Animalogic: Bringing the Lego Batman Movie to Life
Summary
In this article, we explore the challenges faced by Animalogic in creating the Lego Batman movie. From the creation of the city of Gotham using millions of Lego blocks to the intricate facial animation of the 1.5 inch tall Batman, the team worked hard to give the audience a believable character. We also hear about the difficulties of keeping performances fresh in animation, with a sight gag taking months to perfect for just a few seconds of screen time.
Table of Contents
- Creating Gotham City
- Animating the 1.5 inch tall Batman
- The Importance of Lighting
- Keeping Performances Fresh
- Conclusion
Creating Gotham City
One of the biggest challenges faced by Animalogic in creating the Lego Batman movie was bringing the city of Gotham to life. The city is made up of 220 million unique Lego blocks, each with its own patina. To produce the city, Animalogic used its own glimpse renderer. If Gotham City were real, it would be 6.5 football fields wide. The team worked hard to ensure that every detail was perfect, creating a believable world for the characters to inhabit.
Animating the 1.5 inch tall Batman
Another challenge faced by Animalogic was animating the 1.5 inch tall Batman. The character has only a glowing area under his cowl for eyes, making it difficult to convey emotion. All performances come from replacement animation, with every expression requiring a new cowl to be added. The team used a stepped keyframe approach for facial animation, but worked hard to give the audience every hook to believe in the character, including non-verbal acting and subtext.
The Importance of Lighting
The lighting in the Lego Batman movie was crucial in underscoring the emotional beats of each scene. Department heads met regularly to contribute their own ideas, ensuring that the lighting was perfect for each shot. The team worked hard to create a cinematic look, using lighting to add depth and texture to the world of Gotham City.
Keeping Performances Fresh
One of the difficulties of animation is keeping performances fresh and spontaneous. The speaker mentions a sight gag that took months to perfect for just a few seconds of screen time. Specifically, the gag of Robin hitting his head on the dashboard took 45 takes to get right. The speaker apologizes for not having seatbelts in their vehicle and promises to fix it when they return to the Batcave. Despite the challenges, the team worked hard to give the audience a believable and entertaining movie.
Conclusion
The Lego Batman movie showcased the impressive capabilities of Animalogic’s animation techniques. From the creation of Gotham City to the intricate facial animation of the 1.5 inch tall Batman, the team worked hard to create a believable world for the characters to inhabit. Despite the difficulties of animation, the team kept performances fresh and entertaining, resulting in a hit movie that delighted audiences of all ages.
