[6], Each character's base body model was built from more than 100,000 polygons,[31] plus more than 300,000 for clothing alone. [86] The DVD was nominated for "Best DVD Special Edition Release" at the 28th Saturn Awards. "[30] Writing in the book Robot Ghosts and Wired Dreams, Livia Monnet stated the film remediated "the notion of life in the neovitalistic, evolutionary biology of Lynn Margulis and in contemporary theories on artificial life", going on to state that the film's exploration of the Gaia hypothesis raised interesting questions regarding the life and death process of both cinema and digital media, as well as contemporary life sciences, cybernetics, philosophy and science fiction. Aki Ross's voice actor, Ming-Na Wen, was selected for a perceived fit between her personality and Aki's. Anime /. The year is 2065 & Earth has been devastated by alien life forms known as Phantoms. It was the first photorealistic computer-animated feature film and was the most expensive video game-inspired film until the release of Prince of Persia in 2010. [19] As animators did not want to use any actual photographs in the film, all backgrounds were done using matte paintings. [41], The film's score was performed by the London Symphony Orchestra[19] with Belgian composer Dirk Brossé conducting. The ghost is slowly consuming her soul. [18] The film consists of 141,964 frames, with each frame taking an average of 90 minutes to render. "[73] Although the film was loosely based on a video game series, there were never any plans for a game adaptation of the film itself. Fifteen featurettes, including seven on character biographies, three on vehicle comparisons and an interactive "Making Of" featurette, were also included. Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within is the biggest videogame movie flop of all time losing millions at the box office because of its high production costs. 87 out of 100, becoming the first fictional woman to ever make the list, additionally appearing on the issue's cover in a purple bikini. Aki Ross, Dr. $12.99 Buy HD. Hein escapes and boards the Zeus space-station where he finally receives authorization to fire the cannon. A 2001 film, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, was a breakthrough for photorealistic CGI humans. Still, despite its issues, Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within is an amazing technical achievement, and is a fun and entertaining science fiction film. Expand All Images | Collapse All Images. Phantoms, including three alive-Phantoms, make an appearance (along with the rest of the film's virtual cast) in a hidden Easter egg parody of Michael Jackson's "Thriller" music video created for the film's DVD release. Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within was released in the US in 2001, to very mixed reviews. A soldier shoots at a phantom and hits a barrel of flammable material that explodes and throws him to the ground. A scientist makes a last stand on Earth with the help of a ragtag team of soldiers against an invasion of alien phantoms. 2 VIDEOS | 185 IMAGES. Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within is a computer animated science fiction film directed by Hironobu Sakaguchi, creator of the popular series of RPG video games Final Fantasy produced by Square Enix. Chris Taylor from Time magazine noted that video game adaptations had a poor track record at the box office and that it was Sakaguchi's first feature film. He lowers a shielded vehicle, with Aki and Gray aboard, into the crater to locate the final spirit. [47] The track "The Dream Within" was nominated for "Best Original Song Written for a Film" at the 2002 World Soundtrack Awards, but lost to "If I Didn't Have You" which was composed for Monsters, Inc..[48], Before the film's release, there was already skepticism of its potential to be financially successful. [23] The film was co-directed by Motonori Sakakibara,[24] with Jun Aida and Chris Lee both serving as producers. Her dream reveals to her that the Phantoms are the spirits of dead aliens brought to Earth on a fragment of their destroyed planet. When Aki talks about a dying girl, Goldenthal used a piano in order to give a domestic home-like feeling to a completely foreign environment, also choosing to use a flute each time Aki focusses on Gaia, as he believed it to be the most "human kind of instrument". [79] The film's trailer was nominated for the "Golden Fleece" award at the 3rd Golden Trailer Awards. It is revealed that Gray was once romantically involved with Aki. [11], Square accumulated four SGI Origin 2000 series servers, four Onyx2 systems, and 167 Octane workstations for the film's production. The asteriod brought with it strange, ghost-like alien beings called Phantoms, ranging from vaguely humaniod to monsterously huge. [17][18] Animator Matthew Hackett stated that while motion capture was effective for many of the scenes, in others animators still had to add movements manually. Early incarnations included a New York City divided in an \"upper city\" and \"lower city\", riot police, oxygen salesmen, and dispensing machines, and even French Foreign Legion desert troops and European biohazard soldiers. [85], As of December 13, 2001, the film grossed $26.6 million in video rental revenue in the United States, equivalent to 83.4% of its box office gross in the country. "[34] In an interview, Sato described actively trying to make her appear as realistic as possible, making her similar to himself in as many ways as he could in the animation, including elements of his personality through facial expressions. "[43] In the film's 'Making of' featurette, Goldenthal states he used "ghostly choral" music when the Phantoms are emerging, in an attempt to give a celestial feeling, and focused on low brass clusters and taiko drum rhythms for violent scenes. [42] In the liner notes to the album, Goldenthal describes the soundtrack as combining "orchestration techniques associated with the late 20th-century Polish avant-garde, as well as my own experiments from Alien 3, and 19th-century Straussian brass and string instrumentation. Character movements were filmed using motion capture technology. Gray sacrifices himself as a medium needed to physically transmit the completed spirit into the alien Gaia. Other features included Aki's dream viewable as a whole sequence, the film's original opening sequence, and intentional outtakes. When Aki awakens, she and Gray combine it with the other seven. Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within is a 2001 computer-animated Science Fiction film directed by Hironobu Sakaguchi, the creator of the pimple-poppingly popular Final Fantasy series of role-playing games. Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within is a 2001 computer animated drama about a scientist who makes a last stand on Earth with the help of a ragtag team of soldiers against an invasion of alien phantoms. Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within. [19], The album was met with positive reviews. [81] Two weeks before it was released the DVD version was listed on Amazon.com as one of the most-anticipated releases, and it was expected to recoup some of the money lost on the film's disappointing box office performance. [17] $45 million alone was spent on the construction of Square's studio in Hawaii. [33] He concluded that Aki ended up being similar to him in almost every way, with the exception that "she's a lot cuter". [22] Sakaguchi stated he was pleased with the film's final cut, saying he would not have changed anything if given the chance. [19] He later explained that the theme he wanted to convey was "more of a complex idea of life and death and spirit", believing that the best way to portray this would be to set the film on Earth. The Phantoms are unknown creatures (almost the existence information is about the Phantom Ghosts). [27] Both versions contained two full-length commentary tracks (one featuring Motonori Sakakibara, sequence supervisor Hiroyuki Hayashida, lead artist Tatsuro Maruyama, and creature supervisor Takoo Noguchi; the second featuring animation director Andy Jones, editor Chris S. Capp, and staging director Tani Kunitake)[82] as well as an isolated score with commentary. Hein continues to fire the Zeus cannon despite overheating warnings and unintentionally destroys the cannon and himself. Aki is concerned the cannon will damage Earth's Gaia (a spirit representing its ecosystem) and delays the use of it by revealing that she has been infected and the collected spirit signatures are keeping her infection stable, convincing the council that there may be another way to defeat the Phantoms. [18] By the end of production Square had a total of 15 terabytes of artwork for the film. Phantoms, in the movie Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within are initially depicted as alien invaders. [40] Elliot Goldenthal composed the entire score, as well as the film's theme song, "The Dream Within",[19] which had lyrics written by Richard Rudolf and vocals performed by Lara Fabian. Sample of "The Phantom Plains" from the soundtrack album. The website's critical consensus reads, "The movie raises the bar for computer animated movies, but the story is dull and emotionally removed. The Whale-Phantom is a monolithic phantom only seen in the pre-production version of the. [87] Aaron Beierle from DVD Talk gave a positive review of the DVD, rating it 4½ out of 5 stars for audio quality, video quality and special features. A scientist makes a last stand on Earth with the help of a ragtag team of soldiers against an invasion of alien phantoms. [11] The workload was so light it did not interfere with her acting commitments in the television series ER. [67] In contrast, Livia Monnet criticized her character as an example of the constantly kidnapped female in Japanese cinema, further "diluted" by her existence solely as a computer-generated character representing "an ideal, cinematic female character that has no real referent. He noted that while he did not once feel convinced Aki Ross was an actual human being, she was "lifelike", stating her creators "dare us to admire their craft. "[6] Writing in the book Action and Adventure Cinema, Marc O'Day described her as among the "least overtly eroticised" female characters in science fiction, though stated that Aki was "transformed in a variety of poses into an erotic fantasy machine" in a photo shoot that was included on the DVD's special features. [21] In order to keep the film in line with Hironobu Sakaguchi's vision as director, several script rewrites took place,[26] most in the initial stages of production. The film was co-produced by Chris Lee Productions, a subsidiary of Sony/Columbia Pictures, and Square Pictures, the film affiliate of Square Co., the Tokyo-based company that produced the popular It was Dr. Sid who created the barrier within Aki that contains the phantom, and helps her survive. [44] Christopher Coleman from Tracksounds gave the soundtrack 10 out of 10, stating the feel of the album was "expansive and majestic" and that the score elevated the viewing experience of the film. [10] The film's CGI effects have been compared favourably with later CGI films such as James Cameron's 2009 film Avatar. However, this revelation leads Hein to incorrectly conclude that she is being controlled by the Phantoms. Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within. Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within Characters. [18] It is estimated that over the film's four-year production, approximately 200 people put in a combined 120 years of work on it. The year is 2065 and Earth has been taken over by phantom alien forms. New funds had to be sourced to cover the increasing production costs while maintaining staff salaries. Artificial Intelligence), earth-shattering meteors oozing with alien slime and landscapes toasted by invading phantoms (Final Fantasy) give a bleak outlook for the human race.. Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within is a computer animated science fiction Film by Hironobu Sakaguchi, the creator of the kitten-stranglingly popular Final Fantasy series of role-playing games.. A group of artists, aptly named "The Phantom Team", created and animated all of the phantom creatures. FINAL FANTASY: THE SPIRITS WITHIN is an animated New Age pagan science fiction fantasy with alien ghosts and demonic possession. Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within is a 2001 computer-animated science fiction film directed by Hironobu Sakaguchi, creator of the Final Fantasy franchise. [50] The film achieved average to poor results at the box office in most of Southeast Asia; however, it performed well in Australia, New Zealand and South Korea.[51]. Some of General Hein's facial features and poses were based on Hackett. In terms of box office admissions, the film sold 5,961,378 tickets in the United States,[4] 1,456,523 tickets in France,[52] 4,299,604 tickets in other European countries,[4] 446,728 tickets in Brazil,[53] and 160,100 tickets in Seoul City (South Korea). 193 on the Billboard 200 on July 28, 2001. [83] Dustin Somner from Blu-ray.com gave the Blu-ray version 5 out of 5 stars for video quality and special features, and 4½ stars for audio quality. It was the first photorealistic computer-animated feature film and was the most expensive video game-inspired film until the release of Prince of Persia in 2010. [33] Sato perceived Aki's original look as a "supermodel", and subsequently removed her make-up and shortened her hair in order to give her a more intelligent look that would "convince people that she's a scientist. [6] It was Columbia Pictures' first animated feature film since Care Bears Movie II: A New Generation in 1986. They also contained a version of the film in its basic CGI and sketch form, with the option of pop-up comments on the film. [12] Ming-Na stated that she would be willing if asked to continue voicing Aki. [74] The Making of Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, a companion book, was published by BradyGames in August 2001. [15][16] The basic film was rendered at a custom render farm created by Square in Hawaii. Worse pieces of Phantoms can infect humans from the inside like germs. [60] Peter Bradshaw of The Guardian gave a more negative review, stating that while the animation was brilliant, the "solemnly realist human faces look shriekingly phoney precisely because they're almost there but not quite", concluding "The story is adequate, if familiar, but after half an hour relapses into cliche. purge]A phantom is a ghost, a physical manifestation of the soul or spirit of a deceased person. Notably, it did not perform any better in Japan, where the Final Fantasy franchise was created and is quite popular. Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within. Aki, Sid and the Deep Eyes attempt to reach Aki's spaceship, their means of escape, but Ryan, Neil and Jane are killed by Phantoms. Sci-fi & fantasy. "[61], Aki's appearance was received positively by critics,[62] with praise for the finer details of the character model such as the rendering of her hair. [20] 1,327 scenes in total needed to be filmed to animate the digital characters. [22] The film had high cost overruns towards the end of filming. It was the first photorealistic computer-animated feature film and was the most expensive video game-inspired film until the release of Prince of Persia in 2010. [35] Shortly afterward, Square Pictures was closed and absorbed into Square and the company ceased use of the character. Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within, directed by Hironobu Sakaguchi and Moto Sakakibara, premiered in the United States on June 11, 2001. [39], The soundtrack to the film was released on July 3, 2001 by Sony Music. Most of these costs came from the style of computer animation used, some of the most realistic used at the time. By comparison, Final Fantasy video games are set in fictional worlds. [84] Peter Bracke gave the Blu-ray version 4 out of 5 stars overall.[82]. The movie follows Dr. Aki Ross, Dr. Sid, and the Deep Eyes combat group as they attempt to defeat the Phantoms - a mysterious alien race that has attacked the Earth. PG-13 | 1h 46min | Animation, Action, Adventure | 11 July 2001 (USA) 2:14 | Trailer. Take your favorite fandoms with you and never miss a beat. "Final Fantasy The Spirits Within (2001)", "Film #17335 : Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within", "Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001)", "Earliest film computer-generated animation with photorealistic characters", "Largest budget for a movie based on a videogame", "Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within Powered by Silicon Graphics Octane and SGI Origin Family Systems", "Behind the Scenes on Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within", "Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within Interview Series - Hironobu Sakaguchi", "Review of Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within", "Japan's Square Quits the Movie Business", "Guinness World Records gets its game on", "The uncanny advantage of using androids in cognitive science research", "In the uncanny valley, transportation predicts narrative enjoyment more than empathy, but only for the tragic hero", "When fantasy is just too close for comfort", "Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)", "Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within by Elliot Goldenthal", "Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within: Awards", "Best Original Song Written directly for a Film", "Advisory/The World Premiere of Columbia Pictures & Square Pictures' "Final Fantasy, "Последняя фантазия — дата выхода в России и других странах", "The Top 10 Biggest Money-Losing Movies of All Time", "Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within Reviews", "Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (PG-13)", "Perfect Model: Gorgeous, No Complaints, Made of Pixels", "Square-Enix Gives Chrono Break Trademark Some Playmates", "Avatar: a first look at the trailer for James Cameron's 3D spectacular", "AMD Says Xbox 720 Will Have Avatar Quality Graphics", "BioWare: Mass Effect inspired 'a lot' by Final Fantasy film: Art director discusses "great" influences", "The Making of Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within", "Sound editors tap noms for Golden Reel Awards", "2001 24th Hastings Bad Cinema Society Stinkers Awards", "Winners and Nominees for the 3rd Annual Golden Trailer Awards", "Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within Blu-ray", "Weekly video report: Top 20 rental titles", Brave Father Online: Our Story of Final Fantasy XIV, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Final_Fantasy:_The_Spirits_Within&oldid=1000411371, Pages with non-numeric formatnum arguments, Short description is different from Wikidata, Album articles lacking alt text for covers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Best Sound Editing – Animated Feature Film, Worst Screenplay for a Film Grossing More Than $100M Worldwide Using Hollywood Math, This page was last edited on 15 January 2021, at 00:19. 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