IN the Robert Zemeckis movie Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Pinocchio makes a couple of appearances. Roll forward 34 years and the director has reunited with the wooden puppet for a reworking of the 1940 Disney cel-animated adaptation of Carlo Collodi's novel. Indeed, look closely early in this new version and you'll see Collodi's name as part of the production design effort led by Stefan Dechant and Doug Chiang.
The fine line between what has been established and the potential to add something new is a creative challenge, and Ben Jones (visual effects supervisor at MPC) starts our conversation by noting how the studio's work on the new movie builds on their own animation legacy, whilst also providing the opportunity for them to work further with real-time, virtual production on set as the dynamic between pre-production, production and post-production becomes ever more fluid.
The film's balance between such a familiar and recognisable Disney cartoon style and a very contemporary approach in terms of lighting and texturing is key to MPC's work on the film. Jones unpacks the creative approach for us, explaining that “it was
