The fan-favorite sitcom “Bob’s Burgers” has been on the air for over 10 years, with 12 seasons and more than 200 episodes. But on May 27, the first-ever movie from the franchise will hit theaters — and those who haven’t tuned in to an episode yet will fit right in with avid fans.
“You do not need to see the series to understand the movie,” says “Bob’s Burgers” creator and director Loren Bouchard. “It’s a family that runs a restaurant and the restaurant is in trouble. As Bernard [Derriman] said yesterday, you’ll get it all in the first five minutes. We have literally made no homework for you, you are invited to come cold [and] you don’t need to know a thing.”
Bouchard is right, obviously. The show follows the Belcher family: Bob (H. Jon Benjamin), the visionary yet anxiety-filled father figure of the show who opens his dream restaurant, Bob’s Burgers. Alongside him is his wife Linda (John Roberts), his rock, and the hilarious matriarch to their three children: Tina (Dan Mintz), Gene (Eugene Mirman) and Louise (Kristen Schaal). From even watching one minute of the show, you realize each character has their own tick that makes them unique. Well ticks, really.
“Loren has always had a knack for making characters that sound like real people that you didn’t even realize were missing from other shows until you hear it,” says Dan Mintz, who plays Tina.”The other writers are good at that too. The characters are all so different, but there’s someone for everyone to feel like that’s exactly who I am.”
In the beginning of “The Bob’s Burgers Movie,” the restaurant is once again in trouble. As you see throughout the series, many curveballs are always being thrown at the Belcher family from all over, but the feature kicks off with a massive sinkhole blocking the entrance to the family business. And as a cherry on top, there’s also a body found at the bottom of the hole.
As the show and the movie were being made at the same time, some Easter eggs for super-fans have already been spotted. Those who have been keeping up with the series can see the crack outside of the family’s restaurant starting to form into said sinkhole.
“We were so happy that people saw that,” comments Bouchard.
“We had that plan once we knew when the movie was coming out, we decided to work in that crack [in front of the restaurant] that gets bigger and bigger — so little pieces along the way, yeah,” continues Bernard Derriman, producer and supervising director on the show and co-director of the film.
After being thrust right into the middle of the murder mystery, the kids — Tina, Gene and Louise — decide to try and crack the case to save their landlord, who they believe is innocent, from taking the fall. Bob and Linda however are joined by the burger joint’s biggest fan and most of the time, only customer, Teddy (Larry Murphy) in hopes to drive sales while the brick and mortar is waiting on the hole being filled.
And peppered in with the case is every character’s hilarious and personal journey.
“We all have our issues at the beginning of the film that we’re anxious about and Tina, summer is approaching and she can’t decide if she should ask Jimmy Jr. to be her summer boyfriend or not,” continues Mintz. Tina’s “erotic” but PG fantasies with Jimmy Jr. (it’s the show’s own Romeo and Juliet arc with a dueling pizza shop) is always in the show, and in the movie it just gets bigger. In fact most of what we see in the movie evolves from the show, but it still sticks to the core of what makes “Bob’s Burgers” so popular.
“Every episode we do, we always say, we would love to make it a movie,” continues Derriman, who spearheads a lot of the animation. The c0-director also went into the fact that the problem was time, but even with the added pressures of working on a show and a film simultaneously, it was a dream for the creators all along. “All of the stuff we wanted to do on the show we’re able to do now in the movie.”
In “The Bob’s Burgers Movie,” we also see Gene go after a passion of his — creating a new and interesting sound with music (plus the film has some really fun musical numbers that play into the story).
The biggest arc, however, comes from Louise who starts off the film wondering if she’s ever been brave, after a girl at school insults her. We also learn where her signature pink bunny ears come from.
“Something that I think myself and a lot of fans have been waiting for is just seeing, what is the story behind Louise’s bunny ears? So, I feel just very honored that this is the moment that we get to share it with the world, in this other big form that everyone’s talking about,” explains Schaal, who plays Louise.
The magic of “Bob’s Burgers” has always stemmed from the fact that this show is undoubtedly one to make you laugh, and that uplifting comic spirit is hard to come by in genuine doses. Just take the character of Bob. Even with his spirals, he is still always a dreamer.
“I used to argue more that Bob was not a good cook, because there were no — or very few — customers. So, maybe that’s indicative of a food problem. But Loren always suggested there’s a burger of the day, there are these flights of creativity that Bob has, and he’s super good with food. I think over the years, [Loren] might have won the argument,” explains Benjamin, who voices Bob.
“I like to think that Bob is a great cook and a great artist working in a medium that people don’t understand. He’s maybe ahead of his time or perhaps, also clearly, a bad businessman. I think we tend to sympathize with that character,” adds Bouchard.
Whatever your pull is to the show, whatever your opinion is on Bob, or whatever you might think the movie is — just expect a feel-good flick, colorful animation, and characters that will never grow old (the cast confirmed it themselves).
“We really like making the show and we really loved making the movie. It is a great pleasure and privilege and an honor,” finishes Bouchard. “We are always shocked and surprised that it’s so hard to make a show this many episodes in. You think there’s going to be an infinite number of stories, and then it turns out, that’s a fool’s stance.”
Catch “The Bob’s Burgers Movie” in theaters May 27.
