David Nathan Weiss, whose writing credits include “The Rugrats Movie,” “All Dogs Go to Heaven” and “Shrek 2,” speaks during the National Prayer Luncheon at Yokota Air Base, Japan, Thursday, March 23, 2023. (Kelly Agee/Stars and Stripes)
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan — David Nathan Weiss’ writing credits include animated family favorites like “The Rugrats Movie,” “All Dogs Go to Heaven” and “Shrek 2.”
He also espouses a belief in the power of prayer and talked Thursday at the Yokota Officers’ Club about its effect in his life.
“You either need a lot of prayer or you need a lot of drugs” to work in Hollywood, Weiss, an Emmy nominee and two-time Oscar nominee, said at the National Prayer Luncheon event. “And I think that finding prayer to be much healthier.”
About 100 people attended the event, which featured Christian, Jewish and Islamic prayers and readings. Col. Andrew Roddan, commander of the 374th Airlift Wing, presented Weiss with a plaque.
David Nathan Weiss, whose writing credits include “The Rugrats Movie,” “All Dogs Go to Heaven” and “Shrek 2,” speaks during the National Prayer Luncheon at Yokota Air Base, Japan, Thursday, March 23, 2023. (Kelly Agee/Stars and Stripes)
David Nathan Weiss, whose writing credits include “The Rugrats Movie,” “All Dogs Go to Heaven” and “Shrek 2,” speaks during the National Prayer Luncheon at Yokota Air Base, Japan, Thursday, March 23, 2023. (Kelly Agee/Stars and Stripes)
Weiss’ 20-minute talk, the event’s highlight, took listeners from his childhood in Ventura, Calif., through his mother’s death when he was 19 and his immersion in the Jewish faith.
Weiss was an anxious child — anxious about everything, he said — a trait that later pushed him into show business as a means of escape.
“I write because I love telling stories. I love to entertain families,” Weiss said. “I love to see people laugh and cry, I love to see people be alive.”
He said he delved into Judaism and his belief in prayer because he fears facing eternity alone.
Weiss said his family experienced a miracle in October when his son, Samuel Weiss, survived a near-fatal motorcycle accident.
“A lot of prayer went on,” he said. “Thank God my son is really doing great; he’s going to go back to work next week.”
Weiss said he understands how fortunate his family is for that outcome; he knows people who lost children to other tragedies. They also prayed, he said.
“God is not a vending machine,” he said.
