For anybody looking for a different take on the notoriously cheesy holiday special movie genre, we are excited to share that Greg Heffley, the iconic protagonist and famously unreliable narrator of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid comic series is back in the newest installment of the franchise’s film series, Diary of a Wimpy Kid Christmas: Cabin Fever. To celebrate the occasion, we talked to Greg’s creator Jeff Kinney about what went into crafting a holiday special that felt true to Greg’s voice as well as the festive season. No spoilers here but let’s just say that getting snowed in with his family wasn’t exactly how Greg envisioned a mellow Christmas with a new gaming console to go down. The animated feature is currently streaming on Disney+.
“The challenge for me was to tell a holiday story that felt like a Wimpy Kid story.”
As part of our exclusive interview with Jeff we talked about how he adapted the book of the same name to the screen, the Christmas season and his plans for future books in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. Jeff is best known for creating, writing, and illustrating each of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books, as well as creating the website Poptropica. He told us that the character of Greg is based on some of his own worst qualities and behaviors during middle school which might have helped make the first book an instant hit with audiences everywhere.
“When kids say to me that ‘Greg is me’ and a lot of times it is a kid in another country and I say ‘wow’, that this kid is seeing their own life reflected back to them, that is very validating for me because it means I am doing my job.”
In addition to the new film, the famed series has also been adapted to the stage in the form of a new musical, including an album featuring cast of Broadway favorites like Sutton Foster and Norbert Leo Butz. Jeff confirmed that he will continue writing books for the Wimpy Kid series and there are definitely more stories to tell about Greg and the Heffley family and friends.
Make sure to follow Jeff on his Instagram at @jeffkinney (Jeff Kinney (@jeffkinney) •
Instagram photos and videos). Please also watch the interview below, where we ask him questions about Christmas, what inspires him creatively and more! While you’re there, be sure to like, comment, and subscribe to our channel for the latest news in young entertainment!
Consider this:
– Consider who you want your audience to be when writing or creating something – is it for an American audience or an international audience?
– Animated movies use a variety of filmmaking techniques, by which still images are
manipulated to create moving images.
