Unveiling the Hidden Secrets Behind George Clooney's Ill-Fated Disney Ride Movie: The Epic VFX Shot That Pushed Boundaries

Summary

VFX artist Todd Vaziri reveals that one shot in Disney's Tomorrowland was exceptionally difficult due to multiple complex elements all intersecting.

In the particular shot, a young Frank Walker can be seen soaring through the city using a jetpack. The shot incorporates actual photography, multiple cameras to capture reflections, computer-generated thrusters, and a completely computer-generated double.

Unfortunately, Tomorrowland did not do well commercially, despite its stunning visual effects. The movie's expensive production costs, mediocre storytelling, and perplexing marketing all played a part in its lack of success.

A VFX artist who worked on the Disney film Tomorrowland, starring George Clooney, shares the biggest challenge he faced during production. Tomorrowland, directed by Brad Bird and released in 2015, follows the story of aging inventor Frank Walker (Clooney) as he partners with a young woman to uncover the mysteries of a utopian city that exists only in their memories. Despite receiving mixed reviews and performing below expectations at the box office, one specific shot in the film proved to be exceptionally difficult for veteran ILM VFX artist Todd Vaziri. He discusses this during an episode of Corridor Crew's "VFX Artists React" series on YouTube.

The scene features a young Frank Walker soaring through the city with a jetpack attached to his back. Vaziri points out that the visual effects used in this scene are more intricate than meets the eye. Read his comment below:

"An intricately crafted shot with numerous elements that challenged us, especially in terms of layout and creating the environments."

The shot features the boy standing on a turntable, being moved by a grip, and simultaneously filmed with two cameras. One camera captures his reaction in his reflection. From a layout perspective, the image needs to be flipped and both camera movements and the boy's movements need to be matched. To create a cohesive visual, the boy needs to be projected into the reflection, with CG thrusters and objects added beneath him. The lower half of the boy, from the jeans down, is created using CG. Moreover, the boy is wearing a leather jacket, which needs to appear ruffled as he moves at high speeds, despite not naturally ruffling during the original filming.

Tomorrowland's Box Office Failure Explained

As he emerges and the city comes into view, your attention is immediately drawn to the breathtaking and awe-inspiring utopian setting of Tomorrowland. The subtle use of him walking towards the sun cleverly conceals the seamless transition to a completely digital representation of him. The play of light creates the perfect illusion, dividing reality from the virtual world.

With a budget of approximately $190 million, Tomorrowland was burdened with unrealistically high expectations for success. Despite earning around $209 million at the box office, the film failed to break even, disappointing both audiences and following in the footsteps of Disney's previously unsuccessful sci-fi movie, John Carter. The overspending on the budget itself can be partially attributed to Tomorrowland's failure, suggesting that a more reasonable budget in the range of $100 million would have been wiser in retrospect.

The critics and audience scores for Tomorrowland on Rotten Tomatoes both stand at 50%, indicating that only around half of both groups gave the film a positive review. Although the CGI and VFX are frequently praised as major strengths of the film, many reviewers find the storytelling and characters lacking. This demonstrates that impressive effects can only take a movie so far, and there needs to be a deeper element to truly captivate audiences.

Additionally, Tomorrowland falls short in its marketing efforts. The plot and overall concept of the movie were difficult to convey in short advertisements, leaving viewers unclear about what the movie was truly about. Despite these shortcomings, however, Disney's Tomorrowland boasts intriguing ideas, and certain VFX sequences remain impressive accomplishments.

Source: Corridor Crew/ YouTube