Nov 14, 2019

How does "Klaus" draw on centuries-old artistic principles to advance 2D animation

When Cartoon Brew premiered the first teaser for Klaus back in 2015, we had to clarify that it was hand-drawn. Confusion was forgivable: the characters had the volume, the polished sheen, normally associated with cgi.

Almost five years later, the film's visual style is still striking, for two contrasting reasons. Firstly, the very fact that it's a work of 2d animation - backed by a major U.S. company (Netflix) - sets it apart in an age of 3d dominance. Yet this is no ordinary hand-drawn animation: Klaus deploys cutting-edge lighting and texturing tools to redefine the look of the medium.

This approach is in keeping with director Sergio Pablos's stated ambition: “I'm not trying to bring traditional animation back, I'm trying to bring it forward.” Well known as the co-creator of the Despicable Me franchise, Pablos cut his teeth as a Disney animator in the studio's 1990s heyday. As the U.S.'s 2d animation industry collapsed, he returned to his native Spain, where he founded SPA Studios and set about trying to update the medium for a new generation. The result is Klaus.

Now that the film is out theatrically (and launching on Netflix tomorrow), much is being made of its visuals - but little has been said about how they were actually achieved. So Cartoon Brew decided to put some questions to Szymon Biernacki and Marcin Jakubowski, the film's production designers, as well as Anaël Seghezzi, who helped develop the lighting and texturing tools at his company Les Films Du Poisson Rouge, in Angoulême, France.

Below, the trio walk us through key stages in the making of the film. They speak about the challenges of producing a major 2d feature today, and shed light on their approach to lighting - which, when you strip away the snazzy technology, is essentially what artists have been doing for centuries. Their comments are taken from longer answers sent by email.

“Klaus” launches Friday, November 15, worldwide on Netflix.