Independent creative studio The Embassy today revealed its VFX work for The Spiderwick Chronicles, recently released on Roku. Based on the children’s fantasy books by Tony DiTerlizzi and Holly Black, the eight-episode series is produced by Lightbulb Farm, The Gotham Group, 20th Television and Paramount Television Studios.
The Spiderwick Chronicles marks a significant progression for The Embassy since it first made its name through Oscar-nominated work for Iron Man and District 9. The studio notes that, having spent the past few years honing its creature capability and project management, the 70 person facility’s growing skillset can be seen throughout the series.
As the primary vendor, The Embassy was brought in during pre-production to aid in the extensive development and planning process necessary for a show of such scale, leveraging the studio’s creative expertise. The team then completed 550 shots for the adventure series, including the majority of its most complex work.
The VFX team tackled magic mushrooms, faeries, set extensions, spiders, miniature stoves, face morphs and human chameleons — with the pièce de résistance being Thimbletack, a mischievous CG boggart who lives in the Spiderwick Mansion (also built by the studio). A feature so prominent he’s listed among the main cast, his intricate toolbelt was one of the show’s many challenging design elements, alongside the creation of a new form of face swapping and a character breaking apart into flowers.
The Embassy artists’ ability to ground these fantastical elements, characters and sequences in a realistic world using color, lighting and materials is spotlighted by its work on the Spiderwick Mansion.
“Thimbletack and the Spiderwick Mansion are excellent examples of The Embassy firing on all cylinders and I am very proud of the work,” said Winston Helgason, President & Executive Producer at The Embassy. “Not only does Thimbletack look great, he is a dynamic simulation showcase with a particularly itchy sweater and a physics-based belt that puts Batman’s to shame.”
Originally slated for Disney+ before being dropped and picked up for The Roku Channel in fall of 2023, The Spiderwick Chronicles launched on April 19. All eight episodes are available to stream.
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