Production Companies Fox 2000 Pictures, Davis Entertainment, Dune Entertainment, Ingenious Film Partners, Major Studio Partners, Mid Atlantic Films, Twentieth Century-Fox Film Corporation
Saphira’s design evolved as we discovered the character through the color of her wings, the size of her head, and the length of her neck. We see her emerge from the egg as being ten-inches tall. By the end of the film, she stands fifteen feet, with a wing span of 20-30 feet, length of 32 feet – and weighing about four tons.”
After many renderings and tests, the visual effects artists gave Saphira a slim, graceful look, adhering to the character’s feminine and regal qualities. “She moves and walks like a lion, with front legs almost equal in length to her back legs,” says McIntosh, who notes that he and the ILM animators spent time studying lion movement.
The design of Saphira’s wings evolved into that resembling eagle wings. But instead of the more classic look of feathers, Saphira’s wings are a combination of scales and feathers, which the ILM team dubbed “scethers.”
Saphira begins life as a hatchling, which the filmmakers endeavored to make as endearing as possible. To that end, Hoon and his team studied wildebeest cubs, lion cubs, and wolf cubs.
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