Cartoons on Netflix that teach us to love ourselves

Back to the Outback – Back to Nature is the new animated movie coming to Netflix On the tenth of December. A fun and colorful adventure that young children can experience with a group of escaping animals, heading to the free and natural lands of Australia. The protagonist of the cartoon is Maddie, an adorable snake, who has been treated as a monster in the zoo where she has been locked up, and decides to escape so as not to let anyone tell her that she is a bad and dangerous animal.

She will be joined by prickly devil Thorney Devil Zoe, hairy spider Frank, kind scorpion Nigel, and narcissistic boy sweet koala. But their journey will certainly not be without obstacles The group of animals will have to try not to get caught by zookeeper Chaz and his miniature right hand.

Directors Return to Outback Coming to Netflix Harry Cripps – Writing with Gregory BA – and Claire Knight, who we had the opportunity to speak with to find out more about the survival mission that will involve their heroes. A reflection of what viewers hope to learn from their animal friends and a call to let them conquer the cartoon lands of Australia.

team to be discovered

Everyeye.it: Netflix has released a trailer for Back to the Outback that promises rhythm, joy and music. Is this what we should expect from your animated movie?
Claire Knight: exactly. We wanted the viewer to get to know the characters. How they look, how they move, the characteristics they each have, like the scorpion Nigel with these stinging parts that we see are unable to control very well. We wanted to be able to absorb a lot of them even with a small introduction, without needing words in order to let everyone see what these heroes would be then.

Everyeye.it: How many creative opportunities does the ability to use animal heroes in an animated movie offer?
Claire Knight: many. Especially when we have, as in this case, a group of animals. We tried to make it attractive to the audience. They are an integral part of the story and you understand it the moment they start interacting with each other. The film’s voice actors (Isla Fisher, Eric Bana, Guy Pearce…) also contributed, which gave their characters a kind of human quality. We hope that young viewers will be able to familiarize themselves with how these animal characters feel in our characters.

Everyeye.it: Among other things, I chose animals that are unusual compared to those that can be seen in the film.
Harry Krebs: This is true because there is a large variety of animals in Australia. When we introduced our heroes to Netflix they loved them. They are all unique and different, both in terms of how they developed on this island, and in terms of the unusual characteristics that set them apart. And as the movie goes on, we’re showing more and more of these animals that aren’t particularly beautiful and seemingly deadly, but are actually quite incredible in turn. It was like working with a large color palette.

Claire Knight: We thought it was a good idea, because many people don’t know these animals and others may be afraid of them. So the intent of our character designer was to make them lovable and able to be appreciated by the audience, so that younger viewers could also be interested in these little-seen or universally known creatures.

Everyeye.it: Having a snake as the protagonist is also a risky option.
Harry Cripps: The only question Netflix asked us when we presented the project was: “Does the protagonist have to be a snake? Because people are terrified of snakes.” But we answered that, yeah, Maddie definitely had to be a snake. There is this type of snake, the taipan, which is the most deadly on the entire planet, but no one has been killed by this reptile because it is incredibly shy and gentle. So the challenge was: to make Maddie a deadly snake, but at the same time beautiful and kind-hearted. Personally, I love it and am afraid of snakes!

Everyone has something special

Everyeye.it: Maddie is the character who teaches us that even behind something scary it is always possible to catch a glimpse of beauty. Isn’t that so?
Claire Knight: it is. I think many times what scares you is what you don’t know. Or something you think is bad. But with the movie we try to say just that, there’s always more below what we see. And that everyone has something special, just like Maddie, who we wanted in the animation to have a goofy teen attitude with arcs that unfold and evolve through the movie. And when it comes to the end of the story, what saves her is what she’s always hated about herself.

Harry Cripps: Wonderful material. We have been conditioned by stories and legends to believe that creatures like snakes and sharks are just dangerous creatures, because they teach us so well Sharks Or the Garden of Eden. I don’t find these animals to be bad, just very effective. So we hope to help the kids erase some of those old stories and show these animals in a different way. I’m not saying that they should hurry to catch some snakes, but surely they should learn to respect these creatures and not just be afraid of them.

Everyeye.it: Another of the main themes of Back to the Outback – Riturno alla Natura The pursuit of freedom is what the characters aspire to. What is freedom for you and how difficult is it to represent it in a movie?
Harry Cripps: Freedom really has the power to control your destiny, not just to make you go wherever you want. After they’ve all been locked inside for a year and a half, we know what it means when our freedom is snatched from us. In addition, we were not only closed in our homes, but far from the people we love.
This is what our characters go through. So freedom does not simply mean being able to choose where you want to go, but who you love, who you are, and how to present yourself to the world and be proud of it. It is someone’s shame for what it means to be locked up. I think that’s totally freedom and with this movie we hope to tell viewers that they can be who they want, love who they want and be seen for who they really are.

Claire Knight: It was ironic that while we were trying to make this movie, we were all locked in tiny Zoom boxes inside our homes. And now I feel like our characters, now that I’ve started seeing people and being with them again. Fortunately though Back to the Outback – Riturno alla Natura It’s a comedy, so let’s hope it gets rid of some of the darkness we’ve all been through.

Everyeye.it: And what would you like to say to viewers who feel like the protagonist is Maddie?
Harry Cripps: That’s exactly how Claire feels… She’s the spectator to talk to.
Claire Knight: I feel very connected to my material. I feel like anyone who has ever felt weird would understand that. I think that this trip that I traveled with him has taught me a lot. I grew up in film and I feel like I did too, also considering it’s my first direction for an animated movie. It’s as if my Maddy has suddenly led me into the world. But in the end, the main idea is to know how to love yourself, because only in this way will others be able to love you.
Harry: Agree, everything should start with yourself. If you want to be seen, you must learn to love who you are, be proud and have the courage to follow your desires.

Back to the Outback – Riturno alla Naturawith voices Isla Fisher, Jay Pearce, Eric BanaIt will be available on Netflix from December 10th.