Reddit AMA Recap: Aaron Augenblick

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You may remember earlier this year the HUGE announcement coming from Augenblick Studios that they were producing an R-rated animated feature film with Sam Rockwell as the star called The Adventures of Drunky. The film follows Drunky (Rockwell), a barfly who finds himself in the middle of a cosmic bet between God (Tambor) and the Devil (Coogan) over the fate of the Earth. With his life destroyed, Drunky must travel through Heaven and Hell to rescue the girl he loves (Arianda) and save the world. Assisting Drunky on his quest are an alley cat (Tyler The Creator) and a demon (Attell).

Ahead of a huge announcement that studio director Aaron Augenblick says is coming next week, he decided to stop by Reddit the other day and do an AMA where he dug in deeper on how the film came about.

On going from TV to film

The biggest challenge is to make a cartoon that’s better than anything we’ve ever done before. Blow the doors off! This movie is my argument that 2-D hand drawn animation is just as visually thrilling as CGI. Everything is bigger and better. A very exciting time at the studio.

On how he got the talent to produce the film

What’s great is that I’ve been amassing a team for the past 15 years. The best of the best! So, I have a core group of animators that are amazing and dedicated. And I’m always on the lookout for great new talent from all over the globe.

On how he got the stellar cast

We had a great casting director, Gayle Keller (Louie, Amy Schumer). We put our heads together for our dream cast, and she made it happen. Rockwell, Tambor, Coogan, Arianda, etc. I’ve never gotten to work with a caliber of actors like that before, and it was a thrill. Sometimes I was just holding on for dear life!

On how he developed the titular character

I’ve always loved the character of Drunky, I’ve been molding him for over ten years. I took a few stabs at him for experimentation before he was fully formed. That’s the inefficient way that I work! Haha. Now Drunky is like a real person to me! With the spirit of Sam Rockwell.

On how an R-rated animated movie could shake things up in film

It’s very important that everyone supports R-Rated animated movies! Major studio don’t think they’re profitable and worth making. We’re out to prove them wrong! I’m so psyched about Nerdland (shout out to Chris P!) and Sausage Party. I thought Anomalisa was the best movie of 2015. If R-rated cartoons are successful the whole landscape could change!

And yes, the Zoolander movie is still very much alive

I can confirm that we animated a 90-minute Zoolander movie. Other than that, I am sworn to secrecy.

Read more of the Reddit AMA from Aaron here, and keep it locked as we head into the studio’s announcement.

About John Schwarz

John is the Chief Editor and Founder of Bubbleblabber.com. While at first a part-time project, Bubbleblabber quickly grew into a full-fledged operation and officially became a company in 2014. When John isn't running a business full-time, he likes to go to concerts with your mother.