First Character Sketch: Adrien Gilchrist

 

  Finally, we have our first character sketch for the project. Meet Adrien Gilchrist - the star pitcher for the Byers' Village Little League Baseball team, the Comets. He's a mouse baseball player with a big heart, a supporter to his friends, and the one who's always calm and rational. 

   I want to thank Alyssa on Fiverr for doing such a great job doing the artwork on this character. 

   More character artwork on the way! Stay tuned! Thanks for your patience! 

Revised Post: What Was "Capitol Critters", and How Did it Help Inspire This Project?

 

   Okay, you're probably wondering what in the world "Capitol Critters" even is - and what it has to do with "The Whole Wide World"? I'll tell you.

   In the 1990s, Bart Simpson was taking over primetime television, and all the other networks wanted a piece of the adult-animation primetime cake. CBS tried a show by Brad Bird, Tim Burton and Spielberg called "Family Dog" and another oddball show called "Fish Police" starring John Ritter and JoBeth Williams. Meanwhile, ABC teamed up with Hanna-Barbera to create a rare gem called "Capitol Critters" - a show taking place in the White House basement focusing the lives of mice, rats and roaches who reside there.

   What I loved about this show was the idea of telling a story from the perspective of tiny characters - in this case, mice and roaches - navigating a giant human world. It mixed humor with current events for its time (1992) and heavy topics, too. Although I was born a few years after the show's short run, it still left an impact on me. 

  Of course, "Capitol Critters" was not the perfect animated sitcom. It struggled with tone and never found the right audience. But they say the shows that fail commercially succeed creatively. Even the ones you find at the right moment.

"Capitol Critters" mentioned on a headstone along with other primetime cartoon attempts.

      But if it wasn't for "Capitol Critters", I might never have found the idea for one of my six heroes, Mizuki Miyamoto. Her earliest inspiration came from a one-time character in the show's episode, "A Little Romance" - a little Japanese mouse named Miko (voiced by a young Janice Kawaye). Miko was this sweet, bright-eyed visitor staying at the White House, and Max fell in love with her instantly. Her gentle presence struck with me, and that energy evolved into the character of Mizuki.

Max and Miko

   Though it was short-lived, "Capitol Critters" helped shape the way I think about mouse-style storytelling. It reminded me about emotions they carry out and the influences that end up becoming part of your creative DNA, too. 

   The 13 episodes of "Capitol Critters" are available to view on YouTube.

Revised Post: How Spielberg Shapes My Writing Process

 

Spielberg on set of "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" in 1976

   The yearning of wonder from Roy Neary in "Close Encounters of the Third Kind", the friendship and magic for Elliot in "E.T.", and the love-letter to creativity in "The Fablemans" - all connect to how filmmaking legend Steven Spielberg inspired me for this special project known as "The Whole Wide World". 

    You know how Spielberg sometimes tells his stories in a child's perspective? Much like he did in "E.T.?" Well, for this project, this will be told in a mouse's point-of-view - like "American Tail", "Great Mouse Detective", and "Capitol Critters". Everything's bigger, more of a challenge and yet, a little magical, too. 

   There is another aspect of Spielberg that I adapted into my project, and this is sort of my way of reaching out to teenage Spielberg's life... fractured families. 

  

   Remember in "Close Encounters" where Roy's obsession with the aliens went so out of hand, he made his wife and kids leave him forever? Then at the end, he joins the aliens in the mothership and leaves the universe? Well, in my story, the fractured family drama is still there, and there is a running away part... but unlike Richard Dreyfuss at the end of "Close Encounters", the hero returns home to his family. 

   Spielberg usually channels his own life to his stories. In this case, the teenage angst against his parents' divorce. Think of it as honesty, not melodrama. 

   Of course, it's not the "broken home" motif that inspired me. It's how Spielberg balances pain with wonder in all of his stories. And that's what I'm aiming for.

   "The Whole Wide World" isn’t a dark story, but it’s not afraid of emotional complexity either. The mice in Oak Gardens face real fears and real conflicts - but they also experience joy, discovery, and the thrill of exploring a world much bigger than themselves.

   I always loved how Spielberg treats childhood with respect, allow people to find wonder every day places, telling emotional stories with sincerity, and of course, balancing heartbreak with hope. And I hope those qualities shine through for this project. 

François Truffaut and Spielberg on set of "Close Encounters"

Down with AI!

 

   Need I say more? Unfortunately, there was a time I got caught in the AI game... but not anymore! You'll never take me alive Artificial Intelligence!!! Okay, okay, I'll calm down now. But yes, it's true, I was once one of AI's many victims for half-a-year. What was I thinking, man? Well, I was using it to brainstorm ideas for my projects... until it got out of hand.

   It wasn't long before AI started thinking ahead of me. It was almost as if the program was stealing my sense of imagination. Get the picture? This so-called smart program is like a drug, you just can't stop using it 24/7. Thankfully, it's not too late for me. I can still create with my bare hands. 

   That's why this "Whole Wide World" project means a lot to me, I don't want to use AI on this creative process for numerous reasons. One, because this is dedicated to my late mom and cousin, who both loved the Fievel movies. Two, I want this to be as original as possible. And three, in response to Disney's "Wish" using AI - and the outrage from the Disney artists for doing such a stunt - this will be my answer to do an old-fashioned animated project with guts and no fancy equipment. 

   Thanks for understanding, guys. This project means something, and I'm not going to let some stupid futuristic smart computer program ruin the imagination. 

My late mom and late cousin.