‘Hitpig!’ Directors Cinzia Angelini & David Feiss Recap Their Cyberpunk Odd Couple Adventure

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When an animation project originates from the delightfully twisted mind of Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist and celebrated author Berkeley Breathed, the creator of Bloom County and its Outland spinoff, we’re bound to be blessed with whimsical characters and a joyous spirit.

Adapted from Breathed’s 2008 children’s book Pete & Pickles, which centers on a practical pig and a runaway circus elephant, Hitpig! is a fresh animated comedy adventure directed by Cinzia Angelini and David Feiss.

Angelini (Mila) and Feiss (Jetsons: The Movie, Cow and Chicken, Minions: The Rise of Gru) are both veterans in their field with decades of experience as animators, storyboard artists, directors and story editors. Produced by Aniventure and penned by Breathed, Dave Rosenbaum and Tyler Werrin, Hitpig!’s animated iteration becomes a cyberpunk road trip about a bounty-hunting porker embarking on a colorful quest to track down an escaped pachyderm.

Ties That Bond

“I worked a lot with Berkeley at the beginning to transition his designs into CG, but it’s sometimes hard to work from 2D designs because they’re very particular with a strong style,” Angelini tells Animation Magazine. “That took quite a bit of work that Berkeley and I did together with the art team while we were working on the story. Pickles the Elephant drives the colors and the round shape language. Hitpig is a little bit darker and squarer. We tried to follow the emotional states of the characters and go with those colors.”

Cinesite Animation’s (The Addams Family, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem) feature film division has created another distinctive, kid-targeted marvel accented with vibrant hues and amusing memorable characters, all accompanied by a fun ’80s pop soundtrack.

Hitpig!’s vocal cast includes Jason Sudeikis, Lilly Singh, Rainn Wilson, Anitta, RuPaul, Hannah Gadsby and Charlie Adler. The family-friendly release bristles with energy and unexpected surprises that fans of Breathed’s acclaimed work will instantly recognize.

Co-director Angelini was at Cinesite working in development as head of story and wearing multiple hats four years ago when the opportunity arose to join the enterprise. “Cinesite was helping on Mila, my short, at the Vancouver studio, so I was working remotely from L.A., both for Montreal and Vancouver,” she recalls. “Cinesite acquired the rights to Berkeley’s project, and they were looking for a director. At the time, it was three years into my relationship with Cinesite, and they asked me if I was interested. I looked at Berkeley’s paintings and read the script. I was also looking to move from directing a short to directing a feature, so it was a perfect chance and a fun film to work on with a group that I really knew at Cinesite.”

Feiss joined Angelini and Team Hitpig! one year later, bringing his considerable experience into all aspects of the production.

‘Our villain had no motivation. He was just evil for no apparent reason, so we tried to find a motivation and make it more silly. We ended up retooling it to 100% different from when we started. And there were like five other variations before even I got on.’

— Director David Feiss

 

 

“I did an initial presentation to Berkeley at his house of what I had in mind in terms of the style, inspired by the ’80s but with a futuristic cyberpunk mashup creating a new kind of world,” Angelini adds. “He really liked it. It was darker than what it ended up being, and he loved the use of neons and pushing the painterly look. It excited everybody at Cinesite with the look and the direction, and off we went working together to bring it to the next stage for production.”

When Feiss came on board to help hone and craft the material, Hitpig! was in a murkier dimension and carried a far more serious, adult tone.

“Our villain had no motivation. He was just evil for no apparent reason, so we tried to find a motivation and make it more silly,” says Feiss. “I brought in as much of my style of humor into it as I could. We ended up retooling it to 100% different from when we started. And there were like five other variations before even I got on.”

Thumbs Up from Berkeley

“That’s another unique thing about Hitpig!,” Feiss says. “None of us were together due to the pandemic. I was here in Westlake Village, and she was in Glendale, and Berkeley was at home. We’d get together on Zoom and talk for two hours every morning without Montreal involved. He’s an interesting guy. When he got to see it all done, he was very pleased, and it made me feel good to make the creator of this happy.”

Pulling the Hitpig! project together is the vocal cast led by Sudeikis and Singh as Pete and Pickles.

“Charlie Adler is an old friend of mine, and his voice just elevated everything,” Feiss says. “He’s the guy in the Arctic Circle, and he’s also the lobster, and he’s Super Rooster. The energy of the man is just incredible, and it made a big impact on this film. And Jason Sudeikis as Hitpig, what a remarkable voice. No matter what he says, he could be reading a menu, and it would be likable. And Lilly has just a sweet voice. Hannah Gadsby hadn’t worked in animation ever before as her voice just punches through for the voice of Koala. She was quite good.”

 

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Viva Pictures releases Hitpig! In select U.S. theaters on November 1. Check out the latest clip, “We’re a Perfect Fit,” below and watch the previously released trailer here.