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Dreamworks' newest animated feature film Abominable opens this week. The film from writer/director Jill Culton centers on Yi, a young teenager processing the loss of her father, who takes it upon herself to return a runaway Yeti named Everest back to his family in the Himalayas. It's a hero's journey for a young woman who discovers a power she never knew she had, learns to confront her personal loss, and rediscovers the power of family. Yi is voiced by Marvel Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s Chloe Bennett who does a fantastic job voicing her first lead character in a feature film. Yi is joined on this quest by her two friends, the enthusiastic, sports loving Peng (Albert Tsai) and the fussy Jin (Tenzing Norgay Trainor). This makeshift family must find a way to bring Everest home and avoid the villainous Burnish (Eddie Izzard) and the possibly villainous Dr. Zara (Sarah Paulson) in the process.

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Photo courtesy of DreamWorks Animation and Pearl Studio

Before the film’s release, I sat down with Chloe Bennet to discuss what spoke to her most powerfully about the emotional journey of Yi. We also discuss what a unique character Yi is and what Bennet hopes she will represent to young people everywhere who are processing loss in their lives or experiencing their own journeys of self discovery. She also gives me a unique one word answer to describe the upcoming season of Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Read the questions that I asked Chloe down below and watch the video above to see her answers. Abominable also features the voices of Eddie Izzard, Sarah Paulson, James Hong, and Tsai Chin.

Chloe Bennet:

  • Talk to me about the emotional journey that Yi goes on that really spoke to you as an actress and as a woman?
  • abominable-everest-yi-peng
    Photo courtesy of DreamWorks Animation and Pearl Studio
    Do you think this film and the character of Yi will speak to young people who are processing their own loss and show them a way out of that process?
  • Can you give me a one unique word to describe this upcoming season of Agents of S.H.IE.L.D.?

Here is the official synopsis for Abominable:

When teenage Yi (Chloe Bennet, Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) encounters a young Yeti on the roof of her apartment building in Shanghai, she and her mischievous friends, Jin (Tenzing Norgay Trainor) and Peng (Albert Tsai), name him “Everest” and embark on an epic quest to reunite the magical creature with his family at the highest point on Earth. But the trio of friends will have to stay one-step ahead of Burnish (Eddie Izzard), a wealthy man intent on capturing a Yeti, and zoologist Dr. Zara (Sarah Paulson) to help Everest get home.

abominable-everest-yi-peng-jin-1
Photo courtesy of DreamWorks Animation and Pearl Studio
abominable-everest-yi-peng-jin-2
Photo courtesy of DreamWorks Animation and Pearl Studio

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