Mickey 17: Meet the DNEG crew behind the magic!
Say hello to some of the amazing DNEG VFX crew behind 'Mickey 17'!
Bringing Bong Joon Ho's sci-fi spectacle Mickey 17 to life required some out-of-this-world VFX work, and our crew was more than happy to oblige. As one of the main VFX partners on the film, we worked closely with the acclaimed director and his team to take multiple key sequences from concept design and storyboards, through previs, to animation and final shot!
From their favourite moments in the film to their best behind-the-scenes memories, scroll to hear from members of our amazing crew behind Mickey 17!
"Chances to work on shows like this don't come around a lot. Getting to work with someone like Director Bong, and help design an alien from scratch was a complete honour. It was only possible with the team we had around us, the trust in the incredible skills they all brought to the table and a very well built, global department of exceptional creature animators. Next, I would like to do 'Creeper: The Movie'!”
"Working on Mickey 17 was a wild, imaginative ride. Bong Joon Ho's vision is so unique — blending dark humor, sci-fi, and satire. When I found out I was going to be a part of the team working on it - that was really exciting! The Niflheim landscapes we worked so hard on looked eerily beautiful on screen, and I loved how they set the tone for Mickey’s journey. Director Bong’s ideas were ambitious for the quirky alien creatures, and had some pretty intense creeper crowd sequences. When we locked those shots and saw how every composite we sweated over drove the story’s weird tension, that was the best feeling. Knowing our team helped make that happen was the coolest part."
"The best part of bringing it to life was the team. Everyone was excited and cared deeply for the work, there was a sense of pride throughout production. It made it very enjoyable."
"Working on Director Bong's film was a truly amazing opportunity. Also, this team...Chris, Robyn, Eve, Ryan, Casey, Kunal, and everyone else on the ship, I loved teaming up with them. There were so many challenges like building the look of an unknown planet with a thick snowstorm environment and tons of creatures in there. It was tough, but super exciting. Seeing it all come to life on the big screen was incredible! And having my name in the credits of a film by my favorite director made it all even more special."
"Everything about this movie is uniquely wacky and well crafted. If you haven't seen it yet, be prepared to have your eyeballs explode!"
"Working on Mickey 17 was an exciting experience. Seeing everything come together on the big screen was incredible, especially the scale and atmosphere of the world we helped create. One of my favorite parts was watching how all the visual elements blended together to make it feel real and immersive. It’s always great to see the final result after months of work, and this one was definitely special!"
"Working closely with the Creature artists and bringing all the gorgeous details of Mama Creeper and Baby Creepers to life was hands down my favorite part! I love them even more after seeing them in action. (When do we get stuffed animal merch!?)"
"Mickey 17 was one of those rare projects where everything just fell into place: the team, the vision, and the execution. The creativity and precision in every scene made it so fulfilling. We had a great time working on the crowd simulations and environments, and I must admit, they turned out pretty fantastic (if I can brag a little!). Watching it all unfold on screen and thinking, 'Wow, we did it!'"
"The Creepers are my favorite part of Mickey 17. They have unique anatomy, which presented the Creature FX team with a fun puzzle to solve when it came to tissue simulation. Bringing them to life was a team effort across many departments and I think they looked fantastic on the big screen!"
"Working on Previs and Postvis for Mickey 17 was an incredible experience. Every shot was a masterclass in storytelling and while the project brought some truly daunting technical challenges, by embracing real-time technology we were able to keep pace with the film’s ambitious scope. It was such a joy collaborating with VFX Supervisor Dan Glass and the outstanding DNEG Animation and VFX teams who's contributions really allowed us to elevate the Previs and Postvis to new heights. Mickey 17 was an inspiring, boundary-pushing experience from start to finish. And that pigeon!"
"Mickey 17 was very challenging as a show, with many CG elements needing to be integrated together. My favourite part was the look of the shots and amount of characters we put together, and the story line in general!"
"Working with such great creature and ship designs was a lot of fun. It was also really satisfying working on the snow planet scenes - and when you live in Montreal, it takes a lot to get excited about snow!"
Huge thank you to all for your incredible hard work and dedication!