Interview: Michaël Dudok de Wit talks The Red Turtle

In his feature film debut, Dutch animator Michaël Dudok de Wit has crafted a wonderful piece of visual storytelling in The Red Turtle.  Teaming up with the famous Japanese animation house Studio Ghibli and the French production studio Wild Bunch, Dudok de Wit’s story relies entirely on the animation to convey the mood and themes of his story, as the film is without dialogue.  I was fortunate enough to interview Mr. Dudok de Wit about The Red Turtle, where we discussed many of his ideas about animation, archetypal stories, and the director’s own awe of nature.

Derek Jacobs:  I am fascinated by animation and its ability to tell its own unique sort of stories that other media can’t.  So do you think that The Red Turtle needed to be told through animation, and if so, why?

Michaël Dudok de Wit:  The answer is, “Yes”. I think it…