Jack Black and Danielle Brooks say starring in A Minecraft Movie made them feel like a kid again: "I let my inner child lead this movie"

The Minecraft game was released over 15 years ago now, meaning that many young adults going to see new video game adaptation A Minecraft Movie this April will be reconnecting with the world they fell in love with as kids. But audiences are not alone in feeling this sense of nostalgia, as stars Jack Black, Danielle Brooks and director Jared Hess say that making the movie brought out their inner child too.

"There was a lot of my inner child in there, and it's that sense of play and that sense of creative freedom that I think has guided me since I was a kid, you know, and continues to this day when I'm at my best," says Black exclusively to GamesRadar+. "Think it's important to hold on to that when you can."

Brooks, who in the movie plays real-world character Dawn, new to the Minecraft world, feels the same way. "100%, I let my inner child lead this movie. I let her speak for me, improv for me, laugh for me, run for me," adds Brooks. "It was a lot of fun getting to connect to her, especially because I've been playing so many, like, serious roles lately."

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Although the movie is rated PG and is certainly targeted towards kids and die-hard Minecraft fans, just like all of the best video game movies, the film really caters to all ages. This was something that was very important to director Jared Hess, who first got into the Minecraft game by playing it with his children. Hess adds that because of this, being in touch with your inner child was "critical" for the team.

"Everybody involved in making the film, we’re all big kids at heart, and so we really wanted to experience everything through the eyes of a kid," said Hess. "And as we kind of picked our favorite elements of the game and brought them into this story for the big screen. That's just something that we held onto through the whole process."

A Minecraft Movie follows four regular world humans, teenager Henry (Sebastian Hansen), his sister Natalie (Emma Myers), local business owner and ex-gaming legend Garret the Garbage Man (Jason Momoa), and animal-loving real estate agent Dawn (Brooks), who get pulled into a strange cubic world known as the Overworld. However, the four soon realize that their only chance of survival falls down to in-game character Steve (Black) – yep, the same Steve from the beloved Minecraft game.

A Minecraft Movie hits screens on April 4. For more, keep up with upcoming video game movies and upcoming movies heading your way.