《馬達加斯加3》創意總監：續集不等于爛片

????不要數落續集。動畫電影系列繼續表現出色，即使出到第三部或第四部也能征服票房?？纯础豆治锸啡R克》（Shrek）和《功夫熊貓》（Kung Fu Panda），這兩部動畫電影都是夢工廠（DreamWorks Animation）出品，前者已經推出了第四部（終結篇），后者的第三部正在制作當中。如今，《馬達加斯加3》（Madagascar 3）6月首周末票房達到6,030萬美元，勇奪票房冠軍，第二個周末繼續占據首位，在美國斬獲了2億多美元，全球票房收入累計達到了2.7億美元。

????48歲的夢工廠首席創意官比爾?達馬切克負責監督夢工廠所有電影的創意制作和開發工作，《馬達加斯加3》也不例外。他還深入參與了這部影片所有的真人版戲劇制作。達馬切克在6月底時造訪了《財富》雜志（Fortune）辦事處。以下是（經過編輯的）談話實錄：

????《財富》：你的職業生涯令人很感興趣。最初你在紐約擔任舞臺劇演員，后來在1995年加入夢工廠，參與過動畫電影《埃及王子》（Prince of Egypt）的制作，隨后獲得了晉升。你在這家制片公司里的日常工作是什么？

????比爾?達馬切克：目前，我們已經完成的最大項目顯然就是《馬達加斯加3》。我參與了實際的剪輯過程，還曾在早期與編劇和動畫創作人員一起工作。發布影片，觀察反應，看到觀眾們在紐約公映時享受影片帶來的快樂，這種感覺令人既愉快又緊張。

????現在，我們正在制作其他的電影，比如《守護者的崛起》（Rise of the Guardians）。這部影片講述了復活節兔（Easter Bunny）和牙仙（Tooth Fairy）這些兒童偶像的故事。它改編自比爾?喬伊斯的兒童著作《兒童守護者》（The Guardians of Childhood）系列，就風格來說與《馬達加斯加3》大相徑庭。

????宣傳這樣的新電影并把它推介給讀過和沒讀過原著的觀眾時，會遇到哪些挑戰？

????我們在戛納電影節上播放了幾分鐘的電影片段，每個人都說：“噢，這不就是動畫版的《復仇者聯盟》（Avengers）嘛?！?/p>

????這話是不是令人感到沮喪？

????不會。我很喜歡這種比喻，只是別要求像《復仇者聯盟》那么賣座就行。（《復仇者聯盟》創下了有史以來最高的首周末票房記錄，上映頭兩天就斬獲了2億美元）。像那種大片，每個人都會談論思考，非常合情合理。

????制作續集是否存在風險？是否擔心做過頭或者惹惱觀眾？

????只要影片好，續集好，那就沒問題。我認為，如果每部續集都很出色，觀眾就不會生氣。

????有趣的是，人們在觀看《怪物史萊克音樂劇》（Shrek: the Musical ）這類作品時會想：“噢，他們只是想多撈點錢?！彼麄儾恢牢覀兺度肓硕嗌偃肆?、付出了多少辛苦、戰勝了多大的困難……我的意思是，制作續集不是為了撈錢而粗制濫造。

????但是，如果把有利可圖的電影系列片制作成戲劇、視頻游戲和其他各種形式的副產品，如何確保每種產品都令人感到新鮮和激動？

????我想，我能給出的最好例子就是我們的《馴龍記真人演出》（How to Train Your Dragon Live Spectacular）。這部真人舞臺劇脫胎自我們在2010年推出的電影《馴龍記》（How to Train Your Dragon）。目前，這部舞臺劇已開始美國巡演之旅，門票已經售罄。它同時可允許3,000到6,000人觀看【不久后將在洛杉磯斯臺普斯中心（the Staples Center）等大型場地演出】。

????有點像是嘎巴娃娃（YoGabbaGabba）的真人表演，只不過它講述了一個故事。我不知道觀眾是否習慣到大型場地去看故事劇。當然，不必先看過或知道《馴龍記》才能去欣賞《馴龍記真人演出》。今年3月，這部舞臺劇在澳大利亞首次公演，并于本月來到美國。該劇在澳大利亞和新西蘭大獲成功。有趣的是，《馬達加斯加3》也在俄羅斯等國家表現得尤其出色（確實如此，該片是俄羅斯有史以來票房收入最高的動畫電影，并且是該國所有類型電影中票房收入第三高的電影）。

????Don't knock the sequel. Animated movie series continue to do well, conquering the box office even when they get into the third or fourth installment. Look at Shrek or Kung Fu Panda, both from DreamWorks Animation, up to their fourth (and final) installment and in-the-works third installment, respectively. And now Madagascar 3 is raking it in after a $60.3 million opening weekend in June and a No. 1 repeat on its second weekend. The film surpassed $200 million in the U.S. and $270 million worldwide.

????Bill Damaschke, the 48-year-old chief creative officer at DreamWorks, oversaw creative production and development of the movie, as he does for all of the studio's feature projects. He is also heavily involved in all of its live theater productions. Damaschke stopped by the Fortune offices in late June. Below is an edited transcript of the conversation.

????Fortune: You've had an interesting career arc: you started as a stage actor in New York and then joined DreamWorks in 1995, working on Prince of Egypt,and rose up the ranks. What's your day-to-day involvement at the studio?

????Bill Damaschke: Our biggest project that's out now, obviously, is Madagascar 3. I was involved in the actual editing process, and I worked with the writers and animators in the early stages. It's a great, nervous feeling to let it go now and watch the response and see people enjoying it at the New York premiere.

????Now we're focusing on other movies, like Rise of the Guardians, which is about childhood icons like the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy. It's based on the Bill Joyce kids books [The Guardians of Childhood series] and there's a real contrast between that and Madagascar 3 in terms of the style.

????What are the challenges of rolling out a new film like that, and introducing it to people who know the books as well as those who might not?

????Well, we screened a few minutes of it at Cannes and everyone said, "Oh, it's the animated Avengers."

????Is that frustrating?

????No, I'm comfortable with that analogy as long as it doesn't come with the burden of having to perform on that level. [The Avengers had the biggest opening weekend in history, with $200 million in its first two days.] When a movie is that big, it's what everyone is talking about and thinking about, and it makes sense.

????Is there a danger to doing sequels, a fear of overdoing it or annoying viewers?

????As long as the movie stands alone, as well as being part of a series, it's okay. I don't think people get annoyed if each movie is actually good.

????It's funny, people look at something like Shrek: the Musical and they say, 'Oh, they just want to make more money.' And if they even knew how many people it takes, how much work, how many hours, and what a challenge it is to pull off… I mean, it is not about cranking something out for money.

????But when a profitable movie franchise turns into a play, and a video game, and all manner of other spinoffs, how do you keep each thing fresh and exciting?

????I think the best example I can use is our How to Train Your Dragon Live Spectacular, which is a live arena show that came out of our 2010 movie [How to Train Your Dragon]. It's starting its U.S. arena tour right now, and this thing sells out. It allows for an audience of 3,000 to 6,000 people. [It's also scheduled to play soon in major venues like the Staples Center in L.A.]

????It's a live show sort of like Yo Gabba Gabba, except that it tells a story. I don't know that audiences are used to going to a big arena to see a story. You certainly don't need to have seen or know about How to Train Your Dragon to go enjoy this. The show debuted in Australia in March and it comes to the U.S. this month, after doing really well in Australia and New Zealand, which is interesting because Madagascar 3 is also doing especially well in places like Russia. [Indeed, it is now the highest-grossing animated film of all time in Russia and the country's third-highest grossing movie of any genre.]