MUMBAI: Visual Computing Labs (VCL), a division of Tata Elxsi and a leading player in the animation and visual effects space, has associated with Walt Disney Pictures and UTV Motion Pictures’ animation film Arjun – The Warrior Prince, scheduled to release on 25 May.
VCL created all visual aspects of the film and provided all facets of animation production. It leveraged cutting-edge technologies to enhance the complete look and feel of the animated film. The project was completed in the time frame of 14 months with 70-80 artistes working on the creative as well as technical aspects.
VCL COO S Nagarajan said, “We are proud to be associated with UTV Motion Pictures for this very special and interesting project. This project has given us another opportunity to showcase our expertise in the VFX and animation space to a much wider range of audiences in India and globally. We are confident that we have been able to produce content that will provide viewers a world-class experience that matches international standards.”
The animated mythological action film is the untold story of Arjun, hero of the Mahabharata. A precocious talent plunged from boyhood and innocence into a murky world of deceit and betrayal, coming of age to become the most powerful warrior of his time. Spanning the dusty plains of Hastinapur to the icy peaks of the Himalayas, Arjun – The Warrior Prince is the story of a man discovering what it takes to be a hero.
Talking about the release of Arjun-The Warrior Prince, VCL, creative director Pankaj Khandpur said, “As the movie is about Arjun coming of age as the warrior prince, a lot of our effort went into conceptualising and planning around each frame and character. I am sure this movie would appeal to a wider audience, who would be able to relate to the story and characters.”
The film required the use of large-scale sets, massive backdrops and close to 20 primary and around 100 secondary characters keeping in mind its ambitious nature and look. VCL used software such as Maya, Renderman, Massive (for crowd multiplication) and fume effects (for fire sequences) to achieve the desired result.
Shots of real actors engaged in a sequence depicting war, fighting and racing were taken as referrals and replicated in animated versions to get a real-life look and feel to the scenes. In addition, each frame was also executed with attention to detail, to showcase the location and surrounding.
