Motion Theory (MTh) directorial team Akama recently created a short animated trailer for the upcoming platform game Rayman Legends. From design and modeling to effects and animation, Akama's Alexandre Ada and Cedric Jeanne handled everything on the project.
After discussing concepts with Rayman game designer Michel Ancel, Akama created a storyboard and an animatic to guide production. Given the depth of the game, it was a challenge to select which aspects to highlight. Ultimately, the trailer serves as an introduction to Barbara, a new battle-axe wielding character that is outfitted in a Viking-inspired getup and sports long tresses as fiery as her personality.
"Barbara is never afraid, can endure tough situations and is a scrappy fighter. We had to make sure all that was conveyed within a short amount of time, while also featuring interesting game environments and a few enemies," explained Alexandre Ada, Akama. "We also wanted to match the visual tone of the game, making everything bright and colorful."
Using hundreds of drawings, pictures and matte paintings of Rayman Legends as reference, Akama was also inspired by work from various animated films and images by different artists. Leveraging a deep creative technology background, the pair completed the roughly :60 trailer in only two months.