According to the Spike Jonze, AICN interview (toldja there’d be a lot from it), Brad Pitt’s character in ‘Ben Button’ is totally CGI throughout the first half of the film.
“[The character in the first hour of ‘The Curious Case Of Benjamin Button’ is] created in post[-production], basically, with Brad [Pitt] inspiring it. [David] Fincher totally invented his own technique, and it’s insane. Like whenever you hear there’s a CG character, I’m always a little skeptical, but I never even noticed it. It’s just this totally compelling, really charming character, you know, because he’s like a little boy inside an old man’s body, and the performance is amazing.”
It’s like Andy Serkis in ‘Lord Of The Rings’ basically as Golem. Could he still get an Oscar nom for that? Would it reduce him chances? Hmmm… Either way, Jonze obviously thinks Pitt does a fantastic job.