The Imagination Movers – An exclusive Interview

What do you get when you cross between four friends who love to sing and dance and a tv show that loves to help you solve every day problems? You get the ultra cool, ultra incredible  Imagination Movers! The Imagination Movers name is synonymous to peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Pretty much every kid in the world knows who The Imagination Movers are – and they are a bunch of fun, intelligent, and super helpful guys! Add in a smiling, pretty neighbor and a mischievous pet mouse, and you get a super popular TV show on the Disney Jr. network.

The Imagination Movers with the same Disney show name, is about four guys who solve common problems that we all may deal with through creative storytelling, singing, and instrumental accompaniment. Through their ingenious storytelling thoughout each episode, they are able to weave whatever problems that come to them that day into a clever song and dance and by the end of the show, the audience will have learned something from that episode. Perhaps it’s Disney’s trademark to always find a solution to a problem whether in their movies or television shows, and The Imagination Movers are really great at problem solving. Whether they are helping a monster be less scary or a fairy tale princess find her true love or a baseball player attend his son’s birthday party, The Imagination Movers never let an obstacle stop them from helping a friend in need.  And The Imagination Movers never disappoints either. My son insists on watching The Imagination Movers every day and fortunately we have DVR so we’re able to record most of them. However, we are most looking forward to their new episodes which will start with the Halloween episode in October!

In an exclusive interview with the Imagination Movers, I was able to glean some great info about the band and the four friends and below is what we talked about:

SMITTY (aka Scott Smith)
Q – How do you collaborate in your songwriting – do each of you get to contribute to a song?

We write songs as a team. It may start out with one or two of us having an idea, but we will all add to it. Sometimes it happens while we are all jamming together. That is the most fun!

Q – What do each of you do for fun/spare time?

I love the outdoors, so I spend my spare time hiking, hunting, and fishing. I love visiting our national parks.

Q- What are your favorite foods?

I love fish and oysters. Also, wild duck.

SCOTT (aka Scott Durbin)
Q – You started as a real life band in New Orleans. What made you guys decide to take it onscreen? 

Actually we started as an idea for a local live action kids show based out of New Orleans. Music though took center stage early on, moving the project along. However, we did wind up creating our own video content, as seen in all its glory on our 2004 indie-dvd “Stir It Up.” Videos from that particular DVD aired on Louisiana Public Broadcasting and later on Disney itself. All in all, we had always had the show concept mapped out from the very beginning but thankfully once we signed with Disney we were allowed to see those early show seeds bear fruit.

Q- Do you offer any input on the Disney television series? Such as script, story ideas, song selections, etc.? If so, do the Disney executives take them into account?

We were co-executive producers on the TV show so we were pretty involved in many aspects: casting, scripts, show ideas – you name it. We also wrote and performed all the songs seen on the show. One stop shop we were.

Q – Who/What  do you look for inspiration when you write your songs?

Early on, our inspiration was always our own kids. The subject matter of our early indie releases always paralleled where our kids were developmentally. We did songs about ABCs, manners, sleeping through the night. Later, songs about riding bikes, healthy eating, what to do when you are lost, etc found their way into our discography. Of course, when the show was in full force, we were writing to narratives. This was difficult because you wanted to assist the narrative but still allow for the song to be open-ended so that it didn’t necessarily depend on the story for its understanding – so we broadened concepts and songs like persistence, patience become cornerstones.

DAVE (aka Dave Poche)
Q – Are you planning on releasing a second DVD of your Disney television series?

That’s really in the hands of the folks at Disney. But you can be on the lookout for our new CD/DVD release in late 2011 or early 2012. It is titled “Rock-O-Matic” and will be released in conjunction with the Spring tour of the same name.  In the meantime, all of the shows that have aired on the Disney Channel are available for download from iTunes.

Q – You all play instruments on the Disney television show and in real life – do you have a favorite instrument?

Well, I think we play the instruments that we love the most.  For Scott, that is mandolin and keyboard.  Dave is most comfortable with the bass and both Rich and Smitty alternate between the drums and the guitar, with an occasional stop on the bass.

Q – You are all friends with Nina and Warehouse Mouse on the Disney show.  Are you friends in real life.

Absolutely.  Nina, played by Wendy Calio Gilbert and Warehouse Mouse, played by Kevin Carlson are both great people.  That is one of the things that makes the show work so well.  Everyone on the set, cast and crew, get along and are very respectful to one another.  And filming a season of the show takes 6 months of 12-14 hour days, so it’s very important to have a good working environment. Wendy was also part of our 101 show tour last spring and her husband, Jeremy, helped out with Warehouse Mouse for that run.  We all still keep in touch.  Good folks.

RICH (aka Rich Collins)
Q- What do you do to prepare for your concerts? Do you have any weird rituals?

The more work we do to prepare for each show, the more fun we can have. It’s like playing football or doing your schoolwork or anything like that. Each Mover has his own routines, but we all try to be really familiar with all the songs and all the cues between songs so the concert flows smoothly. Then we all make sure to stretch and eat healthy food so we have lots of energy to perform. Drinking water is also important so our voices stay healthy.  Before we walk on stage for each show, we all gather together and do a big Mover hi five with all the cast and crew who are nearby.

Q – You’ve quickly become famous throughout the years – do people recognize you outside of your hometown (when you’re not in The Imagination Movers mode)?

We get recognized all the time, especially when we’re all together in an airport or someplace like that. We’ve even been visited by fans outside of the country. It makes you feel great to know that this idea we dreamed up in our living rooms is now a part of people’s lives worldwide. How cool. We always have time to visit with fans. It’s an honor.

Q – Can you tell me about your upcoming Fall episodes on the Disney channel? Any special guest stars or stand out episodes?

We love our upcoming Halloween episode and Christmas episode. In the Halloween story, a plumber comes to our warehouse and thinks the place is haunted. We get to wear extremely silly costumes. For the holiday ep, we help one of Santa’s elves pass the test required for her to ride on his sleigh on the big night.

The Halloween episode will air on the Disney channel on Oct. 28 at 11:30am ET/PT. So be sure to tune into it, record it, anything,  just so you don’t miss this incredible new episode!

 

So if you’re looking for an incredible show that’s fun to watch and sing and dance to as well as teaching your kids important life lessons, then be sure to check out The Imagination Movers. Pretty soon, your kids will be hooked on the show like we are, and you won’t want to watch anything else!

 

And for more info on The Imagination Movers, visit their site: http://imaginationmovers.com/. You’ll also be able to catch up on the latest news, play games, watch videos, listen to their songs, buy their collectible items, and much more!