Originally conceived as a live-action comedy, Megamind marks the solo directing debut of Madagascar and Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa filmmaker Tom McGrath. McGrath was immediately captivated by the film’s larger-than-life premise. As he says in the film’s production notes, “I heard it was about a villain who accidentally defeats his nemesis, creates a new hero to battle, and inevitably has to rise up and be the hero himself. And at the center of it was a love story. Just with that simple pitch, I said, ‘Wow, that sounds really unique—to tell a story from the villain’s point of view.’”
The film, which was initially called Oobermind, details the ongoing battle between a valiant superhero (Brad Pitt’s Metro Man) and a cunning supervillain (Will Ferrell’s Megamind), with the storyline kicking in as Megamind, having defeated Metro Man, comes to the realization that he has no purpose now that Metro Man is out of the picture. Obviously, the filmmakers’ most pressing goal in bringing this over-the-top story to life was in finding just the right person to voice Megamind. Robert Downey, Jr. was originally cast in the role, yet the Sherlock Holmes actor was eventually forced to back out due to scheduling conflicts.
After looking at a variety of comedic performers – including Ben Stiller – McGrath finally settled on Saturday Night Live veteran Ferrell. Says producer Lara Breay, “Casting Will Ferrell was key. He has this incredible ability to play a bombastic egomaniac hell-bent on world domination in a way that makes him not only hilarious, but lovable. He shows us the vulnerability and longing that’s behind the deluded buffoon, and you can’t help but root for him.” Though the recording process for animated movies often prevents actors from working together, McGrath wanted to take advantage of both Ferrell and costar Tina Fey’s background in live comedy. As Fey explained at a press conference for the movie, "Tom really encouraged us to improvise. Will and I were lucky because we got to do sessions together and improvise together.”
Fey, playing a reporter with ties to both Megamind and Metro Man, relished the opportunity to play a character that is, says McGrath, “much stronger than anybody else in the movie and can actually take care of herself.” The film’s emphasis on comedy prompted the hiring of naturally funny folks in several key supporting roles, with David Cross and Jonah Hill eventually agreeing to voice the characters of, respectively, Minion and Hal Stewart. Both actors have quite a bit of experience in the recording booth, as Cross voiced Crane in 2008’s Kung Fu Panda and Hill popped up in 2008’s Horton Hears a Who! and 2010’s How to Train Your Dragon.
The filmmakers’ biggest challenge ultimately turned out to be deciding just what Megamind should look like. Explains character effects supervisor Damon Riesberg, “When we started out, we knew he was a very stylized looking character. Giant blue head, huge eyes, you know, he’s just a weird looking guy.” The animators also took care to ensure that Megamind bears some resemblance to the man who voices him. Says Ferrell, “They say that animators usually bring some of the mannerisms and the look of the actor voicing it to the actual character. I think they did an astounding job – they really captured my forehead, but I think I’m actually a little more on the teal side. But the blue works, too.”
Though the movie boasts plenty of action and comedy, McGrath felt that it was extremely important to ensure that Megamind never lost sight of its human, relatable elements. Explains the director, “At the end of the day, the story of Megamind is about redemption. It’s basically saying no matter what life gives you and no matter how much you mess up, it’s never too late to make the right choices.”