Zachary Levis Discusses "Rapunzel
In addition to keeping busy with the Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel and Chuck, Levi's been working on Disney's animated family film, Rapunzel. Pop star/actress Mandy Moore provides the voice of the long-haired beauty and Levi lends his voice to her love interest, Flynn Ryder. "My character is a bandit," explained Levi. "It’s funny because when I auditioned for the part, he was supposed to be British and I auditioned with a British accent.
And I got the job and was like, 'Sweet! I get to do something outside of the box.' And then they decided, 'No, we’re not going to make him British. We’re just going to do your voice. Just do what you do.' And I was like, 'But, I don’t wanna do that.'"
So, how does this Rapunzel compare to the classic Rapunzel? "It’s funny, I’ve seen some blogs and things with people freaking out because they’re like, 'They’re going to make her action Barbie Rapunzel,' and that’s really not the case. As far as I’m concerned, John Lasseter is one of the most genius guys on the planet," said Levi. "He has done no wrong at Pixar and it’s because he really knows how to make amazing movies. There has not been one Pixar movie that hasn’t done well. They’ve all been hits - it’s just the degree of hit. There’s no like, 'Oh, it did okay…' They’re all amazing movies, every single one of them, because adults and kids watch them and there’s no gaps. It’s not like the parents are tuned in and then they’ve got to tune out and then tune back in."
"I’ll watch a Pixar movie over and over and over again. I’ll be with friends of mine who have kids that want to watch Finding Nemo and I’m like, 'Yeah, okay, let’s watch Nemo again for the seven billionth time,' because they’re amazing movies. They have heart, relationships, story and characters, and they’re not gimmick-driven. They’re all really amazing films. And Rapunzel will be no different. Telling a fairy tale is not an easy thing to do. In the ‘50s and ‘60s, when animation was still a new thing, people would just be amazed by the animation so you could tell it in a more classic, slower way. But we live in the YouTube generation, so if you don’t keep it interesting and moving, than you’re going to lose the audience anyway. And Pixar knows how to do that. I have every confidence that it will be an amazing film, and I’m just super-excited to be a part of it."
And I got the job and was like, 'Sweet! I get to do something outside of the box.' And then they decided, 'No, we’re not going to make him British. We’re just going to do your voice. Just do what you do.' And I was like, 'But, I don’t wanna do that.'"
So, how does this Rapunzel compare to the classic Rapunzel? "It’s funny, I’ve seen some blogs and things with people freaking out because they’re like, 'They’re going to make her action Barbie Rapunzel,' and that’s really not the case. As far as I’m concerned, John Lasseter is one of the most genius guys on the planet," said Levi. "He has done no wrong at Pixar and it’s because he really knows how to make amazing movies. There has not been one Pixar movie that hasn’t done well. They’ve all been hits - it’s just the degree of hit. There’s no like, 'Oh, it did okay…' They’re all amazing movies, every single one of them, because adults and kids watch them and there’s no gaps. It’s not like the parents are tuned in and then they’ve got to tune out and then tune back in."
"I’ll watch a Pixar movie over and over and over again. I’ll be with friends of mine who have kids that want to watch Finding Nemo and I’m like, 'Yeah, okay, let’s watch Nemo again for the seven billionth time,' because they’re amazing movies. They have heart, relationships, story and characters, and they’re not gimmick-driven. They’re all really amazing films. And Rapunzel will be no different. Telling a fairy tale is not an easy thing to do. In the ‘50s and ‘60s, when animation was still a new thing, people would just be amazed by the animation so you could tell it in a more classic, slower way. But we live in the YouTube generation, so if you don’t keep it interesting and moving, than you’re going to lose the audience anyway. And Pixar knows how to do that. I have every confidence that it will be an amazing film, and I’m just super-excited to be a part of it."
Source...