In Disney’s animated film “Ron’s Gone Wrong,” tech CEO Marc Weidell (Justice Smith) unveils his newest invention, the B*Bot, a revolutionary robot designed to become a child’s best friend by learning their interests through social media. What could possibly go wrong?
London-based Locksmith Animation teamed with Double Negative (Dneg) to build the machines at the center of the movie. With a pill-shaped body, two simple arms, hands and two wheels that served as legs, the B*Bots started to come together.
“The B*Bots were inspired by the iPhone revolution where all the functions appeared on a screen versus a more or less sophisticated hardware,” VFX supervisor Philippe Denis tells Variety. “The shape design was simple but the functionality unlimited.”
Building the titular, malfunctioning Ron — while visually simpler — was far more elaborate than the other machines. While he couldn’t download skins, Denis explains that the team...
London-based Locksmith Animation teamed with Double Negative (Dneg) to build the machines at the center of the movie. With a pill-shaped body, two simple arms, hands and two wheels that served as legs, the B*Bots started to come together.
“The B*Bots were inspired by the iPhone revolution where all the functions appeared on a screen versus a more or less sophisticated hardware,” VFX supervisor Philippe Denis tells Variety. “The shape design was simple but the functionality unlimited.”
Building the titular, malfunctioning Ron — while visually simpler — was far more elaborate than the other machines. While he couldn’t download skins, Denis explains that the team...
- 12/21/2021
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
In “Ron’s Gone Wrong,” the first animated feature by UK-based Locksmith Animation (in theaters only from Disney/20th Century Studios), the titular malfunctioning robot (voiced by Zach Galifianakis) and socially awkward middle-schooler Barney (voiced by Jack Dylan Grazer) struggle to understand the difference between interpersonal and virtual friendship. Thus, for director Sarah Smith (Aardman’s “Arthur Christmas”) and screenwriter Peter Baynham (the “Borat” movies and “Arthur Christmas”), this high-tech, boy-and-his-dog coming-of-age story was an opportunity to explore the impact of social media on children.
“It is very much about the process to curate yourself and put some image of yourself out there,” said Smith, who was inspired by “E.T.” and “How to Train Your Dragon,” among others. “Like many kids who feel inadequate, they’re the ones that haven’t actually really cracked friendship. And the joy of Ron is that he is a complete tabula rasa, who’s only...
“It is very much about the process to curate yourself and put some image of yourself out there,” said Smith, who was inspired by “E.T.” and “How to Train Your Dragon,” among others. “Like many kids who feel inadequate, they’re the ones that haven’t actually really cracked friendship. And the joy of Ron is that he is a complete tabula rasa, who’s only...
- 10/25/2021
- by Bill Desowitz
- Indiewire
Exclusive: Tenet and Dune VFX firm Dneg has promoted Tom Jacomb to President, Dneg Animation.
Previously serving as Managing Director, Jacomb helped launch the Feature Animation division at Dneg in 2014. Based in London, he has guided the growth of the team to more than 500 employees across Dneg’s animation studios in London, Los Angeles, Montréal and Mumbai.
In his new role as President, Jacomb will oversee further worldwide investment and expansion of Dneg Animation, including expansion into Vancouver and the creation of up to 100 new animation roles in the city.
Jacomb’s promotion to President is effective concurrently with the appointment of five new members of Dneg Animation’s team and the studio’s expanding slate of new feature film and episodic animation productions.
The five hires comprise: Freddy Chaleur (Sherlock Gnomes) and Yancy Lindquist (The Boss Baby) joining Dneg Animation’s team of VFX Supervisors, which includes Philippe Denis,...
Previously serving as Managing Director, Jacomb helped launch the Feature Animation division at Dneg in 2014. Based in London, he has guided the growth of the team to more than 500 employees across Dneg’s animation studios in London, Los Angeles, Montréal and Mumbai.
In his new role as President, Jacomb will oversee further worldwide investment and expansion of Dneg Animation, including expansion into Vancouver and the creation of up to 100 new animation roles in the city.
Jacomb’s promotion to President is effective concurrently with the appointment of five new members of Dneg Animation’s team and the studio’s expanding slate of new feature film and episodic animation productions.
The five hires comprise: Freddy Chaleur (Sherlock Gnomes) and Yancy Lindquist (The Boss Baby) joining Dneg Animation’s team of VFX Supervisors, which includes Philippe Denis,...
- 8/31/2021
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Annecy, France — Five years ago Sarah Smith and Julie Lockhart founded Locksmith Animation. Smith was coming off her feature directorial debut on Aardman Animations’ “Arthur Christmas.” Lockhart was a long-time Aardman producer whose credits include Oscar-nominated fare such as “Shaun the Sheep” and “The Pirates! Band of Misfits.”
Oh Thursday afternoon the two now-studio heads, along with an impressive roster of their in-house talent, held their first official Annecy presentation: Locksmith Animation: A New Studio Finds Its Voice.
“We’ve kept a low profile,” said Smith. “As a new company we are aware how long it takes to have anything to show, and next year will be our first work in progress for our first film.”
Although this was the studio’s first official presentation at Annecy, Lock and Smith have attended the festival in the past. In fact, Smith has used the festival as a hunting ground for talent.
Oh Thursday afternoon the two now-studio heads, along with an impressive roster of their in-house talent, held their first official Annecy presentation: Locksmith Animation: A New Studio Finds Its Voice.
“We’ve kept a low profile,” said Smith. “As a new company we are aware how long it takes to have anything to show, and next year will be our first work in progress for our first film.”
Although this was the studio’s first official presentation at Annecy, Lock and Smith have attended the festival in the past. In fact, Smith has used the festival as a hunting ground for talent.
- 6/15/2019
- by Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
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