BEHIND THE LENS #322: Featuring Oliver Thompson

Happiness, joy, and a bit of whimsy take over BEHIND THE LENS today as we look at two very special films with some very special filmmakers – CRYPTOZOO and our exclusive interview with DASH SHAW and JANE SAMBORSKI, and WELCOME TO HAPPINESS with writer/director/composer OLIVER THOMPSON.

First up, is my exclusive interview with writer/director DASH SHAW and animation director JANE SAMBORSKI, the incredible team behind the breathtaking, allegorical, kaleidoscopic, psychedelic, animated delight – CRYPTOZOO. A fantastical tale that follows cryptozookeepers through a richly-drawn hallucinatory world as they seek out the mythical Baku, a dream-eating hybrid creature that looks much like a pig and baby elephant swirling in bubbles, CRYPTOZOO raises thought-provoking discussion as the keepers/conservationists begin to wonder if they should display wondrous creatures like the Baku in a zoo or hide them and keep them safe from harm. With the military also seeking out the Baku for nefarious purposes, while wanting to kill all of the "cryptids", lines are drawn between utopia and counter-culture idealism versus pragmatism leaving it up to each individual to choose their own path. With voice talents of Lake Bell, Zoe Kazan, Michael Cera, Louisa Krause, Peter Stormare, Thomas Jay Ryan, Grace Zabriskie and Angeliki Papoulia, Shaw's story and Samborski's animation soar with creativity, imagination, and entertainment.

Then a big welcome to writer/director/composer OLIVER THOMPSON who joins us live talking about his film WELCOME TO HAPPINESS. Already on the "Happiness" bandwagon since its 2015 festival run and subsequent 2016 release, I'm excited to see WELCOME TO HAPPINESS now deliver a Director's Cut aka Special Edition of this magical enchantment. Boasting the talents of Kyle Gallner, Nick Offerman, Molly C. Quinn, Olivia Thirlby, Frances Conroy, Paget Brewster, Michael Keegan-Key, Robert Pike Daniel, Josh Brenner, Brendan Sexton III, WELCOME TO HAPPINESS is a tale of redemption and second chances and finding happiness if you are one of "the chosen" to enter a world only accessible through a magic door inside a closet in the apartment of a young writer named Woody. But if you are chosen to go through that door, the question becomes "do I erase the past and start anew or hold on to what I already have?".

Take a listen as Oliver and I go down memory lane with the origin of the story and the "making of", including cinematography, production design, casting, the editing process, scoring and lyric soundtrack, while taking a look at the changes with the "Special Edition" version, including some added scenes, editing out about 15 minutes from the original film, and with 20/20 hindsight in today's post-lockdown pandemic world, is WELCOME TO HAPPINESS now a film for this time.

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