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If Mike Rianda warms to you, hell start laughing at you.
Riandas laugh has also become a trademark directorial tool.
His love of animation led to a degree at CalArts and an internship with Pixar.
He found a steady home at the mouse company.
Sony was like, Do you have any ideas for animated movies?
Like a true comedian, Rianda pitched the studio his best joke yet: his own crazy family.
To those who havent seen it, very little about the films description might feel steeped in reality.
Whenever I tell stories about my family, people are like, Oh,mydad is insane too!
Every member of the titular Mitchells shares Riandas familial DNA.
Rick Mitchell (sternly and softly played by Danny McBride), is a boisterous outdoorsman stuck in suburbia.
He is inspired by the directors Luddite father.
My dad looks exactly like the dad in the movie, Rianda says.
He even sounds like Danny McBride.
His mother influenced Linda (passionately and affectionately voiced byRudolph), the family empath and cupcake enthusiast.
Early on in production, Rianda informed Rudolph that she had his mothers blessing to voice her.
Aaronwasme as a very young kid, he says.
Describing Katies roots, Rianda immediately performs an impromptu tete-a-tete between himself and his father growing up.
Why dont you like hunting and killing deer?
he says, mimicking a deep, fatherly baritone.
Im going to draw in the back seat.
Nothank you, father!
he says in a prepubescent high-pitched half-scream.
His chortle turns into a chuckle.
Rianda wrote Katie as a queer character, though he identifies as a straight white man.
Am I allowed to do this?
Rianda says he asked himself during production.
Initially, he served as her stand-in scene partner while they tried to cast Aaron.
Eventually, Rianda just filled the role himself.
I was so happy he ended up voicing Aaron, Jacobson says.
Hes such a wonderful director for an actor because he gets the process.
He let me play a lot.
Playfulmight be the best way to describe Rianda.
And it turns out Rianda was right to bet on the universality of his familys idiosyncrasies.
Art has done that to me before.
Hes very proud, Rianda says.
