CoordinatorCARMEL FIRDAWSI Head of Production KIM CHRISTENSEN Executive Producer BELINDA BLACKLOCK Managing Director JENNIFER SOFIO HALL Designers/Illustrators MAX ULICHNEY AKI YUN EJ KANG HENRY DELEON MICHAEL REITH Story Artist AURRY TAN Additional Story Artist JOE GIAMPAPA Animation Supervisor CHRISTIAN LAROCQUE Backgrounds TEO KIRIAKOV DAVID BADOUR NINA VELIKOVA Builds ANTHONY NG STEPHANIE CHAN Scene Setup ROB BUCHANAN THEA KENDALL MIKE COLLYMORE SONIA BEINGESSNER Animation ANDY COYLE MELISSA COURVILLE NAOMI EDWARDS STEFAN FRANK BARRY KENNEDY PHIL LANOIX ADAM POCKAJ PATRICK PARADIS HERRY DWIYANTO MATT HAINS CARLO NICOLETTA MICHAEL REITH COLLIN TSANDILIS ERIKA WORTHYLAKE
Effects STEVEN DO TYLER DIBIASIO TYLER ROSE JEFF JIP JEONG MATT STEWART SAM SPARKS YONGSUB SONG VINCENT WANG Compositing JOHN CORBETT SCOTT COLEMAN STEVEN DO CEDRIC DUFOUR CHRIS GOETTLER JAMES HURLBURT JEFF JIP JEONG CEDRIC LAVERGNE MARK GARNES TONY KANDALAFT ANDRZEJ NEUGEBAUER SY NGUYEN VU NGUYEN MICHAEL O'DONNELL DANIEL RAVI-THAKORLAL SAM SPARKS YONGSUB SONG ALLEN TAM RICHARD "TRIX" TAYLOR VINCENT WANG CLAUDIA YI LEON Compositing Assistants CHRISTINA HALSTEAD SUSAN HOWE Opening Sequence Editorial by ROCK PAPER SCISSORS Editor JAMIE FOORD Assistant Editor LAUREN DELLARA Producers LEAH CARNAHAN GLADYS BERNADAC Executive Producer LINDA CARLSON Dream Sequence Visual Effects by ELASTIC Director ANDY HALL Lead Compositor SHAHANA KHAN CG Supervisor KIRK SHINTANI Additional Compositors MACIEK SOKALSKI ALICIA SUGGS
Dynamics MIGUEL SALEK JOAO ROSA VIVIAN SU Color and Lighting PAULO DE ALMADA Animator ABEL SALAZAR Producer JAMIE MCBRIETY Head of Production KIM CHRISTENSEN Executive Producer BELINDA BLACKLOCK Managing Director JENNIFER SOFIO HALL POST PRODUCTION Post Production Supervisor DAVID DRESHER Re-Recording Mixers TATEUM KOHUT STEVEN TICKNOR GREG ORLOFF Sound Effects Editors JOE IEMOLA JAMIE HARDT ADR Supervisor ROBERT JACKSON Dialogue Editors DAVID WILLIAMS ANDY SISUL Foley Supervisor SHAWN KENNELLY Assistant Sound Editor MATT HANSON Foley Artists VINCENT NICASTRO MELISSA KENNELLY Foley Mixer SHAWN KENNELLY ADR Mixer HOWARD LONDON Re-Recording Mix Technicians DENNIS JOHNSON BRIAN BASHAM Post Sound Services provided by SONY PICTURES STUDIOS CULVER CITY, CA Los Angeles Production Dialogue and ADR recorded at THE LA STUDIOS Recordists CARLOS SOTOLONGO CAMERON DAVIS Additional Los Angeles Production Dialogue and ADR recorded at MARGARITA MIX
Mixer JEFF LEVY Additional Los Angeles Production Dialogue and ADR recorded at SONY PICTURES STUDIOS ADR Mixer HOWARD LONDON New York Production Dialogue and ADR recorded at BIG YELLOW DUCK Dialogue Dubbing Engineer MARC BAZERMAN Assistant Dialogue Dubbing Engineer CHRIS GIBNEY Tampa Production Dialogue and ADR recorded at SOUND ASYLUM Recording Engineer ZACH MOODY Atlanta Production Dialogue recorded at DOPPLER STUDIOS Recording Engineer JOHN DOUGLASS Additional ADR recorded at STEPBRIDGE STUDIOS Recording Engineer EDGARD RIVERA London Production Dialogue recorded at CODA POST PRODUCTION Dialogue Record Transcription Services DEBBIE ZIMMERMAN ADR Group Voice Casting THE LOOPING GROUP 3D Digital Intermediate by FOTOKEM DI Colorist JOHN DARO DI Editor ERIC WOOD Vice President & Senior DI Producer JOSE PARRA DI Producer SUE ALEXANDER Senior Vice President TOM VICE Visual Consultant KARL WALTER LINDENLAUB, ASC, BVK End Titles designed and created by JOHN CLARK ASH BRANNON End Credits created with ENDCRAWL.COM MUSIC Music Supervisor LIZA RICHARDSON Music Editors NICK SOUTH BRUNO COON Assistant Music Editor LENA GLIKSON Conducted by ROLFE KENT Orchestrated by TONY BLONDAL
Score copied by B, B&G MUSIC SERVICES Additional Orchestrations by RICHARD BRONSKILL Score Coordinator STERLING POWERS Composer's Assistant JOYA MARTUCELLO Score recorded at AIR LYNDHURST STUDIOS Music Engineer NICK WOLLAGE Assistant Music Engineers FIONA CRUICKSHANK CHRIS BARRETT ALEX FERGUSON Performed by THE CHAMBER ORCHESTRA OF LONDON Musician's Contractor GARETH GRIFFITHS Ethnic Winds, Shell Solos HAGAI IZRAELI Cello Solos MARSHALL MCDANIEL Additional Music by DANIEL MANDELMAN Score mixed at CAPITOL RECORDS, LOS ANGELES Mixed by GREG TOWNELY Assistant Mix Engineers CHANDLER HARROD STEVE GENEWICK Additional Music Clearance by JILL MEYERS MANDOO PICTURES (USA) CO., LTD. Executive Coordinator JAMI A. KIYOHARA Associate Production Coordinator KYLE KLEIN Producer's Assistant OZZIE TORRES Technology Support ANDREW KIM Production Assistants ARIEL MILLER ANDREW LEIGHTY Production Accountants LUCY WANG KEITH WEE CHRIS KAHN MANDOO PICTURES (BEIJING) CO., LTD. Chairman ZHENG JUN
CEO AMBER WANG General Manager NIU XUE Financial Manager TANG YANING HR & Administration Director WANG ZHUANGHUI Administration Assistant WANG HUAN Accounting LI MENG Marketing Specialist RUAN XU Promotion Specialist WANG XINPING Translator ZHAO HENG Chairman Assistant CHANG SIWEI CEO Assistant CAO JIA Cashier SUN NA Driver GAO DIANBO MANDOO PICTURES (TIANJIN) CO., LTD. COO / Financial Manager HR & Administration Assistant WANG MIAO CHEN YU HUAYI BROTHERS MEDIA CORPORATION Lead Production Managers SHERMAN LAI LI SHUFENG ZHENG BO Production Managers OUSHA YANG SUN HE Directors of Finance ZHOU HAO LU XI JOYCE LOU Finance Managers LUO NAN WU YANLING WANG DI Director of Marketing and Promotion ANN LIU Directors of Publicity OSCAR YANG SONG XIAODI LIU MEILIN
Publicity Managers EMILY XU LU YANG JIA GUANG VERA FANG ANGELINA QI YANG KEYI XIE YINGYING SUN RONG WANG LONG Director of Marketing Materials XU DING Marketing Materials Managers ZHU YANQI WOLFY MENG Talent Coordinators ZHU LINA AMY XIN Director of Publicity Media YANG HONGXIA Publicity Media Managers HU JING YANG YI Marketing Partnerships GAO SEN Business Development XU LETONG Data Marketing and Planning WANG HONGYAN WANG YANJIE WANG YUQI Directors of Distribution ZHANG QIAN SUN AO Online Distribution WANG XIA ZHAO SHENG GU YINGXI Offline Distribution ZHANG WEIYU QIU YI LI JIANGHAO YIN PENG XIE LEI LI YANG WANG ZHAOYANG ZHANG HAO XIE QIONG LANG MIN LI MENGYANG WANG YINGCHUN JIANG SUSHUANG SHEN JINGHAO YUE JINGSIYA ZHUANG JINGTAO LIANG QIYUN
CAI YUN HE XIAOLIN CAO YANG HUANG SHUO GAO XUFENG LIU QUAN LIN CHENG BI XIAOLE JIANG LIU ZHOU LIXIN JIAO WENJUN CHEN CHEN LUO BEI CHAO TIANRAN YOU HAO CUI KEXIN ZHANG QIANG YANG BIN LI YANG NI CAI YE JINJING MA XIAOGUANG TIAN KAI YANG BO TAO XIAOQIAO ZHANG GUOHUA ZHENG QIONGQIONG REN ZHEN XU YUE CHEN MO YU HONGYANG FANG JIAFENG XIONG MEIMEI SONG YANGZI ZHANG XINYI JIN XIN LIU CHENYI YIN HONG SUN HAO GE QIHANG ZHANG ZHEN XU LINA WANG HAIWEI ZHANG XUE LIU SHUYI DAN ZHAOYUN LV XIAOYI YANG XIAOLONG ZHENG DAN YANG QIAN YOU ZHEMIN MI NING HUANG YA SHENG YU International Distribution CELIA HAO LYRA ZHANG H. Brothers Brand Management Ltd. SONG ZIZHENG IP Development DAVID HAN
Ancillary Development RUBY LIANG CUI WEIFANG ZOU JIE Legal Services provided by KLEINBERG, LANGE, CUDDY & CARLO, LLP CANDACE CARLO CHRISTINE CUDDY URI FLEMING SARA EPSTEIN MARKO KUO ALEXANDER PLITT Business Affairs services provided by WOLF, RIFKIN, SHAPIRO, SCHULMAN & RABKIN, LLP ROGER GOFF REEL FX MANAGEMENT Chief Executive Officer STEVE O'BRIEN President DAVID ROSS Chief Operating Officer KYLE CLARK Chief Financial Officer DONNA HENRY Head of Production DAVID A. PARRISH Head of Business Affairs HELEN JORDA Head of Technology ROSS MOSHELL Director of Production Finance MARC MATTHEWS Director of Media Engineering FRANK SALAZAR Executive Producer Special Projects PETE HERZOG Director of Marketing KATHERINE HARPER Controller LIZ WALSH Director of Human Resources COLLEEN CARTMILL Director of IT and Facilities SCOTT CORRELL Studio Production Manager JENNA GRIGG THOMAS Studio Post Production Supervisor TIM ARCHER Executive Assistant JULIE DENMAN Production Finance Manager SARA LAMINACK CAFFEY Production Finance Analyst HEATHER DRUMMONS Production Accountant MARTHA MENA Central Production Coordinator JENNIFER KIMBERLY RUELAS Artist Management and Recruiting MARTA SWINGLE MARKS
Senior Artist Manager GLADYS BELLOSO Artist Managers KIM BENZINE ROWELL CG Rendering NICHOLAS HURM MIKE ROMERO HEATHER HOWARD DAVID VERONA Technology Support AUSTIN ALLEN HECTOR BARRERA SHERI HENDON DENNIS MCGRATH DAVID STEWART Insight Development KELLY REDDING COLLIN REDDING PATRICK WILKIN Media Support and Engineering JUSTIN GLADD MATT PITTMAN Temporary Sound Editing JOHN O'BRIEN MICHAEL SHARP TJ CALLAWAY FRANK PITTENGER Facilities Support TRACY ALDRIDGE JASON CAFFEY SAM CLARK Rights & Clearances by ENTERTAINMENT CLEARANCES, INC. CASSANDRA BARBOUR LAURA SEVIER Special Thanks ANDREW ROBINSON JARED UNDERWOOD CITY OF CHONGQING, CHINA MIRAGE ENTERTAINMENT Production Babies Alston Miranda Landon Mackayla Raymond Chenxi Yuxuan Anabel Elise Annabelle Marie Emma Katherine Emory Bradley Frank-Philton Lucy Elizabeth Sofia Lin
SONGS "Camptown Races" Composed by Vincent Blin, Unknown, and Pierre Bonjour Published by Kosinus APM "Leave Your Light On” Writer: Ryder Ahren Buck Recording Artist: Ryder Buck & The Breakers Under License by EaglesQuest Music "Mariachi De Amigos" Composed by Donald Quan and Richard Lazar Published by Night Metro Park "VII Babies" Written by Jane Penny, David Carriere, Riley Fleck, and Thomas Gillies Recording Artist: Tops Record Label: Arbustus Records Under License by Riptide Music Group LLC. "Una Voce Poca Fa (B)” Composed by Public Domain and Gioacchino Rossini Published by Sonoton APM and Sonoton Music GmbH Co KG "Feux Follets - Opensound Vintage" Composed by Raffaele Gervasio Published by Opensound Edizioni Musicali. Sic / Engine Co 30 Music "Shout It Out" Written and Produced by Daniel Mandelman and Jaco Caraco Courtesy of Daniel Mandelman - Papas Dream Music and Jaco Caraco - Caraco Music "Salute" Written by Adam Deitch Performed by Lettuce Published by Public Ear Publishing Courtesy of Velour Recordings Inc. By arrangement with Ocean Park Music Group "That's the Way That I Like It" Written by Bruno Coon Performed by Adam Friedman Published by Ochossi Music "Learn To Fly" Written by David Grohl, Taylor Hawkins, and Nate Mendel Published by MJ Twelve Music administered by Songs of Kobalt Music Publishing, Universal Music Corp. on behalf of Living Under a Rock Music, and Flying Earform Music Performed by Foo Fighters Courtesy of RCA Records By arrangement with Sony Music Licensing "No Surprises" Written by Colin Charles Greenwood, Jonathan Richard Guy Greenwood, Edward John O'Brien, Philip James Selway, and Thomas Edward Yorke Published by WB Music Corp. on behalf of
Warner-Chappell Music Ltd. Peformed by Radiohead Courtesy of XL Recordings Limited "Seven Trumpets" Written by Frank Joseph Palazzolo / Eric Lee McNeely Recording Artist: Dirty Monster Under License by Frank Palazzolo o/b/o Phrankly Music Publishing / Eric McNeely Songs "Dreams" Written by Beck Hansen, Gregory Kurstin, and Andrew Wyatt Published by Youthless administered by Kobalt Music Publishing America, Inc., EMI April Music Inc., Kurstin Music, and Downtown DMP Songs / White Bull Music Group Performed by Beck Courtesy of Capitol Records, LLC. Under License from Universal Music Enterprises "Glorious" Written by Adam Friedman, Julia Hoffman, Sam Fischer and Lijie Yang Performed by Adam Friedman Published by Burnett Music Group No. 50651 COPYRIGHT © 2016 MANDOO PICTURES (USA) CO., LTD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. MANDOO PICTURES (USA) CO., LTD. IS THE AUTHOR OF THIS MOTION PICTURE FOR THE PURPOSES OF U.S. COPYRIGHT LAW AND THE BERNE CONVENTION, AS WELL AS OTHER INTERNATIONAL LAWS GIVING EFFECT THERETO. THE CHARACTERS AND EVENTS PORTRAYED IN THIS MOTION PICTURE ARE FICTITIOUS. ANY SIMILARITY TO ACTUAL PERSONS, LIVING OR DEAD, OR TO ACTUAL EVENTS IS PURELY COINCIDENTAL. OWNERSHIP OF THIS MOTION PICTURE IS PROTECTED UNDER THE LAWS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND OTHER COUNTRIES. ANY UNAUTHORIZED DUPLICATION, DISTRIBUTION OR EXHIBITION OF THIS MOTION PICTURE OR ANY PART THEREOF (INCLUDING SOUNDTRACK) COULD RESULT IN CRIMINAL PROSECUTION AS WELL AS CIVIL LIABILITY.