The inner child within me has been screaming since I saw the ArtScience Museum staff unpacking boxes upon boxes of, wait for it, Astrid and Hiccup plushies. Yes! The DreamWorks Animation: The Exhibition from Australia is in town and in full force. Fans of Shrek, Kung Fu Panda, How to Train your Dragon, and, even, The Road to El Dorado (my favourite!) can now discover the magic that goes into bringing some of our beloved animation films to the big screen.
Curated by the Australian Centre for Moving Image in close collaboration with DreamWorks Animation (FB/YouTube), it will feature 31 films and more than 400 displays. It gives fans a comprehensive look at how a simple sketch gets the fairy godmother treatment into the movies we love to watch over and over again. It will include the creative house’s iconic works in the last 20 years, starting from Antz (1998) and the newest, Home (2015).
It will take visitors through the methodically arranged artful process, from Character, Story to World. Starting from Character, where, as the name suggests, allows us unprecedented access to DreamWorks ’archive of characters in their very initial sketches and 47 exquisitely carved maquettes. Deeper in, there will also be in-depth video interviews with production teams illustrating the meticulous thought process and details poured into each character. From the way their eyebrow moves to the slight wrinkle of the nose, DreamWorks veteran Doug Cooper says that it is all these tiny details that really bring forth the connection to the audience and making us fall in love with them.
More than just a plain old exhibition, it will have a range of interactive components to really get animators in the making into the whole creative process. There will be touchscreens ready for visitors to create their own image of Astrid, Tigeress and Po to the Story section where they can make their very own flip-book!
The World section is really the most exciting. Vivid, magical worlds – real or imagined – becomes our “reality” thanks to the beauty of DreamWorks’ expertise in visual effects. There, you will see the work of directors, production designers and concept artists’ step-by-step creation of the most spectacular scenes in their animations. Remember the scene where Sandman fights the Boogeyman in The Rise of the Guardians? A video describes the layers, upon layers of details that gave beauty to those ominous storm clouds (“real”) and the golden swirls of the sandman (“imagined”).
Looking at how much hard work was invested into each scene made me appreciate every second of the film even more! Before I rush home to re-watch my list of DreamWorks’ favourites (which will include The Road to El Dorado at least three times), there is still more to come in the exhibition.
The gallery will also house the exhibition’s biggest highlight, Dragon Flight: A Dragon’s-Eye View of Berk. Whether you are a fan of How to Train a Dragon, an animation-buff or a tag-along, I have no doubt that you are going to love this. On a 180-degree projection, you will be able to see Berk through the eyes of Hiccup as he takes seat on Toothless. Take a seat right in the middle and fall into the moment, trust me on this.
(Doug was most excited about this part of the exhibition, where visitors will be able to create their very own 2D animation using a programme brought over by DreamWorks. Here, he gives us a quick example on how the programme works with a bouncing ball.)
I always come out of a gallery feeling inspired, and DreamWorks knows that. They have installed a series of computers with a simplified version of their 2D animation programme at the end of the exhibition. This is for future animators or those just looking for a bit of fun to try their hand with their very own creation. Simple enough for the kids to play around, the adults can also take it further. The options are endless, and I am pretty sure I am going to catch some of you hogging the machines!
While you are not able to bring home your very own/first animation, you can sure end the day with some of the merchandises from DreamWorks. There will be plushies, cups, T-shirts and, most importantly, art books and works. I, myself, fell to temptation and bought home an original artwork of the waterfall scene from How to Train your Dragon 2 (prices range from S$25 to S$100++). Really, it does not matter whether you are DreamWorks’ die-hard fan or not, many of us have seen their movies and enjoyed it. It is a visual treat for all, regardless of age and interest.
Tickets to DreamWorks Animation: The Exhibition have started going on sale from 22 May. For more information, please visit the website.
About the Writer
Jessica is a young lady of many obsessions. She gets herself into everything ranging from the latest in the monochrome fashion world (she only wears black, and sometimes, white) to convincing the masses that Community is the best TV series ever made.
Currently, she enjoys looking like Sailor Mercury had a baby with Wednesday Addams.
