While live-action anime adaptations such as One Piece and Avatar: The Last Airbender have changed the game in recent years, these two examples are far from the only examples of this type of storytelling. In fact, one of the most beloved live-action recreations of a beloved anime franchise was a box office bomb. Recently, the live-action Speed Racer film not only released a 4K Ultra HD physical edition, it also raced back into theaters. Here at ComicBook.com, we had the opportunity to chat with the film’s star, Emile Hirsch, regarding the fallout from the film and the effect it had on both him and the creative team.
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To start, the man who played Speed Racer shared the fact that the movie bombing at the box office came as a shock to all those involved in the film’s production. “When it was panned by critics and when it bombed at the box office, everyone was devastated. The Wachowskis were really excited about it and the sequels, to create more stories in this universe that they had in mind. I think it was a world that everyone was excited to continue to explore, so I think there was a certain sadness. For me, at the same time, it was like my life felt radically changed because signing to do that movie, psychologically, you’re thinking you’re going to make three or four of these movies, and that’s your next ten to twelve years of your life. Suddenly, I was like, ‘I’m going on a different path than I thought.’”
The Demon on Wheels
While discussing the fate of the finished product, Hirsch also shared how he wasn’t keen on jumping right into another franchise, “I was never super gung ho on going after Speed Racer like that to begin with. I think it’s pretty cool how Speed Racer has become this sort of standalone movie. It sort of mirrored the cartoon’s classic fate. It’s surreal, though. It’s really surreal seeing the change of opinion from the movie being so reviled when it came out to beloved. If you go on YouTube, the number of videos and video essays dedicated to saying what a masterpiece Speed Racer is is too many to count.”
The live-action Speed also discussed bringing the movie back to theaters and what helped that dream become a reality: “I think the only reason why it came to fruition was the fandom. I don’t think it was something Warner Bros would have revisited otherwise. How enthusiastic the fandom was sort of dictated that the moves happen. I think the reason why the film has as much staying power as it does is that, more than amazing directing, amazing visual aesthetic, and the technological innovations the film made, there is an emotional heart to it. Even though it’s a PG movie, I’ve seen screenings of it where the entire audience is crying at the end. They’re not crying because it’s sad, they’re crying these triumphant tears of joy because they’ve witnessed this peed. I think there’s something cathartic for audiences.”
Speed Racer V The Matrix
Finally, Hirsch discussed the work of the Wachowskis themselves, comparing the movie to the original Matrix trilogy. “I feel like the Wachowskis must have had a similar parallel understanding because they just went for it in this film and created something so unique. When they first showed me the visuals, I was kind of taken aback because I’d almost expected a darker aesthetic like the Matrix. To myself, I thought ‘these are the Wachowskis, and you have to trust the Wachowskis.” If you’re going to trust anybody, you trust the Wachowskis right after they finish the Matrix trilogy. I was excited originally because I felt like our movie had its own identity, which was really cool. We weren’t just retreading the Matrix, and we weren’t bandwagoning it.”
Speed Racer’s 4K Ultra HD release is available at participating retailers, if you are looking to revisit a box office bomb that has moved to become one of the most fondly remembered live-action anime adaptations of all time.
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