If you haven’t heard about it, The Willoughbys is a new original animated film that’s streaming on Netflix! Once you see it, you’ll probably fall in love with The Willoughbys song – I Choose.
It’s a song that will stick with you and I was excited to have the opportunity this week to chat with the beautiful voice of the song, Alessia Cara.
If your family is like mine and looks forward to family movie night as a highlight of the week, this is a great movie to enjoy together.
THE WILLOUGHBYS SONG & ALESSIA CARA INTERVIEW
The Willoughbys is based on the children’s book written by Lois Lowry so the name might be familiar to you. It tells the story of four children with selfish and neglectful parents. The kids work to get rid of their parents by sending them on a vacation.
As they experience freedom for themselves, they experience many adventures and meet Nanny, a nanny hired by their parents. She is an integral part of The Willoughbys discovering what family is really about.
If you haven’t seen the movie yet, check out the trailer!
THE WILLOUGHBYS TRAILER
The movie has a little something for everyone and all three generations in our family enjoyed it.
For me, two things really followed me after the movie ended. It has a wonderful message about our chosen families. I think that’s something a lot of us need to hear. Our families might not always be made up of blood, but it doesn’t make them any less.
It’s an important message for everyone, but especially for kids who might have a family that looks different from what they think most families look like.
The second thing is The Willoughbys song, I Choose.
THE WILLOUGHBYS SONG
When animated films hit with gorgeous music, I’m in. I’ll admit it.
I Choose is a song that will have me coming back to The Willoughbys again and again. If you haven’t heard it yet, I highly recommend that you watch The Willoughbys on Netflix as soon as you can!
You can also watch Alessia Cara sing I Choose below.
Alessia Cara’s voice is just perfection in this song. I also enjoyed her as the voice of Jane Willoughby in the movie.
Having the chance to connect with her and learn more about her experience with the film gave me even more insight.
ALESSIA CARA AS JANE WILLOUGHBY
Jane is the middle child of the Willoughby family. She’s a fun-loving girl who loves to sing. Alessia Cara has the voice to bring Jane to life with ease even though this is her first major acting role.
You’ll probably recognize her voice from the pop version of How Far I’ll Go that plays during the end credits of Moana.
During the interview, we asked Alessia about the move from singing to voice acting. I wondered if it was challenging in different ways or if having studio experience made it easier.
Alessia Cara: It’s very similar to recording, your vocals for a song. But at the same time, it’s a little bit more nerve-racking because you have to do more and you have to express yourself in a totally different way.
She mentioned figuring out how to do everything with only her voice since there are no visuals. She had to be able to really emote, sound like she was chewing on food, and all sorts of little sounds.
In other interviews, Alessia had mentioned having a dream of playing an animated character and putting that dream out into the universe. Then Jane Willoughby came along and I think it is a great fit. We asked her where her dream came from.
Alessia Cara: I was just fascinated with the idea of acting but just lending your voice to basically, like, another person that comes to life. I think that’s such an interesting concept.
She mentioned watching so many animated films as a child and hoping she can contribute to entertainment for kids now that they will remember when they grow up.
Near the end of the interview, I asked Alessia about her favorite scenes from the film. I always find it interesting to hear about what the actors really enjoy about their projects.
Alessia Cara: I love the moment where Jane meets the nanny for the first time because it’s, like, the first time she finally meets someone who is, like, so free and so liberated and likes to sing as much as she does, because, you know, keep in mind they’ve never really seen the outside world.
I agree with Alessia on the power of when Jane and Nanny meet for the first time. You really see the difference in the two characters in that moment. It makes a fun adventure watching them all come together to create a family of their own.
The Willoughbys is a great movie to enjoy with your family and might also stir a bit of discussion about what makes people a family. So if you haven’t seen it yet, I highly recommend it! We’ve watched it a few times already!
Watch The Willoughbys, now streaming on Netflix: TheWilloughbys.
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