Special Effects – Animation Exceeding Reality

Animation was a very complex art form at it’s origin, and it has come a long way since then. Thanks to constant technological advancements, animation continues to evolve. Each generation seems to hold something new and endearing for the next. The question some would stop to ask is, “What are the boundaries in animation?” We don’t know the answer, because we simply continue to find ways to extend those boundaries.

The Avatar Effect

For decades, we’ve seen new special effects and 3D animation revolutionize cinema again and again. These incredible advancements have created a fascinating new realm of storytelling. We are witnessing world building in films at a previously-unimagined scale. Several hugely successful movies in the last ten years, such as James Cameron’s Avatar, utilized available technology to its fullest. These movies brought viewers into a completely different reality, paving the way for others to follow.

It’s no coincidence that Avatar was released in 2009, and now nine of the top ten films on the highest grossing films of all time list utilize–some more than others–advanced animation techniques such as motion capture.

Raising the Bar

Animation allowed the Marvel Cinematic Universe to create whole new worlds, and surpass what any prior films had accomplished. In fact, the MCU has, perhaps, set the highest bar possible when it comes to expectations in animation and special effects. The MCU is so immersive that we become captivated by each new world we see, as well as each world’s inhabitants. Here below is a special look at the behind the scenes making of Avengers: Infinity War.

Increasingly immersive animation like this has us losing sight of the fine line between animation and reality in modern day cinematography. This is true in games as well–but that’s a completely different conversation.