LOMBARD, USA, October 26, 2002 — Big Idea Productions, the company behind the feature-length animated film Jonah - A Veggie Tales Movie, has as its core purpose - to change the very society we live in. That might seem a tall order for an entertainment production house whose stories feature talking, singing vegetables. But Dan Philips, Vice President of Production for the company, stands as testimony to the fact that Big Idea is succeeding at their mission, one individual at a time.
Philips first became interested in computer animation while in Toronto
Philips, a Canadian, first became interested in computer animation while living and working in Toronto. His background included work with the CBC but eventually, Disney came calling, and Disney is hard to refuse. At Walt Disney Feature Animation, he headed up the Computer Generated Imagery department, working on such notable films as Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King and Pocahontas. Then he moved on to DreamWorks-SKG, where he acted as Artistic liaison and Co-Head of Visual Effects for the biblically based film Prince of Egypt, and as Digital Supervisor for The Road to El Dorado.
'I'm not exactly your average church-going kind of person'
Big Idea Productions
A scene from
Jonah - a VeggieTales Movie
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Philips says that when an executive recruiter invited him to consider working with Big Idea Productions two years ago, he had some concerns: "I felt as if; 'I am a little concerned because, while I have absolutely no problem in believing strongly all of the Christian beliefs that Big Idea does,' I said, 'I don't know if Big Idea would accept me. I'm not exactly your average church-going kind of person.'
"And (the recruiter) said, 'just stop worrying, and look at the tapes, and tell me what you think.' So I plugged in the tapes ... and not only did I find I enjoyed them and I was easily able to gobble up what they were giving me, but I found the way (they) get the 'nugget of truth' across; the message, was ... I didn't feel as though I was being preached to. I didn't feel as though I was being hit on the head. I felt as though it was confirming something that I'd felt inside me, but I just didn't pay any attention to. And I thought, 'this is really something, what they're doing.' You know, reaching into someone's heart, and reaffirming those aspects of faith that people have. And at the same time, doing it with really great animation and funny (stories) and great music. So I said, 'I'm gonna go and meet these people.'"
Philips was hired in order to make it possible for Big Idea to transition from being a video studio to being a film studio. The job change meant another move across country; this time, from California to Lombard, Illinois. Philips says that while his wife and children had always followed him in previous moves, this time, he went alone. "(My wife) didn't move quickly this time. She took about six months. So for about six months I was here in Chicago by myself, while she was still back in California," he recalled.
Philips' wife said, 'you know, you're changing'
Big Idea Productions
A scene from
Jonah - a VeggieTales Movie
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"I would go back and visit every few weeks, and on various holidays ... and (my wife) said, 'You know, you're changing.'" Philips added. "And I said, 'What do you mean, I'm changing?' She said, 'you're a lot nicer. You don't swear anymore. You don't seem to get angry about anything. What's going on?' And I said, 'well, I'm working with a group of very devout and practicing Christians, and I know for a fact it's not only rubbing off on me, but it's bringing back those qualities I had in my youth.'"
Philips reflected, "I'd worked for so long in the film industry, and for so long in Los Angeles, and you just ... you know if you behave that way, you get gobbled up. But at Big Idea, it's possible to live - I don't know - better - or right - or properly according to the way God wants us to. So I think that all of the things that I had sort of set aside, never gave up on, but set aside to work in the so-called 'real world', were able to come back. That's what I find when people watch Veggie Tales ... some of that comes back alive again. They had it, and they just set it aside."
Proverbs 16:9
Big Idea Productions
A scene from
Jonah - a VeggieTales Movie
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It is clear that Philips feels like he's finally found what he was looking for, both personally and professionally. He says, "It's really nice. It's indescribable. I had been searching for a long time to work on something, because when you work on an animated feature for instance, it usually takes two to three years of your life, so it's a long time. And I'd kept searching for ... aligning myself with a group of people who were doing something that would make it worthwhile. And that's why I went to Disney. That's why I went to DreamWorks. But coming to Big Idea really does complete that for me. I feel as though, we're not only making something that I can be proud of as a piece of entertainment or artwork, but it really is something that's helping people, so yes, I've never felt as good about what I'm doing as I do now."
When asked for his favourite Bible verse, Philips is thoughtful. He doesn't have a favourite, he says, but he sites one that has been on his mind, and on the minds of his colleagues a lot recently. It is found in Proverbs 16:9, and reads, "In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps." (NIV)
Source: Patricia L. Paddey, Bible Network News
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