UCLA alumnus Gil Kenan has barely scratched the surface of his
film career and Steven Spielberg already wants him out of
Hollywood.
Actually, Spielberg requested that Kenan leave the country.
The excommunication is not for disliking “E.T.,” or
for mocking the two rejection letters Spielberg received from the
USC School of Cinema. It is only sage advice offered by a Hollywood
veteran to a slightly nervous 29-year-old newcomer preparing for
the Friday release of his feature film debut, “Monster
House.”
“I’m terrified,” Kenan said. “I want to
be as far away from Hollywood as possible.”
So on Friday July 21, while Kenan is on a boat headed to Russia,
Americans will flock to theaters to catch the children’s
slapstick horror film executive-produced by Spielberg and
“Back to the Future” director Robert Zemeckis.
The motion-capture animation tells of a group of kids looking to
solve a mysterious death. They battle to save their town from an
evil neighborhood house with humanlike qualities.
Though Kenan won’t be present to see how his film fares
with the American public, his trip to Russia will serve as a
much-needed hiatus from a journey that began when he was still a
graduate student in the UCLA Master of Fine Arts in Animation
program.
His live-action-animation hybrid senior thesis film, “The
Lark,” won the annual UCLA Spotlight Award in 2002 and became
a catalyst for his future endeavors.
“I saw (“˜The Lark’) as it was coming along and
I could tell right away I’d never seen a film that looked
like it,” said Doug Ward, manager of the UCLA Animation
Workshop and Kenan’s former professor.
Within three days of the screening of his short film, Kenan
signed with an agent. Ten months later, a copy of “The
Lark,” fell onto the desk of Zemeckis, who decided he wanted
to meet with Kenan about a story idea by Dan Harmon and Rob
Schrab.
“(When) they sent me a draft of the script I freaked
out,” Kenan said. “It was amazing and it was exactly
the type of thing I was looking to do.”
In many ways “Monster House” was the next move in a
logical progression for Kenan. “The Lark” had touched
on the emotional connection between people and their houses.
“Something came into my head as I read (the script) that
… would make it more personal for me,” Kenan said.
“As soon as I finished reading I was overwhelmed by these
visual ideas, so I started to draw.”
By the time he met with Zemeckis, Kenan had a clear idea of his
intention for the film’s visual aesthetic. Within a few
weeks, he had officially landed the job as director of the
film.
Spielberg and Zemeckis had also once been young filmmakers fresh
out school, wanting a chance for creative freedom; they were
willing to give that freedom to Kenan.
“That’s not to say that I didn’t have to deal
with the kind of notes (from the studio), and studio business. All
of that is just the reality of making a movie in Hollywood,”
Kenan said. “But I would also say that it (was) in service of
the movie. And I don’t feel that the movie was crushed in any
way.”
The smooth experience might also be a testament to what others
have described as Kenan’s personable, creative and humbly
confident nature.
“He’s a guy that’s thinking so fast,”
Ward said. “It’s like his mind is always racing.
It’s not that he’s ignoring you. He’s not. (Kenan
is) just a truly creative and very likeable guy. It makes you happy
that he’s doing well.”
But Kenan has not only kept his work inside his own head. He has
adapted quickly to the large-scale collaboration needed to make a
film like “Monster House.”
“He was very receptive to critiques and comments,”
said Celia Mercer, associate professor at UCLA. “He was one
of those people who would really take (advice) from different
people. It’s important because you want to make sure that
your ideas are coming across.”
Overall, Kenan approached the film with the confidence of an
already accomplished artist.
“The director is there to inspire the rest of the actors,
the crew, and artists,” said Kenan. “So if you
don’t believe in (the film), they can smell that. I think I
had to constantly be the ultimate cheerleader for this movie and my
ability to make it.”
For the first time in several years, Kenan will be able to let
his jitters show as he flees Hollywood to decompress. But there is
little doubt he has a long and distinctive career awaiting him when
he returns. Next up for the director is a post-apocalyptic
live-action children’s film, “City of Ember,”
which begins shooting next winter.
“I don’t want to follow any one medium or
genre,” Kenan said. “I just really want to be telling
interesting and weird stories. That’s what drives
me.”