Ryan - an Oscar blend of Biography, Animation & Documentary

An interview with Dir Chris Landeth AnimationWorldNetwork May 3, 2004

Ryan is a kind of animated documentary. You integrate photography and live-action footage with animation. When people think of documentary filmmaking, in general, they assume that it’s an objective medium. But a documentarian naturally brings their own perspective to their work. What are the benefits or shortcomings of making a documentary as animation?

CL: One of the elements is that you can add a subjective point of view that you can’t do with live action. I mean, it happens with live action, but it happens in a way that is still very literal, because you’re dealing with the real subjects at hand. But some of the creativity and passion of the story comes when you can change the visuals to reflect in a metaphorical or symbolic way, how the filmmaker, or the author, sees the subject matter.

What were some of the creative and technical challenges in developing and achieving the film? How did the aesthetic vision for the film evolve?

CL: When I was first getting to know Ryan, I got this impression of him that was a very metaphorical one that ultimately became what you see in the film. That started off with a lot of sketches of the appearance that you see, and I also did some self-portraits. Thus you see the interviewer, who looks like me but has all these other things happening on his face and arms and stuff. The other characters that you see in the cafeteria came more gradually later on.

What do you feel is unique about animation, in how audiences relate to it, or in what it’s able to express?

CL: The kind of animation that I’m into stretches the definition of narrative. I think that Ryan does stretch that definition somewhat, in bringing in the documentary aspects, and by adding, I hope seamlessly, this very subjective visual aspect to make something that the audience might find jarring, at first, but they kind of get into the groove of it and go somewhere with it.