When you listen to the music in this film [Despicable Me], it's working on the level of melody, but the other key element is lyrics. There are a number of songs in the film where the lyrics themselves are very… — Christopher Meledandri Copy Share Image
Absolutely, you rise and fall based on your creative team. I have continuity across different films that I've done. I was even fortunate enough… — Christopher Meledandri Copy Share Image
What I find in a creative company is while there is a desire to build a management foundation that can feel clear and consistent, the unique product we're in Illumination Entertainment making doesn't always allow for that. So rather than following management strategy that talks about building your structure and then staffing that structure, I tend to build the structure… — Christopher Meledandri Copy Share
It's not fair to use movies that weren't creatively successful as a reason why something won't work. — Christopher Meledandri Copy Share Image
Songs give you incredible opportunity to convey a tremendous amount in a relatively short period of time. The first thing that John Powell, our composer, says is, "Is the song engaging you to tap your toe?" If you're not tapping your toe, it doesn't matter what you're doing in the song, it's not going to work. But, if you can… — Christopher Meledandri Copy Share
We have a process that continually looks back to him for guidance, but it also combines that with a tremendous amount of discovery and… — Christopher Meledandri Copy Share Image
What I've found is there is no barometer that allows you to chart when you're oversaturating a desire. You're left really trying to respond… — Christopher Meledandri Copy Share Image
Why did Ted Geisel end up writing and illustrating for young minds? He has specific imagery in the book, and we never would have… — Christopher Meledandri Copy Share Image
I've carried on, in that same tradition, with my kids. Aside from just his brilliance, in my estimation, I think he had one of the great imaginations of the 20th century. One of the reasons why the tradition carries on, all these years later, is because, as a parent, those are the books that you go to and pull off… — Christopher Meledandri Copy Share
No matter what happens with technology or whether you're in traditional animation or stop-motion or CG, the biggest challenge always is story. The flow… — Christopher Meledandri Copy Share Image
Being branded to some subset of your fans is important when it comes to creating films and characters they're not familiar with. It's enormously difficult to market to a global audience, and it's becoming more difficult. A brand matters to parents, whereas kids are largely driven by their urgent reaction to the product. In the future, where there are going… — Christopher Meledandri Copy Share
Tone is an interesting question because part of the inspiration of looking to song is that Geisel himself - when you think about his… — Christopher Meledandri Copy Share Image
Anytime you adapt work of somebody who you respect, as much as I respect him, it's an enormous responsibility. In honoring that responsibility, what… — Christopher Meledandri Copy Share Image
![“When you listen to the music in this film [Despicable Me], it's working on the level of melody, but the other key element is lyrics. There are a number of songs in the film where the lyrics themselves are very much speaking to the essence of what Ted Geisel was setting out to do.” quote by Christopher Meledandri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/f79/christopher-meledandri-23909_despicable_when-you-listen-to-the-music-in-this-fil_2588398.jpg)
