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Unbelievable Coyote vs. Acme The story of the underdog is well-documented — and props to Ketchup Entertainment for coming to the rescue and bringing it to theaters. We spoke to Ben Anderson, DNEG’s animation supervisor, about creating the most challenging and most satisfying live-action/animation hybrid ever. Who made Roger Rabbit? He explains what it was like working with director Dave Green and the rest of the team.
Bill Desowitz: Talk about how tricky this 2D-3D integration of the classic is Looney Tunes Character animation developed in the modern, live-action world of Albuquerque.
Ben Anderson: The script and SketchViz process are included Coyote vs. Acme It started in 2021, long before filming began. It was a quick way for them to come up with ideas and solve problems. The filmmakers then used SketchViz on set to help with composition. The shots were inserted to complement the characters’ performances as much as possible, and this made our work in animation much easier. We were able to focus on the performance and I think it paid off in the end because the cartoon characters feel believable in the human world.
BD: What were the unique challenges and opportunities for DNEG to maintain the iconic visual language and comedic spirit of the Chuck Jones cartoons, but as 3D characters?
BA: We really wanted to treat it like a 2D movie and pay as much homage to the classic characters as possible. In terms of design, there are a lot of attractive 2D design choices that we had to incorporate into our 3D model. Our rigs had to be quite sturdy because we needed to design each pose as much as possible. From little things like adding extra fur to Wile E’s arms in close-ups to adjusting where the neck joins the skull for a more dynamic pose. Not to mention all the exaggeration required for more cartoonish performances.
Along with achieving the level of posing we wanted, we also explored how we could integrate Chuck Jones’ classic time into the real world and how it fit into a more modern visual language. We explored character animation in 1 vs. 2 for moving cameras and even hybrid timing for different character parts.
Other unique challenges included a dry brush look for speed lines. We sorted through the different types of dry brush lines we see in classic cartoons and were able to create simple flat rings with animated textures attached to them that we could use with additional limbs and other body parts to help achieve that 2D look.
BD: How early did you start on this, and what were the early discussions like with director Dave Green, as well as DNEG VFX head Alexander Seaman, 2D animation producer Ryan Delaney, and lead 2D story artist Carlos Lutterbach?
BA: I joined the project halfway through the shooting. I would have regular meetings
DNEG Animation Director, Keith Roberts, while he was on set in Albuquerque and I was at the DNEG studio in London. We would review the assets and strategize about any obstacles we might face once the plates arrive. I also shared our early character tests with Keith to make sure we were going in the right direction.
Alexander Seaman and I discussed how to get Wile E. Because VFX artists are so good at making things look realistic, there were a lot of new approaches to the workflow that we had to create and
Develop these characters to feel 2D. For example, a lot of development went into creating tonal lines for characters, such as line weight and thickness; It’s not something we traditionally handle in VFX.
Although I didn’t have regular meetings with Carlos and Ryan, their presence was definitely felt in the film through SketchViz and storyboards. Carlos also provided model sheets to describe his approach to drawing Wile E. and these were very helpful to the animation team.
It was great to have everyone at home at the DNEG studio in London. This fostered a very collaborative environment. It was then interesting to the artists as well because they all got invested in this project and I hope that this is felt in the final version of the film.
BD: What were the cartoons you studied and what did you learn about Coyote, Roadrunner and Foghorn Leghorn? What were the key personal and performance qualities that made them want to work here?
BA: Like many people who grew up watching Looney TunesI’m a Chuck Jones fan, so this is a chance to sort through all the cartoons that have been stuck in my brain over the years. I was so excited when I found out that Gee Whiz-zzzzzz’s green Batman costume was in the movie.
We used a variety of approaches to gather feedback. For example, to explore our inner Daffy character, we used his explosive rant Duck here To stress test our rig and see if we can achieve that level of performance. For actions that we knew our characters would exhibit frequently in the film, we found as many examples as possible from the classics, so we weren’t tied to one example of that action. How does a road runner hover before he curls his toes and swells, or how does a tweeter flap his wings? We really wanted to try and emulate the 2D classics as much as possible.
There were also moments where some familiar characters were placed in unfamiliar circumstances, and this is where the animators had to create new performances for those characters. Through the icy warehouse, Dr. Lore comes to mind. Also, Foghorn was a special occasion because we had a cue on set from actor Joe Cobden wearing a big green suit. This gave us a great jumping off point
Switch it off and here’s this new version of Foghorn that we see in the movie.
BD: Given that this article will appear Animated ScoopThe site is owned by animation historian Jerry Beck, who is a Looney Tunes Expert, do you know of any of his books used by your team as a reference?
BA: I really know Jerry Beck. The crew got involved in the project, which meant not only watching a lot of cartoons, but also reading a lot about the history. Looney TunesAnd I’m sure Jerry’s books would be part of that collection.
BD: Let’s talk about Coyote’s demands in wilderness scenes with Roadrunner versus more static office or courtroom scenes where the pantomime is more subtle but no less emotional.
BA: Desert scenes in the opening fast food The chase was our chance to create a classic Wile E. vs. Road Runner cartoon. High action with accidents and accidents. This was our chance to recreate this classic world in CG and give it a modern update and twist, while keeping what the originals loved so much.
This sequence also sets the tone for the characters, so we took a lot of care to make Wile E. and the Road Runner feel as true to the classic as possible. During the desert scenes we were also able to rely more on the 2D reference of the cartoons. Because we were creating this environment, it also meant that we had a little more freedom to experiment with cameras and play with cartoon physics.
The order of the courtroom and the office could not have been more different. We’ve been putting Wile E. in situations we’ve never seen him in before. We had to figure out how to keep the emotion and the fun level up while Will E. He sat at the table for a long time. As Wile E. and the Road Runner do not speak, this meant that pantomime and posing became very important, as well as a limited number of cues. The animators really had to lean into the storytelling poses to make the expressions and emotions readable. In this way, Wile E.’s thought process and intent would be instantly clear to the audience. But, as you know, you can’t keep a genius for long, so there was always a wild roar coming for Will E.
BD: Talk about developing a flexible tone toolset and giving artists the control and ability to recreate the hand-drawn quality of the original cartoons.
BA: The animators had parameters they could use to ensure that Maya approximated the final line of our animation. Final line work was carried out by further departments in the production pipeline. Based on discussions with Alexander Seaman about line quality and line weight, we knew this would never be a one-size-fits-all solution for artists. Each shot will require individual attention. Even when we were holding a pose in the animation, the lines would gently blur, as if they were drawn over and over again.
A misplaced line or wrong line thickness can instantly change the appearance of characters. So each artist who produces the final lines pays close attention to the reference on the model sheets, and I’ll also have the option of doing some lines to help keep things on the model. By adding or removing lines. It was a very mechanical process and I think it comes out in the final look. Computers are very good at making things look perfect, so we took the time to make things look as handcrafted as possible.
BD: How about pulling off Coyote’s elaborate schemes with Acme gadgets?
BA: Wile E. had a lot of complicated schemes and traps that provided a huge pile of props in this movie. There were a lot of decisions to be made when considering whether the prop would be real or cartoon, but the bottom line will always be which one is more fun. Often, when a cartoon character interacted with a cartoon prop, the FX would be tonal effects, and vice versa: when Tony’s character interacted with the real world, we used real FX.
A good example of this would be planting a stick of dynamite in Will E.’s office. This causes a cartoon explosion that ends in a room filled with real smoke. This is also seen in a Rube Goldberg-style trap at the hotel. When Kevin (Will Forte) enters the room, he’s greeted by quite a few real-world props that land him in a motel swimming pool. In the courtroom metal detector sequence, Wile E continues to produce more and more props, culminating in a tonal explosion with real consequences.
BD: Let’s look back at what your big achievement was Coyote vs. AcmeAnd what do you think about the surreal journey the film took to release and how it became such a successful underdog story?
BA: The entire crew bought into the project from day one, and for many, working on these characters was a dream come true. So, naturally, we were gutted when we heard the news about the project being shelved. On the other hand, we were actually able to make a film that we were proud of and got great reviews from people who saw the final version.
However, just like Wile E., a little trouble wasn’t going to stop this movie. Thanks to the foundation of positivity all around Coyote vs. AcmE, finally saw the light of day after three years of waiting.
