James Gunn, the director of the upcoming Superman movie, which will come to screens on July 11, showed early animation tests of the cutest character in the film, Krypto the Superdog. The Montreal division of the Framestore studio worked on bringing the character to life.
Framestore’s animation team, headed by Animation Supervisor Loïc Mireault, crafted the setup based on reference footage of Gunn’s dog, Ozu. The artists maintained the pet’s distinct personality while enriching his emotional expression, making him as emotionally compelling as the film’s human characters.
Before, James Gunn shared a story of Ozu, saying that he was adopted and never knew human beings before, having lived with 60 other dogs. Ozu’s adaptation was complicated – “he even ate my laptop,” the filmmaker recalled. At one point, he wondered, “Gosh, how difficult would life be if Ozu had superpowers?” That thought sparked the creation of Krypto the Superdog, inspired by James Gunn’s beloved pet.
