Local screenwriters receive high praise for Dr. Seuss film
By Stephanie Bertholdo bertholdo@theacorn.com

JANN HENDRY/Acorn Newspapers GOOD CLEAN FUN- Ken Daurio, left, a Westlake High School alumnus, and Cinco Paul, an Agoura Hills resident, write family-oriented comedy movies. Their latest hit is "Horton Hears a Who."

The movie "Dr. Seuss' Horton Hears a Who" took screenwriters Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio four years to write, but the wait was worth it, according to critics and moviegoers.

The film, produced by 20th Century Fox's Blue Sky Studios, has been a critical and commercial success, generating $134 million in ticket sales so far. The cost to produce the film was $85 million, said Paul, an Agoura Hills resident. Daurio is from Westlake Village.

The writing duo faithfully adapted the Dr. Seuss tale about an elephant named Horton who answers a call for help from a tiny speck of dust floating through the air.

The project to adapt the book was hatched with a simple question. Paul asked Daurio, his pal and co-writer, if they had the chance to adapt any book into a movie, what it would be.

"It's always been my favorite book," Daurio said of the children's classic. "It was like a dream come true."

The lengthy project was given a stamp of approval by Audry Geisel, the wife of the late Ted Geisel (aka Dr. Seuss), although she'd apparently been leery about another book-to-movie adaptation of her husband's work.

"We stayed true to his vision and voice," Daurio said about writing the script, which they couldn't do until after auditioning for Geisel. The pair has been known to pitch their ideas creatively. Daurio said they often sing their way through auditions and meetings.

Apparently their disarming approach charmed Geisel into thinking they were the right men for the job.

"We had to assure her that the film would be a G-rated, family story," Paul said. "She was burned by the (film), 'The Cat in the Hat.'"

G-rated films are Paul and Daurio's favorite. Fathers of young children themselves, they have pledged to never make a movie beyond the rating of PG13. They also don't feel the need to "prove themselves" by writing anything more than comedies.

"No dramas- I love comedies," said the 43-year-old Paul. "I hate when people who do comedies feel they have to do dramas to do something 'important.' You can get away with a lot more in comedies and not be preachy."

The messages in the story stayed true to the original 1954 story, including the idea that it's okay to believe in things that can't be seen. Devotion to a cause and the hard work it takes to realize goals was another theme threaded throughout the film.

Although Horton repeats the line from the book- "A person's a person, no matter how small," the writers didn't intend on making a political statement. Neither did Geisel. At the opening of the movie, Daurio said prolife advocates promoted their cause by showing up with their mouths taped to represent the inability of unborn children to speak. The phrase has been adopted by some pro-life groups, but Paul and Daurio said Audrey Geisel doesn't want the phrase lifted to promote any agenda.

The writers may have stayed true to the book, but they took a little creative license with the silent boy at the end of the story, who they say comes across as a bit of a slacker. The movie character was expanded into an "emo" kid. An emo kid is one who wears dark clothing, appears to sulk, but underneath it all is a well of emotion.

In the book, Daurio said all the reader gets is that the kid has an attitude and shirks responsibility. The film character of JoJo was developed into a more fullfledged part, but the actor who portrayed him, Jessie McCartney, eventually had many of his lines cut out.

"The silent boy who won't speak to his parents says 'yop' at the end, and the animals in the jungle can hear him," Paul said.

Daurio, 36, said, "Jesse McCartney had a whole part, (but) ultimately he said one word."

Paul and Daurio had two films out at once. "College Road Trip," starring Raven-Symoné, may not have earned as much at the box office as "Horton," but the movie was a different project altogether. Paul said they wrote the script quickly, finishing it in three months rather than four years. "We both have daughters," Paul said.

"College Road Trip" has done well at the box office, doubling the money it cost to produce, Daurio said.

The future is hot for the writing team. They've already written a screenplay for a film due out in 2009, and another two animated films for 2010 and 2011.

The secret to their successful screenwriting career may be that they are just big kids themselves. At their Agoura Hills office, a collection of action figures, dolls and toys are displayed. Paul noted that the collection, including some Brady Bunch dolls, belongs to Daurio.

"I watched two episodes of 'The Brady Bunch' last night," Daurio said.

"We try never to write down to audiences," Paul said about the familyfriendly movies they enjoy writing. "We write what makes us laugh."