An Interview Tab Murphy - Atlantis Screenwriter
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(c) Disney
West: That is most cool, Tab. So, is Atlantis geared more toward boys or girls?
Murphy: There’s no question; Atlantis is geared more toward boys. But I think there’s enough girl-friendly material in the story to keep everyone happy; hey, there’s a princess, after all! But my biggest fear is that all the girls will identify with Helga, the femme fatale!
West: Time for some challenging questions, Tab. What was the single most difficult aspect of writing Atlantis?
Murphy: There was no difficulty writing Atlantis; it was a pure joy. There is an inherent part of feature animation writing which takes some getting used to, however. And that is, you can never really have an investment in what you write because no matter how good you think it is, or it truly is, it is always going to change and be reinterpreted by storyboard artists, animators, the directors, etc. The job of a feature animation screenwriter is simply to create a solid foundation upon which the entire movie can be built. Just like in the construction of a beautiful piece of architecture, the end product, in this case the movie, is the result of hundreds of people doing excellent work in very specific areas of expertise. So, although I may not be able to take credit for every line of dialogue in the movie, or the clever bits within certain sequences, I can look at the movie as a whole and feel proud that the reason it works so well and holds together is because it’s resting on a solid foundation.
West: And then perhaps this will prove to be the
more difficult question. What is your favorite part of Atlantis?
Note: If you haven't seen the film, the answer
to this question contains some spoilers.
Murphy: There are several "favorite parts." For sheer excitement, nothing beats the battle with the Leviathon. From a purely visual standpoint, I loved the look and mood of the sequence in which Princess Kida is chosen as a "host" for the living crystals. And my own personal guilty pleasure is a moment I wrote four years ago that I thought would never make it into the final film wherein Rourke nonchalantly tosses Helga off the balloon when forced to "lighten the load." His comment of, "Nothing personal," is soon repeated when Helga shoots a flare into the rising balloon, thus thwarting Rourke’s planned escape with the crystallized princess. Sounds like a typical Disney moment, eh?
West: Actually, nothing sounds typically "Disney" about Atlantis and that is the major fascination with this film, I think.
Before we wrap up, can you tell us what other projects you might be working on for Disney or anyone else at the moment?
Murphy: A project I’m really excited about is in production now at Disney Feature Animation Orlando. It’s called Bears, also known as Brother Bear. It’s my fourth effort for the studio and one that I’m very proud of; can’t wait to see it! Also, I’m working on the story right now for Tarzan 2 which is slated as a direct-to-DVD feature. In the live action world, I wrote a screenplay last year for Dean Devlin/Roland Emmerich called The Hunt, which is a sci-fi adventure. I’m hoping that goes forward soon.
And frankly, I’m keeping my fingers crossed that when Don, Kirk and Gary are ready to ramp up and make another movie, my phone rings!
West: Me too! It seems that you have come quite the screenwriter of recent Disney animated films, and I applaud you for your efforts. Tab, as usual, it’s been great chatting with you. Best of luck, man!
Discuss It
Related Links
- Got a question or comment for Tab Murphy? Head to Theme Park Adventure Magazine and send it to Tab via Rick West.
- Atlantis Official Site
- Theme Park Adventure Magazine (Rick West's magazine)
-- Posted June 14, 2001
-- Interview by Rick West
©2001 Theme Park Adventure Magazine and LaughingPlace.com. All rights reserved.