How Minecraft Movie's Weta VFX Team Revolutionized Blocky Worlds for the Big Screen

The challenge for the filmmakers of “Minecraft: The Movie” lay in replicating the distinctive block-like style of the game and integrating it seamlessly with real-life scenes. This was no small feat, yet the movie has resonated well with fans, boasting impressive box office numbers due to its upbeat vibe and lighthearted approach. To boost its appeal, Jack Black and Jason Momoa were brought in to lend their star power, while Weta Digital was enlisted to bring the numerous digital characters to life for the film.

Game Rant recently had a conversation with Sheldon Stopsack, VFX supervisor at Weta, and Kevin Estey, animation supervisor, who were instrumental in recreating Minecraft’s distinctive style for the movie version. For your convenience, this discussion has been condensed and clarified.

Weta’s Learning Journey Explained

Q: What was the learning experience like for your team when you started the project?

Estey: The learning experience for both of us was immense since we weren’t avid Minecraft enthusiasts initially. I did begin playing it alongside my 14-year-old son, who was only 12 when I started. He guided me and helped me understand more about the game. However, throughout production, Sheldon often emphasized that neither of us were the most knowledgeable in the room. We had to pay heed to the fans, both within our team and beyond. Additionally, we received constant input from Mojang, Microsoft, and others who ensured we stayed within certain parameters while still allowing for creative freedom to create a new perspective on this world.

Initially, we had some guidelines to follow, and at times, it felt like our creativity was stretching its limits. However, these rules were essential for us to learn from, making the entire process both enjoyable and educational. We embarked on this journey with preconceived ideas of certain characters, such as the piglins. These characters were intended to be diverse, filling out The Nether. As we progressed, some new characters emerged to meet specific needs. Yet, we started with a good understanding that there would be various types of piglins, including around 11 distinct ones excluding Malgosha, to ensure each one had its unique identity and didn’t resemble identical copies.

Each creature was distinctly named, which greatly contributed to their unique personalities. There were three main categories based on size: the squealers (small), the grunts (medium-sized), and the brutes (large). We differentiated them by giving them names such as Snowball or Snortilla. Of course, we had various other creatures like zombies, skeletons, spiders, bees, sheep, and cows too.

How Malgosha’s Design Was Conceived

Could you explain the steps involved in creating the unique character, Malgosha, who serves as the antagonist in our film?

Estey: It was clear that designing Malgosha would be one of our toughest tasks due to her uniqueness. We anticipated that she would receive a significant amount of focus in the design process. A variety of resources from various Minecraft franchises, both game-related and animated side stories, were provided to us. I recall an image of a character resembling Malgosha, which was part of a storyline within the Minecraft universe. The concept for her originated with this image.

Malgosha and Dennis were both difficult to handle, being crucial characters in our story. We understood his origins, but it was essential for him to engage with human-like characters in a deeply emotional manner, which is unusual for most digital characters. In other words, we were aware of this challenge from the start. Additionally, we had to learn various aspects during the creation process, such as deciding what objects would float, stick, or fall, ensuring that we don’t place dirt on the side of wood without anything beneath it – details like these.

As we progressed with the filmmaking, unexpected elements surfaced and were incorporated into the movie. For instance, I’m not sure when it was mentioned, but I believe someone from Mojang stated that skeletons’ bows can occasionally glow purple. Although it’s uncommon, our director Jared found this appearance appealing, so the bows would suddenly start glowing purple whenever they did in the game. As long as such an effect exists within the game, we could utilize it as a visual element. Such instances were among many lessons we encountered during production.

Q: How did you balance the kind of blocky, iconic style of Minecraft with the need for realism?

Estey: Essentially, Minecraft’s unique aesthetic originates from its block-based structure, even though characters in the game may appear low resolution. This ‘blocky’ appearance is an integral part of the game. For instance, there was a design for a creeper, either created by a fan or Mojang and Microsoft, that showcased a cross-section revealing a square rib cage, skull, and the ticking time bomb. It gave off a sense of square-shaped skeletal structure. To ensure these blocky characters coexist harmoniously with live-action, non-stylized human characters, we needed to match their visual style and realism level with that of human characters.

One notable villain in the popular game “Minecraft”, the piglins, were designed with a high level of realism, particularly in their skin texture. We scrutinized every detail, from the pores and sweat to the dirt and flaky skin. Every aspect was studied meticulously! This level of realism really brought them to life, and Jared found the concept intriguing beyond just giving them a flesh-like exterior. He wanted to make them more than that, creating a contrast between their rigid, geometric appearance and a rather unrefined, gruesome exterior. This philosophy was also applied to other characters in the game.

Designing and Animating The Nether

A: Could you elaborate on the methodology behind creating and bringing to life The Nether, focusing on how you managed to convey its powerful ambiance?

As a movie buff immersed in the world of virtual gaming, I’d say: The Nether stands as the polar opposite of the Overworld. The Overworld is a radiant, sun-kissed realm, while the Nether is a gloomy, tumultuous landscape, scorching hot and shrouded in steam. With our rich history of crafting dungeons and delving into darker themes at Weta, it was an area we were well-equipped to tackle. In terms of design, there were some fundamental guidelines to adhere to. The lava waterfalls, towering pinnacles, and pillars that surrounded the space provided us with a foundation for creating modular structures to build out the depth of the background.

The main point of interest was Malgosha’s Throne Room, serving as the central element around which everything else revolved. There was an emphasis on exploring and manipulating the blockiness of certain elements, even though they might not be naturally blocky in reality. This created a unique blend of styles. For instance, we tested thousands of blocks to simulate lava waterfalls, but represented them as liquid forms instead. Unfortunately, this resulted in a very pixelated, highly stylized appearance. As a result, the lava resembled actual lava, but it flowed over squared structures, maintaining that underlying rigid structure, much like the creatures. These creatures primarily had square-shaped bones and soft flesh on top. The process was one of constant experimentation, involving numerous trials of various ideas.

In a higher definition interpretation, it’s common to suggest that our guidance for the game is clear and reliable. However, the picture we have is quite blurry and ambiguous. There’s a lot of missing details that need to be filled in, whether it’s through direct implementation or experimentation. Therefore, we always strive to present all available information to ensure the best course of action, rather than assuming we already know what’s best. When it came to animating in the Nether, our focus was primarily on understanding Piglin behavior, which we collaborated on with Jared.

As a cinephile, I found the concept of this group reminiscent of the Three Stooges, yet they were far from just three. Instead, they seemed like mindless drones, primarily driven by their insatiable desire for gold. They’d go to any length, even pushing fellow piglins off edges to get to the treasure. During pre-production, we experimented with various actors, including Jared, enacting Three Stooges-style antics, which he adored. This provided a foundation for their characteristics. We then combined this with the 11 distinct piglin types and personalities to create diverse vignettes that would ultimately populate The Nether.

In our initial decision, Sheldon and I decided to determine how extensively we could complete the task, as there were no guidelines regarding the number of Piglins in the Nether. With our skilled motion editors and a dedicated crowd department, we began filling out the mid-background, deep background, and even extra deep areas. This process added more and more liveliness as we went deeper. I believe the shot with the highest character count was found in the Nether, containing nearly 2500 Piglins within a single frame, although not all are easily visible. This adds an element of life to the scene.

How Weta Brought Minecraft’s World to Life

A: Was any special visual effect technique or innovation particularly created for a Minecraft film unique to it?

Stopsack: Clearly, the Minecraft universe has its own distinctive look. To strike the perfect balance between this and incorporating live-action elements with real actors, we needed to carefully plan how to construct this world. This was a creative hurdle, but it also presented technical challenges, which is where our innovative approaches and methodologies came into play. Our model team, along with the layout team and pre-production group, collaborated early on to brainstorm ways of essentially creating the world using blocks, similar to how we would in the game.

From the beginning, we shared a common perspective, viewing our task as something akin to a game, with a goal to pay tribute to it. As a result, we developed a device we refer to as the Blocks Tool. This tool employed a semi-procedural method for constructing extensive assets for landscapes, terrains, and more, similar to what one would do in a game, although our requirements had minor variations. The functionality here is to break down complex shapes like cliffs or mountains into simpler input geometry. The Blocks Tool then voxelized this input geometry, producing a point cloud from it. At this point cloud, we could insert various material blocks, thereby creating a blocky representation of the original asset.

Initially, I used the term “semi-procedural” as it immediately sets a distinctive visual style. However, we felt it lacked depth. To address this, we incorporated various controls within it, allowing us to manage different block sizes and scales. We soon discovered that adhering strictly to the game’s rules (maintaining a 1-meter-by-1-meter block size) made larger structures like mountains virtually invisible due to their sub-pixel nature. You wouldn’t even recognize them as blocks anymore. Consequently, we felt compelled to develop innovative controls to strike an appropriate balance and ensure the tool could help us find suitable scales for our designs.

In this project, we discovered that traditional painting techniques wouldn’t suffice; instead, everything had to be constructed as a physical asset. We couldn’t rely on matte paintings or background treatments. It was a substantial task, but having the right tools made it manageable. The pre-production team excelled in this area, enabling us to develop and brainstorm ideas swiftly. Our aim was to establish an aesthetic that would complement both the audience and the live-action elements of the film.

How A Minecraft Movie Tackles The Balance Between The Overworld and The Nether

Regarding the blend of real-life and digital elements, could you estimate approximately how much of the Overworld scene was entirely computer-generated?

The blend of real-life and digital effects in the production is truly commendable. Both the set design and production design have excelled significantly. Upon our initial visit to the set, we were struck by the grandeur of elements such as large trees and tree trunks, which were quite extensive yet adaptable according to different scenes or sequences. At times, there was a more substantial physical set with practical tools present, while at others, there was a greater reliance on digital effects.

The final battle stood out as particularly straightforward to identify due to its rather simplistic design, featuring primarily flat ground, charred tree stumps, and minimal additional decorations. However, I must add that it required an extensive use of CGI to enhance the visual experience. To be honest, every set incorporated green screens to some extent. Our goal was to craft a captivating world for our audience, ensuring its authenticity and beauty.

A: To what extent did you collaborate with Mojang during the development? Was there frequent communication to ensure accuracy regarding the game’s storyline and lore?

Mojang’s Presence Throughout: Mojang was ever-present and truly remarkable. They were extremely open, helpful with their insights, and eager to share their expertise. The Minecraft universe is unique and vast, filled with knowledge that can easily lead one astray. As we embarked on this journey without being Minecraft experts ourselves, my daughter might even surpass us in that regard, I found it incredibly invigorating during the movie-making process that there were numerous individuals surrounding us who possessed a wealth of knowledge. In essence, we were no longer the know-it-alls as we were surrounded by teams who knew more than us.

Among our team members, one individual, a gifted artist specializing in 3D models, showed a deep passion for Minecraft. This expertise proved invaluable as he corrected us when we suggested ideas that weren’t accurate within the game. In essence, he acted as a guide, ensuring our work stayed true to the Minecraft universe. The on-site Minecraft community and Mojang, the developers of Minecraft, were instrumental in providing us with guidance, resources, and style guides to help create our world. However, we did exercise some creative freedom while adhering to Mojang’s comfort level with our work.

It seems that Mojang was particularly attuned to their fans during the movie’s creation, as the work appeared to respond to fan desires at certain points. This is unusual because, generally speaking, when working in this field, sticking to your convictions and doing what you trust is expected. However, it appears that there was a greater degree of sensitivity in this case, possibly due to its gaming nature.

In this new approach, there was an increased focus on understanding and catering to the fans’ preferences and thoughts. Previously, we may have been more set in our traditional ways, but this time around, it felt invigorating to see such a successful application of fan-centric strategies. After all, everything revolves around the fans, so being involved in this innovative process was truly rewarding.

Weta on Proudest Achievement Throughout the Project

Question: What is the one aspect of this project that you are most proud of, given all the effort put into it and the movie’s already impressive success? Why do you feel this way?

Estey: Personally, I found this project extremely enjoyable and fulfilling creatively. Fun is essential in A Minecraft Movie, so we aimed to make it even more entertaining by adding humor, being playful, and embracing silliness. After all, Jared is a director who appreciates fun, and he wanted this project to reflect that. We infused our work with as much whimsy and absurdity as possible in the animation, character creation, behaviors, and more. We also aimed to convey the silliness of the project to the animators, letting them know that we’re making pandas dance the running man!

Keeping the project’s purpose in mind – which serves as our direction and moral compass – ensures that our passion for it remains genuine. This passion is evident when we consider the audience reactions, especially those in the theater. I’m not referring to excessive actions, but rather a shared understanding of the movie’s essence. The film seems to embody everything we aspired it to be: light-hearted, enjoyable – precisely what movies like this ought to deliver.

Stopsack: I find myself nodding in agreement with many of Kevin’s points. While there are numerous other aspects that might stand out, what resonates is the playful and unusual nature of this project. This wasn’t something we encounter daily in our usual work routines. Instead, it was an exciting deviation from the norm. I believe we should all take pride in our collective effort, understanding that this was a unique and exceptional venture. It was challenging, I must admit, but with the shared determination to embrace it fully from start to finish, we made it happen.

Additionally, I’d like to mention one more point: This project was incredibly difficult because there were no pre-existing solutions or guides on how things should appear or behave in the film. Essentially, every element had to be creatively imagined and developed. I’m incredibly proud of our team for tackling this challenge from start to finish while maintaining a fun, collaborative environment. And let me tell you, we had an absolutely fantastic team!

[END]

2025-04-28 13:47

How Minecraft Movie’s Weta VFX Team Revolutionized Blocky Worlds for the Big Screen