Mo Willems and The Storytime All-Stars Present: Don't Let The Pigeon Do Storytime! - MO WILLEMS INTERVIEW (2020)

Mo Willems is undoubtedly a rock star of kid-lit - but don’t be fooled…adults love him too!!

Emmy®-Award winning writer, New York Times best-selling author, and illustrator Mo Willems is HBO Max’s very first artist in residence and will air Willems’ first live-action special Mo Willems and The Storytime All-Stars Present: Don't Let The Pigeon Do Storytime! HBO Max has committed to additional live-action Storytime specials, as well as multiple animated specials based on Willems’ wildly popular children’s books.

Mo Willems and The Storytime All-Stars Present: Don't Let The Pigeon Do Storytime! is directed by Bobcat Goldthwait. It’s a live-action family comedy special featuring Willems and the “Story Time All-Stars,” a group of celebrities, comedians and actors, performing live readings and sketch comedy inspired by Willems’ work, as well as a few surprise musical guests. Celebrity guests include Anthony Anderson (black-ish), Yvette Nicole Brown (Community),Rachel Dratch (Saturday Night Live), Cameron Esposito (Take My Wife), Tony Hale (Veep), Greta Lee (Russian Doll), Tom Lennon (The Odd Couple), Natalie Morales (Abby's) and Oscar Nunez (The Office). The special was shot at the prestigious Kennedy Center in Washington, DC.

Mo Willems began his career as a writer and animator on Sesame Street, where he garnered six Emmy® Awards. Willems also created several animated projects for Cartoon Network and Nickelodeon. His #1 New York Times bestselling books have been recognized with many awards around the world including three Caldecott Honors, two Theodor Geisel Medals and five Geisel Honors. Willems has written four musicals based on his books and is the most produced playwright for Theatre for Young Audiences in America. Willems currently serves as the inaugural Education Artist-in-Residence at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, collaborating with artists in Jazz, Classical, Dance, Theater, Opera and Comedy.

It was a huge thrill to chat with Mo about his career, who inspires him and his brand new TV special, Mo Willems and The Storytime All-Stars Present: Don't Let The Pigeon Do Storytime!

Check out our interview below:

Mo Willems and The Storytime All-Stars Present: Don't Let The Pigeon Do Storytime!  Launches on September 17th on HBO Max