One of the most interesting parts of ILM work on Masters of the Universe is Beast Man.
Beast Man — Animation Instead of Relying on Mocap
ILM initially tested motion capture, but the results did not provide the character performance the team wanted. The character was deliberately more simian and expressive, so the team ultimately removed the mocap approach and had animators create the performance manually.
Skeletor
ILM and DNEG shared work on roughly 360 Skeletor shots, maintaining a consistent digital skull, facial deformation and performance across vendors.
He-Man Transformation
The transformation sequence is almost entirely digital. ILM created the digital character with detailed anatomical modeling including bones, muscles, tendons, fat depth, skin thickness and veins, before adding creature simulations and grooming.
A Very Interesting VFX Philosophy
Director Travis Knight storyboarded the movie at roughly every six frames, giving the VFX team a strong sense of timing, cadence and performance before production.
Why It Matters
The production shows how hand-keyed animation, digital-character work and detailed visual planning can work together on a large-scale live-action VFX project.
Sources
Industrial Light & Magic — Speaking the Same Language: ILM on Masters of the Universe
