EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW--Allan Apone & Paul Elliot (MEL)

[Phlibbit]

UPDATE 4/10/11--The interview with Allan Apone & Paul Elliot is now live! Click HERE to read it!

The creatures designed by Patrick Tatopolous for Super Mario Bros. are nothing short of amazing. Likewise, the incredibly talented people tasked with building them are as well. MEL (Makeup & Effects Laboratory) was primarily responsible for the Goombas and Allosaurus Rats featured in the film, and it was an absolute pleasure to speak with co-founders Allan Apone and Paul Elliot. They were incredibly generous with their time and responses--you'll discover how they got the job, developed the creatures, and what they think about the film today. Enjoy. --Ryan Hoss (Phlibbit)


MEL was charged with building both the most and least prominent creatures seen in the film: the Goombas and the Allosaurus rats. In doing so, they helped helped bring to life the world in which they inhabited. No one can deny the sheer energy brought to the picture by the mere presence of the Goombas. Likewise, the Allosaurus rats dirty it up a little as lighthearted pests.

Allan Apone and Paul Elliot, as well as their now retired partner John Fifer, are the men responsible for this. It was their passion that made the movie as fun as it was. In this interview you'll get to hear from the men themselves how they made it happen. --Steven Applebaum (Redstar)