The Bob's Burgers Movie sees Bob, Linda, Tina, Gene, and Louise Belcher heading directly into summer with a series of unexpected challenges. Bolstered by years of playing the characters in the original television series, the cast easily brings a wealth of charm and chemistry to the production. Kristen Schaal's Louise gets one of the most affecting storylines within the movie and delivers some of the most emotional material in the film.
Kristen Schaal addressed her time as Louise during the press conference for The Bob's Burgers Movie ahead of the film's release on May 27, attended by members of the press, including CBR. She reflected on what it meant to her to see Louise as one of the emotional linchpins of the Belcher family's cinematic debut and why she doesn't ever want to see Louise grow up.
At the heart of the film is Louise, arguably the most chaotic and unpredictable of the Belcher children. Played by Kristen Schaal, Louise is a bombastic and energetic girl whose mind moves quick enough to trip up plenty of the adults she's encountered even while still firmly remaining rooted in a sense of childlike exploration and fear. Throughout the 12 seasons of Bob's Burgers and extending into the film, the family's adventures are awkward and endearing -- something that Schaal specifically appreciated about the characters.
"A lot of people say it’s good for their mental health," Schaal recalled after noting how the series has become a "comfort show" for audiences -- a description that Schaal endorsed for the series. "Just anything that can give someone a little piece of happiness in a show I think is really nice, and also hard to come by... I think selling a comfort that’s genuine, something that’s happy, that feels real -- it is very difficult to achieve. And with jokes, it's special."
When asked how she felt when she learned Louise's arc would be central to the film, Schaal admitted that "they never sent me the script. That was not allowed because everything was so top-secret. I did feel honored that Louise would have such a heavy storyline throughout this very special event." She also noted with some excitement -- but refused to give any firm details -- that "something that I think myself, and a lot of the fans have been waiting for, is to see what is the story behind what Louise’s bunny ears [mean]. I feel just very honored that this is the moment that we get to share it with the world in this other big form."
For a lot of fans, who've spent over a decade with the Belcher family, many questions have arisen about the possible eventual fates of the family, particularly what will become of the Belcher children when they grow up. When the voice actors of the three children were asked about such a possibility, Eugene Mirman joked that Gene would grow up to become a Senator, while Dan Mintz thought Tina would eventually grow up to be a writer of some sort (either erotica or memoirs).
Schaal was quick to shut down the prospect of an adult Louise, explaining that she "never" wants to see the character grow up. "I've gotten this question a lot, and I've tried to answer it in years past where I'm like, 'Oh, she'd be a blank-blank and a blank-blank.' Every time I do it, it always kinda hurts my soul because she's not that character yet. I mean, every child is not going to be the same person when they become an adult. So I just want to keep them [little]."
Catch The Bob's Burgers Movie in theaters on May 27.