The Bob’s Burgers Movie is an animated big-screen musical comedy-mystery-adventure based on the long-running Emmy-winning television series. We sat down with the cast and crew during their press conference to promote the film to listen to what the journey from the small screen to the big screen has been like.

The Bob’s Burger Movie

Bob’s Burgers is an animated comedy that debuted on FOX in January of 2011. The show has since aired for 12 seasons and has grown a huge fan following. It is a sweet and hilarious show with a wonderfully awkward family, The Belchers, at the center of it.

The series takes place in an unnamed beach town (possibly on the East Coast based on accents) and follows the awkward and relatable Belcher family as they persevere through struggles ranging from the most ordinary of situations to the most unbelievable. Bob is the always stressed out and loveable owner of a local burger spot, that he runs alongside his upbeat and optimistic wife Linda. Their three children, Tina, Gene, and Louise, are always around to “help” out or add hilarious commentary to any situation. And when they aren’t teasing their parents, they are out with friends from school or out on their own adventures.

Going from the small screen to the big screen

One of the things that makes the television series special is the use of 2D animation. It’s a great nod to older animated shows that we love like The Simpsons or Family Guy. When it came to adapting the television series into a film, directors Loren Bouchard and Bernard Derriman were only interested in making a traditional 2D animated film that had the same aesthetic as their series. And I think that really pays off for fans. It also proves that you don’t need to get too high-tech with your animation to tell a great story.

During a recent press tour to promote the film, Derriman explained how it wasn’t that big of a stretch to make the leap to the big screen. This was something they strived for in every episode of the series, but with the film, they actually had the time to really make it look good.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MAY 17: Bernard Derriman attends the world premiere of 20th Century Studios “The Bobs Burgers Movie” at El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, California on May 17, 2022. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for 20th Century Studios)

“The first thing we did, we always say, every episode we do, we would love to make it look like the movie. But the problem is, we do 22 episodes a year. It’s 11 hours of Bob’s Burgers. So, we’ve only got a few weeks at a time where we can focus on each episode. It wasn’t actually that big of a stretch on the movie, it’s just we had four years for an hour-and-a-half.”

· Bernard Derriman (Director)

Derriman has worked as an animator and director for a large part of his life and has more than 30 years of experience
in the animation industry. He started with Bob’s Burgers in season one as a story artist and is currently a
supervising director on the show. I think that having the same cast and crew who worked on the series now working on the film is part of what keeps this film grounded and true to its source material. They aren’t doing anything new, is more like they are just amplifying what they are already great at.

The film brings back series regulars as the voice talent including H. Jon Benjamin, Dan Mintz, Eugene Mirman, Larry Murphy, John Roberts, and Kristen Schaal, with Zach Galifianakis and Kevin Kline. One of the things that makes this film special is being able to experience it with the original cast. It isn’t unheard of for film adaptation to have different casts and creative teams.

What makes Bob’s Burgers special

During a press conference for the film, the cast was asked about their favorite reactions from fans about the series. Mintz, the voice of Tina Belcher, stated that one of his favorite interactions was one that didn’t even happen to him. He witnessed a fan interaction between Schaal (voice of Louise Belcher) and a fan on Halloween. Mintz told the audience. “My favorite reaction was when Kristin was dressed up as a whoopie cushion for Halloween and someone told her that, you’re Kristen, you’re from the show.”

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MAY 17: (L-R) H. Jon Benjamin, Bernard Derriman, Director, John Roberts, Nora Smith, Producer/Screenwriter, Dan Mintz, Loren Bouchard, Director/Producer/Screenwriter, Eugene Mirman, Kristen Schaal, Janelle Momary-Neely, Producer and Larry Murphy attend the world premiere of 20th Century Studios “The Bobs Burgers Movie” at El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood, California on May 17, 2022. (Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for 20th Century Studios)

“Couldn’t believe it. ” Schaal adds. ” I couldn’t believe it. Oh man, that was incredible. One of my favorite things is the question where people say that it just makes them feel good to watch the show. 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 a comfort that’s genuine, something that’s happy, that feels real, is very difficult to achieve, and with jokes is special. Not to brag. So, maybe that’s why.”

The Bob’s Burgers Movie is hilarious, heartfelt, and a great time at the movies. It’s great to have the original cast and crew together through this long journey from the small screen to the big screen. I have no doubt that the film will bring a slew of new fans to the franchise.

The Bob’s Burgers Movie arrives in theaters on May 27, 2022.

Keep Reading:

You Don’t Need To Watch The Show To Enjoy “The Bob’s Burgers Movie”