Ferdinand the Bull
Ferdinand the Bull was my favorite childhood book growing up and now it’s my sons. When I picked up the book after all these years, it took me back to my mom reading it to me. Ferdinand the Bull is a story about a bull whose filled with love, compassion and a wonderment for life. All Ferdinand wants is to literally to stop and smell the flowers, show kindness to all living things, and is totally unaware of the ugliness of the world. A Bull that sees the world through rose-colored glasses.
What will come as surprise is that Nick Jonas has a new song for the Ferdinand soundtrack! I asked him during our press junket what attracted him to Ferdinand? Nick loves the story, Ferdinand was a story that his mom read to him, it’s extremely sentimental.
Did you know Ferdinand was a passion project for director Carlos Saldanha, he’s been working on this project for 4 years! Mr. Saldanha message from the classic book, “having the courage to be true to who you are no matter what,” was his biggest responsibility. “The message is so big,” he said. “Making sure that every character carried that message, that was my goal. That’s how we expanded the story. But, believe me, it was not easy.” Mr. Saldanha in finding John Cena, he looks like Ferdinand, he’s so big and he’s so gentle.” “When John came into record the first pages, it was like magic. He became the character. He is the character. Once that happens, it’s all good.”
John Cena couldn’t agree more on the movie's agenda, "The movie sends a message that resonates very strongly with me: don't judge a bull by its cover," Ferdinand is captured by bullfighters because of his large size, but because he hates violence, the bull decides he must escape with the help of some animal allies. “He’s a peaceful bull, people think he’s a fighter because he’s a big bull. Sound familiar?” said the WWE superstar! John, is a big gentle bear and I couldn't imagine anyone else playing Ferdinand.