Dream Quest Images, the feature film visual effects division of The Walt
Disney Company, has wrapped production on more than 300 visual effects
shots for INSPECTOR GADGET, Walt Disney Pictures' live-action version of
the '80s Saturday morning cartoon. The film follows the escapades of
Inspector Gadget, the bumbling bionic detective, played by Matthew
Broderick and his nemesis, the villainous Claw, played by Rupert Everett.
The film is directed by David Kellogg and produced by Jordan Kerner, Roger
Birnbaum and Andy Heyward. Dream Quest Images produced the CG deployment of
Gadget's many physical extensions. To bring the bionic extensions to life,
visual effects supervisor, Richard Hoover, and a team of digital artists at
Dream Quest Images recreated Stan Winston's designs as computer generated
imagery (CGI) and animated the moving parts, such as the Gadgetcopter
blades, the rocket launcher on Gadget's hat and his 14-foot-long leg
extensions. Dream Quest's Art Department also designed Gadget's finger
accessories and streetwise dashboard CG character and customized Gadget's
Stan Winston-designed leg extensions for use on the Gadgetmobile. Dream
Quest Images used Alias|Wavefront Maya Cloth to recreate and extend
Gadget's clothing as his 3D leg extensions rocket him skyward. These shots
were created by placing Matthew Broderick on 3-foot painter's stilts and
having him run on a treadmill against greenscreen while suspended from
wires. After tracking his movements, digital legs were tracked and animated
and parts of Broderick's body were manipulated on the live-action plate to
exaggerate his body language. Dream Quest Images is currently in production
on several major motion pictures, including BICENTENNIAL MAN, MISSION TO
MARS, SHANGHAI NOON and GONE IN 60 SECONDS. Dream Quest has among its
feature film credits the Academy Award-nominated films ARMAGEDDON and
MIGHTY JOE YOUNG.