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I spent yesterday touring the halls of DreamWorks Animation, and being shown some footage from their next film Monsters Vs. Aliens. We were shown some phenomenal footage and inside techniques that took my understanding of 3D and CG animation to a whole new level.

While walking through DreamWorks Animation I was witness to creativity splashed all over the walls of the studio. One of the most interesting parts of walking the studio is being able to see what the writers and animators use for their influences. For instance, images of scenic waterfalls and peaceful gardens were sprawled onto a cork-board for Kung Fu Panda. There were also some old Kung Fu movie posters on display. I saw some posters of old sci-fi/horror movies in the halls as well. Like I saw a Creature From The Black Lagoon poster, which would definitely be an inspiration for Will Arnett’s character The Missing Link. Finally, I saw a Lost Boys poster…but I have no idea what that may have inspired. Unless it had something very oddly in common with How to Train Your Dragon or Shrek Goes Fourth, two other DreamWorks titles in the works.

We were guided from presentation to presentation, one of which was lead by DreamWorks Animation CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg (He is the ‘K’ in DreamWorks SKG). Seriously though, how crazy is that? The guy was estimated to be worth $800 million by Forbes. That would be like me walking into Apple’s HQ and being given a hands on tour by Steve Jobs. Katzenberg is passionate though, and that is what successful men do…get hands on. He talked 3D to us and shed some light on his plans, which will be covered in a seperate post.

One of my favorite parts of touring DreamWorks, other than seeing the other concept art (that I wasn’t supposed to see), was the gift bag and cool photo opportunity I was given. What would a visit to a studio be without the free swag?

This is a small version of BOB, voiced by Seth Rogen

My very own Monsters Vs. Aliens 3D glasses

Yes, that’s me with The Missing Link. DreamWorks was nice enough to render me in with the character