Animated feature film “On the Edge” has revealed its voice cast, which is led by Daryl McCormack and Mia McKenna-Bruce, and also features Chris O’Dowd and Mark Rylance. The cast also includes Anna Maxwell Martin, Paterson Joseph and Vincent Tong.
Octavio Rodriguez, whose credits include “Ron’s Gone Wrong,” “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” and “Coco,” directed the film, and spoke to Variety about what we can expect (see below).
International rights are held by Studio 100 Film, and Viva Kids will distribute in the U.S. and Canada.
McCormack broke out with “Good Luck to You, Leo Grande,” and has since appeared in “Wake Up Dead Man” and “Twisters,” among other titles, while McKenna-Bruce came to attention as the lead in Cannes hit “How to Have Sex” and won the BAFTA Rising Star award. She is set to play Ringo’s first wife Maureen Starkey in Sam Mendes’ Beatles movies.
“On the Edge”
Courtesy of Studio BlueGreen
Rylance’s credits include “The BFG,” “Bridge of Spies” and “Wolf Hall,” while O’Dowd has appeared in “Bridesmaids” and “This Is 40.”
“On the Edge” stars a motley crew of endangered animals, led by Donnie, a Cuban solenodon with a nose for adventure, on a worldwide quest in search of survival, freedom, and as many free snacks as they can eat.
“On the Edge”
Courtesy of Studio BlueGreen
Donnie and friends refuse to go extinct quietly, setting out on an epic quest to crash the world tour of Peng – the superstar panda and hero of Pandaland – to discover how fame and “huggability” kept him alive.
Along the way, Donnie haphazardly recruits, amongst others, Vy, a sassy, loyal, and fiercely independent Aye-Aye; Kiki, a flightless Kakapo parrot and powerhouse of kindness and optimism; and Roman, an overly dramatic Jamaican Funnel-Eared Bat.
“On the Edge” is written by Laura Dockrill and Michael Ryan, and is a collaboration between Studio BlueGreen, Studio 100 International, On the Edge Animation AIE, Able & Baker, Telegael and Viva Pictures.
“On the Edge” voice cast
Courtesy of Studio BlueGreen
The film was originated by Studio BlueGreen, a not-for-profit creative studio “telling nature stories in unique entertainment-led formats to increase our connection with nature and support global conservation efforts,” according to a statement.
Beth Blood, producer and founder of Studio BlueGreen, said, “Many movies claim to be so much more than a film. ‘On the Edge’ is one of the very few premium-quality, globally animated releases to live up to this claim because we originated this film not for our personal profit but to achieve impact. At its heart, this movie is about using the joy and emotive power of the very best in animated storytelling, to foster a love of our planet and the incredible animals, species, and ecosystems that populate it.”
Rodriguez tells Variety that what interested him about the project was that it featured voices that don’t get be heard often. “A lot of movies or stories that I gravitate toward are those of the underdogs, the ones that have to do a little bit more to get to where they need to go,” he says.
He adds that for him it was about finding a message “that cross-pollinates between families and generations.” He adds, “It’s like having a conversation with your child. There’s a curiosity when I see my children, and a wonder that they have, and I’m trying to find a way to get back to that.”
When the characters go on their adventure, we see “how humans have affected the environment for these animals,” he says. “It’s interesting seeing it from the point of view of Donnie, who’s never seen it before, so everything is surprising to him.”
He refers to a scene inside of a truck and another in an airport, and the difference in scale for the animals, seeing things from their perspective. “It’s almost alien to them. They’ve never seen this stuff before. It gives us a unique perspective,” he says. Other memorable scenes will be a chase sequence under a train and at a concert in a Las Vegas-style venue.
The humor in the film will come from “the characters and their point of view,” he says, and also “from the humans and how they interact with the animals.” “It also goes back to the distinctive personalities [of the animals] and how they all have different ways of dealing with things.”
In terms of conveying the film’s conservation message, he says it was important to find a way for the audience to connect with the characters so that the film poses questions and starts a conversation. “We’re not trying to spoon feed this. It’s really story first,” he says. “I really wanted to avoid trying to push some information at you. I wanted you just to sit back and enjoy the story and go, ‘I want to know more about these characters.’ My desire for this is that you walk out of the theater and have a conversation and be more curious about what’s happening to these animals.”
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