Troll 2: Behind the VFX – Cyrille Bonjean on Crafting Chaos and Character

Talent

December 5, 2025

Troll 2: Behind the VFX – Cyrille Bonjean on Crafting Chaos and Character

In Troll 2, the stakes—and the trolls—are bigger than ever. We caught up with Cyrille to dive into the VFX challenges and creative decisions behind the sequel, from animating massive trolls and orchestrating epic destruction to blending live-action plates with digital doubles.

What were the main technical and artistic challenges on this project?

For Troll 2, we faced challenges on multiple fronts: managing the pipeline and asset exchanges with other studios, creating and adapting environments, reconstructing layouts from drone footage, animating the Troll to really give it character, handling FX for destruction and snow traces, as well as snow effects in the air after the Stavkroa is destroyed. The FX for the uprooted chairlifts being thrown and hitting helicopters at various levels were also tricky. Finally, lighting and compositing required significant effort to make everything come together seamlessly.

How did you manage to respect the established universe while adding your own touch to this sequel?

We started by revisiting the first film to understand how the Troll, called “Dovre,” interacted with its environment and how Roar Uthaug shot it. For this second installment, we knew the trolls would be more numerous and larger. We had video calls with Roar and producer Mikael Windelin after reading the script, sharing collected elements and ideas. These discussions expanded to include Esben Syberg, the overall supervisor, and some of our specialized supervisors.

What were the main challenges in modernizing certain creatures while staying faithful to the first film, especially with the Troll YME and digital doubles of the crews?

The first film was already very strong, so continuity was key. As the project was spread across multiple companies—Ghost, Gimpville, One of Us, and MPC Paris—it was crucial that assets created at one studio could be reused or adapted by others while maintaining a consistent look.

We took the “YME” troll from One of Us and adapted it to our animation and FX pipeline, particularly for animating the vegetation covering it. We also delivered variations of the Heli-Sunna 1 and 2 helicopters with potential damage, always respecting continuity. For the crews, we created lightweight digital doubles to bridge the studio-shot plates with fully CG shots.

Can you talk about the main sequences and the associated challenges?

The first sequence (36) involved making helicopters shot on a tarmac match the exact look of Heli-Sunna 1 and 2, including texture modifications and adding UV panels.

The second sequence, at the Ski Station, was packed with challenges. We had to recreate a large portion of the slopes and chairlifts to integrate the Troll and the partially destroyed Stavkroa, along with the helicopters. Some interiors and exteriors were shot on location, but for the destruction and integration with the slopes, we had to build a full digital double. The goal was to seamlessly blend real plates with digital creations, and extensive layout work was needed to match the camera movements from previs to drone footage.

How was your MPC pipeline adapted for this project?

The pipeline had to evolve, particularly with the broader adoption of USD, which allowed us to manage huge assets like the environment, the Troll, helicopters, and various snow and destruction FX. This required a lot of internal development to ensure smoothness and compatibility between all elements.

How did the collaboration with Roar Uthaug work to integrate his ideas while respecting the existing universe?

Working with Roar, Mikael, and Esben went really smoothly. They are open and prioritize storytelling and scene veracity. For the Stavkroa roof destruction, we built a cardboard model to test different options before deciding on the final approach. It might have seemed low-tech, but it saved time and helped us move efficiently during video calls.

Did you develop any new techniques or tools for this sequel?

Since we weren’t on the first film, we had to build our own logistics and tools. This included consistent Troll footprints in the snow, FX for its muscles and vegetation movement, and interactions with snow, as well as trail and explosion effects for the helicopters.

Which moments felt like a real visual leap compared to the first film or MPC’s usual standards?

A standout moment was the petrification effect when the Troll is hit by UV rays. References of baking cakes were key to getting the right look. More broadly, every scene, the asset management, and their scale represented a real technical and artistic challenge. We were very well supported to leverage the latest software technologies and pipeline improvements, even during a complex period for our company.

What is your favorite production memory?

I’m proud of the whole team, from track to layout, animation to FX, rendering to compositing, and of course production. I couldn’t name everyone, but I want to particularly shout out Boris Kaufmann, CG Supervisor, Philippe Zozor and André Monteiro for assets, Christophe Courgeau and Tristan Février for environments, Thomas Grabot for tracking, Aurore Rousset for animation, Benjamin Saurine and Balthazar Sahel for FX, Julien Haillot for lighting, and Romain Bavent for compositing.

I also want to thank the production team—Hélène Vanovre and Cyprien Andronikof, supported by Zoé Karadi—as well as the entire R&D team and studio leads Béatrice Bauwens, Jérémy Delchiappo, Nicolas Borens, and Simon Descamps for their support throughout the project.