Animation Directors Video Interview with Coco's Lee Unkrich

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Watch a 1-Hour Roundtable with Directors of 'Ferdinand', 'Coco', and 'The Breadwinner'

By Dave Trumbore

Published Jan 3, 2018

Plus 'The LEGO Batman Movie', 'The Boss Baby' and 'Despicable Me 3' directors join the discussion.

There's a good chance you didn't see all the excellent animated movies that came out in 2017, but there's still plenty of time to catch some of them in the theater before they make their way on-demand. The next best thing? Watching THR's one-hour roundtable discussion with some of the directors and creative decision-makers behind the year's biggest animated movies.

The outlet caught some heat last year for its animation roundtable discussion that featured seven White, male filmmakers talking about the importance of avoiding ethnic stereotypes and promoting well-rounded, non-traditional female roles. Now 2016's slate of animated films didn't offer all that many opportunities for diversity since most were directed by White men, with the sole exception being Kung Fu Panda 3 co-director Jennifer Yuh Nelson, but luckily 2017's did. The slightly more diverse gathering of directors field all sorts of questions related to their animated features, the process of making animated films, finding the perfect cast members, and of course the topic of gender bias in Hollywood and indie studios.

coco-d23-lee-unkrich — Image via Lee Unkrich

For animation fans, this is a must-watch. For folks out there who loved any of the following movies, the hourlong chat will also give you a new perspective on just how long it takes to get these movies made and how often that vision changes (or doesn't) along the way. There are some earnest discussions on display here and there's a lot to learn from these masters of the craft, especially if you're looking to get into animation yourself or are pursuing the next stage in your career. And as always, one of my favorite aspect of animation in general is that there's something for movie fans of all ages and tastes to enjoy; those are fairly well represented here.

Here's a look at the talent involved in THR's 2018 Animation Roundtable: