“I grew up loving Monster High,” actress Miia Harris gushed about her starring role as Clawdeen Wolf in Nickelodeon’s live-action musical Monster High: The Movie, now streaming on Paramount+. “In the third grade, I used to play Monster High at recess, and I would pretend to be Clawdeen Wolf and howl at the moon very proudly in public. And I just remember the impact it had on me to be able to identify with such a cool character on the screen, which hasn't always been so common as a person of color, and remembering the impact that had on me. And to have the opportunity to create that environment for another little kid is all I could ever ask for, and I think creating that safe space for kids everywhere is what drew me to the project.”
(Eric Milner/Nickelodeon/Paramount+)
The stars of the film were recently joined by the creative team at a TCA press conference, where they revealed how the film came together and how the brand has changed over the years. “Mattel acknowledged that it was time to change the body types and broaden some of the character histories to include more people, and that's just a beautiful message,” director and executive producer Todd Holland shared about changes to the line of dolls and characters since Monster High was first introduced in 2010. “The message is the same. The message is ‘All monsters welcome,’ and I don't want the message ever to be perceived as anything else because the message is ‘Be unique, be a monster, be yourself, and you are invited.’”
“I grew up singing and dancing, and just to be dancing on camera is, like, the biggest dream for me,” shared Ceci Balagot, who plays Frankie Sein. But no amount of preparation could have prepared her for the challenge of dancing dressed as a monster. “When I used to do dance lessons, I always tied my hair back really tight, and I was used to ballet, having your hair slicked back. And this time, dancing with a wig that's long and down and can be wherever it wants to was the most challenging thing for me. But our amazing dancers had to do the same. They were wearing big wigs and giant shoes and Fluevogs, which are designer shoes that are really not meant to be danced in, and they were painted as well. And all of that hard work, I think, comes off as very effortless on the screen, and I'm very excited for people to see the more relaxed version of how it turned out versus how stressed and diligent we were during the filming process.”
The music in the film is sourced from multiple genres, but all with a monsterish sound that makes them unique to Monster High. “I've never done a musical, and so the speed at which you have to conceive and solicit these demos from composers is insane,” revealed executive producer Adam Bonnett. “We got so blessed by so many extraordinarily talented songwriters. I polled my triplet 12-year-olds. They were part of the research group as we tried to pick the best songs, and many of the runner-ups were so close that they are actually in the movie as well in the background sometimes. And, in fact, Nayah [Damasen] performs with her Nickelodeon band Good News Girls. She performs several of them. And one of them is actually the original demo. So we have so much great music to choose from and so many great songwriters.”
(Kailey Schwerman/Nickelodeon/Paramount)
“If you were to ask me at nine years old what's my dream job, it is to be a part of a movie musical,” revealed Nayah Damasen, who plays Draculaura in addition to providing music for the movie with the Good News Girls. “This is probably the most extensive experience that I've ever done. It's not every day you are painted pink and waking up at 3:00 in the morning and stuff like that, but, honestly, I wouldn't have it any other way…. Getting to play a monster is very different. But, honestly, there's definitely a similarity because these monsters go through very real human experiences. I mean, Draculaura, she's trying to find her place in the monster world. And much like my other characters, they are growing up, and they are still young kids trying to find out who they are. And, actually, similar to another character, one of their passions was singing. I played Kimmie Park in Grey's Anatomy, and she loved to sing, but she couldn't pursue that. And similar to Draculaura, she kind of has that same predicament.”
“It was keeping it all together at the end of the day,” Case Walker said about the hair and makeup that transformed him into Deuce Gorgon. “You are working long days, you've got the dances down, you've got the songs down, you are ready to let people see this character, and then you just have to go and make it happen through your wig, through your contacts, and make sure it all reads. But it was amazing, too, because you worked really hard. And then it would turn out, and you'd be, like, ‘Oh, awesome.’ And we were all in it together too. That was the best part.”
“The core of Monster High is about friendship,” executive producer Phil Breman concluded. “It's about authenticity and being your authentic self.” He dished out praise to the four actors present at the press conference for bringing these beloved characters to life. “The way you guys portrayed those friendships, that here we are in costumes and portraying what was known as just a doll, animated characters, for you to bring those characters to life in such a way that made them believable, made you really invested in their characters, and that's where some major credit has to go.”
Whether you’ve been a fan of the Monster High dolls or previous animated projects, or if you’re brand new to the franchise, Monster High: The Movie is here to slay this spooky season on Paramount+.