THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND

On The Mysterious Island, Lightfarm® animated specific shots that are part of the film’s extended trailer, focusing on character acting. Each performance was built through gestures, posture and facial expressions, so that every refugee in the story could be understood by how they stand, move and look at the person beside them. Shyness, fragility and energy needed to be visible on screen, helping the audience know who each character is before a single line is spoken.

Lighting and the construction of the ocean shaped the atmosphere of the sequences we developed. Light gives the characters presence and carries emotion in the quieter moments, while the sea was designed to match the look and movement of the film’s world. Among the scenes we delivered are a group of characters lit in the dark, the instant when one of them realizes another was left behind, and the closing shot in the balloon.

The film is inspired by Jules Verne’s classic novel, reimagined with updated characters, ethnicities and family relationships. Set in a near future shaped by climate catastrophe, it follows a group of refugees escaping a camp, crash-landing on a remote island while the people hunting them close in. Because the story deals with people fleeing a place of violence, every choice had to protect its seriousness. The characters are expressive, yet the animation never lets the tone drift toward the light or the playful. That balance between emotion and restraint guided our team through the animation, lighting and visual finishing of each shot.

The Mysterious Island is produced by Studio Kimchi, Boipeba Filmes and COLA Animation, directed by Bruno Simões, and counts on Carlos Saldanha among its producers. The director of Ice Age and Rio, and a two-time Academy Award nominee, Saldanha brings decades of animation experience to the project. The film is currently in development, supported by the Ibermedia Next development programme.

We are proud to contribute to a project that expands what animated cinema from Latin America and Europe can look like, and grateful to Studio Kimchi, Boipeba Filmes and COLA Animation for trusting our team with such important scenes.