To bring illustrated & sculpted Marvel heroes to life, and seamlessly embed them in the real world of a comic shop - telling a dramatic story whilst retaining a unique look for each character based on the medium they originated from: comic book, t-shirt, or collectible.

With dynamic camera work and physical interactions, we decided the base of each character had to be CGI. To maintain authenticity, we used tradional 2d animators, illustrators & painters throughout process to add hand-made elements into scenes. This approach allowed us to bridge the worlds of comic book art & high end CGI.

Curated references and hand crafted original concept art formed our design bible. We had to be true to the Marvel universe, while also zeroing in on the style of each character, contrast between the looks being a major consideration.

With inspiring character designs our 3D team began sculpting the models and developing FX systems bespoke to each character. Daredevil posed one of the biggest challenges; his entire look is a constantly evolving water colour painting, with pencil and charcoal details. This was achieved by first creating a realistic shaded version of the character and then transforming that light and shadow information into organic blocks of colour and texture which evolved each consecutive frame.

Working closely with the director, we created a detailed previs of the film, and then crafted the animations of the characters in each of the shots, trying to evoke the personalities of these classic Marvel icons.