Cinema and technology go hand in hand. As special effects and computer graphics became more advanced, film embraced evolving VFX and utilized their storytelling potential. While things like wall-to-wall CGI are now commonplace in movies, some filmmakers are particularly eager to blend traditional narrative and tech experimentation. Robert Zemeckis' career is one such example. The Oscar winner behind Forrest Gump has spent decades pushing for grander innovation in the world of movie effects, from the blend of animation and live-action in Who Framed Roger Rabbit to the multiple Michael J Foxes in Back to the Future Part II to the most insane tracking shot in history in Contact.
In the mid-2000s, he became particularly fascinated with motion-capture animation, creating entirely animated worlds with real actors performing in unexpected guises. He was so committed to this new medium that he established a production company, ImageMovers Digital, to create mo-cap movies. It started out well enough, with The Polar Express and Beowulf, which featured big-name actors in fantastical settings that would have been unfeasible or too costly in live-action. For Zemeckis, it was a freeing experience that gave him, a legendary perfectionist, even more control over every aspect of the film. He saw it as the future of the medium. But it only took one mega-flop to off the entire trend.
