Based on the Newberry Award–winning children’s book, Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures by Kate DiCamillo comes Walt Disney Pictures’ Flora & Ulysses.

Flora & Ulysses tells the story of self-proclaimed cynic and comic book fan Flora, whose life of introversion following her parents’ split gets turned upside-down with the introduction of a super-powered squirrel named Ulysses.  The friendship that results leads the two into adventure as they repeatedly confront peril from any number of surprising sources.

To get an advance look at the film production (back in 2019 when people could still go places and do things), AllEars was invited up to the set location in Vancouver and got to talk to some of the many talented Flora & Ulysses cast and crew.

Among the many enthusiastic creatives who spoke with us was Alyson Hannigan (“Phyllis”) whose many projects also include Buffy the Vampire Slayer and How I Met Your Mother.

On being part of the production:  “I was a big fan of the book because of my oldest daughter, and so I was really excited to hear that the script was coming my way….But I absolutely loved being a part of something that I know my girls are going to…aspire to be like that character.”

On her character, Phyllis:  “I’m just trying to play the truth of like, her family’s falling apart and she’s just doing the best she can.  There’s no guideline of ‘hey, how do we keep it all together?’  It’s that decision by decision and moment by moment and you think you’re making the best decision for what’s right, but because you’re sort of in the eye of the tornado, you don’t really know all the destruction that’s around.”

On working with special effects now versus Buffy the Vampire Slayer:  “It’s so much more advanced.  First of all, we had no budget on Buffy and it was…20+ years ago?  So the technology and everything is so different…I guess the main special effect was just the morphing…they would have the person who played the vampire end the scene, then they would lock off the camera.  That would mean that they would stop rolling the film, everyone would have to make sure that no one touched the camera, you couldn’t walk anywhere near it, the guy (or gal) would go and get the vampire makeup on, and then go stand on the mark and then they would start rolling again.  That’s how we did special effects back then.”

On the takeaway message:  “I hope it’s ‘never give up hope’ because I think that a lot of people will be able to relate to that sort of overwhelming feeling–the lack of hope, and the ‘oh gosh, is this gonna ever get better?’  And it’s just…it’s ok.  It will, as long as you believe that it can.  It’s going to get better.”

On her Disney history:  “It’s in my blood…I always loved going to Disneyland–I didn’t get to do it a lot, growing up.  I remember getting to go once when I was a teenager…and then when we were doing Buffy, Seth (Green) and I went, where he hired a guide and I was ‘ohhh!’  I didn’t know that was possible!  That was amazing!

But now, as a parent, to be able to take my kids to the park–it’s such an excuse to get to still just be a kid with them.  It’s just fantastic because it feels like I never grew up.  It’s great, except now I don’t have to ask anybody–I’m the one who gets to say ‘yes!'”

Also joining us was Flora & Ulysses‘ star, Matilda Lawler.

On working with a CGI squirrel:  “It was definitely challenging in the beginning, but they actually brought in a rat, because rats are very similar to squirrels–they move very similar…and I’ve been shooting with just a grey stuffed animal, and sometimes I’m shooting with nothing, moving my hands and pretending that there’s something there.  And it was definitely very tricky in the beginning to get the hang of it, but I think I did, eventually, get it.”

On reading the book:  “So this was actually my favorite book from a few years ago, and when the audition came along, I was ‘oh my gosh, I’m so excited, I can’t wait to audition for this!’  So yeah, I loved the book when I was a bit younger, and I still love it so much.  It’s pretty much every girl in my class’ favorite book and it’s my teacher’s favorite book, so I was really excited when I got it.

“I think it’s because, again, the story is just amazing, and I think it just helps you learn that you can never lose hope.”

On the differences between the book and the film:  “Well, it’s very different.  I think the book is more comical in a way–it’s more like a comic book and I think the movie has transformed it into something different, like a Disney movie.  I like both of them for different reasons.”

On advice for kids wanting to get into acting:  “Start out on commercials…I think if they want to become an actor, go for it.  I think you should definitely pursue your passions and if you feel this strongly about it at such a young age, it’s really great to do that.

“But yeah, I’d say, start out in commercials.  Because if you do some auditions for commercials, then maybe some people will recognize you, and then you can move on to movies and tv shows and that sort of stuff.”

In case you missed it, here’s the new trailer for Flora & Ulysses:

Flora & Ulysses has its Disney+ premiere on February 19th, 2021.

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