As with many of their projects, VFX for Journey 2 was a global effort for Pixomondo. The company’s Los Angeles office served as the lead facility on the project and helped create much of the giant eel. Many of their artists had just wrapped work on Green Lantern so they already had a solid team of character animators in place. Especially talented at volumetric rendering and dynamic simulation, the Berlin office was well equipped to tackle the FX-heavy shots that involved underwater cliffs cleaving, clouds of silt dispersing in the water and lava oozing out of cracks. Pixomondo Burbank also contributed animation, while Shanghai and Beijing contributed roto and paint work. Communicating via cineSync and Skype, Hirota was able to remotely supervise and guide the various international teams as well as convey client feedback as needed.

Directed by Brad Peyton, Journey 2: The Mysterious Island follows teen Sean Anderson (Josh Hutcherson) as he partners with his new stepfather (Dwayne Johnson) on a mission to find his grandfather (Michael Caine), who is thought to be missing on a mythical island. Opening February 10, 2012, the film also stars Vanessa Hudgens and Luis Guzman.