DreamWorks Animation returned to Annecy Festival after an incredible year, with box office successes with The Bad Guys and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish. The future is also looking up, and during a Studio Focus seminar, creatives from DreamWorks Animation gave an early look at two upcoming films, Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken and Orion and the Dark (the panel did not include Trolls Band Together or Kung Fu Panda 4).
Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken
Margie Cohn, President of DreamWorks Animation, introduced the panel by discussing their long tradition of subverting the heroes' journey, whether through the Oscar-winning Shrek or more recent films like The Bad Guys. Producer Kelly Cooney Cilella touched on the studio’s history of strong female characters, going back to Princess Fiona, and added that Ruby Gillman is cut from that same cloth.
Directors Kirk DeMicco and Faryn Pearl introduced several full sequences from the film, which had its world premiere at Annecy Festival and hits theaters on June 30th. But what the room of animation industry hopefuls were really yearning for was a peek into how the film was made, which they delivered. Ruby’s character designs began with the real sea creatures that inspired the Kraken mythology, octopuses. She has an elasticity to her that her human or mermaid friends lack, along with prehensile tentacle hair. While the film is computer animated, we got to see some of the earliest animation tests, which were hand drawn.
Ruby’s design needed to be feminine but powerful. Where this concept really shines is when she’s in water, which is an environment she is naturally at home in. Comparatively, life for Ruby on land is difficult. This concept is emphasized by the design of the world, with locations in the ocean featuring curves and fluid lines. The interior of the underwater castle is glass, jade, and other materials that refract light.
Music has always played a big role at DreamWorks Animation, and Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken is no exception. The soundtrack features contemporary music by girl bands.
Orion and the Dark
Based on the children’s book by Emma Yarlett, Orion and the Dark has been adapted for the screen by Charlie Kaufman (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind). Director Sean Charmatz was joined by production designer Tim Lamb and art director Christine Bian for an early look at this film, coming to Netflix in 2024.
With two-and-a-half-years of production completed, Orion and the Dark is 80% completed. The lead character is voiced by Jacob Tremblay (voice of the title character in Pixar’s Luca and Flounder in the live-action The Little Mermaid). Dark, a physical manifestation of nighttime, is voiced by Paul Walter Hauser (Cruella), who takes Orion on a trip around the world to conquer his fears.
The panel mostly focused on character design, with Orion needed to feel normal enough to be relatable, but quirky enough to be afraid of the dark. The team talked a lot about anxiety, an emotion that is often hard to see. Esthetically, the team was going for a look reminiscent of The Simpsons and The Far Side. Dark was a tough character to design, They ultimately decided to give him a reaper hood. Early character explorations had him made of ink, while the team also explored watercolors, the medium used to create the book that inspired the film. Character line art was inspired by the work of Ronald Searle. The effect is so convincing that the team shared that many artists who have seen footage have assumed that Dark is animated by hand.
We also got a brief overview of some of Dark’s friends. Sleep comes in to make people tired, while Insomnia appears to whisper irrational fears in your ear. Dream is full of unspecified sounds, which has been a dream for the DreamWorks foley artists, and since the film is set in the ‘90s, Dream looks like a Walkman. Time is an abstract character with a “Muppety-quality.” And Quiet is the smallest of these magical beings.
Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken splashes into theaters on June 30th. Be on the lookout for an official release date announcement for Orion and the Dark on Netflix.
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