BACK TO THE OUTBACK Debuts Globally on Netflix December 10!
Thank you Clare Knight and Harry Cripps for sitting down and talking with us about BACK TO THE OUTBACK! BACK TO THE OUTBACK
Debuts globally on Netflix December 10. Catch the entire interview above!
Harry Cripps
BACK TO THE OUTBACK is a celebration of the animals and the landscape of Australia. I grew up in Sydney, and in the Blue Mountains, both of which are featured in the movie, and both are full of wildlife. The house where I spend a lot of time in the mountains, it's got kangaroos out the back. There's always snakes coming through. There's always huge spiders on the roof as you sleep. To grow up with all of these creatures, and to be able to give them characters and personalities was the thrill of a lifetime. We always wanted the film to be a love letter to all the wildlife, the flora and fauna of Australia. It was a great honor to be able to write that love letter to the country where I grew up.
Clare Knight
Maddie blossoms through her journey, and realizes that everything she hates about herself is what makes her special. It’s a lovely message: whoever you are, however you are viewed by anyone else, if you love yourself, you'll be okay. Being unique, being who you are—even if you’re a little bit deadly—is okay. Those are lovely messages to put out into the world.
I’m thrilled that Netflix saw that an editor like me could become a director, and fostered that mentorship. Harry and I had known each other before, in a studio setting. And I think in those studio settings, you get a little bit pigeonholed. Netflix was that place that was giving opportunities to people they knew could deliver, so it felt very comfortable to move up. That idea of mentorship is really important in my world, and for women in animation. I’m excited to be the first of many female directors of Netflix animated films. In my own journey, I started out wanting to be a director, but I had a painting teacher who said "You're always standing in your own light." And I think that “get out of your own light” is another great message of the film. If you get out of your own way, you'll figure it all out in the end.
Harry Cripps
At its heart, BACK TO THE OUTBACK is about putting aside our differences, finding out what we all have in common, and working together. As a parent, it’s so distressing to see so much hatred, so much conflict escalating all over the world. It would be great for kids to see the film and recognize, "That is not the way to resolve differences." It's about understanding, about taking the time to get to know people. And not to judge them because they are different. It’s about celebrating our differences, and finding out where we are the same.
BACK TO THE OUTBACK
Debuts globally on Netflix December 10
Tired of being locked in a reptile house where humans gawk at them like they’re monsters, a ragtag group of Australia’s deadliest creatures plot a daring escape from their zoo to the Outback, a place where they’ll fit in without being judged for their scales and fangs. Leading the group is Maddie (Isla Fisher), a poisonous snake with a heart of gold, who bands together with a self-assured Thorny Devil lizard Zoe (Miranda Tapsell), a lovelorn hairy spider Frank (Guy Pearce), and a sensitive scorpion Nigel (Angus Imrie). But when their nemesis — Pretty Boy (Tim Minchin), a cute but obnoxious koala — unexpectedly joins their escape, Maddie and the gang have no choice but to take him with them. So begins a hair-raising and hilarious road trip across Australia, as they are pursued by a zookeeper Chaz (Eric Bana) and his adventure-seeking mini-me (Diesel La Torraca). Directed by Clare Knight and Harry Cripps, and also featuring the voices of Rachel House, Keith Urban, Celeste Barber, Wayne Knight, Lachlan Ross Power, and Jacki Weaver, BACK TO THE OUTBACK is an animated adventure that proves just because something’s different, doesn’t mean it isn’t beautiful.
Trailer: HERE
Directors: Clare Knight, Harry Cripps
Writer: Harry Cripps
Producer: Daniela Mazzucato
Voice Cast: Isla Fisher, Tim Minchin, Eric Bana, Guy Pearce, Miranda Tapsell, Angus Imrie, Rachel House, Keith Urban, Celeste Barber, Wayne Knight, Aislinn Derbez, Diesel La Torraca, Lachlan Ross Power, Jacki Weaver
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