[INTERVIEW] Korean animators discuss bringing 'Toy Story' spin-off 'Lightyear' to life

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

Entertainment & Arts

Tue, October 3, 2023 | 07:16

Films

INTERVIEWKorean animators discuss bringing 'Toy Story' spin-off 'Lightyear' to life

Posted : 2022-06-12 17:07

Updated : 2022-06-14 14:34

A scene from the film, "Lightyear" / Courtesy of Walt Disney Company Korea

By Kwak Yeon-soo

"Lightyear," which follows the origin story of Buzz Lightyear, a legendary space ranger in the "Toy Story" franchise, boasts all-ages storytelling with boundary-pushing animation.

In the film, Buzz (voiced by Chris Evans), along with his robot companion cat, Sox (Peter Sohn), and three cadets, embarks on a dangerous mission to find his way back home through space and time. However, he is confronted by a mysterious conqueror named Zurg who threatens the universe.

Two Korean animators ― layout artist Chun Sung-uk and 3D animator Lee Chae-yeon at Pixar Animation Studios ― participated in creating the "Toy Story" spin-off. Both said they were honored to join the project as they grew up watching the "Toy Story" film series.

Layout artist Chun Sung-uk at Pixar Animation Studios / Courtesy of Walt Disney Company Korea

"I am so proud of the movie. I'm happy with the way it turned out. We completed the movie from home due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It's kind of overwhelming to see the full scale of what computer animation can do on the big screen," Chun said during a recent Zoom interview with The Korea Times.

Like a cinematographer in a live-action film, a layout artist places the camera in a 3D space and comes up with the overall design of the scenes. For "Lightyear," the studio created its own virtual IMAX camera to shoot scenes on a bigger scale compared to previous animated projects.

Chun revealed that he used sci-fi movies, including "Alien," "Star Trek" and "Star Wars," as references for creating characters in "Lightyear." The team also made a research trip to NASA to inspire the look of spaceships, spacesuits and overall set pieces.

"We wanted everything to look like a live-action film rather than an animation. We had to transform Buzz from a toy-version to a 'real' human," he said.

3D animator Lee Chae-yeon at Pixar Animation Studios / Courtesy of Walt Disney Company Korea

Lee, a 3D animator, discussed the working style of director Angus MacLane, who also served as an animator on "Toy Story" 2 and 3.

"It was really inspiring to work with such talented animators. The director wanted to make a film that felt true so he asked for a much more toned-down version of Buzz's personality. Being part of the team required an enormous amount of responsibility, but it was really exciting for me professionally," Lee said.

Chun and Lee said they are both very happy to be working at Pixar, a dreamland for many aspiring animators across the globe.

"The studio gives a fair chance to all workers here. Working with great colleagues and learning from them is inspirational," he said. "For those who wish to work at Pixar, I'd like to encourage them to follow their dreams. I majored in business management in college but later flew to the U.S. to study 3D animation at the Academy of Art University. It wasn't easy, but it was so much fun."

"There's only a handful of Koreans who work at Pixar, but the number is growing. Even if we don't know each other well, it's very reassuring to know that Koreans are performing well," Lee said.

Lee also went on to mention the target audience for this animation. "Fans of the Toy Story franchise, sci-fi action adventure movies and Pixar-Disney animations will enjoy our new film. And of course, fans of Chris Evans will love it," she said.

"Lightyear" will hit local theaters on June 15.

yeons.kwak@koreatimes.co.kr