When Oh, a lovable misfit from another planet, lands on Earth and finds himself
on the run from his own people, he forms an unlikely friendship with an adventurous girl
named Tip who is on a quest of her own. Through a series of comic adventures with
Tip, Oh comes to understand that being different and making mistakes is all part of being
human, and together they discover the true meaning of the word HOME.
THE HOME TEAM
Welcome to what HOME director Tim Johnson calls the first “post-apocalyptic,
alien invasion buddy comedy, road trip, animated movie.” But above all, says Johnson,
HOME is about two characters who don’t fit in their respective worlds, but together find
the true meaning of acceptance and ever-surprising commonalities. “It’s very much a
buddy movie, and it’s also about a clash of cultures coming to an incredible
understanding and blossoming into a fun and beautiful friendship between Oh and Tip,”
he elaborates.
“Tip is hostile toward Oh, but as they embark on a global journey, they realize
they have more and more in common,” adds Jim Parsons, who voices Oh.
“You never know where, and with whom, you’re going to find friendship,”
continues the Emmy® winning star of the long-running series The Big Bang. “Making
lasting friendships with people – or visitors from afar – who couldn’t be more different
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from you, and with whom you’d never expect to connect, is not only possible, it’s
necessary.”
Oh and Tip are an intergalactic odd couple of friends. “They’re from two very
different worlds and couldn’t be less alike,” says global music star and seven-time
Grammy® winner Rihanna, who voices Tip. “But they slowly discover common ground
and become amazing friends.”
Bringing HOME to the big screen began in Tim Johnson’s …home, when he
began reading author Adam Rex’s novel The True Meaning of Smekday to his young
sons, then ages five and seven. The youngsters enjoyed the story, which made an even
greater impact on their father, who recalls: “I read the boys two chapters and tucked
them in, and then ruthlessly cheated on them by reading late into the night and finishing
the book at 2 a.m. It’s such a powerful story of friendship with a comic and crazy edge,
and the characters are crisp and fun.”
With Rex’s support, Johnson, screenwriters Tom J. Astle & Matt Ember, and
producers Mireille Soria and Suzanne Buirgy, worked to bring the story and characters to
life on film, sometimes expanding upon themes and situations from the book, but always
remaining true to its spirit.
At the core of both the book and the film is the friendship between Oh and Tip.
Oh is a Boov, hive-minded beings who value conformity and think true happiness is
achieved through the healthy suppression of individuality. They’re enthusiastic visitors
to our planet, which they’ve graciously decided to conquer.
But Oh is no ordinary Boov. He’s smart and hard-working, but longs for
friendships with other relationship-phobic Boov. “Oh is not really built to be a good
Boov,” notes Johnson. “The Boov ignore one another and they don’t have friends,
neighbors or family. But Oh craves these things. He wants connection in a world that
really doesn’t value that.”
“Oh is an incredibly positive, upbeat character who thinks coming to Earth is the
best thing that’s ever happened to the Boov, and that humanity desperately needs them,”
notes Suzanne Buirgy.
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“The Boov are unilateral,” Parsons adds. “They’re all of one mind. Initially, Oh
believes in that philosophy and he’s really enthusiastic about being the best Boov he can
be. But unlike the rest of them, Oh wants to have a good time.”
Parsons makes his animated feature debut in HOME. The classically trained actor
embraced the challenges of working in the genre. “It’s the most interesting ‘playtime’
I’ve ever had as an actor,” he explains. “It feels like you’re going down a mysterious but
joyful black hole, where you’re alone with the character. Once you relax, it’s really fun
to see what happens. I never left the recording studio without being a sweaty mess!”
Johnson had been a fan of Parsons’ work for several years, and their collaboration
deepened his respect for the actor’s prodigious talents. “Jim’s voice is musical and that’s
the most important thing you look for in casting an animated feature,” the director
explains. “His voice is gorgeous to animate. Oh’s story is that he’s desperate to connect,
but that’s impossible to do with the Boov, so he falls in love with humanity as a chance to
have friends, tell jokes, listen to music, have parties, and everything else that’s been
denied him as a Boov.”
The friendly alien’s journey begins after a big “Oh, no!” moment, when he sends
out an intergalactic email inviting some friends to an Earth-style housewarming party.
Unfortunately (and like so many of us), he hits the “Send All” button, copying pretty
much everyone in the universe, including the Boov’s arch-nemesis, the fearsome Gorg.
Not surprisingly, the Boov are none too pleased with Oh, who must then go on the
run from his people. This leads to his meeting Gratuity “Tip” Tucci, a human girl who
has been living alone ever since her mother – and virtually everyone else on Earth – was
relocated by the Boov. Tip is tough, smart and seemingly fearless. She’s the only human
who’s managed to hide from the unwanted visitors to our planet.
At first, Tip and Oh are wary of each other. There’s a lack of trust because
they’ve been forced together by circumstances: Oh may be able to help Tip find her
missing mother, and her car (upon which Oh has made some startling Boovian
modifications) will provide the means for him to flee the pursuing Boov. But as the story
unfolds, these very circumstances create moments of genuine friendship. Oh comes to
understand what it means to be human, with Tip becoming his teacher, introducing Oh to
humor, art, family and friendship.
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Rihanna makes her animated feature debut (like her onscreen pal Parsons) as the
voice of Tip. And like Parsons, she enjoyed the experience, finding much to explore with
the character. “Tip is sassy, independent, but still vulnerable at times,” Rihanna notes.
“She’s still a young girl. There are times with Oh that she’s running the show, and other
moments when she’s a child again. It’s really sweet and endearing to see those two
aspects of Tip.”
Further, the music icon identified with her onscreen alter ego. “Tip definitely
reminds me of myself,” she says. “That’s really why I did HOME. I understand the way
Tip thinks, as well as her flaws, ambition, sass and attitude.”
For Tim Johnson, working with Rihanna was like nothing he had experienced
before. “The microphone has been Rihanna’s partner her entire career and she easily
found the voice of Tip, who’s on the cusp of becoming a teenager. Rihanna came in with
a fresh perspective on the character and really brings to life Tip’s scrappy personality and
survivor’s energy.”
Rihanna credits Johnson with knowing “exactly how to convey the necessary
emotion in a given scene. Even early in the process, when the characters were far from
being fully animated, I felt the scenes’ emotion. I’d be crying my eyes out, thinking, ‘I’m
so embarrassed! I’m crying at stick figures!’”
The singer’s celebrated vocal talents made a big impact during their sessions
together. “Recording Rihanna, you literally have to stand back when you tell her to
yell…wow, I mean, this is someone who fills arenas with her voice,” adds Johnson. “She
is that powerful.”
A very different kind of power is wielded by Boovian head honcho, Captain
Smek, whose edict to capture Oh after the latter inadvertently cc’s the Gorg, propels Oh
and Tip on their adventure. Smek’s turn-ons include being right about everything, taking
credit for others’ accomplishments, believing his own publicity, and naming things after
himself.
But Smek’s greatest accomplishment is his relentless cowardice – which is
revered by the Boov. “Smek is very proud because he’s been awarded the Yellow Heart
medal three times for his cowardice,” says Johnson. “That’s the ultimate prize of all
prizes.”
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Comic legend Steve Martin voices the ever-confident (and with no good reason)
leader, and notes that “the fact that a coward like Smek is the supreme head of the Boov
points to their naiveté. He fills their egos, but eventually [spoiler alert!] they recognize
Smek for what he is: an idiot. But Smek is resolute in his belief that Earthlings are rather
simple, and that Smek of course, is a genius.”
But relentless cowardice is not Smek’s only talent; he’s also prone to popping
footballs into his mouth, as though they were delicious candy or fruit. In fact, he comes
to love (and misuse) many objects he finds on Earth.
Martin, who is also a noted playwright, says that he loves the acting process in an
animated feature because “it’s like writing a play, where you can try something out,
change it and go back and experiment with it 70 different ways. So much emotion can be
brought into an animated film.”
Like most voice actors, Martin did most of the recording sessions minus his costars. But he was impressed by how little this impacted his performance. “You feel like
I’ve worked with Jim and Rihanna on HOME for two years, even though my actual time
with them was very limited or non-existent.”
For Johnson, collaborating with Martin was the culmination of an almost lifelong
fandom. “At age 16, I sat in the back row of Chicago Stadium watching a distant figure
in a white suit place balloon animals on his head,” he recounts. “I’ve admired Steve
Martin for as long as I can remember. He’s the kind of comic genius for whom you
frame the character and situation, and then get out of the way.”
Martin’s Smek and his Boov minions have relocated much of Earth’s population,
including Tip’s mom Lucy, which leads to the young girl (and her traveling companion
Oh) to embark upon a global quest to reunite with Lucy. But no one knows better than
Lucy that Tip is no ordinary kid, so Lucy has hope. Their separation, Tip’s search, and
their ultimate reunion lead to some of HOME’s most heartfelt moments.
Jennifer Lopez, who had previously worked with Johnson on the director’s
animated box-office hit Antz, voices Lucy. “To work with Jennifer again, after 17 years,
was such a treat,” he says. “She brings the warmth and power you’d expect in a mother
separated from her daughter. Jennifer’s performance becomes the emotional center of the
movie.
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“One of the film’s most emotional moments,” Johnson continues, “was talking
with Jennifer about families separated and then reunited, and sharing some of her ideas
and experiences to make the moment where Tip and Lucy reunite really profound.
Jennifer is the full bandwidth – entertainer, actor, filmmaker and producer.”
Rihanna is another fan of her onscreen parent. “Everybody wants J-Lo to be their
mom!” she exclaims. “Her voice is so sweet and vulnerable; you feel safe just hearing
her voice and performance. You believe she’s Tip’s mother.”
A BOOVIAN TRAFFIC COP, A CAT NAMED ‘PIG,’
AND A FEARSOME FOE
Oh isn’t the only put-upon Boov. A long suffering traffic cop named Kyle has
been tasked by his supreme leader, Captain Smek, with hunting down Oh. At heart, Kyle
is a decent Boov who just wants to keep his head down and do his job.
Matt Jones, who had a memorable role as Badger on Breaking Bad, voices Kyle,
whom Johnson says is “just someone who’s been swept into this intergalactic adventure,
and we end up rooting for him.”
The subjects of Kyle’s pursuit, Oh and Tip, are joined in their adventure by Tip’s
cat/best pal, Pig. “They’re inseparable,” says Rihanna. Producer Suzanne Buirgy calls
Pig the film’s “Greek chorus, who observes – or sleeps through – everything that’s going
on. He’s also one of the story’s emotional touchstones because he’s really involved in
the growing friendship between Tip and Oh.”
But above all, Pig is a cat, so his agenda is his agenda – which usually involves
food and naps.
But there’s little time for rest for our heroes, and for the Boov, who are being
pursued by their mortal enemy, the Gorg. The Gorg follow the Boov everywhere and
destroy planets being considered by the Boov as a home. But the Boov have finally
figured out they can escape to a planet where the Gorg will never find them. It’s Earth, in
the Milky Way – the Gorg are lactose intolerant – so they’ll never think to look
there…well, until Oh’s misguided intergalactic party invite arrives in their “In” box.
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THE HOME BEAT
Music plays a big role in shaping HOME’s humor, characterizations and themes –
no surprise, given Rihanna’s involvement with the project. In addition to essaying Tip
and contributing key songs, the pop sensation was very involved in shaping the film’s
entire soundtrack, which weaves songs from her and other contemporary artists,
including Kiesza, Charli XCX + Stargate, and Ester Dean, into the traditional film score.
“I’ve had an incredible time working on some of the film’s music,” says Rihanna.
“I really enjoyed working closely with Tim Johnson and music producers Stargate to
ensure that, lyrically and musically, the songs were exactly what were needed for a given
scene,” be it fun and upbeat, cutting edge, or emotional.
Johnson says he couldn’t have asked for a better partner. “We have a story that
takes us around the world, and the voice of humanity is the voice of contemporary pop
music – Rihanna,” he explains. “She delivers an incredible music experience.”
“Rihanna is two people in HOME,” adds Buirgy. “She’s the actress voicing a 12
year old, and the incredible music superstar. She expresses much of the humor and
emotion via song.”
One of HOME’s highlights is Oh’s introduction to Earth music, specifically
Stargate’s “Dancing in the Dark.” Oh pretends he’s appalled by the music but his body
betrays him: Oh’s foot starts tapping and his hips start moving to the beat. Unable to
resist, he begins boogeying down like there’s no tomorrow – with no control over his
own body. The fun and crazy sequence speaks to the heart of Oh’s journey of coming to
love what it means to be human.
The scene was choreographed by Beau Casper Smart, who danced for hours to
create reference footage for the animators, who then “Boovified” the moves.
GOING GLOBAL
HOME takes Oh, Tip – and the audience – on a worldwide journey, from the
United States to France to China, and finally to Australia. It’s an epic expedition
encompassing millions of Boovian spaceships, and technology that switches off gravity
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across the entire planet. An enormous Gorg mothership also lends impressive scale. “The
goal from the start was to make HOME a big global adventure,” says Johnson.
Paris serves as Boov Central Command. The wannabe conquerors have taken
over the Eiffel Tower, which they’ve renamed “The Great Antenna,” and which Tip and
Oh sneak into, hoping to find her mother. “The Boov have repurposed the Eiffel Tower
as a kind of communications center, floating over Paris,” thanks to the Boovian penchant
to nullify gravity, says Buirgy. “It’s a huge, beautiful set. We wanted to the world to
look altered by the Boov, without it looking scary.”
HOME DESIGN
HOME’s production design is an intriguing mix of the familiar and the unearthly.
Among the Boov’s signature features are roly-poly frames, assertive and bright-eyed
faces, six little legs – and “nostricles,” which look like tentacles situated where we’d
expect their ears to be. “They’re an outrageous yet adorable species,” says Johnson.
Perhaps the Boov’s defining feature is their color-coded emotional energy, which
turns them into living mood rings. A yellow hue indicates fear (and by the way, they’re
often scared); red signals anger; and blue – you guessed it – means they’re sad.
During their initial encounter at a convenience store, Oh transforms Tip’s car into
“Slushious,” which uses the store’s Slushy ice drinks to power the engine and enable it to
fly. Slushious travels at tremendous speeds – handy, when you’re on a global trek. In
addition to its better-than-turbo-powered Slushy machine, there’s a popcorn machine
“weapon” in the front, plus a hot dog dispenser where the radio used to be.
The car’s exhaust – a trail of bubbles – reflects the fact that the Boov’s
technology is based on the circular suds. Everything in their world is spherical or round,
whereas their enemy, the Gorg, are defined by triangles, and Earthlings by the square
shapes of their homes, cars and many other terrestrial objects.
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LANGUAGE: BOOVISMS
The True Meaning of Smekday author Adam Rex created the Boov’s distinctive
interpretation of the English language, which includes avoiding contractions (“I can’t” is
a Boovian no-no; the preferred form is, “I cannot”). The filmmakers expanded upon
Rex’s ingenious language twisting, with Jim Parsons taking an especially inventive tack.
“Jim started to own that Boovian grammar and invent his own weird syntax, like ‘I’m a
hundred percent popular for being arrested,’” recalls Johnson. “The Boov see the world
through a crazy lens of fractured English.”
HIGH-TECH HOME
Since Tim Johnson directed DreamWorks Animation’s Antz in 1998, animation
technology has made quantum leaps – due largely to the company’s innovations.
Art and technology come together in a big way at DreamWorks Animation, with
the technology enabling the artist and the animation.
The studio gives its artists, including Johnson and his teams, creative free reign
with a tool set that allows them to work effortlessly, efficiently and effectively in making
their creative visions reality.
That’s why DreamWorks Animation embarked on creating an entirely new
technology to be used in the design of its films. HOME is the second film, following How
to Train Your Dragon 2, to fully employ the company’s new proprietary platform,
Apollo. Five years in the making, Apollo allows artists to control and manipulate data in
an effortless and intuitive way, creating an end result that is visually richer and greater in
scope for the audience.
Apollo has two core software components, Premo and Torch. Premo is the
animation tool that enables artists to work with high-resolution characters in real time, on
their tablets with a stylus, manipulating the character in a naturalistic way that allows for
much more experimentation. Artists work at the speed of their imagination sculpting
rather than managing a complex web of curves and spreadsheets. Torch is the lighting
tool that empowers individual artists to create a vast amount of imagery through the
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management of millions of files, across hundreds of artists and from thousands of
iterations.
Johnson says that these high-tech breakthroughs are, above all, liberating. “The
artists can more easily show me different ways a shot can be animated and lit, and I can
quickly review the outcomes from my feedback,” he explains. “Instead of waiting for
technology to catch up, our innovations are enabling me to focus on the humor, intention,
motivation, and emotion of the story, while the artists do the rest.”
“…IS WHERE THE HEART IS”
What is the true meaning of “home”? Not surprisingly, it varies, to a degree, from
person to person. But the shared connective tissue for all is always, emotion.
“Home is the emotional place where you feel like you’re not away from it,”
confirms Steve Martin.
“It’s wherever I feel safest, really,” notes Rihanna. “Anything and anywhere that
feels familiar and comfortable, is home.”
“It’s where you feel unjudged, and where what I do isn’t necessarily stupid or
wrong,” adds Jim Parsons.
Tim Johnson notes that, “it’s where you find the place where you can be
yourself.”
Welcome HOME.
ABOUT THE CAST
JIM PARSONS (Oh) is a four-time Emmy® winner, Golden Globe® winner and
SAG Award™ nominee who continues to bring a winning combination of indelible
charm, charisma and comedic timing to his roles on screen and on stage, establishing
himself as one of Hollywood's leading men.
Parsons stars as Sheldon Cooper on CBS’ critically acclaimed hit The Big Bang
Theory. He has received several awards for his hilarious performance, including four
Emmy® Awards for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series, the Golden Globe®
Award for Best Actor in a Television Series Musical or Comedy and the Critics’ Choice
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Television Award for Best Actor in a Comedy Series. TV GUIDE called Parsons "a
marvelous discovery, creating the most hysterical misfit since Monk." The Big Bang
Theory has helped CBS launch their Thursday night comedy line-up, regularly winning
the night across all networks. The Big Bang Theory is presently in its ninth season.
Parsons recently participated in the Roundabout Theatre Company’s reading of
George S. Kaufman and Marc Connelly’s Merton of the Movies, directed by Scott Ellis.
The one-night-only reading took place on December 1, 2014 at Studio 54, with all
proceeds benefitting the Roundabout’s New Play Initiative.
Also last year, Parsons starred opposite Taylor Kitsch, Julia Roberts, Mark
Ruffalo and Matt Bomer in The Normal Heart, HBO’s original movie adaptation of the
Tony Award®-winning Larry Kramer play, which was written by Kramer and directed by
Ryan Murphy. The project tells the story of the onset of the HIV-AIDS crisis in New
York City in the early 1980s. Parsons portrayed the role of gay activist Tommy
Boatwright, reprising his role from the 2011 Broadway revival. Parsons received an
Emmy nomination for his role, and the film won an Emmy for Outstanding Television
Movie.
Parsons voiced the lead character, Buddy, in NBC’s animated holiday special, Elf:
Buddy’s Musical Christmas. The special is based on the popular film Elf and the hit
Broadway show Elf: The Musical, and features Santa narrating the story of Buddy’s
(Parsons) travels to New York City to meet the father he never knew he had. Other voice
cast members include Mark Hamill, Ed Asner, Fred Armisen, Jay Leno, and Matt Lauer.
The stop motion hour-long special aired in December 2014.
Previously, Parsons has appeared in many films including Blumhouse
Production’s thriller Visions opposite Isla Fisher, Gillian Jacobs and Anson Mount; Todd
Phillips School for Scoundrels opposite Billy Bob Thorton and Jon Heder for The
Weinstein Company; as well as Chris Terrio's Heights opposite Glenn Close and James
Marsden for Merchant/Ivory. He has also created scene stealing roles in several
independent films such as Zach Braff's Wish I Was Here and Garden State, Kevin
Connolly's Gardner of Eden and Danny Leiner's The Great New Wonderful.
On the stage, Parsons was seen, in 2012, in the first Broadway revival of Mary
Chase’s Pulitzer Prize winning play Harvey, in the role of Elwood Dowd, the genial
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eccentric who claims to see a six-foot-tall white rabbit Harvey. The production ran with
limited engagement at the famous Studio 54 in New York City.
Parsons received a Theatre World Award for his debut Broadway performance as
Tommy Boatwright in The Normal Heart, starring opposite Ellen Barkin, John Benjamin
Hickey and Joe Mantello. The Normal Heart won a Tony Award for “Best Revival of a
Play” and was presented with the Drama Desk Award for “Outstanding Revival of a
Play” and Outstanding Ensemble Performance. The Normal Heart also received
nominations from The Outer Critics Circle for Outstanding Revival of a Play, as well as
five Tony Award nominations. Parsons’ other stage performances include, The Castle for
the Manhattan Ensemble Theater, The Countess for the Globe Theater as well as The
Tempest and As You Like It for the Houston Shakespeare Festival.
Parsons earned a Master’s Degree in Fine Arts from the Old Globe
Theater/University of San Diego and a BA from the University of Houston. He currently
resides in Los Angeles.
RIHANNA (Tip) has taken the music, entertainment and fashion industry by
storm. As an accomplished performer, she has sold 53 million albums and 200 million
digital tracks worldwide, making her the top-selling digital artist of all time. She's put out
seven albums in as many years, achieved 13 number-one singles and won
seven Grammy® Awards. With over 5.5 billion views and 19 Vevo certified videos,
Rihanna is the most viewed artist on Vevo/YouTube and is one of the biggest artists on
Facebook, with over 90 million friends. In addition, she's successfully launched five
fragrances, two capsule collections with Armani, as well as four River Island collections
and is currently the spokesperson for MAC & Viva Glam.
STEVE MARTIN (Smek), an actor, comedian, author, playwright, screenwriter,
producer and musician, is one of the most diversified performers and acclaimed artists of
his generation.
Martin has been successful as a writer of and performer in some of the most
popular movies of recent film history—appearing in more than 50 films over the course
of his career. With titles such as Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Parenthood, Father of
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the Bride and Cheaper by the Dozen franchises, Baby Mama and It’s Complicated,
Martin’s films are the kind that are viewed again and again. Martin wrote the screenplays
for some of his most celebrated films including The Jerk, Roxanne, Bowfinger, L.A. Story
and Shopgirl.
Martin’s first film was a seven-minute short he wrote and starred in, The AbsentMinded Waiter. The film was nominated for an Academy Award® for Best Short Film,
Live Action in 1977.
Martin was most recently elected to receive The Board of Governors of the
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Honorary Award at the Academy’s 5th
Annual Governors Awards. He has also hosted the Academy Awards three times.
As an author, Martin has written several books including his most recent, An
Object of Beauty, which is being developing into a feature film. He has also written a
bestselling collection of comic pieces, Pure Drivel, a bestselling novella, Shopgirl, as
well as plays including Picasso at the Lapin Agile, children’s books and an art collection
book. Martin wrote his first memoir Born Standing Up in 2007. His work frequently
appears in The New Yorker and The New York Times.
Martin began his career as a writer on The Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour, for
which he earned his first Emmy® Award for Outstanding Writing Achievement in
Comedy, Variety, or Music in 1969. In the mid-1970s, Martin shone as a stand-up on The
Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, made appearances on HBO’s On Location and
NBC’s Saturday Night Live, and became the first comedian to sell out an arena
performance.
As one of the most celebrated comedians, Martin’s comedy album Let’s Get
Small (1978) went platinum in the United States and won a Grammy® for Best Comedy
Album. His second album, Wild and Crazy Guy, was a comedy album that featured his
first music single “King Tut.” This album reached double platinum status in the U.S and
earned Martin his second Grammy® Award for Best Comedy Album. Martin’s third
comedy album, Comedy is Not Pretty, was nominated for a Grammy® Award for Best
Comedy Album in 1979.
Ever evolving his body of work Martin is also a Grammy® Award winning
musician who found his love for the banjo at the age of 17. Martin originally used his
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passion for the banjo as part of his standup comedy routine, but in 2010, he released his
first album, The Crow: New Songs for the 5-Strong Banjo. Since then, Martin has played
many prestigious stages including Carnegie Hall, Royal Festival Hall in London, and the
Capitol Building in Washington D.C. Martin released his second full length bluegrass
album Rare Bird Alert in 2011. The album featured 13 Martin-penned tracks as well as
special guest vocal appearances by Paul McCartney and The Dixie Chicks. Additionally,
Martin co-wrote two of the CD’s songs with the Grammy®-winning bluegrass band,
Steep Canyon Rangers. That year, Martin won the International Bluegrass Music
Association’s Entertainer of the Year Award. He most recently collaborated with Edie
Brickell on the critically acclaimed album Love Has Come For You, which combines
Martin’s five-string banjo work with Brickell’s vivid vocals. Martin and Brickell took
home the Grammy® Award for “Best American Roots Song” for the song “Love Has
Come For You,” off the album of the same name. Martin also created the Steve Martin
Prize for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass for those who exemplify outstanding
bluegrass performance.
Born in Waco, TX, in 1945, Steve Martin was raised in Southern California and
began working as a comedian and magician at area amusement parks, including The
Magic Shop at Disneyland. Martin went on to Santa Ana College, and then earned his
Theater Arts degree from UCLA.
JENNIFER LOPEZ (Lucy) is an actor, singer, film and television producer,
fashion designer, New York Times bestselling author, entrepreneur and humanitarian. She
has created one of the most successful and well-known brands in entertainment. With an
unmatched global appeal, her “Dance Again” world tour sold over one million tickets,
her films have brought in over $1.4 billion in worldwide box office receipts, and her
fragrances have become the most successful celebrity line in the world with sales
exceeding $2 billion.
Lopez made her feature film debut in the highly acclaimed Mi Familia, which
garnered her an Independent Spirit Award nomination. She followed that with her
portrayal of the Latin music sensation Selena, which earned her a Golden Globe®
Nomination and an ALMA Award.
Lopez has had five films open at #1, including
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Maid in Manhattan, Monster in Law, Anaconda, The Cell and Antz. Other film credits
include Shall we Dance, Enough, Out of Sight, Angel Eyes, Parker, An Unfinished Life,
Money Train, Jack, Blood and Wine, and El Cantante.
She is currently on screens in the thriller Boy Next Door, which she also produced
for Universal Pictures. Upcoming is the independent film Lila and Eve, opposite Viola
Davis, which debuted at the 2015 Sundance film festival.
Since Lopez’s first album On the 6 debuted in 1999, she has been transforming
the global music scene and has sold over 75 million records worldwide. She has had 16
top 10 hit songs and three #1 albums. Her music achievements include winning three
AMAs, three ASCAP Pop Music Awards, eight Billboard Latin Music Awards, two
VMAs, and became the first woman to receive the lifetime achievement Icon Award at
the 2014 Billboard Music Awards for outstanding contribution to pop music. Lopez is
also a two-time Grammy® nominee. Lopez recently released her tenth album, AKA.
Lopez joined the cast of American Idol in 2010 and helped make it the most
watched U.S. television series for two years in a row.
Lopez’s career achievements continue to grow. In 2013, she received the honor
of having a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, won Favorite Actress and the World
Icon Award at the Premios Juventud Awards, was honored at the amfAR Inspiration
Gala, and received the March of Dimes’ Grace Kelly Award for her charitable work. In
2014 she received GLAAD’s Vanguard Award and was honored at Variety’s Power of
Women event for her philanthropic efforts. Previous awards include the Glamour
Woman of the Year award, ShoWest Female Star of the Year, multiple Nickelodeon
Kids’ Choice Awards, a Blockbuster Entertainment Award, multiple ALMA awards, and
a Women in Film Crystal Award. In 2012, Forbes Magazine named her as the number
one Most Powerful Celebrity in the world.
Nuyorican Productions is Jennifer Lopez’s motion picture and television
production company, which has produced such films as the upcoming Universal feature,
Boy Next Door, and HBO’s Dance Again. Nuyorican has branched into scripted and
unscripted television, producing the critically acclaimed, groundbreaking hit ABC Family
series The Fosters, from creators Peter Paige and Bradley Bredeweg, a show about a
lesbian couple raising children together and helping redefine the meaning of family. In
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2015, they will be starting production on a show for NBC entitled Shades of Blue, in
which Jennifer will also star.
In 2014, Jennifer released an autobiographical novel, True Love, which became an
instant international best seller landing at #5 on the New York Times hardcover nonfiction
bestseller list. The book, which was published in English and Spanish, also landed on
the USA Today bestseller list and Amor Verdadero was the #1 Spanish-language
nonfiction hardcover in the U.S. week of release according to Bookscan.
MATT JONES (Kyle) is an actor, writer, director and producer who, for more
than 15 years, has showcased his dynamic dramatic and comedic acting ability through
characters on stage, in film and on television. Currently, Jones co-stars with Anna Faris
and Allison Janney on the critically acclaimed CBS sitcom Mom, which is produced by
Chuck Lorre. Jones plays Baxter who is the lovable ex-husband to Christy (Faris). The
show currently airs Mondays, at 8:30pm on CBS.
Jones’ journey to Hollywood began at the age of 17, when he began performing at
venerable comedic institutions such as The UCB Theatre and The iO West Theatre in Los
Angeles. Catching the attention of comedic influencers, Jones was invited to join the
world renowned BOOM! Chicago theatre group in Amsterdam, where he wrote and
performed for three years.
Jones’ arrival in Hollywood was met with great success in 2008 when he landed
the role of Badger on AMC’s Emmy™ and Golden Globe® Award winning drama,
Breaking Bad. Jones was seen through all five seasons alongside Bryan Cranston and
Aaron Paul. Additionally, Jones has been seen in almost every modern TV staple,
including How I Met Your Mother, NCIS, Community, Reno 911, The Office, Hawaii
Five-0, The Cleveland Show, and Key and Peele. He also lends his voice to the animated
TV show Sanjay & Craig on Nickelodeon.
On the silver screen, Jones appeared in Kevin Smith’s 2011 horror film, Red State
alongside John Goodman and Melissa Leo. He was also seen in Millennium
Entertainment’s stoner comedy High Road, opposite Lizzy Caplan and Ed Helms. In
2013 he filmed Mojave, an independent thriller co-starring Mark Wahlberg and Garrett
Hedlund.
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A true multi-hyphenate, Jones directed, wrote and produced his first feature film,
The Night Is Young, which stars Jones and Kevin Pollak, which recently finished
production.
Jones was born in Sacramento but grew up in Southern California. He currently
resides in Los Angeles with his wife and is the Chicago Bears’ biggest fans.
ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS
TIM JOHNSON (Director) is an executive producer and director at DreamWorks
Animation. He recently directed Kung Fu Panda Holiday. He is also developing several
new feature projects. Tim served as executive producer on the studio’s Academy Awardnominated 2010 feature film, How To Train Your Dragon.
In addition to his feature film and television work, Tim recently worked on the
DreamWorks Theatricals production of the How To Train Your Dragon Live Spectacular,
an epic arena adventure produced in collaboration with Global Creatures, the
masterminds behind the worldwide phenomenon Walking with Dinosaurs. The world tour
of the How To Train Your Dragon Live Spectacular debuted in Australia in March 2012
before coming to the United States in the summer of 2012.
Tim has previously directed DreamWorks Animation feature films, Over the
Hedge and Sinbad and served as director on Antz. Prior to joining DreamWorks
Animation Tim worked for Pacific Data Images, which he co-founded and served as
creative director for the Character Animation Group. He has also worked at Post Effects.
Johnson holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature and Astrophysics from
Northwestern University.
SUZANNE BUIRGY (Producer) arrived at DreamWorks in 2005 as a Production
Executive, where she was a key contributor to such blockbusters as Over the Hedge,
Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa, Shrek the Third and Kung Fu Panda. In 2008 she became
Associate Producer in pre-production for How to Train Your Dragon and was also coproducer on Kung Fu Panda 2, which opened to much critical acclaim, becoming the
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highest-grossing film helmed by a female director, and garnering an Academy Award
nomination for DreamWorks Animation in 2012.
A 19-year veteran of the industry, Suzanne has amassed an impressive roster of
credits in Animation and Visual Effects. With roots in musical theater and a wealth of
experience as a touring singer-songwriter, she has subsequently brought her innate
creative skills to a wide array of well-loved movies.
At Digital Domain, one of the premiere VFX houses in the country, Suzanne
served as DPM on a diverse array of movies including How the Grinch Stole Christmas,
The Italian Job, Peter Pan and Stealth.
As a member of the all-girl band The Riveters, Suzanne has played extensively in
Los Angeles. Beginning her touring career after winning the prestigious New Folk award
at the Kerrville Folk Festival, she also performed and co-produced three albums as a solo
artist. As an actor, she performed in the long-running musical revue, A 5-6-7-8 and
proceeded to a principal role in the first national touring company of The New York
Shakespeare Festival’s The Pirates of Penzance.
Presently, Buirgy continues to draw upon her creative background and a degree
from the University of Hard Knocks, adding her practiced understanding of both
entertainment and production to the success of DreamWorks Animation films.
MIREILLE SORIA (Producer) is currently Co-President of Feature Animation,
along with fellow producer Bonnie Arnold, overseeing creative development and
production for DreamWorks Animation’s theatrical releases. Mireille oversees the
successful Madagascar franchise, including three films that collectively have grossed
nearly $1.9 billion at the worldwide box office. She also produced the Academy
Award®-nominated animated adventure Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron and Sinbad:
Legend of the Seven Seas at DreamWorks following a successful career developing and
producing a varied group of live-action feature film and television projects.
Prior to joining DreamWorks Animation, Mireille held a producing deal at Fox
Family Pictures, where she produced the romantic Cinderella story Ever After, starring
Drew Barrymore and Anjelica Huston. She also executive produced the Disney Channel
horror comedy, Under Wraps.
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She had previously held the post of vice president of production for Walt Disney
Pictures. During her tenure, she oversaw the development and production of such
projects as The Mighty Ducks and its two sequels, Cool Runnings and the live-action
version of Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book.
Mireille had come to Disney from the Steve Tisch Company, where she served as
vice president while also developing and producing several projects.
CHRISTOPHER JENKINS (Producer) has contributed his talents to an
impressive roster of projects during his 20-year career in animation, producing and
writing. He joined Sony Pictures Animation is 2002 and played a critical role in
launching the division’s inaugural film, Open Season. Jenkins then turned his attention
to Surf’s Up, creating the storyline, characters and the innovative approach of an
animated mockumentary. Surf’s Up rode the 2007 Awards Season wave, culminating in
an Academy Award nomination for Best Animated Picture.
Prior to joining Sony Pictures Animation, Jenkins spent most of his professional
life at Walt Disney. He was artistic coordinator Atlantis: The Lost Empire, visual effects
supervisor on The Hunchback of Notre Dame and supervising effects animator/designer
on Pocahontas, all positions that were central to the overall look and atmosphere of
those popular movies. He also was an effects animator on Hercules, The Lion King,
Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid and Touchstone Pictures’ Who
Framed Roger Rabbit.
In August 2011, Jenkins joined DreamWorks Animation, where he recently
produced the short Almost Home starring Steve Martin.
A native of South Wales UK, Jenkins has a degree in scientific illustration from
Middlesex University in England.
TOM J. ASTLE (Screenplay) has worked in both television and film, going back
to the late 1980s. His television credits include writing and/or producing many television
comedy, science fiction, and children’s series, including Coach, Dave’s World, and
Stargate. In addition, Astle created the Disney Channel series So Weird and won an
Emmy for his writing on another children’s series, Adventures in Wonderland. Astle was
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also nominated for a Humanitas Award for that series, but he didn’t win, so he’d rather
not discuss it. Astle teamed with fellow comedy writer Matt Ember in 2004, with whom
he wrote Failure to Launch (2006), Get Smart (2008), Epic (2013), plus a few other
unproduced but really funny screenplays.
MATT EMBER (Screenplay) graduated from Wesleyan in 1983 with a degree in
Economics. He wished he was a Film major. After bartending and then living in Paris
for a while, Ember moved to Los Angeles, where he wrote and produced sit-coms for
fifteen years, including The Hughleys, Grace Under Fire, The Drew Carey Show, Titus
and Becker.
In 2004, Ember and Tom Astle had their first feature script optioned by Fox
Searchlight. It wasn’t made. But the next year they wrote Failure to Launch, which was
made. And the following year, they wrote Get Smart. Then they wrote Epic.
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