All images copyright Warner Bros Pictures
Set in Antarctica, Happy Feet tells the story of Mumble, a tap-dancing Emperor Penguin who can't sing, in a society which finds soul mates through song.
A partnership between Kennedy Miller Mitchel and Animal Logic in Sydney, Happy Feet pioneered the use of motion capture technology, working with a team of dancers and choreographers to bring life to the film's many bravura musical and action set pieces.
Working with Director George Miller and Production Designer Mark Sexton (who also storyboarded the film) Nick lead the Character Design Team to refine each character's full range of facial motion and expression, allowing the use of closeups and dynamic lensing to create a story brimming with heart and humour that connected with audiences world wide.
Released in 2006, Happy Feet won the Academy Award for Best Animated Picture in 2007, the first non Pixar/Disney film to win the award since the era defining release of Toy Story in 1995.
In 2008 work began on the sequel Happy Feet Two.
With the crew of the newly formed Dr D Studios Nick served as Storyboard Artist and Story Lead, embedded within the Previz Team to visually craft and develop the movie through several iterations or "rapid Prototypes", a preproduction workflow that had been pioneered by George Lucas on the Star Wars Prequels.
With its eponymous Orangutan mascot character (designed by Nick) Dr D Studios proved short lived but attracted and housed an extraordinary staff and crew, notably Happy Feet Two's co-writer and co-director Gary Eck, with whom Nick has enjoyed a collaboration with over several projects since.
Below are a selection of production design and storyboards from both films.
Mumble, digital colour concept
The Amigos, style frame
The Elders, styleframe
Lovelace, style frame
Below: "Range of Motion" drawings for Happy Feet described the facial muscles and how they flexed, stretched and compressed across key facial expressions.
Below: Storyboard panels from Happy Feet Two
Below: Will and Bill Krill reach the "end of the World", or at least the Krill Swarm, the only home they've ever known.
Below: Concept sketches for the character "Dr D"... The brief at the time was for a wise character, ancient and childlike at the same time.
Alternate faces
The final sketch
The final image... Photo comped by the Art Dept
Below: Bonus Content!
At the end of my stint on Happy Feet Two Nick was asked to illustrate a young reader book Adventure to Adelieland, published by Random House to tie in with the release of the film.
The project was enormous fun and wonderful way to sign off from a memorable and personally significant stint on both Happy Feet films.
