Animal Kingdom

Working under the supervision of Cyrille Bonjean, alongside VFX Producer Loriane Lucas and CG Supervisor Boris Kaufmann, MPC Paris delivered more than 150 visual effects shots over a production period of approximately ten months. More than 100 artists and technicians were involved throughout the project, collaborating closely with director Thomas Cailley, the production team and practical effects specialists to ensure a unified creative vision.

One of the key challenges was the creation of characters that felt neither fully human nor fully animal. Rather than relying solely on digital effects, the production embraced a hybrid methodology that combined prosthetics, makeup effects and CG enhancements. This approach helped preserve the performances of the actors while adding subtle or extensive transformations depending on the needs of each scene.

Among the creatures developed by MPC Paris was Fix, the bird-man character portrayed by Tom Mercier. The team designed and animated his digital wings, created a complete digital double for flight sequences and carefully integrated CG elements with practical effects used on set. The result was a character capable of moving naturally between physical and digital techniques without revealing the boundaries between them.

The studio also developed the fully digital double of "Grenouille", a young chameleon-like girl. Creating this character required complex creature work, including animation, look development and integration into natural environments, allowing the audience to believe she could effortlessly move and camouflage herself within the forest.

For Émile, whose mutation evolves throughout the story, the visual effects work focused on extending and enhancing the practical makeup and prosthetics created during production. Digital interventions remained deliberately invisible, supporting the transformation while preserving the emotional connection between the audience and the character.

A major creative objective throughout the project was realism. The visual effects were never intended to overshadow the narrative but rather to support it. Every creature was treated as a character first, with design and technical decisions driven by storytelling needs. By combining practical effects and digital artistry, the team helped create a world where extraordinary mutations felt tangible and emotionally credible.

The Animal Kingdom premiered as the opening film of the Un Certain Regard selection at the Cannes Film Festival in 2023 and quickly established itself as one of the most ambitious French productions of the year. Its visual effects work was recognised with the César Award for Best Visual Effects, awarded to Cyrille Bonjean, Bruno Sommier and Jean-Louis Autret, highlighting the collaborative achievement of the many artists, technicians and filmmakers involved in bringing this unique vision to the screen.

Today, the project remains a powerful example of how creature work can serve storytelling, demonstrating the creative and technical expertise that continues within The Mill's Film & Series teams.