I was invited by Disney•Pixar to attend an all expenses paid trip to cover the #FindingDoryEvent in Monterey CA. All opinions are my own.
Disney•Pixar’s Finding Dory Swims into theaters on June 17th! When I was in Monterey for the #FindingDoryEvent, not only did I get to learn a lot about the making of Finding Dory, but I also got to see some clips from the movie, including the movies opening scene. You guys, IT IS SO GOOD! I can’t say enough how much I loved the opening as well as the clips we were shown. Not only is it going to be fun and funny, but it is going to be emotional and moving. I can’t wait! Take a look at the newest Finding Dory trailer…
One of the presentations we were so lucky to get to see while on the #FindingDoryEvent trip was the All Things Hank Presentation. Where we got to “Learn about how the cantankerous, yet lovable, octopus was created from initial character design to being animated to his final look in the film with Supervising Technical Director John Halstead, Character Art Director Jason Deamer, Supervising Animator Mike Stocker and Characters Supervisor Jeremie Talbot“.
It was a great presentation and so neat learning about Hank who is a great new character in the film. So I wanted to share with you what I learned about Hank from this talented group of creators and artists.
- Hank is based on a Cephalopod which is a mimic Octopus that can not only change the pigment of it’s skin but also the texture of it’s skin. They will also imitate other species of animals. Take a look at this cool video which shows just how well these creatures can camouflage themselves…
- Animating Hank was very difficult. Creating his movements was new and had never been done before in this type of animation. But Pixar wanted to be sure that all of Hank’s movements looked real and fluid. It is a mix of mathematics and art that make a character like Hank.
- They tried many different placements of Hanks mouth, since a real Octopus has it’s mouth underneath it’s large head. They ultimately decided to place it right at the bottom of Hank’s head but still up enough so that you can see it move when Hank speaks.
- First they have to build a “puppet” of the character and figure out all of the characters movements. Then that puppet is passes along to animation for them to start putting the character into the movie.
- Monster’s University is the first Pixar movie to have a character with tentacles. Those characters however, weren’t as difficult to animate because they were just back characters and not a main character like Hank is.
- To get Hank to be able to camouflage, they created a system of masks all over the Octopus skin that can change shape and speed depending on the color being used.
- The animators visited the Aquarium and got to meet an Octopus up close in order to research just how an Octopus looks up close, how it feels, and how it moves.
- Animating Hank out of water and under water were very different processes since the water affects how Hank moves.
- The simulation team are the ones who simulate the effects of real world physics on characters like Hank. They first had to figure out the behavior of the suckers (tentacles). They started by focusing on a single sucker. They borrowed the techniques from solid mechanics to simulate how these suckers move, squish, pull and stick in a believable and appealing way. Then they had to propagate that behavior onto all of the suckers. They simulation team also adds an extra layer of movement on top of what animation has done to make the character look even more believable.
- Ed O’Neal’s voice recording sessions were video recorded and then the animation team uses that footage to add characteristics and things from Ed into the way Hank is animated.
It was a lot of fun to learn about the making and creation of this new character in Finding Dory!
Another really cool thing that we got to do when we were in Monterey was visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium. While at the Monterey Bay Aquarium we had the chance to go behind the scenes and meet an Octopus up close and personal.
I can’t really describe just how amazing and cool it was to be able to touch an Octopus! The best part was how the Octopus suctioned to my arm, it is such a cool sensation and actually a lot stronger than I expected. A cool fact we learned was that an Octopus will remember you once it has touch you with it’s tentacles. Pretty cool!
It was an incredible experience and one that I will never forget!
Disney•Pixar’s Finding Dory Swims into theaters on June 17th!
Watch another Finding Dory trailer…
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Visit the official FINDING DORY website
“Disney•Pixar’s “Finding Dory” reunites everyone’s favorite forgetful blue tang, Dory, with her friends Nemo and Marlin on a search for answers about her past. What can she remember? Who are her parents? And where did she learn to speak Whale? Directed by Andrew Stanton (“Finding Nemo,” “WALL•E”) and produced by Lindsey Collins (co-producer “WALL•E”), the film features the voices of Ellen DeGeneres, Albert Brooks, Ed O’Neill, Kaitlin Olson, Ty Burrell, Eugene Levy and Diane Keaton. “Finding Dory” swims into theaters June 17, 2016.“-Disney
