How My Neighbour Totoro Inspired Cartoon Saloon's Julián | Louise Bagnall | Ep. 273

Episode summary

Louise Bagnall’s dad used to bring home architectural plans so big that she and her sister could sit in the middle and draw their way out. Years later, when drawing had become her job, Louise kept a sketchbook for ideas nobody else needed to see. One of those ideas kept coming back. It became Late Afternoon, her Oscar-nominated short about memory.

Louise tells Ed why she had to quiet a surprisingly snobby inner critic to make that film, and what it was like asking people to trust a long pause in a storyboard with no music. Then a beaded curtain in her feature debut, Julián, reminds Ed of his grandma in Ghana. It opens up a conversation about the Dominican family at the heart of the film, the things a Brooklyn apartment can tell you about its owner, and who really needs to change in a story about acceptance.

There’s plenty for the anime fans too. Louise explains why she kept thinking about My Neighbour Totoro while making Julián and picks the moment in Spirited Away she wishes she’d directed.

In this episode

• Drawing with her sister and figuring out which animation jobs she actually enjoyed
• What working on The Amazing World of Gumball taught her about being part of a team
• The voice in Louise’s head that wanted Late Afternoon to be cleverer
• Deciding which memories earned their place in the short
• Trusting an unfinished storyboard before Colm Mac Con Iomaire’s score arrived
• How juliany taveras helped shape Abuela’s family history
• Giving the people around Julián room to get things wrong
• Finding childhood in Totoro, creative block in Kiki and a favourite scene in Spirited Away

Timestamps

• 03:24 - Drawing on bedroom-sized sheets of paper
• 19:08 - Discovering animation as a career
• 24:11 - From private sketches to Late Afternoon
• 25:01 - Wrestling with the inner critic
• 30:45 - Why Louise left out the temporary score
• 35:28 - The curtain that reminded Ed of Ghana
• 45:49 - Whose story changes in Julián?
• 54:14 - Giving useful direction to animators
• 59:23 - Why My Neighbour Totoro stayed with Louise
• 01:04:47 - What Julián’s pencil case tells us about the artwork

Listener takeaways

• A flashback earns its place when it reveals something new about the person remembering it.
• Try a scene without temporary music to hear how much of its rhythm belongs to the edit.
• A fridge magnet or a kitchen curtain can tell the audience about a family before anyone speaks.
• Give an animator the reason for a note. A smile might need to be smaller today so a bigger one lands in the next scene.
• A child can stay true to himself while the adults around him do some of the changing.

Notable quotes from Louise

• “So you could sit in the middle of the paper and sort of draw your way out and tell stories.”
• “I think you want your visuals to underline your story.”
• “My inner critic at the time was very snobby.”

Links

• Louise Bagnall (Directors Guild profile): https://sdgi.ie/directors/louise-bagnall/
• Julián: https://www.cartoonsaloon.ie/irish-animation-studio/feature-films/julian/
• The Making of Late Afternoon: https://ifiarchiveplayer.ie/the-making-of-late-afternoon/
• Suuuper Anime Podcast: https://www.suuuperanimepodcast.com/
• Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@suuuperanime

If Ed’s story about his grandma brought someone to mind, send them this episode. Follow Suuuper Anime for more conversations with the people who make the films we love.

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