My Sonic Prime storyboard to final animation comparison video
Inspired by what some of my colleagues have posted to Tumblr and IG, I’ve put together this side-by-side comparison of my Sonic Prime storyboards and the final animation. This clip is the climactic ending to “Avoid The Void,” an episode I’m particularly proud of. It’s the first one of Season Two, where Sonic and Shadow finally meet in the Shatterverse. It’s the moment their storyline, which started in Season One, connects and leads to a vicious no-holds-barred punk rock brawl!
I wasn’t supposed to direct this episode, as I had already moved on to direct a Peanuts special for Apple+, but this episode fell into my lap due to a glitch in the schedule. So it was Peanuts by day, Sonic by night, with three weeks to build the animatic with the storyboard team. Because we had half the time we usually have, we kept our boards rough, rarely tying down a drawing. Anyway, what’s the point of doing tight drawings when it’s going to be CG, right?
From the early stages, when Man of Action was breaking out this episode, it was clear that this one had the potential to be something big and cinematic. Set in the surreal world of the Shatterspace, it combined weighty emotional drama with intense action. At long last, it was also the big Shadow episode that fans had been patiently waiting for!
The photo, above, is a screen-cap from a Zoom record of Sonic Prime’s “Avoid The Void.” All the voice actors are Canadian. While Duncan (one quarter of Man Of Action) and I are in Los Angeles. Seen here are (left to right) Devon Mack, Erik Wiese, Duncan Rouleau, Andrew Duncan, James Corrigall, and Ian “Shadow” Hanlin.
Below is a gallery of selected storyboard panels that I drew for the opening sequence of “Avoid The Void”. I added spot colors to convey the feeling of the void and to differentiate between the colors of the gateways.
I hope you enjoy this behind-the-scenes look at Sonic Prime.
P.S. A shout-out to the hugely talented STORYBOARD TEAM and ANIMATION CREW! You guys rock!
Comments are closed