If you have kids and an Apple TV+ subscription, the chances you’ve seen the movie Luck are pretty high. It’s an Apple original movie with a tremendous amount of heart. Last week, just in time for St. Patrick’s Day, the Luck universe grew. We sat down with director Matt Youngberg from Skydance Animation to discuss his short Bad Luck Spot from the same Luck universe. Bad Luck Spot features the Hazmat Bunnies that had an adorable but short appearance in the movie.
Matt Youngberg has an impressive career. Before he joined Skydance, he spearheaded the Ducktales reboot for Disney Television Animation. (As part of Ducktales, he even brought this writer’s favorite hero, Darkwing Duck, back to the screen!) Youngberg is both Emmy and Annie nominated, and he’s worked on other beloved franchises, like Batman Beyond, Teen Titans, and Ben 10.
In our interview, we chatted about everything from Youngberg’s career – including his start, to future plans for the Luck universe. Listen to the full interview on The Cosmic Cafe below or on most apps where podcasts are available.
Interview with Matt Youngberg about Bad Luck Spot
Timestamps:
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- 00:30 – Intro
- 01:15 – Tell us about Bad Luck Spot
- 03:07 – Talk about the physical comedy in the short, inspired by classic animation, and leaning into the “cartooniness” and comedy.
- 04:45 – Youngberg talks about the music in Bad Luck Spot
- 06:20 – What films or shows influenced the short aside from the Luck animated film?
- 07:55 – Defining what the world is vs adapting IP
- 10:30 – Talk about transitioning between writing and directing, as well as working with Skydance Animation.
- 12:08 – Matt Youngberg discusses how the short uses visuals to convey the story.
- 13:10 – Outros
More about AppleTV’s Luck and its spin-off Bad Luck Spot
[Editor’s Note: There’s a very mild Luck spoiler below.]
Bad Luck Spot builds off a moment in Luck, the movie (available on AppleTV). Sam (voiced by Eva Noblezada), the main character, is in a conversation with the Dragon (Jane Fonda) when the Dragon sniffs out the stench of bad luck. Enter the bunnies. The adorable hazmat-suited crew has a crucial task – to get rid of the bad luck.
Basically, the fate of all good luck rests with the cute creatures. What could go wrong? Bad Luck Spot explores that and so skillfully does it that the bunnies never have to utter a word for you to be engaged in their story. It’s pure fun and animated storytelling at its finest.
You can watch the full short on via this link. And when you’re done, check out our review of Luck and check out the movie on AppleTV to see where these adorable bunnies got their start.
Review: AppleTV’s Luck is a Kid Adventure Movie With Heart
