Arturo Hilario
El Observador
Maite Perroni has had a diverse career in the arts, from singing and acting on the breakthrough hit show “Rebelde” and its descendant, the Latin Grammy-nominated pop group RBD, to being involved with plenty of telenovelas including Netflix’s recent thriller, “Dark Desire.”
In her newest egg-cellent project, Perroni dives back into her voice acting skills for a return to the Mexican ‘Huevos’ film franchise, this one being titled “Un Rescate De Huevitos,” an animated adventure featuring anthropomorphic eggs fighting for their lives against villainous Russian egg collectors in the African Congo.
Recently we had a conversation about the film and how Perroni finds animation voiceover work compared to in-person acting, how the creators help weave together a coherent and hilarious family film out of isolated actor recordings, and why she recommends people seek out the proudly Mexican made egg adventure, which is now available on the Pantaya streaming service.
Well Maite thank you very much for taking time to talk about the movie “Un Rescate De Huevitos”. To begin, could you tell me a little about your character in the film and what is happening in the story?
Yes of course. Well my character is Di. Di is a little chicken that is Toto’s love and Toto and Di have a couple of eggs, these eggs are yellow eggs that they call ‘golden eggs’ and it turns out that they are spectacular eggs and that everyone wants to have them. And then some collectors steal them and take them to Africa because they want to make a very exclusive dish and offer it at a dinner. And so Toto and Di have to get their children back and they have to travel to Africa to save them before they are put on a plate.
And this causes us to have a very funny story, a story full of action, adventure, many emotions, obviously, because imagine what it is like to lose your child, then you have to get him back – and they have to do everything to get them. And in the end, it is a story that will fill us with emotions, with fun, with adventures and what [you’re] going to see is an extraordinary production.
The truth is that the result of this material is incredible in terms of the level of graphics, animation, audio, 3D quality, it is impressive. The truth is that the work they achieve makes me very proud as a Mexican, because it is a 100 percent Mexican production full of talent from this country that has so much to offer and what better than a movie like this one that is for the whole family that you love, to have fun. It will entertain you, and that personally fills me with a lot of pride and pleasure.
And what was it like for you to return to this character and vibrant animated world again?
The truth is that I really like this experience, it is totally different from what I am used to when I am on a set filming a series, a movie or a novela, or whatever I am doing. The experience is totally different, but it is very rewarding because it is meticulous work, it is teamwork. There are many people who are involved with each of the steps that have to be done to carry out this production and get the final result.
And well [hats off] to the directors, who are the ones who take you to understand how to do it and how to give life and emotions to these characters that emerge from a paper drawn in pencil and which you suddenly see them on a screen, alive, with feelings, with emotions, with color. It’s amazing, it’s magical. And the truth is that it has been a very beautiful experience and it has already been nine years of being part of this story and of this franchise that Huevocartoon Pictures has given us with, “Un Rescate de Huevitos” and with everything they have done with each one of these films.
In short, there are many others that they have carried out and that in the end are part of this entire franchise that has also allowed us to get closer to the Latino public and offer them a project of this level and with this quality.
Can you tell me a bit about what it’s like to collaborate with the co-stars and if you work with them in person or not, while they record their voices?
No, we have not worked in person. The truth is that it is very interesting because you arrive at a recording studio with your directors, which in this case our directors are the producers, the creatives, the scriptwriters, they are really very talented people. And from their hand it’s the way in which it works because you arrive at the studio and together with them you start to tell the story, give it a voice, give it life, give it feelings. Then, when the filming is done, that’s when everyone’s work comes together and that’s when you start to see the interaction.
I did not have to share with any of my colleagues or among them, neither did they. It was like each one arrives, enters the cabin, you start to work, you start building together with your director and then they assemble everything. That is why it is true, we are in their hands, because they are the ones who have a super clear idea of what they want to say, what they have to say and how they are going to make everything come together and work in their favor of the story.
Thanks. And as an actress, how is voice acting different than in-person? Is it easier for you, is it difficult, or is it just different?
It’s different. I believe that each of the forms has its science and has its challenge. And the interesting thing is to learn to carry out both, to be able to do it and to be part of these different ways of telling stories.
Did you have a favorite experience, a memorable moment working on this movie?
Yes, I think the moment I enjoy the most is when you already see the movie and see the final result. It is that moment where everything makes sense because you understand everything, you understand what the characters wanted to say, it is understood. Although you already read the script, although you already did your part, although I already gave voice to my character, when you see the end result and you look at the story and you say, “wow, I see,” you enjoy it so much more.
It’s like the excitement of going to the cinema to see a movie, that even though you made it, you feel like you don’t know what’s up because it’s like the first time, because when you really have the opportunity to see it is when all these elements come back as one with the final result.
And it’s so pretty. It’s just that it’s a very different feeling because you get to the booth and you start telling the character’s story and you know the story and you know what it’s about. And you’ve already read the script and you know the other actors and you know how it goes, but until you see it done, it’s not the same. Imagine, it is color, it is life, it is movement, many things. So yeah, it’s the thrill of seeing it for the first time, like you don’t know what it’s about.
Since “Un Rescate De Huevitos” is going to be released on Pantaya in the United States, I wanted to know what the consensus is in Mexico about the film, since it came out there and has been out there for a while.
Well, it did super well, it was number one. Besides, imagine being number one after a pandemic, after everything we have lived through, after everything that has happened, the cinemas did not have much activity. It was incredible to see the reception of the people and to see that this franchise already has a history, it has a captive audience and we are all eager to see it and to be part of what it continues to tell us.
So yes, fortunately it went super well and had very good results and well now we will be able to see it on the small screen so if you have not been able to see it, see it. And if you already saw it and liked it a lot, watch it again because it is really worth it.
Well, thanks again Maite. Now the last question: why would you recommend this movie to the public?
Because it is a fun, exciting movie for the whole family that talks about how important family unity is.
