True Synergy: The Oscar-winning short, The ChubbChubbs! (left), by Sony Imageworks serves as inspiration for a feature at Sony Animation. They would hope to do the same with its newest short, Early Bloomer (right). © 2002 Sony Pictures Imageworks Inc. All rights reserved.

In discussing 3D characters and environments at Sony, Rabins explained, “We have a belief here that each director should have their own unique style. What you’re going to find on a Sony animation is that no two pictures look or feel alike — whether it’s how the characters are portrayed or what the style and visual look of the film is. And we’re encouraging our directors to take their unique talents and styles and put that on the canvas making a 3D film — to find their inspiration either from existing illustrators or painters or artisans or to create something that they have in their head of what they’d like to see.”

The challenge for Sony Animation is to create an Astro Boy feature that appeals to fans of the classic TV show and to a new generation.

In acknowledging that 2D visual styles are being carried over into the 3D world (which is happening throughout the industry, including at Disney, DreamWorks and Pixar), Rabins added that “Open Season is going to have more squash-and-stretch animation than we’ve seen or at least than Penny and I have been affiliated with in our projects. We are trying to do some unique things in R&D to bring some of those 2D [visual] skills to our characters and, stylistically, Open Season… using the inspiration of 2D to create that look in 3D. Other projects aren’t as far along visually right now because most of our projects, to tell you the truth, are in the story phase. So we haven’t done a huge amount of experimentation visually with them.

The Brizzi twins [Paul and Gaetan] are directing Cloudy and bring their very European look to their project [surreal, precise and fluid with lots of chiaroscuro and linear movement].”

With Astro Boy, inspired by the legendary Japanese TV series, directed by Eric Leighton (Dinosaur), the challenge is to depict a future world that is fresh and inspired and draws from the past, keeping the design of the beloved character recognizable but adaptable to the creative demands of 3D. “It’s about coming up with a story that translates into a feature that would be equally compelling for our audience and the Japanese,” offered Finkelman Cox. “Visually it looks very much different from the world that’s been created in the 2D cartoons. Even Astro Boy will resemble but won’t be the same character that you’ve seen in Japanese anime.”

Bill Desowitz is the editor of VFXWorld.