16/02/2024 - BERLINALE 2024: The Dutch director breaks down her new film, in which weird twists abound and Apocalypse Now references run wild

(© Els Zweerink)

Mascha Halberstad, behind the much-loved Oink [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Mascha Halberstad
film profile], now shows what happens when Fox and Hare Save the Forest [+see also:
film review
interview: Mascha Halberstad
film profile]. However, in this Berlinale Generation Kplus entry, they have to hurry because the evil Beaver is building a giant dam and the water level is rising rapidly. Luckily, amidst all the mayhem, there is still some time for a little party.

Cineuropa: This is a bit of a departure from Oink, mostly because of the CGI images, but they still have this “physical” feel.
Mascha Halberstad: Yes, it looks a bit like stop-motion, like clay. It’s a different project, for sure. Oink was my own initiative, and this time, I was asked to direct after I made a series based on these books. When talking to my co-director on the show, I actually voted for doing it in 3D, thinking that 2D would look too similar to their illustrations. We made the film in the exact same style.

I don’t know the books, but in the film, all of the characters have their own little quirks. The owl is obsessed with her toy, while Tusk wears scandalous underwear.
I think I made these quirks even bigger. With Tusk, I told the voice-over actor [Rob Rackstraw]: “He looks like a German leather guy.” He gave him the accent, and it just made me laugh. It happened with so many other characters. I wanted the Beaver to be a mix between Donald Trump and Owen Wilson [laughs]. Half of it comes from improvisation, from little jokes. When the voices are great, it makes the animation more fun and the whole film becomes better.

“Donald Trump meets Owen Wilson” – this statement, while hilarious, makes sense. These creatures’ problems and weaknesses often feel like they belong to the adult world.
I am simply unable to make films just for kids. I can’t do it! The series started out as a pre-school show, and predictably, once I came on board, that idea went out of the window. There have to be adult issues. My son is 18 now, but in the past, I would only go to Pixar movies with him – I knew I was going to have a good time. I know how it feels to be a parent, sitting in the cinema, going: “Oh my God…”

Another thing you keep doing is having empathy for just about everyone and being open to the idea of redemption. In many animated films, it’s all about destroying the villain.
This story is about friendship – that’s the main message: taking care of your friends and making new ones. But I am always afraid of making these things too cringy. I want people to come out of the cinema feeling happy. These messages are important, but a film has to touch your heart.

Do you think there is much pressure to deliver environmental messages as well? Oink also dealt with some modern dilemmas.
And later, everyone thought I was this vegan director, which I am not – I still eat sausages. I wasn’t telling anyone to stop eating meat; I was just showing them where it comes from. It’s the same here. It feels timely because in the Netherlands, the water level rose dangerously high this winter. It’s going to be a huge problem, and this movie reflects that. I didn’t pick this story myself, but I think the producers did it precisely because of that. In 30 years, unless we do something about it, maybe half of this country will be underwater. So yes, this message is there, but I hope it’s not too obvious. I like weird twists that get you to the happy ending. We all know how it works in these movies: some lessons need to be learnt. But I can’t do it in a “normal” way; I don’t even know why. It might be because I am just not good with rules. If someone tells me to do one thing, I will always look for another way.

Did you have any retro references? The songs feel a bit 1980s, and the baddie could be a proper Bond villain.
He could! Although in another version of the script, he was more like Marlon Brando in Apocalypse Now.

Another great reference for a children’s film!
I kept it, actually – when the Beaver comes out of the water, it’s like that iconic scene with Martin Sheen. But I always saw his den as this Bond-like thing straight out of Goldfinger. Or take the rats, who are helping him – for them, I thought about Peaky Blinders.

In the script, for a very long time, the Beaver felt a bit one-dimensional. I wanted to add something to this character, and when he finally shows these animals around his place, so proud of it, I thought about adding a song. He is so narcissistic – he needed something extra, something over the top. My composer, André Dziezuk, developed the rest of the music around it. I like it when music feels a bit grown-up, when it adds something to the story and can be taken seriously. Children should be taken seriously, too.