Phil:Our approach to this was, what if we made it good?

Was that your addition?

We chose a tone where we decided to let the audience know that we knew.

Do you share the frustration, then, that animation is pigeon-holed as a genre in its own right?

Obviously we think that animation is a medium, and not a genre.

Its just a different way to tell stories.

But there were 500 humans that worked onCloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs.

Phil:I didnt talk to any of them personally though, obviously.

I talked to them exclusively over speakerphone and email!

There is a difference, inevitably, in moving to a live action set.

Did it give you more space to improvise?

How much more spontaneous was the process on the set?

Phil:Its actually kind of the same as it is in animation.

Its not so different.

Jonah [Hill] is obviously an incredible improviser.

Channing [Tatum] is an incredible improviser.

You almost invariably get a better result.

It was the same way with our animators onCloudy.

And then, our response was great, lets put that in the movie, thats hilarious.

Then people started bringing their creativity to the project.

My oneCloudyquestion, as youve brought it up!

Yet Tim was such a beguiling and compelling character.

What was your thinking?

But when we were designing the characters, we thought a lot ofThe Muppets.And how appealing they are.

There are a number of Muppets who dont have eyes at all: the Swedish Chef, Bunsen.

Yet they are able to get very different performances from them, and people still warm to the character.

Everything had to go through the gauntlet.

And then when the time came that you got to see them, it became a funny joke.

Mostly, by picking out most of the other mushy stuff, you really accentuate those expressions.

You still get that heightened simulation of a facial expression.

In this case, it worked to the benefit of the characterisation.

Phil:There will be a lot of scenes on the DVD.

I think we have 21 [laughs].

You talk about pacing.

Was that a day one ethos, to keep it so fast and so tight?

Chris:It definitely felt like we didnt want the film to be over two hours long.

With comedies, often shorter is better.

You dont want to outstay your welcome.

We have a strong belief that you should be wanting more, rather than wanting to leave!

[laughs]

Phil:Our dream, probably, was to make a 90 minute movie.

And we didnt quite get there.

It was the action stuff sometimes, it slows it down.

So I think from our point of view, its too long!

I dont know where that comes from, probably a fear-based impulse.

And you just dont want to do that for very long.

Are you method directors, then, who hang yourselves by your testicles while you make the film?

Chris:[Laughs] Yeah, then they yell Cut, cut!

Our first assembly of the movie was about three hours long.

So it took a lot of effort to get it down.

We didnt even watch that cut from start to finish, we just started cutting it down.

We did it act by act, to get it to a manageable size.

The human bladder can only do its job for so long!

And if they like, and we hope they do, there will actually be a sequel.

We had a great time making this one.

Youre working on a Lego movie now.

Is that your future job?

Chris:[Laughs] Well, yknow…!

Its a live action musical, and that is likely to have a lot fewer dirty words in it!

But I like that.

I think its punk rock to go back and forth between PG-rated and R…!

Phil and Chris, thank you very much!

21 Jump Streetis out today.