Computer Graphics World

December 2008 34 ■ ■ ■ ■ VFX/Animation The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian Release date: May 16 Production companies: Walt Disney Pictures, Walden Media, Ozumi Films, Propeler, Silverbell Films, Stillking Films Zoic Studios' Peristere particularly en- joyed the battle sequence in this movie. "e choreography of how the battle came together was interesting in terms of design," he says. "ey also came up with an under- ground world that gave a new dimension to the battle." Chambers also points to im- provements to Aslan the lion. "It seemed more advanced," he says. "Overall, they brought the vision of what they wanted to the screen so effectively." ILM's Hickel declares himself impressed with the "overall level of quality of the en- vironments and creatures." "e quality in these kinds of fantasy movies has gone up and up," he says. "ey used to be more un- even, but on this film, the work has become even and a lot less noticeable. You sink into the movie and enjoy the spectacle." Speed Racer Release date: May 9 Production companies: Warner Bros. Pictures, Anarchos Productions, Sechste Babelsberg Films, Silver Pictures, Vil- lage Roadshow Pictures Chambers believes that Speed Racer de- serves kudos for its unique visual effects. "It was very different, very stylized, and car- toony," he says. "And that's what they set out to do. As a look, it was fabulous." "e mix of animation and live action was incredibly innovative and impres- sive," says Zoic's Peristere. "It's a real mix of design, visual effects, and animation that hasn't really been explored. Look- ing at a world that behaves like 2D but is rendered in 3D is innovative, and I love it when VFX teams try new things and explore something interesting." Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Release date: May 22 Production companies: Paramount Pictures, Lucasfilm e destruction of the temple was this movie's stellar scene, says Entity FX's Alex- ander. "It was a 3D cracking algorithm," he explains. "And it allowed the ILM art- ists to preview where the cracks would go. It's been done before, but they took it to a new level by being able to preview it and dictate where the cracks would go, rather than putting a procedural script in there. at software was well done." ILM's Hickel liked the ants. "ey were all CG," he says. "My assumption is that the big crowds of ants were done procedur- ally, and then there was hero work." e sequence when the two vehicles drive side by side with the characters fight- ing over the skull is also notable, says Sony Pictures Imageworks' Andrews. "To me that is the pulp fiction that our fathers used to watch when they were boys," he says. "It's very Buck Rogers: fantastic, im- possible, and good." Quantum of Solace Release date: Nov. 14 Production companies: MGM, Colum- bia Pictures, Danjaq, Eon Productions, United Artists For VFX, there's nothing like a James Bond movie, and many VFX practitioners looked forward to seeing the opening of this movie. "People think of James Bond movies as bing full of stunts and practical effects," ILM's Hickel says. "But there are also digital environment extensions and rig removal. ere are a lot of invisible effects. It frequently gets to the bake-off because people really respect the physical effects. It's a great example of that craft." The Day the Earth Stood Still Release date: Dec. 12 Production companies: Earth Canada Productions, 20 th Century Fox Film Corp. Okun, who is VFX supervisor on this movie, reports that the challenges were to create effects that didn't steal the story away. at's tough to do when the story involves spaceships and aliens, but, says Okun, he be- lieves they pulled it off: "We went out of our way to create stuff based on today's real sci- ence and the research that scientists are work- ing on for future scientific developments." The Spirit Release date: Dec. 25 Production companies: Lionsgate, Odd Lot Entertainment, Continental Speed Racer provides a new concept for set design, animation, and color treatment. Reepicheep joins Narnia's CG animal cast.

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