When a group of kids find themselves on Santa’s naughty list, they infiltrate the North Pole to take back the Christmas presents they feel they deserve. Disney’s The Naughty Nine takes the excitement of classic heist movies like Oceans Eleven and gives it a family-friendly holiday twist. I had the pleasure of chatting with the director, Alberto Belli, and star, Winslow Fegley, about their experience bringing this heartfelt Christmas comedy to life. You can read the full interview here, or scroll to the bottom of this to watch the video.
(Disney/Alberto Belli)
Alex: The movie is a lot of fun, and it's evident that there was a good time happening on the set. What was the filming experience like? Where did you shoot?
Winslow Fegley: It was really, really awesome. It was a great set. Truly just super immersive, honestly. It made it really easy while we were there. And it was also really, really, really cold. It was 22 in Montreal. Plenty of snow on the ground. Basically, all you see is real, and it was great.
Alberto Belli: It was shot in Montreal, and it was a lot of fun because we had to build so many set pieces. The movie, every maybe two or three minutes, we're in a new set. We recreated Santa's Village on indoor sets to do the interior shots. And we used some actual Montreal locations, but very few. Most were built from scratch, which makes it very exciting for the creatives behind the scenes.
Alex: There appears to be quite a lot of visual effects, including reindeer who weren’t really on set and an aurora borealis sky. Does that make it more complex?
Alberto Belli: As much as we could, we did practical. So, for example, the aurora borealis, we have these humongous screens doing this light that had that vibe to recreate it, to have it [shine] on the kids. And the reindeer was obviously a blue man, but we make a point to kind of recreate it. They bring in the heads and stuff, so when the actor was touching them, it was the right feel and the right size. But truly, Winslow and the rest of the cast are amazing at having an imagination. They just saw it, even when we were on set, they were petting these blue things. You're like, "Oh, she's talking to a reindeer." Or where they were going in the airplane or whatever, you're like, "Oh my God, they're going to fall." They really are amazing at selling that, even on set without anything.
Winslow Fegley: It can be definitely challenging working with something that's not there, of course. But it all really does come down to imagination and making that real to yourself so that you can make it look real for other people. It was really cool, though. And I think obviously shooting the movie and having what you imagine it's going to look like and then getting to watch the movie and see what it actually really does look like, the final product is always really, really cool.
Alex: That's awesome. Since this was filmed on location in Canada, did that make for a special bonding time for the cast and crew? Were there a lot of fun nights as a group when the day ended?
Winslow Fegley: For sure. There were so many kids on set and lots of people my age and lots of people that I could bond with and make friends. And so it was always really great hanging out in the hotel after work.
Alex: Alberto, was making a Christmas movie a goal of yours as a filmmaker?
Alberto Belli: Yeah. I'm from Mexico, so I used to come with my family sometimes to Disneyland during the holidays. So for me, one of the goals was a Christmas Disney movie. Very specific, but then I got it. So I couldn't believe it, and I had the time of my life shooting it. Yeah, it was always like a goal that I had.
Alex: The Naughty Nine is a fun play on classic heist movies, with a title that calls to mind Oceans Eleven. There aren’many films in this genre aimed at a family audience. Winslow, was this a genre you were familiar with?
Winslow Fegley:
Yeah. I've seen Ocean's Eleven, and, well, I've seen all the Ocean's movies. I love them. I think they're amazing. And, of course, heist movies are all super exciting and fun. So I think it's really, really cool that not only was I able to be in one, but also be in one that's for kids. And it's really not just for kids, though. It's something that the whole family can enjoy watching.
Alex: I totally agree. I hope all the families check it out this holiday season. And thank you both so much for your time.
The Naughty Nine premieres tonight at 8/7c on Disney Channel and streams beginning Thanksgiving Day on Disney+.