NOTE: The narration is done by a reporter, not one of the Animorphs. Also, in this, all of the aliens exist, except the Yeerks.
Behind the Scenes
My name is Michelle.
I'm a reporter for Science Fiction Now!, the hottest Magazine second to Entertainment weekly. Now don't get any ideas that I'm an alien or anything, although I do have a co-worker that is. I'm just a normal human that got the greatest assignment in movie history.
I'm writing up the review article for 'Animorphs'— The first interspecies movie. And that meant I got to go there and literally see the movie as it was made! Or at least a small part of it, anyway. Suppoedly it was like X-files since the books coincided with the movie.
I took a cab down to Interplaentary Illusions Studios. I showed my press pass to the half-dozing Hork-Bajir guard, and walked down to Sound Stage 11. As soon as I got there, I knocked on the metal door. A small trapdoor slid by, showing two female Andalite eyes. Who are you? She asked coldly.
"I'm Michelle Tarhol, reporter for Science Fiction Now!. I'm here for the interview." With that, the trapdoor shut with a slam, and the door opened, with the Andalite holding a manifest.
Ms. Mist is on the set right now. I suggest you just watch and wait until the lunch break. She told me, just as I was heading down the hall. I came up to one of the scenes at the Yeerk pool. Right now they weren't filming, but Ms. Mist was talking to Leamet-Moshev-Rejusta (Ax) before they tried filming it again.
"Okay, one more try, and then we break and leave this for after lunch." She said, walking off the scene. "ACTION!"
Well, well, well, Aximili, it appears you're not just going to get away this time. Visser Three cackled as he walked over, insultingly close.
Prove it, then. If you're so capable of destroying me, then get rid of your bodyguards. You don't need them.
The Visser sneered for a moment. Keep back. He told the pool guards, then he arched his tail high. You think you're capable of defeating a Visser? Take your best shot.
Ax began to strike, but he stepped on a small rock. Just enough to knock him off balance. The Visser swiped with his tail, and soon Ax would fall into the Yeerk pool.
His head came way too close to the pier.
BONG-ONG -ONG!
"CUT!" She screamed, running over to Leamet. "That's the tenth time you've done it! Lean your upper body forward and you won't hit the pier!"
He keeps hitting me in the wrong spot for me to do it!
"He's getting you at the shoulder like he should to get you to fall right, Lea! Now bend your upper body forward next.... Ah, screw it. We'll pick this back up after lunch." She said, as she began to walk off the stage. "Okay, people (and I use the term loosely), take five!"
"Um, Ms. Mist? Could I have a few words with you about the new movie? I'm from Scien-"I started, as I began to follow her.
"Science Fiction Now!. I know, the interview's this week. First off, the name is just Elly. Elly Mist." She said, as she picked up a bagel. "So, what do you need?"
"Well, I was wondering if we could get some behind-the scenes tidbits with the main actors." I asked nervously.
"Sure. They're over this way." She said, with the bagel half in her mouth. She led me over to where the Animorphs were, and with what seemed like a ultra-rare moment, although it was no big deal: Ax and Visser Three (played by Coratal-Hemlow-Fenalim) were in the same corner and not fighting each other.
"Lea! Coratal! I want you to meet Michelle. she's the one doing the interview." The two Andalites came over, and I shook their hands.
"I was interested about how you two are like your characters. Because there's a big difference between you two on the set and just you two."
Oh, there is a very large difference between myself and Visser Three, Coratal spoke. It's an easy part for me, since I've been in the military for about fifteen years, but the personality is absolutely the opposite of mine. There are some scenes where we have to retake five times just because I step out of character.
"And you, Leamet?"
I usually don't like food most of the time when I'm in human morph. The only other noticeable difference between me and Aximili otherwise is in attitude. I tended to have lost a lot of the arrogance I had a few years ago, and I understand human humor pretty well. The third difference is going to come after the movie, when my head swells up a bruise from that pool scene. This is skin on my head, not steel. He joked.
"I assume you're going to want to talk with the Animorph actors next?"
"Of course." I said, walking over to the four lounging actors. Derek Smith (Jake) was trying to keep a good conversation, and Camie Seslofsky (Rachel) was leaning up against the wall. I got the basic welcome from the group, and said hello to Susan Jones (Cassie), one of my old roommates back at UGA
"Any of you guys think you have a tough act to follow from the TV show that they tried a few years ago?" I asked.
"Yeah— trying to get our movie out of the hellhole the show dug!" They replied in unison. And from there on it was basic blather. I met back up with Elly about a few loose holes I wanted to wrap up before I left.
"I was wondering how you got some of the more difficult special effects to work?"
"Well," Elly started, "The morphing is easy— We have good special effects that are true to KAA's style of morphing, and last about forty-five seconds, compared to the five that the show used. And we've got a foolproof method for the screams down at the Yeerk pool. Be quiet for a second and I'll show you." She said, as she went by the wardrobe room. She opened the door wide, and in there was a boy that was being dressed in a frilly costume.
"NO! NO! PLEASE, DON'T! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Elly chuckled a bit, and shut the door.
"I don't think I want to know how you get the female screams."
"Good— I don't have the time to show them. Now, just for a final treat, the chase scenes are less likely to happen on the screen as they are on the set. The lunchtime mob should be here soon." She said, as she stared down at her watch.
"Lunchtime mob?" I asked her quizzically.
BAM! BAM! BAM!
"Duck over to this window, quick!" Elly said, pulling me into the office hall. She opened the venetian blinds a crack, and I saw a throng of Andalite, Hork-Bajir, and humans together at the double doors with autograph pads and so forth.
BLAM!
The doors broke open, trapping us in the hall. We ran alongside, with the thin glass wall keeping them and us apart.
"RUN!" Derek screamed. The others followed his lead and begna to ride on the Leamet and Coratal to avoid the mob. I heard a few of the screams from the mob.
Take me, Leamet! I hear you don't even have a girlfriend!
"Susan! Camie! I need your autographs!"
"Derek! Baby! Come back here!"
Elly stopped us as the mob persued on, with the Animorphs five lengths ahead of them. The scrams faded into silence. "They always end up caught, of course, since the place isn't endless. I've even incorporated an extra half-hour into the lunch break just to satiusfy the mobs. Some come back every day— others only come once. It's a strange crowd for sure."