Netflix heads Back To The Outback on December 10, with its new animated adventure that doubles as a love letter to Australia and all its animal life. The story follows some of Australia's most dangerous creatures who decide to escape captivity and return to their families in the wild after putting up with audiences' shrieks and jeers for too long. The film was written by Harry Cripps (The Dry) and directed by both him and Clare Knight (who was an editor on The Lego Movie 2), and it explores not only the Australian Outback but also the universal concept of self-love.
The cuddly yet creepy cast is voiced by top talent from the country as well: including Isla Fisher (Godmothered) as Maddie the Taipan snake, Guy Pearce (Mare of Easttown) as Frank the lovelorn spider, Keith Urban as Doug the cane toad, and more. Writer, actor, and comedian Tim Minchin portrays Pretty Boy, an obnoxious koala who holds them back when he accidentally joins the fun. Minchin also wrote two songs for the soundtrack, which will be available December 10 as well. "Beautiful Ugly" and "Maddie’s Lullaby" are performed by Evie Irie and Indigenous Australian singer-songwriter Thelma Plum respectively, each perfectly representing the themes of the film.
Fisher spoke to Screen Rant about the surprising friendships Maddie makes and the realizations she goes through on her journey Back To The Outback.
Screen Rant: Pretty Boy has a very dynamic and interesting relationship with the Ugly Secret Society, especially with Maddie, voiced by Isla Fisher. Can you talk about the growth of that dynamic?
Tim Minchin: Pretty Boy has been corrupted by too much adoration in his life. He's suffered [because] his beauty and his fame have totally left him with no perspective, so he is a typical rock star narcissist.
But there's a beautiful and very funny honesty about him. His honesty and forthrightness at the beginning of the film make him nasty, but at the end of the film, they make him the best friend you could possibly have. Because that absolute honesty and clarity of intent carry over and, once he realizes that Maddie is actually beautiful - in the true meaning of the word beautiful, not just looking beautiful - he's incredibly loyal and never hesitates. Once he gets over the idea that he deserves to be with koalas and should be going back home, he's the best friend you could possibly have.
Not knowing anything about the Australian Outback, I learned many new and fun facts about various creatures while watching. Did you learn anything about any particular species that was surprising?
Tim Minchin: That's a good question. I don't know. I've worked in this space before, and specifically in animated films about the Australian Outback, and I have worked with Harry before. I guess I was across all these creatures, so I know that cane toads breed prolifically. I think I knew most of this stuff.
But it's really exciting to think that these unique Ozzie creatures in this unique Australian environment are going to be on the TV screens of kids all over the world. It's really cool.
Speaking of Harry, I have watched like three things by him this year about how amazing Australia is. Does he inject you with this energy, or was that patriotic vibe something you already had?
Tim Minchin: Harry's lived away from Australia longer, so he probably has that expatriate's romanticized view. I live here now; Harry still lives in the States. And I'm a writer - I write and make my own stuff, and Harry and I are very close friends. I always send him my [scripts] to get his thoughts, because he's been writing scripts for a lot longer than me.
We take a different approach. My TV show [Upright] - which I'm not allowed to be talking about, because that's not what this is about - is an Outback Australian adventure too. If you watch that, you'll see that I'm coming at stuff from a different angle. But we're both trying to use the Australian environment as a unique backdrop for story, and the desolateness; this idea of a journey requiring you to really stick together because it's so harsh. Sending characters across such a harsh environment, of course, is a perfect backdrop for a spiritual journey where you have to learn to love one another.
How did you find the right voice for Pretty Boy?
Tim Minchin: Well, I understood that the comedy of Pretty Boy is that he's a beautiful koala with an ugly soul. Of course, he doesn't have an ugly soul, but that's how he appears. So, I kind of looked around, I talked to Harry and Claire about how Australian he should sound or whether he should sound like an international transatlantic rock star. And they said, "He should just be like you, mate."
So, he mostly sounds like me. He's a bit more dramatic than me. But I understood that a beautiful little koala who looks like a baby being voiced by a 46-year-old vocalist probably meant I didn't have to think too hard about it.
Back To The Outback is available to stream on Netflix starting December 10.