After being on air for the past 11 seasons, 20th Century Studios is finally releasing the first “The Bob’s Burgers Movie” on the big screen. The film spent the past five years in development and has seen quite a few delays in the past few years. But now, “Bob’s Burgers” fans around the world will finally get to see how the Belcher family get themselves out of the financial hole by selling, what else, burgers. Only thing is, they have to do it in seven days. And to make matters worse, no one can get to their restaurant because of the giant sink hole that opened right in front of their restraint.
1 – Make the Bob’s Burgers fans happy
“Bob’s Burgers” fans are finally getting a chance to see their favorite animated family on the big screen. So while there is some excitement to seeing the Belcher family and their misadventures on a cinematic scale, some are worried about making that leap from TV to film. But Nora Smith, co-writer, knew what she had to do. “Well, we knew that we had to try to make our fans happy and make people who are not our fans, but are perfectly fine people as well, happy,” Smith said. “So, we’re trying to not make it to just chock full inside references. And we want people to come at fresh and still enjoy all the characters. And I think we did a good job.”
2 – Do you need to watch the show to understand the movie
And even if “Bob’s Burgers” has been on for a 11 years and counting, there are those – first of all how dare you – who may not have watched a single episode. However, director Loren Bouchard says you do not need to see the series to understand the movie. “It is a family that runs a restaurant and the restaurants in trouble you’ll get as Bernard said yesterday, you’ll get it all in the first five minutes,” he said. “We have literally made no homework for you. You are invited to come cold. You don’t need to know a thing.”
3 – Making a movie after 11 seasons
Though the thought of making that leap from tv to film would excite some, there were a few who were worried about what kind of effect making a movie would have on the TV show. “When Loren first was like, ‘So I think we’re gonna do a movie.’ I was like, ‘No, we can’t. We shouldn’t do that. Just tell them no,’ Smith said. “But I’m really glad we did. I mean, making the show is like a full-time job. And then we’re making a movie along with it. We want to keep working on the show in a way where we’re focused on it. And it was still good in the movies. We didn’t want one to suffer because of the other.”
“I remember 15 years ago, we’d hear in press conferences, all the Simpsons creators when they talked about making their movie. And they’re always just pissing and moaning about how hard it was to make a show and a movie at the same time,” co-director Bernard Derrian said. “And then why can’t they just, you know, can’t you just hire more people? And then we worked out that no, they were they read is really hard. Like I now I feel sorry for making fun of them back then.”
4 – Character driven comedy
But what’s with those bunny ears that Louise Belcher (Kristen Schaal) is always wearing? Well, “The Bob’s Burgers” movie is going to provide its origins story in a way that enriches Louise’s character arc. “I did feel honored that the Louise would have such a heavy storyline throughout this very special event. And also something that I think myself and a lot of the fans have been waiting for is to see what is the story behind Louise’s bunny ears,” she said. “And, so I feel very honored that this is the this is the moment that we get to share it with the world in this other big form.”
5 – There will be music and dancing
Of course, it wouldn’t be “The Bob’s Burgers Movie” without having its signature musical numbers. And there will be plenty of them on a grander scale that’s perfectly fit for a film adaptation of a very popular oddball animated musical comedy tv series. “We knew early on with this movie that music was going to be part of it,” Bouchard said. “We knew it was a lever, a big lever we could pull to make it feel big make it feel like a spectacle. And one of the things we wanted to do in addition to songs was dancing.”
And a giant musical number wouldn’t be anything without some dancing. While it’s fun to create the choreography, for Smith, it is something she doesn’t want to revisit. “I forced a lot of me dancing on people,” Smith said. “I filmed a lot of videos of me dancing. And I sent them all and try not to watch them again, because I was like, ‘Oh, wow, a lot of people saw that.'”
6 – Good for mental health
Though “Bob’s Burgers” may be a bit odd and quirky, it has proven itself to be one of the best shows about an underdog family overcoming the odds in humorous ways. That’s what makes the show so endearing and comforting. “One of my favorite thing is where people say that it just makes them feel good to watch the show,” Schaal said. “A lot of people say it’s good for their mental health. Just anything that can give someone a little piece of happiness in a show I think is really nice and also hard to come by I think selling like you know, a comfort that’s genuine, something that’s happy that feels real, is very difficult to achieve.”
7 – Keep going to the very end
It’s actually surprising that we are getting “The Bob’s Burgers Movie” given the show’s lukewarm reviews of the first season. Even Bouchard thought it would have been cancelled. However, 11 years later, its still going strong. And then, there’s the movie of course. “We really like making the show we really loved making the movie, it is a great pleasure and privilege and an honor,” he said. “And we are always shocked and surprised that it is also so hard to make a show this many episodes in you think there’s going to be I think there’s going to be a you know, infinite number of stories. And it turns out that’s, you know, that’s a fool’s stance.”
And Bouchard says he’s up to the challenge in finding new stories for “Bob’s Burgers” to keep that comedic momentum alive. “You have to actually try to now go back and get in between the 200 something episodes that we’ve done,” he said. “So, the targets getting smaller. You want the show to be fresh and still find new things to say. But we love the challenge. We love the challenge. It seems like a really, the characters suggest to us that they are worthy of more stories. They kind of keep us going and coming back and trying to figure out how to keep going and will go as long as we can.”
8 – Didn’t see it coming
Though wildly successful now, and with a movie to prove it, “Bob’s Burgers” was on the verge of being cancelled had it not been to the devoted fans and new following that it gained through repeat viewings and streaming services. “We went into this with fear and humility and trepidation that we were going to be cancelled immediately, Boucard said. “And we actually held on to that for many seasons. I was even afraid once we got to about season four.”
In a way, the creative team are a lot like Bob. Always finding themselves with their backs against the wall. And some how, they overcome the odds and get a new season… and a movie too. “I actually thought it would be better if they lied to us and told us we were about to be canceled,” Bouchard added. “I was afraid that we’d lose our edge I guess or our that somehow the fear was part of it. So yeah, we never dared admit it. And I don’t think it would have been good for the show. We were Bob and you know in some ways we still are, we imagine failure at every turn. And we just accept success begrudgingly”
9 – Becoming the character
As Bob Belcher’s troubles mount, there’s an on going debate as to why he constantly finds himself in debt. Is it because he’s a bad business man or does his lack of customers mean he’s a bad cook? Well, H. Jon Benjamin seems to have an answer for that. “Loren and I have talked about this over the years. I used to argue to Loren that Bob was not a good cook, because there was no customers. or very few, just Teddy came in,” he said. “So maybe that’s indicative of a food problem. But Loren always suggested there’s “The Burger of the Day.” There’s these like, you know, flights of creativity that Bob has, and he’s super into his food. And I think over the years, Loren might have won the argument.”
“I like to think that Bob is a great cook working in a medium that maybe people don’t even understand he’s maybe ahead of his time or perhaps also clearly a bad businessman,” Bouchard said. “And, yeah, it’s we I think we tend to sympathize with that character.”
“I have to say it’s been pointed out by many chefs, even just to me, how much they like the burger the day element,” Benjamin said. “They think that’s a signal that Bob is a good cook. Or creative, at least.”
“The Bob’s Burgers Movie” opens in theaters on May 27, 2022.
Watch the The Bob’s Burgers Movie trailer here.
