Though an quintessentially British movie, Peter Rabbit was in fact directed by an American, in the form of Easy A helmer Will Gluck. To mark the film’s March 16th release we sat down with the filmmaker as he discusses with us how he went about achieving that inherent British quality.

He began by discussing his own personal relationship with the Beatrix Potter books, and why he felt there had never been a Peter Rabbit movie before now. He speaks about the limitless possibilities that filmmakers have when working with computer animation, and exactly how it worked using a CGI protagonist in a live action landscape.

He then went on to discuss the wonderful cast he has assembled, which features the likes of James Corden, Daisy Ridley and Domhnall Gleeson, while we couldn’t help but ask about his thoughts on the controversial scene where the latter’s character is pelted by blackberries (he’s allergic to them), which caused a stir amongst viewers.

From this we discussed whether filmmakers now, in a world of social media, have to be extra sensitive when crafting their movies, and finally we ask if a sequel could be on the cards…

Watch the full interview below:

Synopsis

Peter Rabbit and his three sisters — Flopsy, Mopsy and Cotton-Tail — enjoy spending their days in Mr. McGregor’s vegetable garden. When one of McGregor’s relatives suddenly moves in, he’s less than thrilled to discover a family of rabbits in his new home. A battle of wills soon breaks out as the new owner hatches scheme after scheme to get rid of Peter — a resourceful rabbit who proves to be a worthy and wily opponent.
Peter Rabbit is released on March 16th.