ALEX LAURANT

A solid argument could be made that I did not in fact work on the 2016 Steven Spielberg film adaptation of the classic 1982 Roald Dahl book, but I will beg your indulgence as I make the claim that - in a way - I did. In actual fact, I worked on an earlier treatment for this film, in 1999 - in one of the property's many attempted rounds at development over many years, this one by the same key people (Spielberg and Kathleen Kennedy, among others) who ultimately succeeded in 2016. I created the sketches and artwork below as part of an effort by ILM to help get the film green-lit - and to win the bid for its ambitious VFX and animation work.

 

Working with veteran VFX Supervisor Eric Brevig and the illustrator Ian McCaig I based the designs on Dahl's vivid descriptions in the book, inspired as well by the original book's quirky line illustrations by Quentin Blake. Another important visual component was the likeness of Robin Williams, who was to provide the voice of the titular giant. (The other thuggish giants were to be voiced by members of Monty Python's Flying Circus). It was our challenge to imbue the BFG's face with just enough of Williams' features and expression that his personality would unmistakably come through, while not overtaking the character with too exact a likeness.

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It was finally decided that the film would not be produced at that time, because the capture and animation techniques were not mature enough to meet the team's complexity and quality aspirations. When the film was finally made more than 15 years later, the state of the technology - and artistry - was definitely ready.

 

I was pleased that the spirit of my drawings - and some of the particulars - have made it into the new version, albeit with Williams' likeness now updated with that of the actor Mark Rylance.