ENTERTAINMENT NEWS
July 24, 2009
Go, Guinea Pigs, Go!
TFK talks to Hoyt Yeatman, the director of Disney's new animated animal adventure, G-FORCE
In Disney's latest 3-D animated tale, G-FORCE, the fate of the world rests in the paws of some very unexpected heroes. The G-FORCE is a team of secret-agent guinea pigs trained by the government to work as spies. The squad is made up of team leader Darwin, weapons expert Blaster and martial arts pro Juarez. The undercover rodents also get a little help from some non-guinea pig agents: Mooch, a scouting expert and a literal fly on the wall, and a star-nosed mole named Speckles who is a computer and information specialist.
 |  DISNEY ENTERPRISES, INC. G-FORCE teammates Juarez and Darwin get spying. |
Equipped with the latest high-tech gadgets and gizmos, the furry agents are on a mission to take down an evil billionaire named Leonard Saber. But first they must prove to that sometimes the best secret agents come in small packages.
Why guinea pigs? G-FORCE director Hoyt Yeatman reveals to TFK the answer to this and other burning questions below.
TFK:How did you come up with the story for G-FORCE?
YEATMAN:It was about six years ago, when my son was in preschool. He and the other kids got to take turns bringing home the class guinea pig, Cute Guy. One weekend, my son told me a little story about how he could see this little guinea pig wearing an army helmet and a backpack and running around. That was the spark that started it all. Darwin is Cute Guy.
TFK:How did you flesh out the story from there?
YEATMAN:In the beginning, we just thought it was a cute little idea. But as we began to do more research, to our amazement we learned that animals play a huge part in national defense in today's world. For example, if you Google "squirrels in Iran embassy," you'll find that a year or two ago, 12 squirrels were caught carrying electronic surveillance equipment into the Iranian embassy! And it gets even more bizarre. That's one of the reasons why producer Jerry Bruckheimer was attached to the project. He could see it was fantastic, but that it also had some roots in reality.
TFK:What makes guinea pigs good special agents?
YEATMAN:They're so soft and cuddly. You'd never take them for spies, you know? But it was still a challenge. We had to think about how a little nine-inch tall guinea pig would function in the real world. How would he scale a table and get onto a desktop? How could he travel in the air or under water? If you look at the anatomy of a guinea pig, you discover very quickly that it can't touch the top of its head. There's just no way, their arms are too short. That's where a lot of the gadgetry questions came into play.
TFK:How did you find solutions for that?
YEATMAN:We found that a guinea pig would need a front pack—a utility pack that has a series of controls and buttons. So, if Darwin wants to use his welding goggles or night vision goggles, he hits a little button on his front pack. That will bring out a track that will lower the headset onto his head. It was fun retuning gadgets to fit with a guinea pig's body.
TFK:Did you have real guinea pigs around while you worked on the movie?
YEATMAN:We did, we had some mascots. I didn't know this until we started making the movie, but there are about 100 different types of guinea pigs, from really furry ones to completely naked ones! For research, we were able to get a few hairless guinea pigs, called "skinny pigs," and study them and photograph them. It was very helpful from the animators' perspective to be able to see what lies underneath all that fur. They kind of look like little rhinoceroses. That gave us a lot of insight into how a guinea pig would actually function.
TFK:You've won Oscars for your special effects work, but this is your first time directing. Which job do you prefer?
YEATMAN:Directing is probably more fun, but it also has the most responsibility. When you do special effects, you work strictly with visuals and coming up with the technologies and the methodologies and the artistry to make the movie. But as a director, you have to cover all the bases, from the visuals to telling the story, which is the most important process.
TFK:Which actor veered off the script the most?
YEATMAN:We're always looking for adlibs to add to the humor of the film. Jon Favreau, who plays a pet store guinea pig named Hurley, is excellent. He's an amazing writer, director and actor. He brought a lot to the recording sessions.
 DISNEY ENTERPRISES, INC. Team leader Darwin rides to the rescue! | |
Which character is your favorite?
YEATMAN:I think Darwin. He's the star of the show, but he also has the most weight and concern. He has to keep the team together and prove himself, so he has the most emotion of all the characters.
TFK:In general, what can audiences expect from G-FORCE?
YEATMAN:I think they'll fall in love with all of the characters. And we're doing some things we've never done before with 3-D technology. That will enhance the story, and hopefully bring it into people's laps and make it an enjoyable movie.
TFK:I think guinea pig sales will be up after this.
YEATMAN:[Laughs] We'll see!
