Dan Scanlon joined the Pixar team as an art director on Cars. When it came time to produce a new short film for the DVD, Scanlon moved up to co-director, working with John Lasseter on the Mater and the Ghostlight short. The skit has Mater the tow truck pulling pranks on his fellow cars, so they all get together and enact the famous Ghostlight legend from Route 66 in retaliation.
You’re co-directing with John Lasseter, the big boss. What’s that like?
“It’s so weird. It’s so unbelievable. I’ve been a fan of Pixar since they’ve been making shorts and always wanted to be a part of that, so to have gotten an opportunity to direct with John was great. Especially after working with him on the movie, to then get the opportunity to be side by side with him, and the greatest thing about it is John takes very serious the role of teaching you as well. We’re both trying to get the film right, but he takes the time to explain to you, ‘This is how you look at this. This is how you look at the dailies. This is how I like to do things.’ That experience alone was unbelievable.”
Does he separate it from the day to day operations?
“Oh yeah. When you’re in the room with him, you’re just two guys trying to make a film. He’s a creative guy who you’re just working with on the story. It’s nothing to do with the other thing, which is great, too, because when I first came here five years ago, it was at first really intimidating to be in the room. You think, ‘Oh man, who am I to be saying anything?’ What’s amazing is right off the bat you just feel comfortable. This is a guy who’s proved himself. He doesn’t need to do anything. He doesn’t need to be cool in front of you or make you feel like your ideas aren’t good enough. He wants to hear everyone’s ideas. And what’s amazing to me is that a good idea was a good idea no matter who it came from. So it’s very odd to be that comfortable with him right off the bat, but I think anybody that meets him realizes that pretty quickly.”
Were you on the Route 66 trip?
“Yeah, and that I have to say was one of the funnest things I’ve ever done - outside of work or whatever. It was odd because we all kind of feel that way. There were three or four of us that were pretty brand new, so it really served as a bonding trip as well because we were going to be on this film for five years or four years. To be on this trip for five or six days was really interesting because at first you’re all kind of uncomfortable and everything and then by the end of it, you’re lighting off fireworks together. It was the perfect metaphor for the movie, which was this is not what I thought it was going to be. That’s what Michael Wallis, who was the Sheriff and the writer of Route 66: The Mother Road and our guide on the trip [said about being] on the road, ‘Nothing is predictable. We’re starting off here to do a research trip and learn these stories, but it’s going to diverge a bit and that’s okay.’ So that, and just talking to the people along the road that we met, was so great and interesting.
It just hasn’t left us. It’s odd. It’s been four years. We’ve all moved on to different films, but we always talk about the trip. We talk about doing it again. We’ve done little parts of it again. It’s just something that stayed with us for a long time, which was important to then make a movie about.”
Ghostlight is a big road legend. What other stories were in consideration for short films?
“Well, it was more like specific people and places. Some of the stories were great but not really appropriate for the film, or were too specific to an actual event. What made the Ghostlight great was it’s a legend that actually exists in a lot of different places, not just Route 66, but it’s something that is familiar and fun. But boy, yeah, trying to think back, there was one that we loved which is actually mentioned in the short, which was the Zozobra. The Zozobra is a giant three-story puppet, basically, that is burnt at the start of every Santa Fe fiesta. We heard about it on the road trip and we thought it was amazing. It represents gloom and despair, and you burn it at the start of the festival. It’s getting rid of gloom. What’s amazing about it is it’s this giant puppet and it actually moves and screams. It actually has a voice. It’s terrifying. They’ve been doing it for 80 years and we just love that. We became obsessed with it. We actually did go back, all of us, for that - to see this thing burn. It was such a surreal experience. It was actually off the Route 66 path, but it definitely came from that trip.”
Are you working on Ratatouille?
“I am not. I’m working on something that’s further away that unfortunately I can’t disclose.”
Past the next film? You can’t even say what it is?
“That’s what’s funny is I started on Cars four or so years ago, five years ago. You’re telling your family, ‘Well, I’m working on this thing. I can’t really tell you about it.’ Five years pass, you show it to ‘em and it’s so exciting and such a big deal, and then you say, ‘Well, see you in another five years. Hope you enjoyed that because it’s going to take a while.’”
Will you be lead director?
“I’m actually going back into story for a while. Again, I haven’t been here long and I really feel like there’s so much to learn from that that I just want to… I don't know, I’m not in any rush. It was a great experience, but I wanted to really be part of the story team again. There’s just something to be said about a group of eight, nine, 10 people sitting in a room and working out ideas. A lot of these guys have worked on a lot more films than I have, but after that, who knows? I’m not really sure, but I wanted to do at least one more in story.”
