Vancouver studio Animal Logic brings The Lego Movie 2 to life

A Vancouver-based studio has been making waves thanks to their recent role in one of Warner Bros.’ latest films.

Animal Logic has spent the past three years working on The Lego Movie 2, the first project of a three-film deal with the motion picture giant and the animation studio’s Vancouver headquarters.

The partnership between Warner Bros. and Animal Logic is far from new, however. Animal Logic Studios, which originally began in Sydney, Australia, was founded in 1991; they began working with Warner Bros. in the early 2000s.

When the animation studio decided to open a brick-and-mortar location in Vancouver, it only meant that it would be easier to work with their longtime partners.

“There’s amazing talent in Vancouver and it’s in the same timezone as Los Angeles,” explains John Rix, one of Animal Logic’s CG Supervisors. “It made a lot of sense to create a studio here.”

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The production of an animated movie is no small feat either. Rix and Emmanuel Blasset, another CG Supervisor, explain that the project team included more than 300 people.

Animal Logic’s Vancouver team

“It takes a lot longer than a television production,” says Blasset. “Part of what takes so long is you keep wanting to polish and polish. You’re always trying to push things further, add in more data, and try something that feels fresh.”

Add in more than 3,000 different pieces of lego and you have a serious challenge for the team’s creative and digital talent.

“Lego is a very interesting canvas, you’re using 3,000 different Lego bricks. That’s your brush and your canvas,” says Rix.

Animal Logic/Warner Bros.

The Lego Movie 2 includes 523 unique characters, 3,433 unique bricks, and multiple scenes including hundreds and millions of Lego bricks.

Not to mention, 3,075 lbs of espresso beans consumed by the Vancouver studio during production.

“It’s been a great ride and we’re happy to share that there’s a strong comparison to the original movie,” says Blasset.

When asked about the next two films in their three-picture deal, however, the two supervisors had to stay relatively tight-lipped.

“We can’t say too much about it yet,” laughs Rix. “But we can disclose the title — DC Superpets.”

The Lego Movie 2, Warner Bros. highly anticipated sequel to the original movie, is in theatres now.