Super Zoo-Chapter 612 - 607: Disney’s Golden Partner

In a soundstage located in California at Disney, a filming session was underway. The actors, wearing sensor suits connected to data cables, performed a variety of actions in front of a green screen, which would later be processed by computer effects to become the characters and scenes in the movie.

"That’s enough for today," announced the director, Howard, as he removed his headphones with an air of distraction, waved his hand, and walked over to his small office on the set. He pulled out a stack of manuscript paper and quickly sketched a fox. After examining the drawing from different angles, he still wasn’t satisfied. Crumpling the paper, he threw it into the waste bin.

"Knock, knock..." Outside the transparent glass window, the assistant director, Moore, knocked on the door.

Howard was a young, talented type of director, brimming with creativity. Moore, who was a bit older, had more experience and was steadier. The two complemented each other well, forming a famous golden duo at Disney and even in Hollywood.

"Come in," said Howard, gesturing toward the coffee machine with his lips, "You’ve got good timing. I just bought your favorite flavor."

"You’re someone who doesn’t care much for quality of life, how could instant coffee have any real taste? The best instant coffee is still an ersatz, a fake substitute," Moore proclaimed.

Though Moore said this, he still made himself a cup of coffee. After taking a sniff, he disdainfully set the mug down and asked, "You seem to be out of sorts lately?"

"Has it become that obvious?" Howard replied before crumpling another unsatisfying draft and tossing it into the trash can.

"It’s my responsibility to assist you. Of course, I observe more closely than others. When you were directing ’Lightning Wolf,’ and serving as the art director for ’Mulan,’ you were always a workaholic and rarely left work at four in the afternoon," Moore stated as he glanced at his watch and bent down to retrieve a crumpled piece of paper from the trash, spreading it out on the table.

It depicted a fox with a long mouth and tail, exuding a sense of playful cynicism and slyness in its eyes.

"Look, this is the first time I’ve seen you dissatisfied with the lead character’s design after starting the shooting. What’s wrong with this red fox?"

As Moore spoke, he picked up another discarded draft and spread it out beside the previous one.

This time, the paper showcased a rabbit with long ears but, unlike typical animated characters, it didn’t have the signature big buckteeth. Its eyes were large and round, detailed with a layer of eyeshadow. Despite the black and white sketch, one could still discern the lively look in its eyes, indicating it was a young female rabbit.

"Oh... God, it seems that our director is not only dissatisfied with the male lead but also doesn’t hold the female lead in high regard."

"It’s not just the male and female leads; I’ve developed an aversion to every single animal," expressed Howard, troubled. "It’s affecting my work. Every time I think about the final product, I lose interest in filming."

Moore shrugged his shoulders, his smile fading as he soberly said, "That’s quite the predicament. Howard, we’ve spent eighteen months, consulted dozens of animal experts, and used hundreds of animals as models to finally create the characters in the film. You were involved throughout and gave the final approval. Can you tell me what’s been bothering you?"

"I..." Howard scratched his head, "how should I put it..."

"Is it because these animals aren’t realistic enough?" Moore asked. "If that’s the reason, I think we should talk to Mr. Spencer, the producer. Whether it’s increasing the investment or extending the shooting schedule, we must present the best product to the market."

"Right, realistic! That’s the word, damn realistic, it’s been troubling me for a long time!"

Howard tossed the pencil onto the desk, inhaled deeply until his lungs seemed about to burst, then exhaled a long breath. Like a deflated ball, he slumped his shoulders and leaned back in his chair, saying, "Moore, you must have seen Terror Animal City."

"Of course, I’ve seen it. Those incredible Easterners, I really suspect they possess some sort of magic, managing to shoot the whole film with real animals," Moore said.

"Exactly, if there are real animals, why bother with virtual computer technology? Just as you said, no matter how good instant coffee is, it doesn’t compare to the real flavor of coffee beans! Just thinking that someone in the world can shoot with real animals, yet here we are, spending a lot of time and money to digitally create animals, it feels just like drinking instant coffee. Knowing there’s something better out there, yet we’re stuck with the fake, tell me, where do I find the motivation to shoot?"

Howard, troubled, ran his fingers through his hair: "What’s even more infuriating is, I heard the company had a plan to establish a partnership with the company that made Terror Animal City, to lease some of their animals for our movie, but for some reason, the agreement wasn’t reached. Thinking about that makes me even less happy."

"Howard, you always overthink things, maybe that’s the way a genius’s brain differs from us ordinary folks."

Moore shrugged and smiled, "I’ve heard that rumor too. But personally, I think not cooperating might not be a bad thing."

"Why?" Howard asked.

"In Terror Animal City, after all, humans are the main characters that drive the plot, and strictly speaking, all the animals are supporting roles, with at least half of the screen time given to humans. As for our movie, all the characters are animals, and a hundred percent of the screen time is for animals."

Moore said, "This requires the animals to have ’acting skills’ just like human actors. Every movement, every expression needs to come alive, even their eyes need to be anthropomorphized. Computer effects can achieve this, but can real animals? I doubt it."

"Of course, I understand. But using real animals could intrigue the audience, lowering the expectations for acting. Besides, we’re not abandoning computer effects entirely. Using real animals in the performance, then adding computer effects to compensate for what the animals lack, yes! That’s a good idea, real animals plus computer effects! There are many roles that only need one expression, like the group of moles eating ice pops, could be entirely played by animals, without any effects..."

As he talked about using real animals for filming, Howard’s creative spark flared up, chattering nonstop.

"Alright, alright, you genius, I admit you make sense, and you’ve even convinced me. I believe using real animals would create more buzz and market appeal."

Moore interrupted Howard, shrugging, "But convincing me isn’t enough. To use the animals from Terror Animal City for our film, we must first convince our producer to add a big chunk to the budget, which also means a lot of our current investment would be wasted."

"Ha, my dear Moore, my job was to convince you, now your task is to help me persuade the producer," Howard suddenly revealed a smug smile.

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Moore was stunned, then came to a realization, "I’ve fallen into your trap, you rascal!"

"Ha-ha, Moore, let’s go and have a chat with Mr. Spencer, the producer."