Frankenstein

Director Guillermo del Toro’s long-awaited adaptation of Mary Shelley’s novel Frankenstein combined mythic storytelling with exquisite production design. In the timeless story, Victor and Elizabeth Frankenstein bring to life a fully grown creature with the mind of a baby, but when they try to destroy him, he fights back.

One of two primary visual effects vendors on Frankenstein, ILM was responsible for some 200 shots across the film, including the icescape sequence that served as the film’s bookends, as well as extensive creature work involving a number of animals – wolves, mice, and deer – as well as the fabled Creature himself. For a scene when the Creature takes shelter in a rural millhouse, the director made the decision to add a number of CG mice after the live action shoot was already complete, requiring ILM to incorporate the animals into the shots and interact directly with the live action character in a seamless, natural way.

Throughout the film, ILM had to dial its visual effects to a very precise design philosophy prescribed by the director and production designer Tamara Deverell. Every shot included substantial practical creations on set, with which ILM had to delicately blend its own CG elements. A full-size ship was constructed for the icescape sequences, around which ILM had to integrate ice, snow, background extensions, and additional CG objects. To match the appropriate aesthetic, the subsequent breakup of the ice was primarily achieved through key-frame animation rather than created with a typical simulation.

The work in Frankenstein was created by ILM’s Vancouver studio with additional support from the San Francisco and Mumbai studios in conjunction with various partner companies. ILM visual effects supervisor Ivan Busquets worked closely with production visual effects supervisor Dennis Berardi.  

ILM’s work on Frankenstein received nominations at the BAFTA Awards, Critics Choice Awards, Astra Film & Creative Arts Awards, and Satellite Awards.

Frankenstein is now available to watch on Netflix.