- Notes provided by 20th Century Fox. -

When a $5 billion Space Agency probe disappears into an intergalactic wormhole, the agency recruits Ham III, grandson of the first chimpanzee in space, to help retrieve the wayward craft. But Ham is a free-spirited circus performer more interested in zero gravity high jinks than living up to his illustrious heritage. The simian slacker becomes a reluctant hero and learns the true meaning of courage as he and his crewmates, the plucky Lieutenant Luna and their by-the-book commander, Titan, risk everything in an effort to save the peaceful inhabitants of a distant planet from an evil dictator.
The Right Stuff meets the wrong stuff in this witty, out-of-this-world adventure. State-of-the-art CGI animation from Vanguard Animation, makers of the avian charmer Valiant, take this tale of a reluctant astronaut into another dimension. The film is directed by Kirk DeMicco, whose screenwriting credits include Quest for Camelot and Racing Stripes. It is written by Kirk DeMicco and Rob Moreland, from a story by Kirk DeMicco.
Space Chimps features the voices of Andy Samberg ("Saturday Night Live"), Cheryl Hines ("Curb Your Enthusiasm"), Patrick Warburton ("Rules of Engagement"), Kristin Chenoweth ("The West Wing"), Stanley Tucci (Robots), Kenan Thompson (Snakes on a Plane), Jane Lynch (The 40 Year Old Virgin), Carlos Alazraqui (Happy Feet), Zach Shada (Ice Age: The Meltdown), Patrick Breen ("Boston Legal"), Kath Soucie ("The Replacements") and Omid Abtahi ("Sleeper Cell").
The film is produced by John H. Williams (the Shrek trilogy) and Barry Sonnenfeld (Men in Black), the latter also serving as creative consultant. Tom Jacomb is associate producer and Curtis Augspurger is the film's co-producer. Executive producers are Neil Braun, Eric M. Bennett, John W. Hyde, Jerry Davis, Steve Brown and Morris Berger. Music is by Chris Bacon and the Blue Man Group. A Vanguard Animation film, Space Chimps is presented by Starz Animation. It will be distributed by Odyssey Entertainment internationally and by Twentieth Century Fox in North America.
Ham (Andy Samberg), the grandson of the first chimp in outer space, has been happily eking out a living as a chimp cannonball in a third-rate circus when the Space Agency makes him an offer he can't refuse. A wormhole has transported the Infinity Space Probe into the farthest reaches of the universe. As a political PR stunt, Ham is recruited to join a team of specially trained ape astronauts assigned to rescue the lost vessel.
His love of flashy acrobatics and aerial maneuvers make Ham a successful high-flyer, but his irreverent antics and goofball humor quickly alienate his professional astro¬chimp colleagues. Ham spends most of his time tweaking the ship's pompous commander, Titan (Patrick Warburton), or flirting with Luna (Cheryl Hines), his fetching lieutenant, but as the only one immune to the effects of the wormhole, he is indispensable to the mission.
After a crash landing on the planet Malgor, Titan is taken prisoner by Zartog (Jeff Daniels), a megalomaniacal alien who has commandeered the Infinity and enslaved the other Malgoreans. In exchange for her help navigating the dreaded Valley of Really Bad Things to rescue their commander, Ham and Luna promise a desperate alien named Kilowatt (Kristin Chenoweth) they will free her people.
Titan is about to be turned into a statue in Zartog's growing gallery-made up of uncooperative minions dipped in molten lava and displayed as a reminder of his omnipotence-when his companions stage a heroic rescue and retake their ship. As they prepare for takeoff, Ham is reminded of his vow to Kilowatt and must decide whether to return home or take a giant step for chimp-kind and live up to his grandfather's legacy.
The Space Chimps Roundtable
From two of "Saturday Night Live's" hottest young performers, to an Emmy® Award nominated alumna of the renowned Groundlings comedy troupe, to a singer trained in opera, each of the cast members brought his or her distinct gifts to the project.
Space Chimps is the story of Ham III, the grandson of the original Ham who went to space and became a national hero. The concept of astronaut primates exerted a strong gravitational pull on the film's voice cast. Andy Samberg, who has established himself as a cutting-edge comedian through his edgy and off-kilter "SNL Digital Shorts," plays Ham, the circus performer turned space traveler. His fellow astronaut and love interest Lieutenant Luna is played by Cheryl Hines, an Emmy Award® nominee for her work on HBO's "Curb Your Enthusiasm." Commander Titan, the third space chimp, is voiced by Patrick Warburton, who stars on the CBS sitcom "Rules of Engagement."
Kristin Chenoweth, a bona fide Broadway star with two Tony Awards® to prove it, provides the voice of the brave alien Kilowatt and Kenan Thompson, another "SNL" cast member, plays the ringmaster of the circus where Ham III performs as a human, er, chimp cannonball.
We caught up with the cast members during the voice sessions of Space Chimps for a freewheeling discussion, starting off with a surprising revelation from Samberg...
What interested you about this project?
Andy Samberg: What I liked most about the script was probably the space part. And the chimp part. I would say of my many totem spirits, chimp is definitely one of them, so I'm pretty much interested in any project that involves chimps, whether that means actually working with real chimps in the forest or pretending to be one with my voice. I also am a big fan of space. And if you put the two together, I mean, that's like, two full fans' worth of person.
Kenan Thompson: It's true. For some reason, I love to see animals controlling spacecrafts and going to different places. It's kind of like pigs in space. You gotta love it. And it's about monkeys. I always love stuff about monkeys.
Andy Samberg: And I just love comedy and there's plenty of comedy in the film, as there almost always is with an animated movie. It's not exactly like what I do normally. It's a little more for everybody. But they were great about incorporating my ideas and allowing my sense of humor to sort of influence the character, which was important to me. I think it translates well.
Cheryl Hines: Well, I got involved in Space Chimps through Barry Sonnenfeld. He sent me the script, and I read it and I thought it was a cute story. You don't have to be a rocket scientist to figure out what the movie's about. The title alone kind of says it. I mean, my first reaction was, am I one of the chimps? Because if it's titled Space Chimps, you at least want to be one of the chimps that goes into space. And did you like how I worked in rocket science with Space Chimps? Thank you. And good night.
Kristin Chenoweth: Like Cheryl, I had done RV with Barry Sonnenfeld. And he called me and said, "I have something that I want you to read, no pressure. Please don't feel pressure. I'm just really thinking of you for it." I read it and I then read it twice. I liked it. And so I called Barry and said "I want to do it."
Kenan Thompson: I think it's a great script. And it's got a great cast. You know what I'm saying? It's energetic. It's funny. Nice people are involved. And it's about monkeys.
Kristin Chenoweth: I'm also one of those freaky women who love the Alien movies, who love anything that has like four heads and 10 arms. So the fact that this kind of thing has been put into an animated feature is right up my alley.
Patrick Warburton: I thought it was time for the subject to be dealt with on the big screen. I've always felt like chimps were the real astronauts. They were the first ones up there. They've never gotten enough credit, really. And it's a crime. This is an opportunity to make that right. Plus my kids are into space and monkeys, so this is perfect. Sometimes I like to just surprise the kids, you know. Here's a little something Daddy did. It's opening in theaters all over the world-I'm shameless when it comes to self-promotion and my kids. That goes back to me explaining to them that that is Daddy's voice on television. They just thought that Daddy was crazy. Apparently Daddy is very needy.
Can you tell us about the parts you each play?
Andy Samberg: I'm Ham III, the grandson of Ham, the original Space Chimp. This Ham's a little down-and-out, although he doesn't think of it that way. He's working at the circus, getting shot out of a cannon. And when the Space Agency loses one of its very expensive satellites, they need to send someone after it through a wormhole. Since it's too dangerous to send humans, they recruit Ham because he's a big name in the chimp world of space travel.
Cheryl Hines: Ham has an extraordinary story because his grandfather was an astronaut, a chimp-naut-I just made that up-and I don't think he really appreciated it until he walked a mile in those space shoes.
Andy Samberg: Ham falls in love. They free a bunch of aliens. There's dancing and joy and romance. Some other crazy stuff. Pure high-octane chimp adventure.
Cheryl Hines: My character, Lieutenant Luna, is second in command on this mission. She's very proud that she gets to go. Then Luna and Ham see sparks, as you often do when you're stuck in a spaceship or on a new planet with someone.
Cheryl Hines: The military aspects of Luna's personality were a challenge for me. She's very straightforward and by the book. I'm usually never like that. And just some of the words that I had to say: all the "space words," as I liked to call them. That was a challenge. "Parsecs" and "wormholes," I still have nightmares about those.
Patrick Warburton: Titan is the alpha male chimp. Commander Titan has been an astronaut for many, many years. And then here comes this chimp, Ham, who's nothing but trouble, a circus freak. He doesn't have much respect for Ham in the beginning, but they eventually become a team and they get a lot accomplished together. Titan's a pretty much no-nonsense kind of guy. In real life, I get bossed around a lot. I have four kids and four dogs and a wife. That's nine and I'm pretty much at the bottom of the food chain. But gosh darn it, Titan is the commander of the ship. Actually, he's always pretty much losing control. He thinks he's in control, but he's not. Just like a daddy.
Kristin Chenoweth: I play Kilowatt, a creature from space. I really didn't do a lot of research because of the space aspect of it and the alien aspect of it. She's this precious little thing that has a big head, a huge head. I picture her as maybe green and she does have light around her. She's got a great heart.
What was it like working with Barry Sonnenfeld and Kirk DeMicco?
Andy Samberg: It was definitely a little bit outside of what I would normally do.
Cheryl Hines: I absolutely adore Barry Sonnenfeld, but he kept telling me the same thing over and over: "More chimp, less Jewish." Which is really odd because I'm not Jewish. And I feel like I'm pretty chimp-like in real life. So most of the time when he gave me direction, I had no idea what he was talking about. I just nodded and I smiled and did it again.
Andy Samberg: If you really want the voice to sound funny, you have to be doing stuff that you're comfortable with. So I've been trying to come up with as many jokes as possible. And Barry and Kirk have been very open to me in that regard, which I appreciate.
Patrick Warburton: I know Kirk and Barry, the great Barry Sonnenfeld, from other projects. Barry and I did a show together called "The Tick" years ago, which is just about the most fun I've ever had in my life. I can't say that wearing the blue suit was all that much fun, but I got to be the Tick, which was just this fantastic character. So it's great to get to be working with Barry again after a few years.
Andy Samberg: And Kirk DeMicco is the best. He's in the top five Kirks I've ever worked with. In fact, we're getting married. That's pretty much the best part that's come out of it. Creatively, we do not get along. But marriage-wise, we're a match made in heaven.
Can you talk about some of the differences between working in animation and live action?
Andy Samberg: Time commitment's a big one. Making an animated movie you don't have to be there for nearly as long. Plus, you don't have to look nice and have haircuts, etc. (Points to his head.) Case in point.
Kristin Chenoweth: It is a relief that it doesn't really matter what you look like. However, I am one of those actresses who really likes to come in feeling like the character. If I'm going to play a squirrel, I want to have maybe a faux fur tail, or if I'm playing Kilowatt, I want to feel light and happy. So I always try to do things for myself that day that make me feel good. Today, it's stupid, but I had a donut. I love donuts. They make me feel good.
Patrick Warburton: For animation, you're sequestered on a sound stage. You're almost never recording with other actors, so you have to use your imagination. You've got to sometimes try to get out of ruts just to give some variation to it all.
Cheryl Hines: Being in the recording booth is like being in a fishbowl. They can hear every little sound that you make. And that's not always attractive. Once you get over the idea that there are 10 people in the sound booth watching you and listening to you, you can kind of let it flow and let it ride and have a good time.
Kenan Thompson: For someone like me, animation is great. My brother was four years older than me, so he got a little too cool for me at some point and I was left to play by myself, you know. It just leaves you wide open to the imagination. And that's kind of like what voiceovers do. You're just in this room and you're picturing all these different things in your mind and the whole situation and breaking down the scenarios. And since its animation, instead of having to just read it in a normal voice, I get to scream and shout and really use the space in the booth.
Cheryl Hines: My background is sketch comedy, and I think it's very helpful to have an improv background for animation, especially when you're doing comedy. It keeps you loose and it keeps you on your toes. If somebody has a suggestion, you can try it right away without having to step outside and rewrite it. You can just try a few different things and whatever's funny, they'll use.
Kristin Chenoweth: I relied heavily on the directors to tell me where we were in the story. They reminded me of who's talking to me and what's just happened. And in a way, there's a freedom there because there is no wrong answer. I mean, there is no wrong reading. And if it is wrong, you can do it 20 other different ways.
Patrick Warburton: Another thing is that, in an animated film, you may not be given an idea of what your character will look like. There's usually a character design that's been preconceived and then they incorporate certain characteristics of the actor. You could be a chimp. You could be a robot. Whatever it is, they'll find something about you and put it in there. It can be disturbing 'cause they always find your least attractive quality or trait.
Kristin Chenoweth: I'm always a little nervous to see what the character looks like because I don't want it to influence me in any way. I always find something in the script about my character that I fall in love with and I want to be able to hold on to that.
Cheryl Hines: What really set this project apart for me was having to do chimp noises. When you're recording for animation, a lot of times you have to do just noises. Walking noises. Jumping noises. Drinking. I had to do kissing once, which was real attractive. In this particular case, not only am I running and jumping, but I'm doing it as a chimp. So I had to do some running and jumping and literally scratching under my arms. Just to get me in the mood. And that's when you feel really special in your little fish bowl-doing your chimp noises while everyone's laughing and pointing in the booth.
Kristin Chenoweth: I was able to create some interesting sounds for the character. I did a lot of my own vocal warm-ups as my character. My background is in opera and I'm a singer. So I started thinking of some of the vocal exercises that we did when I was taking voice. My teacher would always say, "Let's do the siren," and that ended up in the movie. And Kilowatt goes to just a flat-out high C when she's nervous or scared or excited.
Patrick Warburton: Every now and then, if I've had enough coffee, I may get physical. Although I'm more likely to go to sleep in these rooms because it's incredibly quiet and it's a perfect temperature. You might get an odd look or two from the outside if you do. "What's he doing?" "He's taking a nap. He has four kids. He should sleep. Let's go get a coffee and we'll come back and then we'll wake Mr. Warburton up." Everybody calls me Mr. Warburton-'cause I make them.
Kristin Chenoweth: Oddly enough, the challenge of acting without another actor doesn't bother me. I get great response from the booth. I relate it to being on stage in concert, singing a song to a mass of people I don't know. It's not like I'm singing to one person. I'm singing for myself. So you find ways to make it true within yourself. If you can do that successfully, it will be true for the audience.
Cheryl Hines: Well, Barry was on the other side of the glass prompting me sometimes with lines. I don't know if he knows this or not, but he's a terrible, terrible actor. So as much as it's helpful to have someone read the lines, you have the voice of Ham being played by Barry Sonnenfeld going, "I love you, too." Sometimes, I had to stop and just laugh out loud and then continue. So I don't know if it was as helpful as it might be, actually.
What's your favorite part of Space Chimps?
Cheryl Hines: Don't ask me why, but I really enjoyed Ham saying, "You can't blame a chimp for trying." It's just the idea that you can't blame a chimp for trying. I don't know why, but I say that all the time. But it's usually "you can't blame a lady for trying" when I say it.
Patrick Warburton: I love a good film, a good animated picture that's entertaining for kids but has enough stuff happening on more of an adult level. Space Chimps is clever enough that they can get a little naughty, but not be offensive or cross the line. As a parent, I want to be able to take my kids to a movie and not worry about stuff that will affect them in a negative way.
Cheryl Hines: I think when I saw Finding Nemo, my idea of animation changed. I'd always thought it was for kids or immature men. But to see a compelling story so well done gave me a much deeper appreciation for it. This script, I think, will appeal to parents who watch it with their children. There are some jokes that the kids probably aren't going to get and there are others that five-year-olds are going to find hilarious.
Kristin Chenoweth: I just love Kilowatt so much because she really does have a good heart. I view her a little bit as the heart of the show because it is her story. She's not the lead but it's about helping each other. And I think that's the greater message in a world in which that's not what's forefront on our minds. This movie is truly about community, as silly as it sounds. And that's one of the reasons that I love her, and it, so much.
Cheryl Hines: I watch a lot of children's movies and family movies because I have a three-year-old. So when I read a script in that genre, I have a different point of view about it now. And I think, "Would my daughter like to watch this? Would my nieces and nephews like to watch this?" Usually, my daughter doesn't care about my work so much. I guess not every three-year-old loves Larry David-understandably so. It'll be very exciting to see her watch it again in a few years, when it'll seem different to her because she'll see it through a different pair of eyes. And then when she's 10, I'll make her watch it again. I'm going to make her read this interview, too.
Does anyone have any closing thoughts?
Andy Samberg: I think I speak for everyone when I say that the appeal-o-meter for Space Chimps is going to go through the roof. (Not to be confused with the peel-o-meter, like on a banana.) Space and chimps every time.

HAM -THE ORIGINAL SPACE CHIMP 1957-1983
Space Chimps pays lighthearted tribute to the original Ham, one of the first heroes of the American space program. The John Glenn of the monkey world, Ham blasted off from Cape Canaveral on January 31, 1961 and traveled 155 miles in 16.5 minutes before splashing down safely in the Atlantic. Ham's reward? A delicious apple.
Ham's incredible journey began in the central African nation of Cameroon. When he was three years old, the intrepid chimp left the equatorial jungle for Alamogordo in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains of New Mexico. With five other specially selected chimpanzees, Ham attended a rigorous training program to prepare for space flight. His name is an acronym for the lab that prepared him for his historic mission, the Holloman Aerospace Medical Center, located at Holloman Air Force Base.
Because of the unknown risks of space travel, NASA decided to send a chimp where no man had gone before. Ham and his classmates were chosen for this monumental mission because of chimps' close physiological resemblance to humans and their high intelligence. The chimpanzee assigned to the historic Mercury-Redstone suborbital launch would be asked to perform a lever-pulling chore throughout the mission. This would test the capsule's life-support systems and prove that levers could be pulled during launch, weightlessness and reentry.
Training for the recruits was tough. A team of 20 medical specialists and animal handlers supervised as Ham and his classmates learned the control panel of the Mercury Redstone. Their assignment included pulling a right-hand lever when a white light came on and a left-hand lever when a blue light came on. They were rewarded with banana pellets for making the correct choice.
Once their training was complete, the space chimps were taken to Cape Canaveral, Florida. While small primates and other animals had gone into space on earlier flights, the capsule's occupant had never been more than a passenger. The stage was now set for NASA to take an enormous step toward achieving the goals of Project Mercury.
Only one chimp would be selected for the inaugural flight. Ham was not yet four years old when he received the assignment of a lifetime. A smart, loveable chimp with a sunny personality, Ham was affectionate, cuddly and loved the spotlight. He was the perfect candidate.
When the launch day finally came, the ship's liftoff and entry into space went smoothly, but the fuel burned more quickly than anticipated, propelling Ham more than 100 miles farther than planned. Traveling too high, too fast, the Mercury-Redstone was out of fuel in just over two minutes. Ham withstood gravitational forces of up to 14.7 G's, about 3.3 G's more than planned.
Despite the increased speed, Ham maintained his concentration and performed his required tasks with great accuracy. His lever-pushing performance was just marginally slower than on Earth. The capsule partially lost pressure during the flight, but Ham's space suit prevented him from suffering any harm. He also experienced about seven minutes of weightlessness during the flight, with no ill effect.
Just over a quarter hour after liftoff, Ham's capsule splashed down in the Atlantic Ocean. His spacecraft took on water due to the impact, but he was successfully recovered and taken to a waiting vessel. Ham's only injury was a bruised nose.
Safely back on Earth, Ham was given a physical examination and pronounced fatigued but medically sound. In apparent good spirits, Ham happily posed for pictures with the sailors on the recovery ship before enthusiastically enjoying his apple.
With the flight a success, Ham became an international celebrity and received the ultimate pop culture honor of the day-his picture on the cover of Life magazine. Using the information gathered during Ham's successful flight, Mercury Seven astronaut Alan Shepard would make the same flight aboard the Freedom 7 just four months later.
After completing his mission, Ham lived in the National Zoo in Washington, DC for 17 years. He was extremely popular with visitors, but not with his fellow chimps. Like many a human superstar, Ham had trouble adjusting to private life. He later moved to a zoo in North Carolina and found a lovely lady chimp with whom to share his life.
Ham died of natural causes on January 19, 1983 at the age of 27 and was buried in the front lawn of the International Space Hall of Fame in Alamogordo, NM.

ABOUT THE CAST
ANDY SAMBERG (Ham III) has proven his diverse range of comedic talents on screens big and small. Starring in his third season as a cast member on "Saturday Night Live," he is best known for his innovative "SNL Digital Shorts," which have re¬invigorated the series and spurred water-cooler moments over the past two seasons with sensations like "Lazy Sunday" and "D**k in a Box." Samberg's feature film debut came in August 2007 with Paramount's comedy Hot Rod, co-starring Ian McShane, Sissy Spacek, Isla Fisher and Bill Hader.
Samberg attended college at U.C. Santa Cruz and graduated from NYU's Tisch School for the Arts with a film degree in 2000. Prior to joining "Saturday Night Live," he performed stand-up comedy in both New York and Los Angeles for seven years and was featured on Comedy Central's "Premium Blend" in 2005. In addition, he started filmmaking group The Lonely Island with his childhood friends Akiva Schaffer and Jorma Taccone, who are now writers on "Saturday Night Live." Samberg, Schaffer and Taccone were honored by Wired magazine with a Wired Rave Award for Television in 2006, alongside notable innovators ranging from geneticists to fellow online pioneers.
Samberg's first significant breakthrough was the music video "Lazy Sunday," a performance collaboration with "SNL" alum Chris Parnell. The short was an online phenomenon that amassed over five million hits on YouTube.com within a few days and sparked a legion of Internet imitations. The controversy surrounding the legal ramifications of online video content thrust the story into the media spotlight, highlighting Samberg as the poster child for a new generation of DIY filmmakers and comics.
The following season, Samberg again made waves with the short video "D**k in a Box," co-starring Justin Timberlake in a spoof of early-nineties R&B. The song reached unprecedented levels of popularity both online and in print, culminating in Samberg joining Timberlake on stage at Madison Square Garden in February 2007 and performing the song live for more than 18,000 fans. In September 2007, "D**k in a Box" was honored with a Creative Emmy® for Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics.
Samberg currently resides in New York City.
CHERYL HINES (Luna) is a two-time Emmy nominee for her role as 'Cheryl David' on HBO's Golden Globe® Award-winning series "Curb Your Enthusiasm,"the brainchild of Larry David, co-creator of "Seinfeld." The show has been nominated for numerous Emmy Awards including Best Supporting Actress for Cheryl, Best Actor for Larry and Best Comedy Series. The show recently aired its sixth season on HBO. Cherylis currently shooting the romantic comedy "Labor Pains"where she will star opposite Lindsay Lohan. The film is to be directed by Lara Shapiro and is set to be released in 2009.
She will next be seen starring opposite William H. Macy in the independent feature "Bart Got a Room,"," which made its world premiere at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival in April. Directed by Brian Hecker, the comedy centers on a nerdy high-schoolseniortrying to find a date to the prom while his parents'marriage is falling apart. Cheryl will also be seen co-starring in the 2008 Sundance hit "Henry Pool Was Here"for writer Albert Torres and director Mark Pellington. Hines, who co-stars opposite Luke Wilson, plays a pushy real estate broker who sells Wilson a home. The film is executive produced by Tom Rosenberg and Gary Lucceshi for Lakeshore Entertainment. It also stars Adriana Barraza and Radha Mitchell.
She recently finished shooting the film, "Farlanders" for Focus Features by director Sam Mendes. Cheryl co-stars opposite JohnKrasinski and Maya Rudolph. The film follows an expectant couple (Krasinski, Rudolph) as they travel the country in search of a place to put down roots and raise a family. Also "The Ugly Truth," co-starring Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler. In the romantic in production this spring is
comedy, Cheryl will portray a polished news co-anchor who is in a troubled marriage. Robert Luketic directs the film which is set to be released by Sony on April 4, 2009.
Cheryl is currently in post-production on her feature film directorial debut with the indie "Serious Moonlight," from a screenplay written by the late Adrienne Shelly. The film is a dark comedy centered on the troubled marriage of a highfemale attorney (played by Meg Ryan) who learns that her husband (Timothy -powered Hutton) is about to leave her for another woman.
Cheryl alsorecently starred in the indie feature "The Grand." In "The Grand,"Cheryl stars opposite Woody Harrelson, David Cross, Dennis Farina and Ray Romano.
The improvised comedy is set in the world of professional poker and was filmed entirely in Las Vegas. The film was released by Anchor Bay Entertainment in March 2008.
Cheryl's other film roles include starring opposite Keri Russell in the romantic comedy "Waitress," whichwas written, directed and co-starredAdrienneShelly. A huge hit at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival, the film garnered unprecedented critical acclaim. In the film, Cheryl portraysBecky, a long time waitress who is married to aninvalid and longing for some affection and adventurein her life.Other film credits include the Columbia Pictures comedy "RV,"starring Robin Williams and directed by Barry Sonnenfeld.
Cheryl has broadened her experience in television to include producing and voice over. She was the executive producer on the critically acclaimed improvised and award-winning comedy series "Campus Ladies" for the Oxygen Channel and the Starz Networks first original comedy series "Hollywood Residential," which recently premiered in January. The show follows a fictional, faltering celebrity home makeover show on a struggling home improvement cable network.
Cheryl was also handpicked by Jeffrey Katzenberg as the lead voice in DreamWorks Television's primetime animated series, "Father of the Pride,"an innovative comedy that aired on NBC. The "Shrek"-like CGI cartoon was about a family of white lions who work as performers in the Las Vegas act of illusionists Siegfried & Roy.
As a member of the Groundlings Theater, Cheryl has spent a great deal of time writing and performing sketch and improvisational comedy. This experience made her feel very at home with the improvised dialogue format of "Curb Your Enthusiasm."
PATRICK WARBURTON (Titan) has been a familiar face since his recurring role as Elaine's laconic boyfriend, Puddy, on the classic NBC comedy "Seinfeld." Warburton currently stars in the hit CBS comedy "Rules of Engagement," co-starring David Spade, Oliver Hudson and Megyn Price, which focuses on two couples and their single friend-all at different stages in their relationships-as they deal with the complications of dating, commitment and marriage. Warburton recently contributed his voice acting to the blockbuster Bee Movie alongside such stars as Jerry Seinfeld, Renée Zellweger, Uma Thurman and Oprah Winfrey. Warburton's performance was nominated for an Annie Award for Best Voice Acting in an Animated Feature, his third such honor.
Warburton began his television career with regular appearances on the CBS sitcom "Dave's World," with Harry Anderson. He originally guest-starred on "Seinfeld" as the face-painted New Jersey Devils' fan and Jerry's mechanic, only to become one of the show's funniest fixtures as Puddy, the enigmatic Saab salesman. He also has featured in commercials for American Express (as the voice of Superman alongside Seinfeld), Cadillac and M&Ms.
On the big screen, Warburton starred in The Woman Chaser, which received critical acclaim at the prestigious New York Film Festival and The Sundance Film Festival. He appeared opposite Sam Neill in The Dish, an Australian comedy about the first manned mission to the moon. Other film credits include Big Trouble, Joe Somebody, Scream 3 and Men in Black 2.
Barry Sonnenfeld directed Warburton in the Columbia Tri-Star half-hour comedy "The Tick," which has enjoyed a huge cult following since its release on DVD. The show gained popularity with audiences due to its relaxed, adult-friendly comedy. He also starred on ABC's hit comedy "Less than Perfect" as Jeb Denton, an opinionated network anchorman; and "NewsRadio" as Johnny Johnson, the unscrupulous businessman who takes over the station.
As a voice actor for animated series, Warburton played the character Rip Smashenburn in the UPN series "Game Over," Brock Samson in the adult series "The Venture Brothers," Mr. Barkin on Disney Channel's "Kim Possible" and Joe the neighbor on Fox's popular animated series "Family Guy." He also provided the voice of The Savior of the Universe in Disney's animated Saturday morning series "Buzz Lightyear."
Warburton voiced the character of Ian, the ultimate alpha-male, in the Sony animated film Open Season, opposite Ashton Kutcher and Martin Lawrence. Playing in both regular theaters and IMAX 3-D, it was No.1 at the box office in its opening week. Warburton's voice was heard alongside those of Sarah Michelle Gellar, Sigourney Weaver, George Carlin, Andy Dick and Freddie Prinze Jr. in the animated feature film Happily N'Ever After, from the producers of Shrek. He also played the arch-villain Cad in Disney's live action comedy hit Underdog, based on the 1964 cartoon television series.
Warburton's recent performance in the independent film The Civilization of Maxwell Bright, as a vicious and self-destructive antihero desperately trying to save his soul, netted him Best Actor awards at the Beverly Hills Film Festival, New York VisionFest and the Boulder International Film Festival. Essentially a modern re-telling of Beauty and the Beast, this festival favorite explores what happens when a modern Neanderthal is locked in close proximity with a kind and loving woman. Written and directed by David Beaird, the film co-stars Jennifer Tilly, Marie Matiko, Simon Callow and Eric Roberts. Its other honors include Viewer's Choice at the Beverly Hills Film Festival, the Special Jury Award at WorldFest Houston and the Florida Film Festival, Grand Jury Prize at the Florida Film Festival and the Vision Award for director David Beaird at WorldFest Houston.
Warburton recently starred in the independent feature film I'll Believe You with Fred Willard, Thomas Gibson and Chris Elliott, a comedy for young adults and teens about the hunt for an alleged alien living in a small town after a mysterious phone call is received on a radio broadcast. Other film credits include voice acting for The Emperor's New Groove, The Wild, Chicken Little and Sky High.
A native of Huntington Beach, California, Warburton currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife, Cathy, and four children.
JEFF DANIELS (Zartog) was recently honored with Golden Globe and Independent Spirit nominations for his work in the highly lauded The Squid and the Whale, written and directed by Noah Baumbach. Daniels also appeared in Doug McGrath's Infamous, with Toby Jones and Sandra Bullock. His most recent film was the crime thriller The Lookout, directed by Scott Frank and costarring Joseph Gordon-Levitt.
Daniels won rave reviews for his on-stage performance in the Manhattan Theatre Club's SRO production of David Harrower's provocative play, "Blackbird." Directed by Joe Mantello, the two-character play also stars Alison Pill.
The actor made his feature film debut in Milos Forman's Ragtime, but it was his performance as Debra Winger's husband in Terms of Endearment that catapulted Daniels to stardom. Woody Allen was among the first to recognize his talent and comic ability, casting him in a featured role in The Purple Rose of Cairo. Daniels went on to star in a
number of films, including Something Wild, The Butcher's Wife, Checking Out, Fly Away Home, 101 Dalmatians, Speed, Pleasantville, Arachnophobia, Gettysburg, Dumb and Dumber, Blood Work, The Hours, Gods and Generals, Imaginary Heroes, Because of Wynn-Dixie and Goodnight, and Good Luck, directed by George Clooney.
Television credits include the recent "The Five People You Meet In Heaven," based on Mitch Albom's best-selling novel; TNT's remake of Neil Simon's "The Goodbye Girl"; Robert Altman's "The Caine Mutiny Court Martial"; Lee Grant's "No Place Like Home;" A&E's "The Crossing"; and "Saturday Night Live" and "Cheaters" for HBO.
His appearances on the Broadway stage include Lanford Wilson's "Redwood Curtain" and "Fifth of July," which won him a Drama Desk Award for Best Supporting Actor. Off Broadway, Daniels received a Drama Desk nomination for "Lemon Sky," as well as an Obie for his performance in the Circle Repertory Company production of "Johnny Got His Gun."
Back home in Chelsea, Michigan, Daniels has continued his passion for the theatre by founding the Purple Rose Theatre Company, which he dedicated to encourage and develop Midwestern actors, playwrights, directors and designers. All of Daniels' own plays have premiered there, including "Shoe Man," winner of the Detroit News Critics Award for Best New Play; "The Tropical Pickle"; "The Vast Difference"; "Thy Kingdom's Coming"; "Apartment 3A"; "Boom Town"; "Escanaba in da Moonlight"; "Across the Way," which was nominated for Best New Play by the American Theatre Critics Association; "Guest Artist"; "Norma & Wanda"; and most recently "Escanaba in Love."
Daniels has been composing songs since the 1970s and recently released his second CD, "Grandfather's Hat," a collection of live performances that humorously and touchingly reflect on his life and career. Proceeds from the sale of these CDs go to support The Purple Rose Theatre Company. In addition, Daniels continues to bring his live concert show, "Jeff Daniels: Live and Unplugged," to venues coast to coast.
In 1999, Daniels formed Purple Rose Films, a Michigan-based independent production company. His first film as writer/director/actor was Escanaba in da Moonlight, a comedy about deer hunting based on his successful stage play. His second film, Super Sucker, a comedy about Midwestern vacuum cleaner salesmen, won the Audience Award for Best Feature at the U.S. Comedy Arts Festival in Aspen, Colorado.
KRISTIN CHENOWETH (Kilowatt) effortlessly transitions between television, film, stage and concert hall with captivating grace. She is currently starring in the critically acclaimed ABC series "Pushing Daisies." Other small screen credits include last year's season finale of ABC's hit comedy "Ugly Betty," in which she played an orthodontic technician who loves romantic comedies and becomes overly involved in her patients' lives-including Betty's (America Ferrera). Chenoweth recently starred in "Stairway to Paradise," an original Encores Production celebrating the great Broadway revue.
Fans also know Chenoweth as Annabeth Schott on "The West Wing"; the librarian, Marian Paroo, in ABC's movie version of Meredith Wilson's "The Music Man"; and Lily St. Regis in the television adaptation of "Annie." Chenoweth also starred in her own series "Kristin" for NBC.
Moviegoers have seen Chenoweth in Deck the Halls, with Danny DeVito and Matthew Broderick; RV, with Robin Williams; Bewitched, with Will Ferrell and Nicole Kidman; Running with Scissors, with Annette Bening; and The Pink Panther, with Steve Martin. Her film credits also include a cameo in Stranger Than Fiction, with Emma Thompson. In her next film project, Chenoweth stars alongside Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn in the comedy Four Christmases directed by Seth Gordon.
On stage, many remember Chenoweth's show-stealing, Tony®-winning performance in "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown" and her triumphant star turn originating the role of Glinda the Good Witch in "Wicked," which earned the actress a Tony Award nomination. Chenoweth also performed in the Broadway comedy "Epic Proportions" and in the Kander and Ebb musical "Steel Pier," for which she won a Theatre World award. Chenoweth starred in an off-Broadway production of Moliere's "Scapin" for the Roundabout Theatre Company and in the critically lauded limited-engagement of "The Apple Tree" at Roundabout Theatre Company's Studio 54.
A highly regarded vocal performer, Chenoweth took the stage in a sold-out solo concert at Carnegie Hall in 2004 and continues to tour the country. She also had the honor of playing a sold-out solo show at the famed Metropolitan Opera House. Commemorating the centennial anniversary of the first "Ziegfeld Follies," she concluded New York City Center's 2007 season with beloved Broadway numbers from the early 20th century.
Chenoweth received glowing reviews for her solo concert at Sam Mendes's acclaimed Donmar Warehouse as part of the "Divas at Donmar" series. Since her show in London, Chenoweth has collaborated with various symphonies, including The New York Philharmonic, Boston Pops, National Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony and the San Francisco Symphony. One of her proudest recent accomplishments was performing Bernstein's "Candide" at Lincoln Center with The New York Philharmonic. Other performances include her sold-out Los Angeles solo debut at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, an evening at The Greek Theater in Los Angeles and the Washington National Opera's 50th Anniversary Gala, with Placido Domingo. She is scheduled to have her Metropolitan Opera debut in March 2010 as Samira in John Corigliano's "The Ghost of Versailles."
Chenoweth is also an accomplished recording artist. Following the success of her albums "Let Yourself Go" and "As I Am" on Sony Classical, she is gearing up for a third album.
STANLEY TUCCI (The Senator) has appeared in over 50 films and countless television shows. Tucci recently completed a film in director Peter Jackson's adaptation of The Lovely Bones opposite Mark Wahlberg and Susan Sarandon. Also scheduled for release this year are Swing Vote, with Kevin Costner and Dennis Hopper; and Kit Kittredge: An American Girl, with Abigail Breslin and Joan Cusack. He co-starred in the forthcoming What Just Happened? alongside Bruce Willis, John Turturro and Robert De Niro. Tucci also stars in the upcoming Blind Date, a feature he directed and co-wrote.
The actor has been acclaimed for his performances in several award-winning HBO original telefilms. He played renowned director Stanley Kubrick in "The Life and Death of Peter Sellers." The drama, starring Geoffrey Rush and Charlize Theron, tied for the most Emmy nominations with 16 bids in 2004. Tucci appeared alongside Kenneth Branagh and Colin Firth in another highly acclaimed HBO drama, "Conspiracy," a film for which Tucci's portrayal of Lt. Colonel Adolf Eichmann earned him a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Made-for-TV-Movie or Miniseries as well as an Emmy nomination. He also received a Golden Globe and Emmy Award for his portrayal of Walter Winchell, a founder of American gossip, in Paul Mazursky's "Winchell."
Tucci's other television work includes a recurring role on TNT's "Bull" as Hunter Lasky, one of Wall Street's most charming and conniving negotiators, as well as guest appearances on "ER," "Equal Justice," "Wiseguy," "The Equalizer," "Thirtysomething" and "The Street." Tucci also starred in the Steven Bochco drama "Murder One," a performance for which he earned an Emmy nomination.
Tucci's appearance on "Monk," starring Tony Shalhoub, received critical attention as well as an Emmy Award in the category of Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series.
In addition to being an accomplished actor, Tucci is a writer, director and producer. Big Night, which Tucci co-directed, co-wrote and starred in, earned him numerous accolades, including the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award at the 1996 Sundance Film Festival, a Recognition of Excellence by the National Board of Review, an Independent Spirit Award, The Critics Prize at the 1996 Deauville Film Festival and honors from the New York Film Critics and the Boston Society of Film Critics.
Tucci's second project, The Imposters, a film which he wrote, directed, co¬produced and starred in, was an Official Selection at the 1998 Cannes Film Festival and was acquired by Fox Searchlight Pictures later that year. The 1930's farce stars Tucci and Oliver Platt as a pair of out-of-work actors who find themselves aboard a cruise ship with passengers played by Steve Buscemi, Billy Connolly, Alfred Molina, Lili Taylor and Hope Davis.
His most recent directorial effort was USA Films' Joe Gould's Secret, which starred Ian Holm as bohemian writer Joe Gould and Tucci as Joseph Mitchell, the famed writer for The New Yorker. The film, set in New York's Greenwich Village in the 1940s, tells the story of the strange meeting and long-lasting friendship between Gould and Mitchell, as well as the stories Mitchell wrote about Gould and his life.
In 2002, Tucci received critical acclaim for his performance in DreamWorks' Road to Perdition, co-starring Tom Hanks, Jude Law and Paul Newman. He also appeared in Barry Sonnenfeld's comedy Big Trouble, co-starring Tim Allen, Rene Russo, Omar Epps, Janeane Garofalo and Jason Lee, among others.
Tucci offered his voice for the character Herb Copperbottom in Fox Animation's Robots (2005); starred opposite Richard Gere and Jennifer Lopez in the romantic comedy Shall We Dance, directed by Peter Chelsom; and appeared in James Redford's film Spin with Dana Delany and Ruben Blades. He also worked alongside Tom Hanks in Steven Spielberg's The Terminal.
Recently, Tucci starred in The Hoax, with Richard Gere; and the Academy Award® nominated film The Devil Wears Prada, alongside Best Actress nominee Meryl Streep and Anne Hathaway. Previous film credits include Woody Allen's Deconstructing Harry, William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, Sidewalks of New York, America's Sweethearts, The Alarmist, A Life Less Ordinary, The Daytrippers, Kiss of Death, Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle, It Could Happen to You, The Pelican Brief, Prelude to a Kiss, Billy Bathgate, In the Soup and Slaves of New York.
No stranger to live theater, Tucci has appeared in over a dozen plays on and off Broadway, including "Execution of Hope," "The Iceman Cometh," "Brighton Beach Memoirs" and "The Misanthrope." He has also performed in a number of off-Broadway plays, at Yale Repertory Theater and SUNY Purchase, where he first studied acting.
Tucci resides in New York with his wife and three children.
KENAN THOMPSON (The Ringmaster) is in his fourth season as a cast member of "Saturday Night Live." He has made numerous contributions to the show including impressions of Bill Cosby, Rev. Al Sharpton and Star Jones, and his portrayal of the fictional character D.J. Dynasty Handbag, the scathingly fierce co-host of "Club Traxxx." He stars in the forthcoming Screen Gems comedy Wieners, with Fran Kranz and Jenny McCarthy.
A native of Atlanta, Georgia, Thompson made his television debut as a member of Nickelodeon's all-kid sketch comedy series "All That." He and his partner, Kel Mitchell, debuted in a spin-off show, "Kenan and Kel," in 1996. The pair later starred in Paramount's hit feature film Good Burger. Thompson also had a recurring role on the WB's "Felicity."
Thompson's feature film credits include Snakes on a Plane opposite Samuel L. Jackson, Fat Albert, D2: The Mighty Ducks, The Adventures of Rocky & Bullwinkle, Heavyweights, My Boss's Daughter and Barbershop 2.
Thompson divides his time between Los Angeles and New York.
CARLOS ALAZRAQUI (Houston) is best known as Deputy James Garcia on Comedy Central's "Reno 911!" He is also a veteran voice performer whose work has been featured in a number of films including the animated box office favorites Happy Feet and Monsters, Inc. His television work includes "Family Guy," "Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius," and "SpongeBob SquarePants." His next project is a live-action role in horror film The Conjuring, opposite Lou Diamond Phillips and Pam Grier.
Alazraqui got his start on Seth McFarlane's CBS animated series "The Schnookums and Meat Funny Cartoon Show!" in 1993. A number of voice acting jobs followed, including "Rocko's Modern Life," "The Powerpuff Girls," "King of the Hill," "The Fairly Odd Parents," "Camp Lazlo" and "Hey Arnold!"
Alazraqui's live-action performances include guest appearances on "Pushing Daisies," "Lizzie McGuire" and "That '70s Show."
ZACH SHADA (Comet) was born in Boise, Idaho before moving to Los Angeles at the age of 10. He immediately began auditioning and working on many different projects including Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle, "According to Jim" and "Lost." Zack has also had the great opportunity of working on a number of animated projects including "Princess Stories," "Tinkerbell," "Justice League," "The Ant Bully" and Ice Age the Meltdown.
Over the past two years, he worked as one of the leads on the television series "Jane Doe" and is currently very busy as the lead singer in the rock band "L.A. MisFit". He enjoys surfing when he's not working and performing, and at15, looks forward to many more great opportunities to come
JANE LYNCH (Dr. Poole) is familiar to film and television audiences from her roles in The 40 Year Old Virgin, Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, Best in
Show, "Arrested Development," "The L Word" and "Two and Half Men." She was recently seen with John C. Reilly in Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story.
Lynch has guest-starred on many of the most successful television series of the last two decades, including "Frasier," "NewsRadio," "Dawson's Creek," "The X-Files," "Judging Amy," "The West Wing," "Family Guy," "7th Heaven," "Friends" and "Desperate Housewives." She has had recurring roles on "Criminal Minds," "Boston Legal" and "The New Adventures of the Old Christine."
Among Lynch's film credits are Vice Versa, The Fugitive, Collateral Damage, A Mighty Wind, For Your Consideration, Alvin and the Chipmunks and the forthcoming The Rocker, starring Rainn Wilson and Christina Applegate.
PATRICK BREEN (Dr. Bob) is seen regularly on series television, including appearances on "Boston Legal," "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," "Joan of Arcadia," "Monk," "Law & Order" and "Will & Grace." Playing George Weiss, he was a series regular on UPN's "Kevin Hill" alongside Taye Diggs and Kate Levering. Breen is currently shooting a romantic comedy, The Neighbor, alongside Matthew Modine.
Other television credits include appearances on "Pushing Daisies," "Notes from the Underbelly," "The New Adventures of Old Christine," "The West Wing," "Judging Amy," "Angel" and "Frasier." Breen's film work includes roles in For Love or Money, Get Shorty, Men in Black, One True Thing, Galaxy Quest, Radio and Christmas with the Kranks.
KATH SOUCIE (Dr. Smothers) is one of the top voice-over actors working today. Her voluminous list of credits includes Pooh's Heffalump Movie, The Emperor's New Groove and Frosty the Snowman, as well as recurring roles on the television shows "The Replacements," "My Friends Tigger and Pooh" and "All Grown Up."
Soucie began her career in New York as a theatrical actress, followed by featured roles in episodics and movies of the week after her move to Los Angeles. Her natural acting ability and vocal versatility have created a constant demand for her talents.
Following the enormous success of Paramount's animated feature Rugrats: The Movie and the theatrical sequel, Rugrats in Paris, Soucie continues to provide the voices of Phil, Lil and Betty for Nickelodeon's Emmy award-winning "Rugrats" series. She played Jetta in the feature Clifford the Big Red Dog and Wendy in Disney's animated feature Return to Neverland. She voiced the character Lola Bunny for the Warner Brothers live-action feature Space Jam, and gave voice to one of the reindeer in Santa Clause II.
Other film credits include The Tigger Movie, The Piglet Movie, 102 Dalmations, Dumbo II, Beauty & The Beast, Annabel's Wish, Tale of Tilly's Dragon, The Brave Little Toaster Goes to Mars, Third Stone from the Sun and The Little Engine.
Soucie has brought life to hundreds of animated characters on television, in both primetime and daytime series. Soucie's series regular credits include "101 Dalmations," "Pepper Ann," "Recess," "Gargoyles," "Book of Pooh," "Kim Possible," "Hey Arnold!," "Butt Ugly Martians," "Casper," "Invasion America" and "Toonsylvania." Her voice acting can also be heard on "Handy Manny," "Spectacular Spiderman," "Danny Phantom," "The Weekenders," "Fatherhood," "Juniper Lee," "W.I.T.C.H.," "Curious George," "Z Force," "Dexter's Lab," "As Told By Ginger," "Futurama," "The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius," "All Grown Up," "Clifford the Big Red Dog," "Clifford the Small Red Puppy," " Piggly Winks" and "Cramp Twins," to name only a few.
OMID ABTAHI (Dr. Jagu) makes his animation debut in Space Chimps. His on-camera credits include series regular assignments on Showtime's "Sleeper Cell" and FX's "Over There." He recently finished shooting Brothers, a film directed by Jim Sheridan that co-stars Tobey Maguire, Natalie Portman and Jake Gyllenhaal. The film is set for release in December 2008.
Prior to moving to the United States, Abtahi and his family lived in Europe and the Middle East. In addition to his television roles since arriving in Los Angeles, he appeared in the film Running with Scissors, starring Annette Bening. Abtahi also co-stars in the new film Mysteries of Pittsburgh, which premiered at Sundance 2008 and features Peter Saarsgard, Nick Nolte, Jon Foster and Sienna Miller.

ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS
KIRK DEMICCO (Director, Writer) co-produced and co-wrote Racing Stripes, starring Hayden Panettiere. His other writing credits include Quest for Camelot, Here Comes Peter Cottontail: The Movie, "Casper's Scare School" for TV and the upcoming feature Crood Awakening, directed by Chris Sanders (Lilo & Stitch). De Micco's script for The Twits, co-written with John Cleese, is currently in development at Vanguard Films and Animation.
ROB MORELAND (Writer) is a screenwriter, director and development executive. As an MFA filmmaking student at UCLA, Moreland was the first recipient of the Lew Wasserman Fellowship, for directing his student film (featuring actress Téa Leoni). He was nominated for a Fulbright Scholarship to study magical realism in Chile. As a screenwriter, Moreland has sold and optioned scripts to Dreamworks, MGM/UA, Nickelodeon/Paramount and Sony. Moreland's original animated feature film Happily N'Ever After, starring Sigourney Weaver, was released by Lionsgate in 2007. Moreland also served as a voice director for the film. His current writing projects include an edgy adult retelling of The Wizard of Oz, to be directed by Mike Johnson.
BARRY SONNENFELD (Producer) has found commercial and artistic success as the director of such films as Wild Wild West, Get Shorty, RV, Big Trouble, The Addams Family, Addams Family Values, Men in Black and Men in Black 2. He also produced or executive produced Enchanted, Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events, The Ladykillers and Out of Sight.
Sonnenfeld began his career as an acclaimed cinematographer, collaborating with the Coen brothers on their first feature film, Blood Simple, and continuing with Raising Arizona and Miller's Crossing. Sonnenfeld also served as director of photography on Penny Marshall's Big, Danny DeVito's Throw Momma from the Train and two films for Rob Reiner, When Harry Met Sally and Misery.
Sonnenfeld has directed numerous Clio award-winning commercials for Nike, Reebok and Isuzu. He is also the recipient of the 2007 DGA Award for his directorial achievement in a comedy series for the pilot episode of "Pushing Daisies," which he also executive produced. He executive produced the ABC series "Karen Sisco" and directed and executive produced "Maximum Bob," "The Tick" and "Notes From The Underbelly."
Sonnenfeld has been a contributing editor for Esquire since September 2003 and writes a monthly column, The Digital Man. He lives in East Hampton, New York and Telluride, Colorado with his beautiful wife, Susan, and adorably strong-willed daughter, Chloe.
JOHN H. WILLIAMS (Producer) started Vanguard Films in 1981. His first production was a TV production of Steppenwolf Theater's "True West" with John Malkovich and Gary Sinise, followed by "The Grapes of Wrath" and "Rocket to the Moon" starring Malkovich and Judy Davis. Vanguard went on to produce A.R. Gurney's "The Dining Room," with William H. Macy; George Bernard Shaw's "Heartbreak House" with Rex Harrison and Amy Irving; "The Rise and Rise of Daniel Rocket," with Tom Hulce; and "The Terrors of Pleasure," with Spalding Gray.
Vanguard produced commercials through a joint venture production company with Virgin Records. Commercial directors included Tim Pope (The Crow: City of Angels), The Brothers Quay (Freda, Streets of Crocodiles) and Reggie Hudlin (House Party, The Ladies Man). Vanguard has also produced documentaries on John F. Kennedy, Aretha Franklin, George Gershwin, and the history of blues music.
Having brought the book to DreamWorks, Williams was the originating producer of the Shrek animated film franchise. Williams also produced Shrek 2 and was executive producer on Shrek 3. Vanguard Animation produced its first animated feature, Valiant, in 2005, which was released by Disney. It was followed by Happily N'Ever After in 2007.
Williams' live action credits include Seven Years in Tibet, starring Brad Pitt; The Tuxedo, starring Jackie Chan and Jennifer Love Hewitt; Sarafina!, starring Whoopi Goldberg; and the upcoming productions of Jack Kerouac's On The Road, to be directed by Walter Salles, and Roald Dahl's The Twits. Williams also produced ESPN's Bear Bryant biopic "The Junction Boys," starring Tom Berenger.
CURTIS AUGSPURGER (Co-Producer) partnered with John H. Williams in 2002 to create Vanguard Animation. His production paradigm helped deliver its first feature-length animated film, Valiant, distributed by Walt Disney Studios, on a two-year schedule for $40 million. It was followed by Happily N'Ever After in 2007.
Augspurger earned his undergraduate degree in architecture from Washington University in St Louis, graduating cum laude, and earned his master's degree in Architecture from Columbia University's Graduate School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation. Augspurger entered production in 1990 when he pioneered the use of digital visualization for Columbia University's School of Architecture in New York. Since then, he has continued to seek and find new and innovative ways to enhance artistic productivity with computer technology, while maintaining his high artistic ideals.
Augspurger's eclectic, out-of-the-box approach to digital effects and film production has brought him management, production and consulting experience with companies as diverse as Sony Entertainment, Warner Brothers Digital, Disney Imagineering, ILM, Electronic Arts, Acclaim Entertainment, NBC, Paramount Pictures, Cinesite, DreamWorks, Nickelodeon and Dream Picture Studios. In 2000, he formed his own company, Menace FX, where he continued to produce digital content on film and broadcast projects for numerous production companies across the United States and in Europe.
TOM JACOMB (Associate Producer) was the line producer on Valiant, the 2005 animated comedy voiced by lead actors Ewan McGregor and Ricky Gervais.
Jacomb began his producing career in 1988 as senior producer for The Moving Picture Company in London. Shortly thereafter, he became senior producer at Passion Pictures, one of the world's leading commercial animation companies. Tom set up Passion FX, a visual effects unit, with Peter Chiang (who is now a senior visual FX supervisor and co-founder of Double Negative) and Chris Knott. He produced over 40 commercials from a 3D photorealistic animated dog to the launch of the National Lottery.
In 1995, Jacomb joined James Garrett & Partners, a commercial production company, where he produced TV commercials for 10 different directors including Richard Loncraine, Nicholas Barker and Terrance Donavon. Working with budgets ranging up to $3 million he was responsible for pitching and winning business as well as producing and production-managing the projects.
Segueing into animation in 1997, Jacomb took over as managing director of Soho 601, a 3D animation and post-production company. He implemented new creative, management and financial controls to make Soho 601 one of London's leading creative post-production companies. Having turned it into a very profitable company, Jacomb sold Soho 601 to Liberty Livewire/Ascent Media, part of the Liberty Media Group. At the company's height, he employed 60 people, with annual revenue of $10 million.
In 2001, Jacomb became joint managing director of Glassworks, a 3D animation and special effects company specializing in high-end, creative led, technically challenging projects, utilizing their in-house research and development software team. They built a network of up to 20 animators (XSI and Maya) and four Discrete Logic Inferno suites backed up by an R&D department. Jacomb was instrumental in developing Glassworks into a world leader in 3D animation. The company employs 50 people and turns over $8 million-$10 million annually.
From 2003 to 2005, Jacomb served as line producer for Vanguard Animation's $40 million CG-animated feature film, Valiant. Hiring 190 people from all over the world, Jacomb helped build out a full studio from scratch. He purchased and supervised the installation of all hardware and software, as well as the implementation of the pipeline and the full infrastructure of the company. In addition to scheduling and managing production on a day-to-day basis, he was fully responsible for managing the entire production budget. Jacomb ensured the film was delivered creatively on schedule and on budget, as per the director and producer's requirements.
CHRIS BACON (Music) received a unique and invaluable education in film music through working with Oscar nominated composer James Newton Howard since 2005. Bacon's music has been heard in the films King Kong, RV, and The Great Debaters. Bacon conducted and/or orchestrated on the films I Am Legend, Michael Clayton, The Lookout and The Water Horse. He has also composed scores for several Lifetime Television movies, ABC.com, and prominent commercial and political campaigns. Space Chimps marks his initial foray into feature animation, but not his last, as he will be scoring Lionsgate's first computer animated feature, Alpha and Omega.
BLUE MAN GROUP (Music) received a Grammy® nomination in the Best Pop Instrumental category for its debut album, Audio, on Virgin Records. The album was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America. The trio has also advanced into scoring and won critical praise for their first television score with FOX's "The Jury." In the world of cinema, Blue Man Group collaborated with composer John Powell in creating 25 new percussion instruments to define the sound for 20th Century Fox's animated feature, Robots. Blue Man Group has also been featured on Intel's Pentium 3, Pentium 4, and Centrino television advertisements.
As the follow up to Audio, Blue Man Group released their first full-fledged rock album The Complex, which features collaborations with Dan the Automator, Tracy Bonham, Esthero, Josh Haden, Dave Matthews and others. While recording The Complex, the trio simultaneously developed a groundbreaking rock concert experience that became the widely acclaimed and successful The Complex Rock Tour. The tour visited nearly 100 cities across the United States and Canada. Footage from two of the shows, along with music videos and select songs from The Complex in 5.1 Surround Sound, was included on Blue Man Group's first rock concert DVD, The Complex Rock Tour Live, which was certified Double Platinum®.
Blue Man Group Records released Live at The Venetian®-Las Vegas, distributed exclusively on iTunes. The custom-built theater and state-of-the-art sound system at The Venetian pushes the technological envelope and amplifies the intensity of the Blue Man Group performance. The goal of this recording is to offer the exuberant Blue Man Las Vegas experience to audiences beyond the Vegas strip.
Blue Man Group's latest addition to the touring circuit is the satirical rock concert How To Be A Megastar, the follow-up to The Complex Rock Tour. In its first year on tour, Megastar visited arenas in over 104 U.S. cities. The recent summer leg of the tour brought Blue Man Group to South America and allowed them to translate some of the songs into Spanish and Portuguese. One of the standout songs was "Canta Conmigo" (formerly known as "Sing Along"). The song made a distinct connection with the audience, creating a dynamic new sound that millions of Spanish-speaking fans are able to share with Blue Man Group. The crowd reaction to "Canta Conmigo" prompted Blue Man Group to release a promotional CD single with remixes by Funky Junction, Nickodemus, Onionz and Gaea. "Canta Conmigo" is scheduled for commercial release in the spring and has already ranked in the top 50 on Billboard's Hot Dance Club Play chart. The song is also featured in the current installment of the Megastar tour, which is traveling through 140 U.S. cities this winter/spring.
Re-envisioning everyday objects and embracing advanced musical technologies, Blue Man Group continues to develop instruments built with unencumbered imagination.
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