Audiences flocking to "Shrek Forever After" this weekend will see a new look to the world's hottest ogre, Fiona, voiced by Cameron Diaz.
In Fiona's alternate universe, which plays out in the film, she's a warrior who lets her beautiful ogre hair fall to her very capable shoulders. The seemingly simple hair-departure was a major deal for the Dreamworks film.
"That's actually really, really difficult to do," director Mike Mitchell tells PopcornBiz. "I was really excited to do it, it fit her character. But to take her hair down was a really special thing."
It turns out that animating long hair is an incredibly difficult (and expensive) process. Mitchell had to clear the decision by Dreamworks brass. "I had to prepare like a lawyer and say, 'This is worth it. We need to take the hair down.'"
When it was cleared, a team of 20 people were put on the task of handling Fiona's lovely hair.
"People know what long hair looks like. So if you have to do it, you have to do it right," says Mitchell. "You have to individually animate each one."
Indeed, the hair looks great, even if Mitchell still does not comprehend how.
"I have sat with the animators and watched them do it, but I still don't understand the process," says Mitchell. "I still don't know how they do it.
"But it's pretty amazing."
