BTS Clip Examines the Origin of Shang-Chi’s Morris
In a video released on Wednesday, September 22nd, 2021, Marvel specialist Lorraine Cink spoke with Christopher Townsend, the VFX Supervisor for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, the newest (and extremely highly rated) movie to hit Disney+ gives you the introduction to the next chapter of the Marvel Cinematic Universe!
In the video, Townsend shared all sorts of details about making the computer-generated creatures in Shang-Chi, including Morris and the Great Protector! If you haven’t had a chance to see Shang-Chi yet and you want to avoid as many spoilers as possible, you may want to hold off on watching this clip until you’ve seen the movie (which started streaming on Disney+ beginning November 12th, Marvel Blog True Believers).
Christopher Townsend, VFX Supervisor for Marvel Studios' #ShangChi and The Legend of The Ten Rings, chats about how he and his team helped bring the cuddly Morris and the powerful Great Protector to life in the film! pic.twitter.com/ZNYScFbiUp
— Marvel Entertainment (@Marvel) September 22, 2021
Creating Morris
Townsend explained that the visual development department would come up with the initial concepts for the creatures, and it was his team’s job to bring those ideas to life. Townsend explained that while it’s not too hard to create a VFX creature, the challenge lies in presenting it in such a way that people believe that it’s actually a living being.
Ben Kingsley and prop Morris mid-performance on the set of ‘Shang-Chi’ Credit: Jasin Boland 2020 MARVEL
Naturally, the Shang-Chi VFX team achieved this goal in spades! Needless to say, Morris is one of the movie’s breakout stars. Townsend said that determining how to make the audience understand what Morris was feeling when he didn’t have a face!
Townsend said that the wings were another challenge, and that animals like ostriches were used to figure out how he would move.
Photo: Marvel
And, just like Alligator Loki, a green stuffed animal cushion was used on set so that the actors could tell where Morris was at any given time.
Shang-Chi
Have you had the opportunity to see Shang-Chi yet, Marvel Blog True Believers? What did you think of the furry sidekick Morris? We want to know what you think! Let us know in the comment section.
