Jun 21, 2022

Illumination CEO Chris Meledandri on Ignoring Twitter, Chris Pratt's Mario, and Surviving "Titan A.E."

Chris Meledandri, founder and CEO of Illumination Entertainment, spoke at CineEurope in Barcelona and warned of the dangers of trying to please everyone, especially everyone on social media.

"Minions": With "Minions: The Rise of Gru" set for release on July 1, CEO Mehredandri took the stage to discuss the latest installment in the profitable "Despicable Me" franchise, why he doesn't care how different groups react to his artistic work He discussed why he doesn't care how different groups react to his artistic work, and how the most costly decision of his career helped shape who he is today as an executive.

In his views shared during the talk, Meredandri questioned the role that social media and outsiders' opinions can and should play in filmmaking.

Meledandri said:

No matter how intolerant we are, I think the minute we start using Twitter's perspective and the perspective of any culture to guide our creative expression, we are going down a very slippery slope, not only morally but creatively as well. It's impossible to try to figure out a way to thread the needle that doesn't offend anyone while still protecting the creative process.

To that end, he addressed the small controversy that ensued when non-Italian Chris Pratt was cast as Mario, Nintendo's famous Italian frontman, in the feature-length animated adaptation of its IP.

Chris was cast because they felt he could give a great performance as Mario. Once people hear Chris Pratt's performance, the criticism will disappear. I don't think this is the smartest defense, but as a person of Italian-American heritage, I feel I can make that decision without having to worry about offending Italians or Italian-Americans... I think we can work well together."

Meledandri was also asked for his opinion on Pixar's attempt to include a same-sex kissing scene in The Light Years. He was keen to point out that the future of filmmaking in Illumination is likely to be more progressive and that he understands that this may alienate certain groups. I think we have to respect the stories you tell, respect the choices of the filmmakers, and be prepared that not everyone will always be satisfied.

Perhaps part of Meledandri's brazenness stems from the fact that he was the head of 20th Century Fox Animation when he conceived "Titan A.E.," a project that could have been fatal for lesser executives. After joking about how unwise it was to lose Rupert Murdoch's $100 million, he explained: [You have to figure out how not to get crushed by it ...... The key to whether or not you get crushed is not the failure itself; the failure is part of the price of admission to success.

Meledandri's comments were originally reported by Deadline.