The cast of Jojo Rabbit discuss the story for Taika Waititi’s unconventional WWII film in our exclusive behind the scenes clip. Based on Christine Leunens’ book Caging Skies, the movie revolves around young Johannes “Jojo Rabbit” Betzler (Roman Griffin Davis), a Hitler Youth whose world is rocked when he discovers his mother (Scarlett Johansson) has been hiding a Jewish girl (Thomasin McKenzie) in their attic. It’s the sort of off-beat setup characteristic of Waiti’s larger body of work, especially his critically-acclaimed New Zealand features like What We Do in the Shadows and Hunt for the Wilderpeople.
Since its release last fall, Jojo Rabbit has gone to become both a critical and commercial success, racking up six Oscar nominations (including, for Best Picture and Adapted Screenplay) in the process. The film will become available on Digital on Tuesday, February 4, before releasing on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD two weeks later on February 18. With Waititi also up for a Writer’s Guild of America Award, a newly-unveiled featurette zeroes in on what makes the story of Jojo Rabbit so unique.
Screen Rant is exclusively debuting said clip today, with Davis, Johansson, and McKenzie joined by their costars Sam Rockwell, Rebel Wilson, and Alfie Allen in praising Waititi’s Jojo Rabbit screenplay for its mix of cleverness, humor, and humanity. Check it out, below.
As the cast discuss in the video, Jojo Rabbit is more than just a satire of Nazi Germany (though it’s definitely also that). The film has been praised for the way its story maneuvers acrobatically from broad humor to poignant drama in the blink of an eye, sometimes within the very same scene. It also refuses to paint the majority of its characters in shades of black and white, instead portraying them as far more complicated than simple heroes and villains. There are exceptions, of course, most notably Waititi as Jojo’s best friend - an imaginary version of Adolf Hitler. And in case that element alone didn’t make it clear, Jojo Rabbit is willing to be truly provocative and daring in its skewering of fascism and those who subscribe to it.
Whatever happens at the impending awards shows, Jojo Rabbit has already left its mark on pop culture and left people excited for Waititi’s upcoming projects, including the true story sports dramedy Next Goal Wins and a return to the MCU with 2021’s sequel, Thor: Love & Thunder. Fortunately, those eager to rewatch the film - or maybe even check it out for the first time - at home will be able to do just that very soon.
Jojo Rabbit becomes available on Digital on Tuesday, February 4, before releasing on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, and DVD two weeks later on Tuesday, February 18.
