Arthur Christmas - HarperCollins Catalogs

the Face of Arthur
At first we had a slightly more complicated shape to Arthur’s
face, actually more in line with the other character’s
faces; it was sort of like a peanut from the front. We showed
this to Sarah and she said she needed to think. Next day she came
back and said she thought that a simpler shape was required,
something that would be clear and recognizable for him. In the
end he wound up with a U- or soft V-shaped face. I think it worked
out for the best because it is more immediate and easier to latch
onto. Hopefully, that will be more memorable.
—TiM WATTS, cHArAcTer DeSigN ArT DirecTOr
the Americanization of Arthur
Arthur Christmas has not been Americanized by the work
that was done in Los Angeles but it has been influenced by
some of Sarah’s references within the lexicon of films that Hollywood
had traditionally made. It was important to her to have the
scale and scope of those films without compromising that very
Aardman or British sensibility. She achieved that.
—HANNAH MiNgHellA, PreSiDeNT Of PrODucTiON,
cOluMbiA PicTureS; fOrMer HeAD Of PrODucTiON,
SONy PicTureS ANiMATiON.
ABOVE: Tim Watts.
RIGHT: Arthur face painting by Evgeni Tomov.
ABOVE and LEFT: Very early sketches and CG models by Carlos Grangel.
A Hands-on Stake
From the start Arthur Christmas always
felt like a British film. The
characters are very much in keeping with
Aardman in that there is nothing perfect
about them. Arthur even has some pimples
on his chin. They feel very original,
and there is something totally authentic
and genuine about them all. The film also
has a distinctive, tactile look to it—the
detailing and textures make it feel very
“handmade”. . . quite unusual for a CG
film. Again, this feels very true to Aardman’s
style.
—cArlA SHelley, PrODucer
34 35
AC.3rdPass_reorder_v2.CLEAN.indd 34-35 9/13/11 5:57 AM