Rich: Why are you a part-time Hobbit?
Scott: I tend to like being home. Milling about in the Hobbit Hole and making art. For me to leave the house is a big adventure. I just really identified with Bilbo Baggins as an introvert. And, of course, having an actual Hobbit Hole to work in doesn’t hurt either.
Rich: What from your childhood most influenced you to pursue the career you have now?
Scott: The 1967 Spider-Man series. I was enthralled with Spider-Man. Bonkers for him. So, when I got my first comic book… I started copying Steve Ditko’s art and knew then and there I wanted to be the artist on Spider-Man. That turned into a 30-year obsession that finally was fulfilled in 2001 when I had my run for Marvel on Spider-Man: Quality of Life.
Rich: Why has “Animal Crackers” the film become such a huge success?
Scott: I think it’s a combination of hard work and dumb luck. The hard work was my wife and I doing what we needed to to get the funding for the film when Hollywood shut the door. My wife Donna believed in it more than anyone and she supported the family for 3 years while I tried to raise the funds. When the movie finally came out… the “dumb luck” part was that it was on Netflix for the first summer of the Pandemic. Everyone was home and kids watched it over and over and over again.
And having Emily Blunt, John Krasinski, Danny DeVito, Sylvester Stallone, Ian McKellen, Raven-Symone’ and the rest of our remarkable cast didn’t hurt either.
Rich: How did you come up with the idea of magical animal crackers?
Scott: The kids. We were playing in the backyard when they were little and eating animal crackers and I had the idea “What if when you eat a lion cookie… POOF! You’re a lion?”
And the boys loved it. Spent the rest of the day pretending to turn into animals. And the rest, as they say, is history.
Rich: What and how big a part is Bear McCreary in the film “Animal Crackers”?
Scott: Bear’s score is the HEARTBEAT of the film. I had no idea how a movie score could impact a film until Bear sat down with me and asked me what “emotions I wanted the audience to feel in this scene?”
That’s what a composer does. They find the emotional heartbeat of the film and bring it to life with the score. It’s incredible.
Rich: Just how proud of “Animal Crackers” are you?
Scott: Not very, honestly. Not in a bad way. But, it was such a wonderful experience. It was so fun. It was so exciting. It’s hard to feel “proud” about it.
Thankful? Yes. It was a gift. I just kind of held on for the ride.
Rich: Any plans for another of your properties to be made into a movie?
Scott: Plans? Absolutely. Will it ever happen? Who knows?
The fact that we got ONE movie made was like lightning striking or hitting the lottery. I’d love to do it again… but I don’t know if I’ll be that lucky.
Rich: Are Anthony and Kim Sava related to you?
Scott: Yeah. Actor cousins of mine. Was so fun to have them play roles in the film. I had lots of family come do voices in the film. But it was extra special to have cousins who actually do this for a living.
Rich: Why did you and your wife Donna decide to found Blue Dream Studios?
Scott: I was getting so much work back in the 90’s doing animation that I couldn’t handle the workload on my own. So, we started the company to properly structure hiring more artists.
Then it became a book publishing company as well… and now back to animation.
Rich: You have worked on both Star Wars and Star Trek if you had to choose one which one would it be and why?
Scott: Star Trek because I like the idea of a peaceful utopian future where we explore space. I love Star Wars for its characters and adventure… but Star Trek for its ideals.
Rich: How is “The Dreamland Chronicles” doing?
Scott: Great. We finished the series in 2016 and published all 8 books. The last book, I was knee deep in Animal Crackers and the software couldn’t handle the older 3D models… so Tracy Bailey came on board and illustrated Book Eight for me.
It was so wonderful, I asked her to redo the entire series in her style. She just finished Book One.
Rich: What has been one of your most rewarding experiences?
Scott: Spider-Man. I know it’s silly… but it was a childhood dream come true.
Rich: Can you tell us an interesting fact about you that few know?
Scott: There’s little people DON’T know about me if they follow me on socials. I’m an open book. But Blue Dream Studios was named after guitarist Joe Satriani’s album “Flying in a Blue Dream”.
It wasn’t until 20 years later someone told me that “Blue Dream” is a form of pot. I had no idea. Named my children’s book company after it. Ha ha. I guess I know why Joe was “flying”.
Rich: What would you like to say to all your fans?
Scott: Thank you for always supporting me and my family.
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