When Emile Hirsch watched reruns of the 1960s cartoon “Speed Racer” on MTV in the 1990s, he fell in love.
So it’s only fitting that he should star as the hero of the title in the live-action, effects-filled movie version created by Chicago natives Larry and Andy Wachowski that opens in theaters Friday.
The Wachowskis’ “Speed Racer” is a two-hour-and-15-minute, cotton-candy-colored, live-action cartoon bursting with energy and ideas, though the PG-rated movie whizzes by so fast, you could be forgiven for missing much of the nuance in the blur of the film’s sound and fury.
“It’s kind of crazy,” said Emile Hirsch, who plays Speed. “But then, so was the cartoon. I mean, that was a weird cartoon for kids. I remember watching it when I was 6 on MTV and thinking, ‘This is serious business, this cartoon.’ It blew my mind. I hope the movie does the same thing.”
Hirsch may have enjoyed “Speed Racer” in the ’90s, but American kids in the late 1960s saw “Speed Racer” as an odd morning spectacle.
In a cartoon world dominated by the likes of Hanna-Barbera, Jay Ward and the Looney Tunes wiseacres, here came “Speed Racer,” a Japanese anime full of badly dubbed dialogue, primal yawps, action-packed auto races, sinister villains and about a billion fiery explosions.
It was genuinely spooky — and not in a silly “Scooby-Doo” sort of way. “Speed Racer” may have been created for kids, but watching the violent series left many viewers in a state that could be broken only by a big bowl of Count Chocula.
Producer Joel Silver bought the rights to “Speed Racer” nearly 16 years ago, but the movie never made it to the starting line until Silver heard from the Wachowskis. Coming off the “Matrix” trilogy and producing “V for Vendetta,” the brothers called Silver and asked what was happening with “that ‘Speed Racer’ thing.” Short answer: Nothing.
Six weeks later, the Wachowskis delivered a four-minute mini-movie depicting a souped-up “Speed” race. Expectations were high when the Wachowskis screened the short at the Warner Bros. lot in December 2006.
“And everyone was baffled by it,” Silver said. ” ‘What is it, exactly? Roger Rabbit?’ It’s what we’re gonna make. It’s kind of a live-action anime. And the studio said, ‘Take a shot.’ “
The story the Wachowskis created for the film sticks closely to the cartoon series’ mythology. Speed gets into deep trouble when he turns down an offer to join a corporate racing team. The mysterious Racer X (Matthew Fox) shows up to offer guidance. Pops Racer (John Goodman) screams, Mom (Susan Sarandon) bakes, Trixie (Christina Ricci) flies a helicopter and looks fab, and baby brother Spritle (Paulie Litt) gets into mischief with monkey Chim-Chim.
But nobody is going to “Speed Racer” looking for character development. The racing is the thing, and the Wachowskis deliver an onslaught of high-definition, CGI imagery that expands the anime look of the series, creating a technique that allows the foreground, midground and background to stay in focus.
“It’s a deep-canvas look that was inspired by a lot of things, including Disney animated movies,” said visual effects supervisor Dan Glass.
Glass and John Gaeta worked with the Wachowskis on the “The Matrix” movies and “V.” When the Wachowskis told them their next movie was “Speed Racer,” the initial surprise gave way to excitement about the freedom they’d have with the new movie.
“In a lot of ways, ‘The Matrix’ was an homage to Japanese animation,” Glass said. “With ‘Speed Racer,’ we’re just continuing the dialogue.”
Hirsch digs that. But he’d rather continue the dialogue he had with Speed’s Mach 5 race car, which, like nearly everything else in the movie, was computer-generated.
“They need to build one of those for real,” Hirsch said. “Can you imagine driving the Mach 5 down the 405 in rush hour?” Hirsch breaks into a grin. “Traffic backs up and you just hit that button on the steering wheel and whooooosh, you’re jumping over traffic and home in five minutes.”
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Cartoon Casting Call
Check out the “Speed Racer” 1960s cartoon series, and you’ll see the Wachowski brothers have done their homework. Here’s how the cartoons stand up to their actor counterparts. [ L.A. DAILY NEWS ]
SPEED RACER
With his big blue eyes, pert little nose, luxurious eyelashes and kicky scarf, Speed could make girls sit through those interminable races just to see him leap out of the Mach 5 driver’s seat.
Well-scrubbed Emile Hirsch has lost the beard and gained back the weight from his harrowing turn in “Into the Wild.” Like Speed, Hirsch can work the eyebrows too.
TRIXIE
Speed’s swan-necked, saucer-eyed sidekick/girlfriend always is up for adventure, even if it means she’ll have to send the super-cute outfit she’s wearing to the dry cleaners.
Christina Ricci certainly has Trixie’s eyes. She also manages to look credible flying a helicopter while wearing a form-fitting, pink checkered mini-jumpsuit.
RACER X
Concealed by a face mask, the brooding Racer X befriends Speed and treats him like a little brother.
The Wachowskis indulge their fetish for leather, outfitting the character in a jumpsuit that leaves little room for caloric excess. “They told me I’d better be in good shape,” Matthew Fox says.
CHIM-CHIM
Speed’s brother’s chimpanzee buddy was able to match his human companion’s appetite for jeopardy and Jolly Ranchers.
Two chimps played Chim-Chim. They proved to be up for adventure too.
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Bad monkey!
Family pet and trusted companion, chimpanzee Chim-Chim brought slapstick humor to the “Speed Racer” cartoon.
As for what the two chimpanzees — Willy and Kenzie — playing Chim-Chim brought to the set of the “Speed Racer” movie, you get varying accounts.
“Everyone loved the chimps,” said Emile Hirsch, who plays Speed. “Except …”
“Well, there was one time [actor] Kick [Gurry] and I were walking down an alley and we saw Willy wearing a diaper,” Hirsch said. “And we were laughing at him with his little bottle and diaper, and all of a sudden, he looked at us like he was ready to beat our [butts].
“We immediately averted eye contact and kept walking. He was not to be punked.”
Christina Ricci found that out the hard way on the first day of filming.
Ricci, who said she never has liked monkeys, decided she would “enjoy everything, including liking the monkey.”
“So, the first day, we’re shooting a scene at the breakfast table,” she said. “The whole family is there, and I’m seated right next to Kenzie, the little baby chimp. And he was cute in his little outfit, and I thought, ‘You’re really a [bleep] for not liking monkeys.
“Then there’s a loud sound and the monkey freaks out, leaps across the table and grabs hold of my left breast. Hard. I didn’t want to alarm him any further, so I just leaned my body down so his feet could touch the ground and calmly said, ‘Help. Help. Ow.’
“John Goodman turns around, and he thinks it’s hilarious. For the rest of the movie, that was one of our jokes. Any time it got quiet, John would turn to somebody and say, ‘Help. Help. Ooooow.’ “
And what about Chim-Chim?
“After that, I was like, ‘Guys, I’m going to go back to not liking the monkey and I hope that’s OK with everyone,’ ” Ricci said.
[ L.A. Daily News ]
