When you hear someone talk about a movie that’s “effects driven,” they’re most likely talking about big-budget blockbusters like “The Hobbit” films or the upcoming Spider-Man sequel. You normally don’t hear a Wes Anderson film being mentioned in the same breath, but maybe that’s a mistake. As we all know, the best type of visual effects are the ones you don’t notice and “The Grand Budapest Hotel” is filled with such subtleties. So if you’re a fan of Anderson’s latest but did not notice all the visual effects, this five-minute video should enlighten you.
The VFX firm Look Effects has provided a very detailed breakdown of the film’s visual effects and, much like a Wes Anderson movie, it’s a lot of information to process. While most of you are probably aware of the film’s miniature set pieces, like the Grand Budapest Hotel itself, this reel shows us that there’s much more going on here. From the pastel colors to the green screen work to the way all the miniature set pieces are integrated into establishing shots—it’s simply amazing how seamless it all eventually looks. Hopefully, we’ll get more gems like this when ‘Grand Budapest Hotel’ comes out on Blu-ray (or when it inevitably enters The Criterion Collection five years from now).
Amazingly, the little period comedy starring Ralph Fiennes has gone on to become Wes Anderson’s most commercially successful film with a worldwide box office gross of over $130 million. “The Grand Budapest Hotel” is still in over 1,000 screens across the country so if you haven’t caught the film yet, go now before you run out of time. Afterwards, make sure you check out the VFX reel below. [Rope Of Silicon]
