All superheroes have their supervillains, but the title character in Megamind examines life from the perspective of the “bad guy.” Megamind is a cuddly b
lue alien baby who fell to Earth and landed in a prison where he was raised by convicts. Now an adult, Megamind believes it is his destiny to be evil and fight the “good” alien, Metro Man. But Metro Man (voiced by Brad Pitt) may not be as good as Megamind or the public believes. Conversely, Megamind may not be so evil.
To create a villain viewers would embrace, the producers cast Will Ferrell as the voice of Megamind. “Ferrell was key,” says producer Lara Breay. “He has this incredible ability to play a bombastic egomaniac hell-bent on world domination in a way that makes him not only hilarious, but lovable. … You can’t help but root for him.”
Megamind’s expressions also reflect empathy, something a real villain would not possess. “The amount of compelling emotion that all the animators have been able to pull out of him has completely surprised me,” says character effects supervisor Damon Riesberg.
The story added an additional reason for Megamind to reform: his attraction to reporter Roxanne Ritchie (Tina Fey), who ― just as Lois Lane found herself in harm’s way in the Superman stories ― often finds herself in danger while reporting on Megamind’s schemes. She is plucky and resourceful, more than his match, and Megamind finds himself falling for her.
Young kids will love the action and outrageous comedy, but there is plenty of added insight for adults and older children — primarily the notion that destiny is not set in stone and change for the better is possible.
“Megamind″ is now showing on Video On Demand. Check your cable system for availability.
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© 2011 DreamWorks Animation LLC
