The goal was to make a "nice" dark movie that was creepy, but not too creepy. Mist and smoke were used in a very elegant manner, while maintaining a dark, but rich, look.

One of Besson and Leondis' goals was to make the film creepy, but not too creepy. They wanted a "nice" dark movie. To achieve this, Besson employed mist and smoke to hide or reveal things in a very elegant manner, while maintaining a dark, but rich, look. The technique also worked to tone down the 3D images and maintain the ambience of the story to fit into Leondis' desire for a classic film-noir look.

As the team began to hone in on the overall design for the film, Leondis employed one of his favorite techniques for creating a striking look, collaging time periods and motifs. "Photorealism is boring to me," he explains in the production notes. "It's fun to remake reality in a way that is surprising. It is animation, after all. I am a fan of modern art, and the best modern artists take familiar shapes and recreate them in a new way for emotional effect. That's how I approach filmmaking."

European character designer Valérie Hadida worked with Besson to achieve the director's vision of Igor. Leondis saw Igor as a prisoner in his world, explaining that he put him in a sort of "straitjacket" to tie his hands and that his wrists have cuffs to represent handcuffs. He also is covered in stripes to suggest a prison uniform and his hunch has two patches of orange, which represent hope. Until the monster arrives, the only orange we see are Igor's patches.

Sound Bites
Another interpretation of character involved voice. Writer McKenna credits Cusack with nailing the somewhat world-weary, but hopeful manner that Igor required. As he comments in the production notes, "No one does that earnest, put-upon tone better and then turns around and brings a comic exasperation to the character that is absolutely brilliant."

However, having noted actors voice the various characters led to logistical problems that required some creative solutions. "We recorded John [Cusack] wherever he was working at the time," says Howard. "I believe he was in Bangkok, Canada and London. But we always said, 'We'll work around your schedule.'"

Collaging time periods and motifs helped to create a striking look.

Being flexible is part and parcel of making an independent film, and Howard is delighted with the results. "Each one of them brought something extra to their roles that made them really unique and elevated the entire film," he says. "Whether it was Eddie Izzard, who completely came up with Schadenfreude's accent on his own, or Sean Hayes, who took already funny lines and added something even funnier, we were constantly amazed at the way each performer made the character their own, yet added so much to the overall interplay of the ensemble and telling of the story."

Music also plays a large role in setting Igor's mood, and Leondis felt that the music should reflect an unusual combination of styles. To achieve this, film composer Patrick Doyle (whose credits include scores for Ang Lee's Sense And Sensibility, Mike Newell's Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and Kenneth Branagh's As You Like It) was brought in to score the film. Five classic Louis Prima songs were also utilized.

"The combination creates an unusual effect and adds a surprise element to the film," Howard says. He also notes that the score was performed by a Bulgarian symphony, adding more international zest to the production.

Igor Extras
While the film has a release date of September 19 in North America and October 17 in the U. K., Howard says that work on the Igor DVD is already underway. "We've been discussing what extras should go on," he says.

Those bonus features will likely include small sequences, commentary and a look at the artistic style. In addition, Howard advises that CNN International did an extended piece on Igor about its making that may end up on the DVD. "We were able to give access that bigger studios perhaps are not as able to," he says.

Licensing opportunities have not been overlooked either. Igor will appear in a series of some 10 books from Simon & Schuster, including coloring books and more. The little mad scientist will also appear as a Corgi toy, as a game, in trading cards and as a Carl's Jr. premium.

"It's complicated to license real actors," Howard says. "We've always recognized the opportunities that animated characters offer."

There are more animated characters in Exodus' future. Work on a second film, The Hero of Color City, is underway, while Bunyan and Babe is in pre-production. Christina Ricci will voice the crayon Yellow in The Hero of Color City and John Goodman has been announced as the voice of Paul Bunyan.

"Plus, there's a whole slate of films behind that," Howard says. "It's part of our business plan. Expensive hardware or software is no longer a barrier for independent animators. It comes down to talent. You need good artists and a great story to tell."

Janet Hetherington is a freelance writer and cartoonist who shares a studio in Ottawa, Canada, with artist Ronn Sutton and a ginger cat, Heidi.