Animation Guild | We are 839 Digital Magazine
Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1378252
All Space Jam: A New Legacy Photos courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures. HYBRID MOVIES CARRY ON A TRADITION OF INNOVATION AS REALITY, 2D, CG, AND CLASSIC HAND DRAWING UNITE. Once again, those Looney Tunes characters needed the assistance of a real NBA star to beat back their monstrous opponents. But unless Bugs, Daffy, and the gang were going to spring to life or LeBron James was going to get the full animation treatment, the upcoming Space Jam: A New Legacy had to be made as a live-action/animation hybrid, just like its predecessor of 25 years ago, Space Jam. F E AT U R E opposite page, top (left to right): LeBron gets the 2D treatment and Bugs goes CG in Space Jam: A New Legacy. opposite page, inset: CG adds a new dimension to Daffy, Yosemite Sam, and other classic Tunes in Space Jam: A New Legacy. By Evan Henerson WHEN WHEN WORLDS WORLDS COLLIDE COLLIDE WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE Much has changed in hybrid capabilities between Jams. Indeed, with the progression of CG effects, the technology for placing animated and live action together now leads to eye-popping visuals. Spike Brandt, who worked on both the original and the current versions, thinks it's especially cool, though, that even in these days of high-concept techniques, hybrid films often still use hand-drawn animation, which seems to be undergoing a cinematic renaissance. Granted, there are certain things about the earlier routines that he most certainly will not miss. "The live-action parts used to be printed on these Mylar sheets, and they were very slippery," says Brandt, the new Space Jam's animation supervisor, who has worked extensively in the Looney Tunes world. "If you had a stack on your desk, you had to be careful because once they started sliding, there was a waterfall effect, and they would end up all over the floor." 32 KEYFRAME