I always felt that [the film] should be very expressive looking. I wanted it to feel quite graphic at times. I got all of these storyboard artists around me and I would just start sketching stick figures, and these lovely storyboard artists would then make them into drawings that everybody could actually read. I also got a team of concept artists to work with, so there was this wonderfully thorough process of pre-production and preparation that I really enjoyed because we could try things out that were quite fun and interesting and different. We had lots of time to doodle and experiment and explore.

In the first couple of months [of shooting], I would say, “alright we have to go again. I don’t believe it, I don’t think you believe it, I want it to feel realer.” And then about two months into the six month shoot, instead of me saying I want to go again, Dan turned round to me and he said, “David, can I go again cause that didn’t feel real for me.” That was a really great moment because he started to push himself even more.

[The producers] took a conscious decision really early on to go for kids that were very naturalistic so you have to honor that. You don’t generally see lots of kids who have had loads of drama experience so you go for a kid who’s absolutely quintessentially true, or as true as possible, to the role that you’re casting for.