In recent years, the great movie remake train has been chugging along, turning some of our childhood favourites into live-action reimaginings that nobody asked for. Whether we like it or not, CGI has its place in modern filmmaking, but there's one thing film studios can't seem to get right – CGI creatures.
CGI character design can be a controversial topic, but that doesn't mean there aren't good examples around (take the Planet of the Apes franchise for instance). From Sonic to Stitch, it seems that audiences are getting increasingly fed up with live-action remakes featuring janky CGI character designs, but why are they so unpopular and what can we learn from the backlash?
Cast your mind back to 2019 and you may remember that controversial Sonic the Hedgehog design that proved so unpopular Paramount was forced to go back to the drawing board. After some major design tweaks (including scrapping his terrifyingly human teeth) fans were somewhat happy with the more cartoony new look.
But video game fanbases can be pretty scathing it seems, as the recent Minecraft movie trailer proved equally unpopular, with fans calling the infamous pink sheep design "ugly" and "terrifying". The fact is, transforming pixelated creatures into 'live-action' character designs was never going to be easy, but if we've learned anything from Sonic-gate, fans want playful CGI design over realism, not some tepid middle ground between the two.
Minecraft movie sheep waking up from surgery - W..where is Ugly Movie Sonic?Doctor - Who do you think gave you the teeth? pic.twitter.com/898DtIjnVjSeptember 7, 2024
It's not just game franchises that are getting a hard time. The recent Mufasa: The Lion King trailer received similar backlash with one critic claiming it was the "Most uninspired looking character designs of all time." It seems Disney can't catch a break after the recent trailer for Lilo and Stitch was criticised for its "dull" live-action Stitch design. Concept artist RJ Palmer took to X to demonstrate how small tweaks to the character design made a huge difference, with exaggerated features adding a well-needed dose of personality.
Maybe I'm alone here but I feel the Stitch design is not realistic enough to look good as a real animal and the proportions arent stylized enough to work well like the live action Sonic design. Made a quickie edit to demonstrate an idea. https://t.co/I0lKX8KiA1 pic.twitter.com/NjwuLXV8HKAugust 10, 2024
So why does CGI character design get such a bad rep? Video game-to-film adaptations aren't an easy transition but for most fans, live-action realism isn't the selling point, making dull CGI character design somewhat obsolete. Gone are the golden days of Disney's 2D animation, and for many reasons CGI can't fill the void. Whether it's the lack of expression or the half-baked cartoon-realism hybrid that often results in uncanny and underwhelming design, CGI live-action remakes seem to lack Disney's signature magic.
I'm not opposed to CGI creature design when it's used mindfully, but the best CGI movie moments are often the subtleties we don't notice. While we may be a little blinded by nostalgia, there's a deeper issue with film production prioritising VFX over practical effects, resulting in a sea of soulless CGI that adds little substance and even less style. It seems studios are caught between fun character design and 'realism' and until they can fully embrace either side, the result will continue to feel flat and uncanny.
