The Process of Shooting Monster House: Locke described the experience as challenging. "That was a great experience because, literally, you’re imagining everything. Everything you are imagining, so it’s great training for doing green screen. [You really] have to get there mentally."
It's Not Just Voicework: The actors involved in Monster House didn't just lend their voices to the characters. All involved acting out their parts and then the animation was put over their physical performance. "Exactly, all of [it is] my acting. They didn’t animate anything except put a character on me – on my actions."
The Young Cast of Monster House: "We were all newcomers back then," explains Locke. "It’s been two years of post-production, which you can imagine with that new technology. We had a great time together.
Unlike the process used in most animated films, the cast was actually together on the set while acting out their roles. "It wasn’t just a voiceover, it was performance animation - performance capture - and we were in what’s called a volume and we’re wearing wet suits. [There were] 70 sensors on our faces. It’s very interesting, really interesting. And Steve Buscemi, John Heder, Catherine O’Hara, just so many wonderful actors I got to work with. We did everything. We acted everything. It wasn’t just a voiceover."
Being Tossed Around By a Haunted House: Locke says there was a little stuntwork involved in the making of Monster House. [They'd say, 'Okay Spencer, you’re falling down a mountain so just use your arms and your head,’ so that was kind of weird (laughing). But I got to do lots of kinds of stunts where I run and I jump 20 feet in the air and I grab on to the uvula. All of that I got to do, which was a blast."
Advances in Technology Necessitate Reshoots: "We did some reshoots a couple of months ago. It was kind of weird getting back in the wetsuits. Everybody was like, ‘Wow, you’ve grown five inches!’ ‘Well, it’s been two years!’"
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Monster House is rated PG for scary images and sequences, thematic elements, some crude humor and brief language and hits theaters on July 21, 2006.
