Just a few years ago, this tall, lanky, self-trained animator from Gander, N.L., was best known for his funny, Tim Burton-esque short, "Evelyn: The Cutest Evil Dead Girl" (2002), and the claymation TV series, "What It's Like Being Alone" (2006).
Now, 31-year-old Brad Peyton is biting into the big time, debuting his first, big-budget Hollywood feature, "Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore," on July 30.
"People always ask me, ‘How did you ever get this movie?'" Peyton told CTV.ca during a recent stop in Toronto.
"I'm not a commercial director. This is a complex movie with a big budget (US$150 million). But when you get invited to play in such a massive arena you're silly to say no," says Peyton.
Shot on the million-dollar set of "The Watchmen," this 3-D followup to 2001's "Cats & Dogs" explodes with furry vengeance and James Bond cheek.
Dressed with even more special effects than its predecessor, this goofy spy caper's pups and felines join forces to defeat a hairless Sphynx cat (voiced by Bette Midler) who wants to rule the world.
Right from the start Peyton ladles on the robots, explosions, and cute, critter scheming like gooey chocolate over a triple-scoop sundae.
But he also gives this kiddies' comedy enough adult humour for parents to enjoy.
"I'm not a six-year-old, so I had to entertain myself here," says Peyton, who peppers things up with wicked references to "Silence of the Lambs," "Aliens," the Bond flicks, and more.
Peyton even hired ex-007 agent Roger Moore as the movie's suave superspy Tab Lazenby.
"When Roger said yes, I nearly had a nerd meltdown," says Peyton.
With Moore in Geneva, Switzerland, the two began working together via telephone.
"You could ask Roger for the most ridiculous sound effects and he would give it to you eight different ways. But that's the level of talent this movie brought me to," says Peyton.
"I was way out of my comfort zone here," he smiles, "But it was time to flex some new muscles."
Tom Hanks has his eye on Peyton
A Canadian Film Centre graduate, Peyton started off his career as a kid doodling with black ink on white paper.
That's a far cry away from "Kitty Galore," or the animated film Peyton has been quietly developing these few years for Tom Hanks.
The film is based on the 19th-century poem, "The Spider and the Fly."
Calling himself "the shyest kid in grade school," Peyton fed his childhood imagination on stop-animation fantasies like "Jason and the Argonauts," a hidden stash of macabre works by 20th-century American illustrator Edward Gorey, and endless video rentals.
"I kid you not. I've seen ‘Predator' over 300 times. Same with ‘Aliens,'' says Peyton.
"I didn't grow up with a lot of money. So when my parents rented a movie, I thought this would be the only time I'd ever see it," says Petyon.
"When you grow up in that environment, you don't take anything for granted. I never wasted a chance to soak it all in."
That is why Peyton insisted on having a special preview screening of "Kitty Galore" in St. John's, N.L. for disadvantaged children.
"They'll have food. They'll have gifts for everyone," Peyton beams. "Something like this would have made my head explode when I was a kid."
