Computer Graphics World

November / December 2016

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n o v e m b e r . d e c e m b e r 2 0 1 6 c g w 9 ith a nod to Disney's legacy and a high dive into the future, the legendary animation studio releases its latest CGI feature to mounting critical acclaim. Set in the lush South Pacific islands and immersed in Polynesian culture, the musical adventure sends Disney's most unusual, daring, and vibrant princess on a heroic journey. As Moana sets sail in the warm Pacific waters on her village-saving voyage, she leaves behind her family, a mysteriously landlocked population, and an island under threat. On her journey, Moana meets the demi- god Maui, whose actions have led to the island's condition, the ridiculous yet dan- gerous coconut-coated Kakamora pirates, the lobster-like Tamatoa, and a demonic volcano named Te Kā. Her companion is a dumb chicken, HeiHei. Moana's puppy-like small pig named Pua waits at home. Most of the second act takes place on the water, with the characters in and out of the water, which is one reason why Technical Supervisor Hank Driskill states that this film has the most effects of any Disney animation. "The average movie we do has effects in 40 to 50 percent of the shots," Driskill says, noting that action-packed Big Hero 6 had effects in just shy of half the shots. "Moana had effects in over 80 percent of the movie." Driskill and Visual Effects Supervisor Kyle Odermatt had held identical roles as tech- nical supervisor and visual effects super- visor on Big Hero 6, and had barely caught their breath when they started supervising effects for Moana. Driskill's favorite anecdote from those early days centers on a reaction by Chief Creative Officer John Lasseter aer a screening. "We had our third internal screening while the movie was still evolving," Driskill says. "We were still a year and three months from being done, still early in preproduction and plan- ning. Aer the screening John said, 'Moana makes Big Hero 6 look like a one-man show.' "It was the biggest, most ambitious thing we've ever done on every front," Driskill con- tinues. "But, we felt like we owed it to this movie. People were so excited that we were tackling this mythology and this culture, so we pushed hard. A lot of the challenges were ones we put on ourselves." Directors Ron Clements and John Musker, who had co-directed Aladdin, The Princess and the Frog, and Treasure Planet, and Produc- er Osnat Shurer (Arthur Christmas, "Lied," "One Man Band") emphasize the impact of the location and the people on the develop- ment of Moana. "Our visits to Polynesia changed the vision of what this movie could be," Shurer says. "We came back with beautiful images – we all know how beautiful it is. But, we couldn't imagine the beauty of the people. When we listened to the people, that's when we touched the beauty of the Pacific Islands. It changed the story, and it changed us. We met archaeologists, weavers…many people. We learned that the ocean unites the islands; it doesn't divide them. We created an Oceanic story tribe that we checked in with on story and design choices." During those research trips, the team learned the importance of navigation to the Pacific Islanders, and uncovered a mystery, a mystery that led to Moana's story. "About 3,000 years ago, everything stopped," Musker says. "All voyaging stopped, and everyone stayed put. About 2,000 years ago, it started up again. No one knows why. So, we came up with a theory, which is the basis for our movie. What if one young girl was responsible for bringing navigation back?" Moana is 16 years old, the daughter of a chief who had one rule: No one goes beyond the reef. But her grandmother, a storyteller, connects her to the legacy of voyaging. Hawaiian singer/actor Auli'i Cravalho, also a teenager, voices Moana; Rachel House voices Gramma Tala. "Moana has inner conflict," Clements says. "She doesn't know who she is. Her grandmother leads her to a secret cave where she will understand why she has been drawn to the ocean all her life. So, Moana and what may be the dumbest character ever, this stupid chicken HeiHei, take off on a voyage." HeiHei provides comic relief for what becomes a quirky and dangerous journey. Moana's goal is to return the "Heart of Te Fiti," a powerful ancient jade-like stone, stolen and then lost by the demigod Maui, to its origin. "So Moana convinces this reluctant demi- god Maui [Dwayne Johnson] to join her on the quest," Clements says. "Others are aer this Heart of Te Fiti, so they encounter many obstacles. We let our imagination run free without realizing how difficult that could be." Adds Musker, "We had to make a ship move convincingly at sea and make an ocean have character. We didn't know how to do that in a production-friendly way. But the team didn't ask us to inhibit." Odermatt gives an example of the kinds of effects demanded by a shot that in any other film would be considered undemand- ing for the effects team. TO DEPICT MOANA'S STUNNING SOUTH PACIFIC ISLANDS, OCEANS, AND CULTURE, DISNEY ARTISTS DOUBLE THE VISUAL EFFECTS WORK IN PREVIOUS ANIMATED FEATURES BY BARBARA ROBERTSON

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