We spent a lot of time making sure the story and the emotions of the script really came through. The most challenging was the design of our little duck—we tried at least 20 different styles before we were happy with how he looked.

CGI was essential; the actions of the script were very precise: the duckling had to hold a magazine, read it, and even imitate Donald Duck.

Getting the right balance between humane motion and realistic response was absolutely key. We tried to keep anthropomorphism to a minimum, a very slight curl of the beak, a little more body mobility. We kept the eyes on the sides but we did dilate the duckling’s pupils in the frame just before the Donald Duck encounter. This enhances identification and emotional tension.