Speaker 1: Hey, congratulations on this. This right here is it's I
feel like that I'm witnessing something that is going to
be absolutely legendary because the kids are excited about going
to school. This is so positive.
Speaker 2: Kindergarten the musical.
Speaker 1: Where where did the idea come from? Because I mean
when I went to kindergarten way back in the nineteen sixties,
I too was just like these guys. I would want
to sing all the time. I was so in love
with being in school, and my teachers were just amazing.
Speaker 2: Well, I think that's exactly where it came from. We,
you know, where songwriters first and foremost, and you know,
we were in the rock and pop world for a
long time, and and you know, the idea came from
Charlton and one of our other writing partners, co EP
Michelle Lewis and uh and and then you know when
we when we brought the idea to Disney and they
were like, we love it, let's make a show it.
You know, we the Berdie, Radish and Rose are lead characters,
are really just avatars for ourselves, if we're being honest,
you know, they're the feelings that you have as a
five year old. It turns out. They don't really change
that much as you get older, So it's not really
that hard to write from the headspace of a five
year old because we've I'm kind of still there.
Speaker 3: Yeah, it's liberating, if anything, you don't have to pretend.
You can just be your your raw self.
Speaker 2: Yeah, as a writer, kind of a dream scenario.
Speaker 1: That's what makes it so special because one of the
things that I caught up on right away, only because
I have little ones in our neighborhood is the camaraderie
with the friendships. I love seeing kids play, explore, and
and and just do things together.
Speaker 3: Totally. I mean, that's that's life at that age, right,
You're you're just beginning to have these friendships that that
you know, you're you're learning to do and kind of
learning to be a social creature. It's it's it's life.
Speaker 1: I'll tell you the character that I'm really pull to.
First of all, I do love Birdie, but I love
me some Radish. Radish to me. I don't know if
it's because I can relate with Radish, but what what
a character.
Speaker 2: Radish is awesome. He's our resident explorer ner, you know,
he's a of of fanny pack wearing nerd and he's
just so, he's so lovable and great.
Speaker 1: So how did it? How does it come about? Then
do you do? You write the music and then the
storyline and then you take it to the animators. What
what is the process or did they come up with
the animation and you build around that.
Speaker 3: No, No, it's story first, but the stories and songs
kind of co evolve, like, you know, will hash out
the basic story beats for an episode and then figure
out where the songs go, you know, usually at the
big emotional moments, and then the script and songs kind
of happen concurrently, and then the whole thing gets storyboarded
and then sent to animation.
Speaker 1: Yeah. I can still relate with that because my past
two published books, I did a lot of music while
writing the book, and I feel like that you guys
experienced the same exact thing and putting a story together.
You're putting a story together. Oh my god, this is
a good reason to sing.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Speaker 3: I mean, the same question is always, you know, where
where are people's emotions getting so big that dialogue doesn't
capture it? And that's the moment we go into song
or we go into those two d fantasy sequences where
you know, we get to actually show the kind of
things that we imagine.
Speaker 1: Self expression is so important in this storyline. And I
mean as a grandparent and even as a parent, it's like, yeah,
where was this when when I was a kid, so
I could be just as expressive? Expressive that's a.
Speaker 2: Really good point er. I mean, the the learning. When
when we're talking about kids learning, I think we kind
of underplay how how important it is to teach kids
about you know, how to express your feelings, like math
and reading, it's all very important, but but your social
emotional life and learning how to mature in that area
and how to develop healthy communication habits and you know,
how to manage your feelings. It's like that's a huge
part of learning at that age. And that's sort of
where we come in. I think, not that we we
we didn't really mean too, but but that's that's that's
that's just how we you know, the stories that we
ended up really feeling the need to tell.
Speaker 1: Yeah, when you when you talk about about this being
avatar avatars of who you guys were as children at
five years old, that's like stepping back into your past
and reliving it and It's like that's one of those
things that it's like we should all do that, go
back and learn from what we did and be excited
about being alive and then just explore.
Speaker 3: Wait did we say they were us at five? I
thought they were us? Now.
Speaker 1: See, you know people always ask me how old I am.
I'm seventeen. I'm never going to stop being seventeen.
Speaker 3: Totally, I'm like eleven. Yeah, I mean, you're giving us
the doubt.
Speaker 1: Choosing the Broadway style of music. I mean, because we
are in a generation of sound right now where we
want the dancing, we want the songs, we want all
of that, and it just allows us to find entertainment
even as adults. And I think adults are going to
fall in love with the show as well.
Speaker 2: That week.
Speaker 1: So yeah, where does it go from? The merchandising is that?
Speaker 2: I mean?
Speaker 1: I mean you got to you gotta be sitting there thinking, man,
we can get merch out of this, like you wouldn't believe,
because there is people all over, young and older people
that want a T shirt with Rattish on it, or
they want it with rose on it, you know, and toys.
Oh my god, I.
Speaker 2: Mean that that that that is that is all up
to Disney and not up to us.
Speaker 3: But if this flaws up to us, there would be
so much stuff, I mean so much.
Speaker 2: But the thing is that there would be like be
dazzled backpacks and like platform sneakers and like many many
different kinds of I don't know if I should be
in charge of warmers so many leg warmers, I mean
we and I'm sure that that was all coming because
it's Disney, But you know, I think it's just the
fact that you say that is just a testament to
like the richness of the world. Like this kindergarten classroom
that the kids exist, I mean, the kids are all
so incredibly uh you know, they just have so much
personality and each of them as individuals is so just
pops off the screen and they have and they're just
in and the classroom is just very warm and colorful
and Ms. Moreno is the best tee, all of the
best that we've ever had rolled into one. And and
I do think that, you know, it's it's sort of
right for like lots of merchandising and stuff. But again
that's that's not up to us. That is up to
Disney Junior.
Speaker 1: Yeah, and Kindergarten the Musical on Ice. I can see
it now.
Speaker 3: We were just talking about that. That's the dream, that's
what you know.
Speaker 2: You've made it.
Speaker 3: You haven't made it till you're on Ice.
Speaker 1: You're so true. Please come back to the show anytime
in the future. The door is always going to be
open for you, guys. Sarah, well, you be brilliant.
Speaker 2: Okay, yes, and don't forget to watch Kindergarten the Musical
on Disney Junior every day and stream at anytime on
Disney Plus.
Speaker 1: See that's another reason why I love my Disney Plus
because that's exactly what's going on. We do it all
the time. Be brilliant, awesome,