FEATURE Spoiler Alert!

ILLUMINATION ARTISTS TRANSFORM THE STORY OF THE GRINCH WHO STOLE CHRISTMAS INTO A FULL-LENGTH CG FEATURE FILM

BY KAREN MOLTENBREY

hen Chris Meledandri ry,” says Yarrow Cheney, who co-directed set out to create the CG The Grinch along with Scott Mosier. animated feature The Grinch based on the popular Every Who Down in Whoville Liked holiday tale, his artists and Christmas a lot...But the Grinch, Who animatorsW at Illumination went by the book lived just north of Whoville, Did NOT! – Dr. Seuss’ children’s book “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!,” that is. Illumination expanded on the Dr. Seuss Meledandri and his longtime co-producer, design language for the characters, loca- Janet Healy, along with his talented crew at tions, and main story points: The people Illumination, were heading into familiar ter- of Whoville embrace and celebrate the ritory for this project. First, they have found spirit, joy, and togetherness of the holiday great success with endearing antisocial-like season, but Grinch, who lives atop Mt. characters via their Despicable Me franchise. Crumpet outside of the town, detests Second, they were breathing new life into a the holiday and everything associated well-known story that started with a book with it, and enlists the help of his loyal in the late ’50s, followed by a traditionally dog, Max, to steal the Whos’ presents and animated TV special that still airs yearly decorations, and quell the holiday spirit in during the Christmas season, and, later, by Whoville once and for all. a live-action film. In addition, this project For the feature-length Grinch, the marks Illumination founder/CEO Mele- filmmakers extended what was essentially dandri’s third go at adapting the uniquely a one-act play into a three-act structure, styled Seuss books into CG features (2008’s delving deeper into some characters, Horton Hears a Who! while at Fox and 2012’s especially Grinch and his backstory, while The Lorax at Illumination). retaining the book’s timeless elements. In On the other hand, they would have the the film, Grinch (Benedict Cumberbatch) daunting task of expanding a 69-page is a complex character, more mischievous book filled with unique visuals and rhym- and cranky than cruel. He lives in isolation ing verse. “I grew up with the wonderful with his best friend, a dog named Max, but Chuck Jones [TV special]. That design was he does see the townsfolk time to time so wonderful. We didn’t want to just do an when he has to venture into Whoville for iteration of that. So, we went back to the supplies. Like every year, Christmastime book and used that as the starting point, strikes a nerve with him, and when he the DNA, of how we would expand the sto- learns that the Whos are planning a bigger, Images ©2018 Universal Studios. ©2018 Universal Images

EDITION 4, 2018 | CGW 13 brighter, and louder celebration this year, have loved it for years and years,” Mosier When designing the unique characters, well, he reaches his breaking point and says. “I was excited and terrified all at the the artists avoided using straight lines, hatches a plan to steal Christmas. same time, though. This is the kind according to Meledandri. “Everywhere we Of course, an expanded story means of thing you cannot screw up.” could replace a straight line with a curve, we more characters and environments that In a nutshell, they had to keep the tale did, because these were motifs from [Dr. are new to the tale while seamlessly relevant for a new, modern audience, while Seuss’] work,” he adds. fitting within the original world. “We set maintaining the essence of what made it Illumination’s films are stylized but ground- out to create the most spectacular sort a beloved classic. That involved translat- ed in reality, enabling a full range of emotion of Seuss-like world,” says Mosier. We visit ing the visual style of the book’s drawings for the characters. “Our goal isn’t to simulate inside Grinch’s expansive cave, complete using cutting-edge computer graphics – real life; it is to make things feel real while also with its Seussian-like inventions. We no simple task. However, Illumination em- supporting the stylization and performance are introduced to Bricklebaum (Kenan braced the challenge, immersing viewers in aspects in the scenes,” explains Cheney. “We Thompson), Grinch’s perpetually cheery this unique world while giving it an Illumi- try to capture emotion and subtlety when neighbor who resides at the bottom of the nationesque-Seussian aesthetic. the scene calls for it, but we don’t hold back mountain, and Fred, a portly, lackadaisi- “Stylistically, we tried to honor the when there is opportunity for fun and humor. cal reindeer that Grinch needs to pull his source material and take all of that won- When the Grinch tries to steal Christmas, the getaway sleigh. Meanwhile, the tiny hamlet derful stylization and apply it to a three- team went more broad, a bit more cartoony of Whoville has been turned into a bustling dimensional world where you really feel with his motions and physics.” city filled with shops and restaurants, a immersed,” says Cheney. “We wanted you town square, and so forth – a place view- to almost feel the snow crunch under your Then he slid down the chimney. A rather ers would want to visit, Mosier adds. feet and smell the waffles at the waffle tight pinch. But, if Santa could do it, And, we learn more about the Whos – stand. We wanted to evoke all the good then so could the Grinch. inhabitants with real-life struggles. Take things about the holidays that we can all Cindy-Lou (Cameron Seely), whose role has relate to.” The characters have rather basic been extended far beyond her previous few shapes, but their rigs are more complex in minutes on Christmas Eve. In this version, Characters Big and Small order to achieve a wide range of emotion she is still a child, but now older than a The artists used a combination of through an entire physical performance, toddler “not more than two.” She and her commercial and proprietary software to not just with facial expressions. According friends plan to corner Santa as he makes his create the film’s CG characters, including to Bruno Chauffard, CG supervisor, the rounds and ask him not for more toys, but to Autodesk’s Maya along with Pixologic’s animators started with a generic rig that help her overworked, single mother, Donna. ZBrush for modeling, Maya for animation, is already fairly extensive, then pushed “It was time to bring this story back in-house software for rendering and light- it rather strongly in terms of elasticity to for a new generation and for people who ing, and Foundry’s Nuke for compositing. meet the animation director’s requests.

CINDY-LOU WHO AND HER FRIENDS PLAN TO TRAP SANTA, BUT HAVE GOOD INTENTIONS.

14 CGW | EDITION 4, 2018 “[The characters] should be able to but the Santa-disguised Grinch required look natural, but the tuft at the top of his emote and support an emotional idea some complex simulations to make sure his head… it has a very iconic shape; it points from any pose we put them in,” adds beard behaved realistically through extreme up and out. And, it had to look and react Cheney. “At the same time, we are doing deformations. In addition, his telescopic naturally in the wind and snow.” a Seuss film with a very elegant, stylized shoes had to expand to huge proportions, Once the artists captured the silhouette feel that permeates everything. To do that, deform extensively, and then fit back into for Grinch and the other characters, it you cannot take control away from the his shoes within a single shot. became a matter of defining the details, animator. You actually have to give them Moreover, Grinch has the biggest role, which are a little bit different in CGI, espe- more control over the silhouette. Some- experiences just about every emotion, cially the fur, Mosier points out. times you need to bend things that don’t and is covered head to toe in fur that had According to Chauffard, the group used naturally bend in order to have a line on a to feel like a Dr. Seuss drawing. “There’s a numerous texture maps to precisely drive silhouette be elegant.” style Dr. Seuss used in his illustrations that every attribute of the studio’s hair systems The silhouette of Grinch in the movie is we tried to incorporate into the shapes (length, density, clumping, noise, curli- the same as it is in the book and the TV of the fur as well as his overall design and ness). For Grinch, they mixed as many as a special. In traditional animation, this is his face,” Cheney says. “The artists had to dozen types of hair for the final result. easy to do by drawing lines and poses that make the fur on his face fall downward to To make it Seuss-like, the artists aren’t necessarily realistic in order to con- vey a certain attitude or emotion. But in 3D, that’s more difficult, since CGI follows certain rules. “For this film, more than others, we need the artistry that goes into the pos- es,” adds Cheney.

THE GRINCH GOT A WONDERFUL, AWFUL IDEA! I know just what to do!” The Grinch laughed in his throat. And he made a quick Santy Claus hat and a coat. In Cheney’s opinion, Grinch was the most technically challenging character in the film. Moreover, he has a number of costumes,

GRINCH AND HIS REINDEER.

GRINCH WITH HIS LOOT AFTER MAKING HIS ROUNDS IN TOWN.

EDITION 4, 2018 | CGW 15 formed the hair to accentuate the lines transformed from line drawings of a says. Nevertheless, the crew managed to and poses used in the drawings, and that handful of snow-covered houses into build a library of elements that they could had to be incorporated into the char- a brightly-colored, three-dimensional slightly reshape and adapt to dress the acter rigs. A studio-developed system city with teetering, swerving buildings of different buildings. Once the buildings were enabled the animators to preview the hair Seussian style. The Whos are welcoming assembled, the artists could procedural- behavior interactively when manipulating and warm, so their town needed to reflect ly regenerate the textures to fit the new Grinch so they could anticipate any hair this in the shapes and textures of their shapes they had created. behavioral issues early in the process. homes, shops, and vehicles, says Mosier. “We also developed a way to dynamically Thus, the artists embraced a warm, satu- For he knew every Who down in Whoville instance and animate objects within the rated, bright, happy color palette. In fact, beneath, Was busy now, hanging a mistle- fur systems, allowing us to simulate snow Whoville is in direct contrast aesthetically toe wreath. getting mixed with the characters’ hair to the Grinch’s icy cave on the very angular and fur,” says Chauffard. and lonely Mt. Crumpit. Whoville is not solely a Christmas town; In addition to the main characters, there Using Maya, ZBrush, Foundry’s Mari, and it is a village that just happens to do are crowds of Whos created with a mix- Allegorithmic’s Substance Painter, the art- Christmas in a big way. As for the artists, and-match modeling system to generate ists built an entire 3D model of the city that they, too, had to decorate the virtual city a wide variety of looks. Then, once the the camera could move through without and embrace the season. For this, they crowd was distributed and the animation limitation, making sure the layout followed developed a tool that enabled them to cycles randomized, the group focused on real-world logic. “We know every location grab geometry from a prebuilt library and specific areas of the crowd and updated — where Cindy-Lou’s house is compared to snap it automatically on the houses and those with specific keyframe animation to the town square, compared to the entrance shops, before tweaking it by hand. create secondary story lines occurring in to the city and the Who Foods Market,” As Chauffard notes, the garland bulbs the background. Cheney says. “If you wanted to, you could were procedurally generated along curves actually build a real-life Whoville and it and volumes. Every bulb carried specific Extreme Environments would make sense as a town.” attributes that enabled the artists to drive There are essentially two big locations Within the city lies the imaginative world their color and intensity so they could in the film: Mt. Crumpet-Grinch’s cave of Dr. Seuss, which is very specific, organic, art-direct their look until late in the process and Whoville, but within those locales, and uneven, making the fabrication of the and feed them with complex animation particularly Whoville, are many smaller designs rather difficult to standardize, says if necessary. “We carefully fine-tuned the but more intricate indoor and outdoor Chauffard. “Each house and store has a rendering and animation of those lights, as sets. So, it comes as no surprise that the specific shape, which was never straight, they were essential in the evocation of the most ambitious part of the film involved and that influenced every sub-element Christmas spirit through the film,” he adds. the creation of Whoville, which the artists such as windows, balconies, and doors,” he The other main environment is Grinch’s

ILLUMINATION TRANSFORMED THE BELOVED CHARACTERS INTO 3D FOR THE FILM.

16 CGW | EDITION 4, 2018 cave, no longer a dark, lonely space, but Those objects were detailed with several In fact, the town was designed to rather a multi-level lair with big, inviting displacement maps (from low frequency make it difficult for Grinch to pull off his rooms and packed with hi-tech gadgets to really fine grains) so the surface would ambitious plan. “We deliberately made and gizmos. catch the light properly when rendered Whoville so big that it seemed impossible Scattered throughout the alpine moun- with Mglr, the studio’s proprietary path- to steal Christmas there in just one night,” tain and valley is snow – a difficult effect tracer. Then the compositors layered glints Cheney says. anyway, but in this movie, it is every- and light effects on top of the rendered Well, nearly impossible. Grinch had to where, covering every surface, including snow to give it a slight magical touch. get creative and use his crazy machines the furred characters, who are often seen and contraptions, including a customized wearing fuzzy sweaters. The Heist sleigh and a giant Swiss Army Knife candy “The Whos all have fur, and their furry For the theft sequence, the town’s real- cane. “We wanted it to be something sweaters have a fuzzy texture. There are all world layout logic gave way to stylization. people haven’t seen before, to give them these different technical aspects that are “We composed the shots in this sequence a fresh take on how Grinch stole Christ- difficult, and then you throw snow on top to support what [Grinch] was stealing, mas,” Cheney says. “The sequence was of everything outdoors, and there’s a huge rather than be beholden to where things difficult to figure out and shoot, but it was leap in technical difficulty,” says Cheney. were in town,” says Cheney. The thievery a lot of fun.” “The 3D surfaces are not typical; with even plays out in a large sequence where prac- the hard surfaces, everything is displaced. tically every shot takes place in a different The End All the shop fronts and signs… everything location – on rooftops, in living rooms, Of course, we all know how this story ends: you see is not just a typical texture on within chimneys – becoming more and The Grinch is moved by the selflessness and a plane. Everything has an extra level of more stylized as Grinch progresses. forgiveness of the Whos. “I think now, more complexity, and it’s all complexity that has “We’re getting into his head,” he adds. than ever, it has a really great message,” to interact with one another.” “He’s been living for this the entire movie, and Mosier points out. Agreed. And, no doubt The studio developed specific tool kits it’s going off without a hitch. He’s euphoric.” the film will make all of our hearts grow a based on Houdini’s Grains Solver that en- little, too. „ abled the artists to fine-tune the different All the Whos were all dreaming sweet aspects of the snow – icy, slushy, crusty dreams without care. When he came to And what happened then? Well...in – depending on the context. They also WKHIíLUVWOLWWOHKRXVHRQWKHVTXDUH Whoville they say, That the Grinch’s developed procedures to automatically small heart Grew three sizes that day! generate secondary animation involv- This is stop number one,” the old Grinchy ing the snow. On the rendering side, the Claus hissed, And he climbed to the snow objects were partially transparent URRIHPSW\EDJVLQKLVIíLVW§ geometries filled with volumetric shaders. Karen Moltenbrey is the chief editor of CGW.

WHOVILLE DOES CHRISTMAS IN A BIG WAY.

EDITION 4, 2018 | CGW 17