There was a time when everyone said Life of Pi couldn’t be made. Most said trying to adapt Yann Martel’s novel was a fool’s mission. And back in May, 2010, after almost reaching the starting gate, the adaptation was put on hold when the studio demanded a lower budget. But that didn’t stop director Ang Lee, and after some compromise and with a lot of perseverance, he eventually got the green light and the film has now made over $500 million at the worldwide box office and it’s nominated for 11 Academy Awards. Not bad for an unfilmable movie.

At tonight’s VES Awards I spoke to Lee on the red carpet. We talked about the awards season experience, the reaction of fans around the world, the believability of the computer-generated tiger, Richard Parker, visual art vs. visual effects and how they contribute to a cinematic story, and more. Hit the jump to watch.

Ang Lee Time Index:

0:10 – Ang Lee comments on the awards season experience.

0:45 – Lee talks about the reaction of fans around the world to Life of Pi.

2:00 – Lee comments on visual art vs visual effects and how they contribute to a cinematic story.

2:45 – Lee talks about one particular segment of Life of Pi that gave him difficulty and he spent a lot of time working on it.

3:20 – Lee talks about the believability of the computer-generated tiger, Richard Parker.

For more VES Red Carpet Interviews: