See How Arcane Animators Acted Out Scenes for References

Arcane was lauded not only for its heart-wrenching story but also for its fantastic animation created by Fortiche. There were entire theatrical performances behind its doors because animators acted out various scenes themselves to make references.

They recreated sequences using all kinds of objects as props: a dumbbell as a gun, a stick with some pillows as a giant hammer, a dummy as Silco, and so on. They fought, smiled, and hugged for this perfect shot that would later go into the series, as demonstrated in Class Creatives' compilation.

We've seen some of this before when Moïse Hergaux-Essame demonstrated how he played Sevika and Finn.

Recreating the show's scenes in real life is important to capture the smallest of movements that an animator might not even think about. This makes Arcane alive and believable – without any motion capture.

This is not only Fortiche's technique, of course. Animators create such references in many other movies, including Puss in Boots, Kung Fu Panda, and Spider-Man. The latter is especially rich in footage, even a failed one.

Soon, we will see how Arcane's references come together in the final act. The show's final season started on November 9 and will end on November 23.

Join our 80 Level Talent platform and our new Discord server, follow us on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Telegram, TikTok, and Threads, where we share breakdowns, the latest news, awesome artworks, and more.