“The entire team had to hit the ground running. While the technologists were able to draw from previous films to inspire innovations on screen in Raya and the Last Dragon, there was no reference for the shift they had to orchestrate when the pandemic forced production to continue remotely.
Using Hyperion (our in-house renderer) that we first saw on Big Hero 6, fur simulation made for Zootopia, water tools from Moana and an upgraded volumetric system and environment toolset from Frozen 2, we are able to showcase a large world with a diverse set of characters and landscapes.” Technical Supervisor Kelsey Hurley “ Raya brings together all the technologies we’ve created over the last 10 years together. “Each has a unique look and feel, and one of the challenges we faced was representing how large this world really is,” Hurley explains. Raya and the Last Dragon takes viewers to the fantasy world of Kumandra-whose five lands are all filled with their own distinct cultures and creatures. Along with Hernandez and Viswanathan, the women lead a team of technical directors (TDs) who provide troubleshooting support for artists as well as develop new tools for them. This ranges from making sure we have the tool sets needed, to making sure we have enough render capacity and disk space,” Hurley explains. “As technical supervisor, it’s my job to ensure we have everything we need from a technical standpoint to create the film. “It feels nice when that comes across in the artists’ gratitude when working together.” “Our job is a bit behind- the-scenes but just as important,” Hernandez says. The technical leadership team oversees all technology needs for the film, ensuring the artists have the tools and technical resources they need to achieve the directors’ vision. There is so much we can learn from each other, which in turn serves to deepen our empathy for one another, and our ability to all work together, embracing our unique contributions, to make a better world. She praises the studio’s efforts to increase representation on its films, noting, “The more people of different genders, backgrounds and ethnicities are in the room, the more of ourselves we’ll see on the screen, which is incredibly exciting. The creative, technology and production leads on Raya and the Last Dragon were the best in their areas, Shurer states, and she believes that diversity in leadership “behind the camera” at Disney Animation is essential. Additionally, the film boasts an all-female technical leadership team led by technical supervisor Kelsey Hurley, and associate technical supervisors Gabriela Hernandez and Shweta Viswanathan. Produced by Osnat Shurer, Raya and the Last Dragon was developed under the leadership of Disney Animation’s Chief Creative Officer, Jennifer Lee with co-writer Adele Lim, head of story Fawn Veerasunthorn and co-head of animation Amy Smeed among the women leading the creative charge. These strong women have been brought to life in the film-which is in theaters and on Disney+ with Premier Access this Friday, March 5-by a talented team of writers, artists and technologists anchored by women leaders who are pretty inspiring themselves. The warrior at the center of Walt Disney Animation Studios’ newest film, Raya and the Last Dragon, is brave and resilient Sisu, the titular dragon of legend, is also a bold hero in her own right, filled with optimism, hope and a disarming sense of humor.
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