Phill News Entertainment – Phill News
Los Angeles, USA — Few cartoons focus on parental separation or divorce.
While there are children’s classics like “Twins Are Rarely Alone” “Mrs. Martin,” and “Doubtfire” that use the topic as a springboard for humorous antics, the topic is usually avoided in animated films.
“It’s funny… you get parents dying in movies like The Lion King and Bambi,” says Vicky Jenson, best known for co-directing “Shrek.”
“The Disney mothers are often dead, and they only remarry if their spouse dies. “This topic of separation, parents not living together… it’s taboo.”
But in Jenson’s new film, I’m Fighting for You, the princess’ parents are transformed into monsters by insidious magic.
It’s an allegorical device that forces young Elian to “repair” his mother, father, and broken family.
“We encountered some resistance when we were looking for people to help us get the film out and partners to distribute it,” Jenson told AFP.
“They all reacted similarly: ‘What a beautiful film, what a great message.’ And they were captivated by us!”
The film went through several studios, including Paramount and Apple TV+, before finally being completed. It was released in theaters last Friday on Netflix.
“We’re grateful to Netflix for being so brave and working with us on this,” Jenson said.
“We feel that in this environment, stories that test the boundaries are more accessible while streaming.
“Right now, cinemas are full of superheroes… it’s a big gamble.”
“Monsters”
As the film begins, headstrong teenage princess Elian (voiced by Rachel Ziegler) is desperately searching for a cure to a mysterious spell. Her parents were Queen Ellesmere (Nicole Kidman) and King Solon (Javier Bardem).
To make matters worse, she must hide the whole mess from the unsuspecting inhabitants of Cumbria.
When the secret is revealed and panic hits the kingdom, Elian embarks on a dangerous mission to lift the curse.
But even if she succeeds, she soon realizes that her family may never be the same again.
To portray Elian’s reaction to his monstrous parents in the truest sense of the word believably and realistically, the filmmakers sought the advice of a family psychologist and therapist who specializes in divorce.
“The kids feel like it’s their responsibility to solve this. “They don’t understand that something has happened to their parents. They’re acting like they’re monsters,” Jenson explains.
The director, cast, and crew also drew from their own experiences, she joked, “Because we all know at some point our parents are monsters. And as parents, we all become monsters at some point.”
A reverse “Shrek”?
The result is a thoroughly modern fable set in a magical fairy-tale kingdom.
It’s reminiscent of Jenson’s hugely successful directorial debut, Shrek, but with cause and effect reversed.
“Shrek was a modern version of a fairy tale. This was a fairy tale version of a modern story,” she said.
It was important to Jenson and the filmmakers, including legendary composer Alan Menken of The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast and countless others, to bring this “truth about family life” to the screen.
It’s “something that exists for so many of us, but hasn’t been taken up as a myth or a new fairy tale,” Jenson says.
“This is a new fairy tale about this experience that so many kids, so many parents need help with.”
