Robert Smigel’s Inspirations For “Leo” | Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend

I saw you today for the first time in. person since Leo came out and I felt. emotional because I'm so happy for you. you're my friend but also I was saying. you and I have collaborated on so much. stuff and there's there's a lot of noise. out there and I'm very proud of the. stuff we've worked on together but I'm. so I saw this thing and I thought oh. this is going to be a movie that kids. are watching and with their parents. because it's really funny they're going. to be watching it like 50 years from now.

you no I don't know how they'll be. they'll be putting drops in their eyes. and watching it but but no I I just it's. really uh I think it's lasting I think. it's a classic and I was just delighted. just really delighted for you cuz Jesus. you know you deserve it um and it's like. it it feels like the first thing I've. ever done that everyone agreed on at the. same time like you know our show was. amazing and we loved it more than.

anything and there was an audience that. got it there's always and and I've had. you know and then little segments that. I've done like the cartoons on SNL but. any independent project that I've done. even the ones that were successful like. the Zohan or right Hotel Transylvania it. wasn't a critical success this is like. everything it's everything's coming. together yeah it's never happened to me. in my whole career so it's like it's. just. weird but I love it and I'm very excited. and um yeah I'm very happy and I it was.

I really and it's four years my I know. it's been you've been working this for. four years you've been telling me about. it and I've been saying enough with the. talking where is it I know I it was. maddening and I would like go on Zoom. meetings like you know because like. first you animate it to like black and. white drawings animatics animatics and. you we tested it and it did great and. it's like great now make it do the whole. thing over and that was like the. creative process working with board. artists now you're converting the whole.

thing to 3D and it's almost like okay we. just want it to be as good as the. animatic now like we've made most of the. creative decisions and it's just so. Technical and like sometimes there'd be. Zoom meetings where my other two. directors like my notes were usually. about acting and they'd be like Leo's. tail it has a little bump it's off model. and like that I would literally. just to be sane I would like mute myself. on the zoom and start making animal. noises just like what do you think.

C and I would send it to friends with. like they would hear the meeting in the. background the cow doesn't like the idea. sorry you know we we uh the other thing. I should point out is you write the the. music in this there's a lot of there's a. lot of there's a lot of really great. songs in it oh that's nice and um but. it's it was fun for me because you and I. one thing we always had in common was we. always wanted sketches to turn into. songs I know just and so we we thought.

sketches should have a theme song so. when we were working on Mr short-term. memory that was like the first we wanted. it to have a song Lauren was like can't. it just be because Don parto for years. would just be and now another episode of. shortterm memory man yeah and literally. said can't it just be an. hour and we we were like no it has to be. and and Odin Kirk and and and uh Greg. Daniels were working on this too but we. wanted we were like no no it has to be a. song Mr short-term memory he shouldn't. have sat under that pear tree and it's.

Tom sitting under a pear tree and a pear. drops and hits him on the head now he. has no memory he'll frustrate you so but. he'll never know he's. Mr it was one of those things it was. like the first one yeah I I love the. Elegance of that first line and but then. that became like a a plague on the show. like everybody started putting Jingles. at the top of every every character. everything had to have a jingle. everything had a jingle but yes uh.

actually I I would have to the the. biggest thrill of this movie on some. level is just the balls to write songs. and music like I was so scared to do it. on one hand but then I like I knew a. composer This brilliant composer David. yasbeck I I can't even play a musical. instrument I just sang These into Garage. Band and like and then I sent them to. him and I was like do these suck and he. was like no they don't suck and I was. like oh God the song at the end with all. the children saying how old they are.

when I was 10 and like Blends into the. next age was amazing yeah that's that's. my favorite and um yeah I love it. because it's funny it starts out really. funny because the the premise is like. probably an old peanuts premise like a. kid thinking oh back when I was seven. things were you have no idea how what. you what you're looking right but um but. I just love like the the lyrics get are. very silly at first like you know we all. G left milk for Santa Claus my mom was.

not in menopause and that kind of thing. it's all very like heartfelt and they're. in a spotlight and then it turns at one. point you know one girl's reminiscing. about her grandfather and my jales are. still alive it's still kind of funny and. then another kid says I didn't care that. people died which is something that's. based on something I experienced with my. son Roe who's also in the movie He plays. the uh whatever kid the the allergy kid.

oh God the Drone kid but and he but. anyway such a great that I love the. Drone oh the drone's amazing when he. eats when he goes full Bridget Jones and. starts eating the chocolate ice cream. after a I love that thank you but so. rowy there so there when my dad passed. away my kids used to like laugh at the. idea of death I don't know if you have a. similar but my kids I still do well know. get over the shock and then it's like. realize how funny it is uh after your. own parents die no so no so row they.

would they would like death man that. what is that all about and they giggle. about how weird it is when they were. like four and then like my dad passed. away when they were eight and he had a. long illness and a beautiful long life. so the part of me was relieved but the. thing that really made me cry was like. hearing roey experience it and cry he. was crying really hard I was with my mom. and so I spoke to him on the phone and I. realized that not only is he crying. because he adored his grandfather but.

because he's taking in this right. reality so that part gets me every time. you know that's when that's when I get. emotional when I hear that song well. it's a uh absolutely beautiful movie and. um you're right it's like the it's nice. when it all comes together and uh I I. I'm looking at this Leo has had this is. crazy 34.6 million views in its first.

six days I don't know what that means. but it it sounds like a. lot that's the biggest debut ever for a. Netflix animated film so uh that's I. mean as long as you have a big piece of. the merch you're okay uh. oops somehow I do. Lauren somewhere in Maine somewhere in. Maine a blueberry farm just got a little. bigger a blueberry farm right massive. blueberry farm you know the. and also this is like we have to do it.

because we all do Lauren voices and make. Lauren jokes but you and I would be. completely unknown to anyone everybody. if it weren't for Lauren Michaels so. without a doubt we love we love him to. death we love him to death but we love. doing his voice we love doing his voice. the blueberries and then he has a giant. blueberry farm in main wait minut so. it's like and uh you know. the the blueberries um we don't sell the. blueberries because they're ripe we sell. them because it's 11:30 on Saturday.

night well Robert I should probably wrap. this up but I there's got to be a part. two at some point cuz uh but thank you. for doing this I love you you changed my. life you keep changing it ruining it but. also making it better Mak then changing. it back y fixing smashing and then Joy I. want you to be happy for you you should. be I can't believe you could even say. that you're still nervous you are I'm.

not nervous but it's like I'm so happy. for you because I think it's can I take. two seconds to just remember okay so I. remember like that summer Conan would do. these uh practice shows 1993 I'm talking. again and like Dino like a couple of. writers would be out there and there's. no audience and Conan would just be so. funny just relaxed on stage and. there was a part of me that was like why. do we have to have an audience why do we. even have to have an audience it's just. gonna get in the way and you know he.

figured it out and obviously had an. amazing career on late night television. but this show is everything that you are. it's so amazing we get to see how smart. you are and thoughtful and spontaneously. funny and I'm over the moon for you that. you have this and how popular it is and. I I know that I know you're happy I I am. no no I am I I I I am very blessed I do. wish one thing sometimes which is I wish.

there had been a camera or recording. going on in the writer rooms over the. years because I'll always think that was. my best work was after a late night show. in a in a room talking about. entertaining the writers I would do. whole shows for the writers and um. that's my best work and it will never be. known and uh but that's okay it's you. know it's fine this is uh this is really. close to that anyway uh love you. everyone has already seen Leo twice by.

these metrics but go everyone go see it. nine times and congratulations thank you. masle thank mle filled with. mle.