“Everybody knows ‘Around the World in 80 Days,’ and that’s been a great jumping-off point for us to make something like nothing before,” says Jackie Chan, the star of Disney/Walden’s new adventure comedy, “Around the World in 80 Days.” Highlighting Chan’s signature blend of incredible action, hilarious comedy, and madcap energy, “Around the World in 80 Days” is a trip that audiences are unlikely to forget.
“‘Around the World in 80 Days’ is an adventure, comedy, love story, martial arts film, kids’ film, adults’ film, fantasy – and did I say adventure? – all rolled into one,” says executive producer Phyllis Alia. “I love it because it’s different and magical. It’s about traveling around the world and exposing the audience to new cultures. You can go to the movies and spend time in India and China and all of these really exotic locations that most people will never get a chance to see. It’s just exciting to watch the movie unfold.”
The director of the film, Frank Coraci, echoes his star and executive producer in describing the film’s multiple objectives. “Our overall goal was to make an epic with a sense of humor; a fun movie that brings audiences to new places,” he says. Disney/Walden’s
“This is a hilarious movie,” says Jackie Chan, who shows off his signature comic-action style in several set pieces. “Frank was very open to all the ideas I had for the action scenes. We both like to make people laugh, and I think people are going to laugh when they see this movie. It’s a lot of fun.”
For Walden Media founder Cary Granat, “Around the World in 80 Days” was a chance to develop a fresh cinematic vision of the book, which was first published by Verne in 1873. Granat saw the project as a perfect fit for Walden, which—with films like the critically acclaimed box-office hit “Holes” and the highly anticipated upcoming adventure, “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe”—has focused on taking both classic and modern titles and subject matter and making them accessible to audiences of all ages.
“No project blends curiosity and imagination better for the family audience than the adventure of going around the world in 80 days,” says Granat.
“I think that if everybody understands everybody else’s culture and religion, then there will be no more fighting, no more war,” says Chan. “That’s what this movie is about—gaining a greater understanding of the world around us.” To direct the film, Granat tapped Frank Coraci, a veteran comedy director with the right skills for a wide-ranging project. “Walden found in Frank an incredible visionary who has taken the classic Jules Verne story and infused it with such magic that it jumps off the screen,” says Granat. “This is a special and wonderful piece.”
At first glance, Coraci, the director of the comedies “The Wedding Singer” and “The Waterboy,” might seem like an unorthodox choice to helm this sprawling, big-budget spectacular. But the producers saw the situation differently. “Frank is the perfect director to make this movie,” says Alia. “He’s adept at combining the action, the adventure, and the love story and wrapping it in this crazy, twisted comedy.”
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