Interview with screenwriter by Joanna Harrison
Category: Press Pack ArticleWhen did you first come into contact with the Mog books?
I've got a really old copy of Mog the Forgetful Cat I used to read to my children and I've now got a three-year-old grandchild who loves Mog just as much as they did. Judith’s stories are descriptive in a way that small children can understand and they’re a pleasure to read out loud. There is nothing complicated about her stories, although some of the themes she explores can be quite dark. For example, in Mog the Forgetful Cat, Mog worries about being unwanted and unloved. I think we’ve all felt like this at some point or other, therefore I like the way Judith doesn’t patronise her readers or her characters by recognising that we can all, including a cat, have some quite dark moments. However, it's all done so tactfully and tastefully and with such fun that it's not going to upset anybody.
Did Mog’s Christmas need a completely new approach to The Tiger Who Came To Tea, which you also adapted?
The big difference with the adaptation of The Tiger Who Came To Tea is that I had Judith Kerr to meet and talk to. She had very strong ideas about what she wanted and of course she was absolutely right. For example, she wanted me to stick to the book just as it is and literally take it at face value. She didn’t want any back plot about who the Tiger was or where he came from or to add any extra storylines. So for me in writing the adaptation it was more about exploring what was already there in the book and expanding the characters, rather than adding anything new. She was emphatic that it was just about a tiger who came to tea and there was nothing more to read into it – no sentiment, no tears, just a simple story that she used to tell to her children. When I’m writing scripts like this one, I think it's important to keep my own ego out of it. To remember that it’s all about Mog, the children who are going to watch the film, and most important of all keeping true to Judith’s vision as well as her voice.
Did you discuss Mog in passing with Judith?
No, it was definitely all about Tiger. But I did talk to her children, Tacy and Matthew, who had a strong sense of what their mother would have wanted. I really enjoyed collaborating with them as they had some great ideas – after all, the original Mog was their family cat when they were children, so who better!
We're inside Mog’s head for most of the film. How would you describe her as a character?
Selfish really, like any cat. But she’s also a little bit insecure as well. She just wants to be fed, cuddled, have a sleep, go for a poo, wander around the garden. We’re all a bit like that really, so she is easy to understand and empathise with. She’s a little depressive at times and feels hard done by, but she’s lovable with it. The biggest thing for me writing the script was that this was all about Mog’s Christmas and not anybody else's, so the film is seen from her point of view. I was determined to show, despite the preparations for Christmas being extremely confusing and unwelcome for Mog, that she too should enjoy Christmas in her own catlike way.
How did you decide which additional elements to sprinkle into the story?
Like with Tiger, instead of going out of the story, I explored what’s inside. It's better to dig into the story and see what you can findm rather than invent new storylines or put in things that just aren’t there. I did however love having fun expanding on some of the characters – especially the two elderly aunts and jolly uncle, whom we can all recognise as rather endearing but eccentric relatives.
We get a slightly greater sense of the Thomas family, for example, in the animation than we do in the book. Were you using the other Mog books to flesh out those other characters and their world?
Yes, definitely. I’ve read them all so as to get little clues about how the Thomas family behaves. For example Dad can be grumpy, (“bother that cat!”), mum kind-hearted and puts up with a lot, Debbie Mog’s favourite and Nicky her fun playmate. There are other characters too that can be adapted from other Mog stories, especially those that live and work in this small but perfect world that Judith has created, such as the postman and shopkeepers.
Every Mog book has a dream sequence as well, which must be a dream for an adaptation.
Dream sequences are brilliant because they take you into another realm of magic where you can suspend belief of normal life and do something fabulous. That is what animation is all about! And the imaginings of a cat, how joyful is that? You can really have fun with it.
Were you ever tempted to allow Mog to speak?
There's always a discussion about these things. The Tiger speaks in the book of ‘The Tiger Who Came To Tea’, but we decided that in the film it was better to let the acting and action do all the talking, rather than adding any new dialogue. That was absolutely the right decision. I'm a great believer in giving characters room to breathe. If you tie them down with too many words, it stops them from being able to express themselves visually, especially with a cat. There is nothing anthropomorphic about Mog, she is a cat through and through, so to give her a voice felt wrong. However, we do have the narrator as in the books and I think that is all we need to understand how Mog is thinking. Besides, if Judith didn’t give her a voice then that’s good enough for me.
Eagle-eyed viewers might spot a little tip of the hat to Tiger in Mog’s Christmas…
Oh, yes. We are entering the world of Judith Kerr’s books, so watch out for any cross reference! She drew inspiration not only from her own house but also Barnes High Street where she lived. When we made Tiger there was talk of bringing it up to date, but Judith wanted it just the way it was. That is so much better, because then it becomes timeless and not fixed down to any particular decade.
Does that make your job easier?
Loads easier. I've written and illustrated quite a few children's books and they take a long time to do. I know from experience how much thought, care and love goes into making them, therefore I am totally respectful of the illustrator and the writer in all the films that I do. I think this is very important, otherwise you lose the original voice that makes them so special.
How does Judith’s work inspire you, as a fellow children’s author?
It inspires me because children love her books, which is what it is really all about. They have an honest, open quality with clear and colourful illustrations, and although they are very simple they are also hugely stylish and appealing. My granddaughter adores all of Judith’s books as much as my children did thirty years ago. They're not the most sophisticated or exciting stories, but she portrays family life in a way that we can all recognise and enjoy, whatever age we are.
What themes were you trying to tease out?
For Mog, it's just another day. She wouldn't understand Christmas and the baubles, the presents and the tree. For her it’s just one big inconvenience and all rather scary. But despite this I also wanted Mog’s world to be a good and even magical one, even if the Thomas’s are not always there to share it with her.
What would you like audiences to take away from Mog’s Christmas?
I've worked on a lot of animated films and the one thing I'd like people to come away with is having had fun. I've worked on many weepies: The Snowman, The Bear, The Snowman and the Snowdog, We’re Going on a Bear Hunt… everybody cries! To be honest, I'd much rather make people laugh. And so it is with Mog.
Mog is morose, but it's not that sort of sadness.
You could explore Mog’s anxiety and misery, but I just don't think it's worth going there. Everyone has so many things to worry about and deal with in everyday life, therefore the last thing you want to watch is a cat going through some sort of personal crisis on Christmas Eve!
Is there another Mog book you have your eye on?
Wouldn’t that be lovely? Otherwise I've got various scripts I'm writing and I’m really busy. I love working in animation– I've done everything from animating to storyboarding to directing, and now I'm script writing. To be honest, I like that the best