@@hugomendoza5665 Yup 100% not mocap per Blizzard official. The animators observed the faces of the actors doing the VO, and worked off animating those.
@@marcopium9025 Seems like it. The animators were definitely flexing by including the very small details when the tip of the sword was slowly pushing into Thrall's leather harness.
I believe, the reason they take their time to show his face at the beginning was to show how much he has changed, and matured Anduin used to have long hair in a ponytail, and no beard at all so, in small details like a choppy haircut, players can see the impact of trauma, and self-doubt on him, even before he voiced those feelings
When I first saw Anduin in this cinematic, my heart shattered to see him looking so haggard and unkempt… clearly having chopped his hair off himself, he’s covered in grime, who knows how long it’s been since he last bathed, he looks like he’s lost weight with his face sunk in, the wounds that haven’t completely healed yet… my king has been through hell… literally, and obviously has some serious PTSD from being subjected to domination magic at the hands of the Jailor 😢
Oddly, it was the lip “stickiness” that got me. When Anduin speaks for the first time, and his mouth has clearly been closed for a long time, his lips are sticky in a few areas and that blew my mind.
There is another type of capture called performance capture, that's what they may have used, I know WATA Digital is using stuff like that now, they have specialized studios with huge arrays of cameras (PERCAP?) Cause you can see in thralls face that is 100 percent metzen, the way he reacts to anduins question was completely human.
@@ExarchGaming that doesn't mean it was mocap though, (yes performance capture is still mocap). Good reference and strong animation skills were used here. Its quite possible it was Metzen shot on camera, being used for reference. Its easily possible to see people's mannerisms come out in keyframe animation with good reference.
Well, as the Blizzard Team mentioned during their last convention, this cinematic was actually mostly animated. Using all the facial recognitions they had and bodily movements, everything here is next-generation animation. Simply put, Blizzard Cinematic Studio does it again. They've blown us away with EVERY cinematic they rolled out.
the entire trailer was a 3d animation marvel but to me the best part was how the sand interacted when he was rotating the tip of the sword into it. the sand doesn't just cascade like typical CG particle physics but there was chunks that gave way at different sections as the sand underneath slipped away. It's these minor details that really bring the shot to life
It is very funny to hear him go on and on about the mocap they used when there was *none* like it's absolutely mind blowing how amazing they did if even industry veterans can't tell.
As gorgeous as older trailers like Wrath of the Lich king were I feel like they weren't as confident in facial expressions, in in-game cutscenes or full cinematics, which is why the Lich King and most characters you saw had bits of their face hidden, especially the mouth. They've improved so much this really is the first CGI I've seen that doesn't hit the uncanny valley, instead pushing out the other side. This is *monumental.*
Yes it is not mocaped, it's hand animated! Blizzard's way of showing the world that they still excel at what they do and are always one step ahead of everyone. Anduin used to be fresh faced and clean shaven. He is the king of Stormwind and must be about 22 to 24 years old in this. Anyways, he has been to hell and back... several times... and was always a sensitive guy and a pacifist. So you can tell, knowing the character, and just looking at him there, that he is NOT doing well! Boy's got a lot of people counting on him... not just his people either, it was prophesized that he was chosen by the light to save the world...that's a heavy burden to bear and he was mind controlled by evil itself to do his bidding. He is now free but still remembers everything he did when he was controlled and how it made him feel. Thrall's nickname in the community is *green jesus* so that tells you what you need to know about him hehe. Even without knowing the background, you can tell by the quality of the animation how emotional this cinematic is...and when you know the background, it hits even harder. Very nicely done, Blizz!
Its worth mentioning that the green guy, an orc named thrall, is a shamman. They draw and depend on the elememts for their magic, amd thrall specificly is very in tune with the earth. All to say that his hand in the sand serves and actual purpose, as the characters dont know but we do know that they are being communicated to by the soul of the world.
Theodore Roosevelt lost his mother and wife on the same day. In his journal, he wrote one sentence that day; "The light has gone out of my life." Anduin saying "I am not that person anymore, I have no light." hits really hard. I lost my mother 4 weeks ago. She was the most important person in my life. I can attest to how he is feeling, somewhat. It really hurts. They did a truly incredible job with this cinematic. Legendary.
@@ChompStudio All the cinematics of World of Warcraft, including the Cinematics Ingame, are great to know the story in a simple and fast way, in particular you can see the complete story of the current King Anduin (the human of this cinematic) where you will see his personal progress and Why it has ended like this, along with other characters like Thrall (the orc)
Great breakdown. I remember questing with Anduin when he was a boy in MOP. He's been through a lot since then, hopefully Blizzard can do him justice, I know Varian hopes they do also. King's Honor.
yeah like others i think the facial shots showed a weathered soul and then we see his armor and sword, gloves and now we think it's a war-torn veteran. i haven't played warcraft recently but that slow display immediately hit me emotionally.
What I think really stands out from an outsider perspective, is that the non-human things that you can't compensate for your in your brain, still feel humanoid. Making an Orc look so much like a part of our reality is so impressive. Blizzard has been a cut above in terms of theatrical cinematics for many years. I could be convinced that this was just filmed with some new game changing realistic makeup and a green screen.
The voice actor for Anduin, and one of the 3D animators as well, confirmed on Twitter that there's no mo-cap. They took video of the actors for reference.
They are so good at what they do that they straight up skipped uncanny valley with this. The jump in quality and realism from already top of the industry productions that they have done before is insane. Even more if you realize that this was not done via facial performance capture.
@@ChompStudio I asked Teron Gregory, the head of Blizzard cinamatics team, at BlizzCon 2019 when they were going to do a full length movie. He chuckled and said something along the lines of "we'd love to be able to some day."
One can say that Blizzard's games are a shadow of their former selves but when it comes to their cinematics? They are still one of the very top dogs out there.
THAT sword is Gorribal, the greatsword of the Dark Titan, Sargeras. Forged from a shard of his original sword Gorshalach that was broken when he betrayed the Titans, he used it in a last ditch attempt to kill the nascent worldsoul within Azeroth. The other half of the original sword was forged into Taeshalach by Aggramar, who wields it in service of the Titans.
@@LumiCraft The entire plot of Warcraft stems from Sargeras learning of Azeroth's existence and trying to destroy her before she can be corrupted by the Void Lords since if she were to awaken, she would easily be the most powerful titan in the universe.
@@ShloppyShmeat Exactly. He was attempting to kill the worldsoul, as he had seen what happens to them when the Void Lords corrupt them into abominations. Sargeras basically freed the demons he had captured when he was still on the Titans' team in order to combat the Void Lords on equal footing, but then ended up corrupted by the fel power.
They've been ahead of their time with cinematics since the warcraft RTS games. I would highly recommend watching more World of warcraft and warcraft animations. They're all mindblowing, especially that sword getting plunged into the Kalimdor from space.
Sargeras Plunges Sword Into Azeroth cinematic, Gromm Hellscream vs Mannoroth, the world tree getting burnt, Thrall vs Garrosh, TBC intro cinematic, there's many.
For me, it was the way his lips stuck together just a little bit the first time he opened his mouth. I can't even wrap my head around how they got that so right.
I am not a 3D animator but I am a graphic designer and I find the images extraordinary. I dreamed of a sequel to this film. The 3D is almost perfect, what still betrays is the human movements.
Its been a trip to see the evolution of Blizzard's cinematics over the decades. They just continue to out-do themselves. Now only if the games progressed as well...
I know this is a month old reaction but go back and look in his eyes in the beginning parts before Thrall gets there, you can see that sword in his eyes. It's THAT detailed.
Also 3d animator. I remember a few people in the 90s able to pull this off.. no mocap . But not in a scene of this size.. this is next level skill. I can't wait for what comes next.
The Human, Anduin, usually doesn't have a beard and a 'stach. It's their way of saying that he's been letting himself go and not taking care of himself, with steps into a proper depression and identity crisis. Last we saw him in High-Def like this was in the "Battle for Azeroth"-cinematic which I can also recommend that you take a look at. If this cinematic is more about the cinematography, angles, lighting and the realistic face then the BfA cinematic is more about a siege and attack on a city.
Sooo many things to say, but something that sticks out like that sword: the use of left-and-right in the framing of literally every shot. Anduin (the human) is 99% always in the right side of the frame, and Thrall (the orc) is nearly always on the left. Once Thrall uplifts Anduin's spirits, the human- who has been stuck in the right side of the frame (and used his right hand to raise his sword in the classic Arthas pose)- is literally uplifted into the light via his left hand, and gives a message of hope. Once they face the sword they've swapped sides, adding to the disturbing nature of seeing such a crazy sight. There's so much more to pick apart in this thematically, but the bottom line is that this is cutting-edge digital storytelling.
anduin does not traditionally have a beard, however, him having one now makes sense lore wise. I think you're right that they included it to hide smaller details. As a long-time blizzard (and wow) fan, I've always maintained that blizzard is one of, if not THE, best at videogame cinematics.
All of these face close ups where made to show how Anduin has changed since the last expansion. He used to have no mustache or beard. Also he had a long almost anime-style hair ))
@@Rileynjudkins i mean it's always easy just to tell the story. Bilzzard tried to show what he was been through with the way he looks right now. If you comapare his look from battle for azeroth trailer and now, you totally understand that this guy have seen some shit in his life. You can even make memes about it ))
Anduin has gone through several changes throughout Wow, from a child to this. While he did not have a beard before this, the story from the previous expansion pack had him leaving and going hermit for quite awhile to deal with issues. They're going for the thousand yard stare with a few cups of PTSD thrown in and his worn appearance is a reflection of that.
I have played this game since 2006 and they have always had amazing cinematics but this, this texture and animation work must have been reverse engineered from an alien civilisation its that good. Truly outstanding animation and textures 👌
For me, the metal of the sword tip in the sand (looked plastic) and his perfectly white teeth were the only two detractors from this entire Cinematic, loved it and btw, "What sword?"
I know this video is a month old, but I'd recommend you dial back and watch the cinematic for the WoW expansion Battle for Azeroth. It features SEVERAL characters in the midst of battle, and even shows the same human as we see here...BUT WITHOUT FACIAL HAIR. I'd love to see what you think of it both as when it originally came out, and in comparison to this latest cinematic.
Anduin (the human in the cinematic) does not have a beard normally. So it's actually really cool to know that they probably added it to get out of the uncanny valley when talking :D
The Shadowlands videos are fantastic as you can see the path of the cinematic team leading up to this won. Totally worth checking out. Just as mind blowing as this one. Keep up the great work as usual. Love it.
When an animation doesnt trigger the uncanny valley you know its good. Silithus is the name of the area in game Anduin is sitting. An old desert kingdom of giant insects.
If you can believe it, less than a year later they would top even this insane cinematic with the Trailer for Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred, which to date remains the high bar for cinematics. Definitely check that one out.
So the human character Anduin, is just hitting manhood recently in the story. He is the leader of the alliance since his father died and I'm fairly sure is in his very early twenties here. He went through a trauma where his mind was dominated by a bad guy, and he was forced to do terrible things. He was conscious of everything, but unable to control his body. This horrible trauma made him go in to hiding after the threat was ended, trying to grapple with the things he had done and his feelings during the mind control. He's supposed to be grizzled as he's been wandering for something like 1-2 years in game, and is unsure if he is fit for his role as leader of the alliance. The alliance is not just humans, it includes; worgen, humans, dwarves, night elves, gnomes, void elves, pandaren, etc. so it is a massive responsibility. I note all this because I feel like they captured his emotions so incredibly well that it triggers a sincere empathetic reaction in me.
This is to date the best trailer I've seen. So little happening overall meanwhile so much happening with the amazing details. The trailer invoked abundance of feelings.
I actually can still not believe they gave us a WarCraft movie with real actors in it, when they can do THAT! Yes, I know, it's been a while, but even at the time their animation was over the top good. I expect the next one to be solely animated in this quality or better. And it better be 100% following the lore. No little cut-backs for the uninitiated. And make it three hours long, just following the Vanilla storyline. And, of course, I want this to be In-Game graphics soon-ish. When that is done, make it VR compatible and sink a few billions into a brain-interface DiveTec system. Imagine playing WoW in photorealistic quality in VR...
You have no idea how much TIME and money it would cost to make an entire movie like that. Why do you think it hasn't been done yet hehe ^^ the amount of work would be absolutely crazy insane
Any insight to why you think they did it like this? It clearly would take a lot more time, I don't personally see any extra benefit apart from just a showcase of skill?@@ChompStudio
When you are so confident in your animating skills that you don't want the hassle of translating mocap data over to your 3d model?? Pretty amazing stuff!
The part that blows my mind the most is that Thrall looks real. Yes, Anduin looks real -- It's probably the best CGI ever created -- But THRALL looks REAL. Look at his eyes, his hair... He looks like he fucking /exists/. Insane.
They say they didn't use MOCAP but maybe they're using PERCAP (performance capture) instead? with those huge arrays of cameras, I know WATA Digital has been playing with it recently.
Amazing reaction. While you're at, feel free to check the 'Battle for Azeroth' cinematic trailer as well 'Old Soldier', 'Lost Honor', 'Safe Haven' and 'Reckoning' cinematics. All these were made within the same year/year and a half. Blizzard are masters in animation, they always have been. Give me a fully fledged movie in this quality any day.
Blizzard is arguably at the peak of cinematic craft, I don't know who did the Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty cinematic but clearly, they are also pushing the limits.
Apparently it wasn't facial motion capture, which ... is even more astounding. Honestly, when I first saw this at BlizzCon I thought Anduin was just a real actor up there. It was so convincing I was fooled, and I'm even still feeling a little fooled to this day. There's such nuanced detail in simply eye or brow or mouth movements, even on Thrall... it's so good.
Anduin went from young Brad Pitt to current Stephen Amell. The details are amazing. This is by far their best cinematic, yet they still refure to create a movie.
Is this the best facial mocap and animation to date?
Yes
Best cgi-bc this one actually is *not* mocap. They definitely had to use performance references tho.
@@hugomendoza5665 Yup 100% not mocap per Blizzard official. The animators observed the faces of the actors doing the VO, and worked off animating those.
Confirming what others have said - this wasn't mocap.
Blizzard is known for some of the best key frame animators in media.
What if I told you this wasn't mocapped, and in fact everything was hand-animated and manually 3D-modelled & textured
What the heck! That's incredible!
they had reference footage, but yeah, they claim there was no performance capture. @@ChompStudio
Can confirm this was NOT mocap. which makes it even that more impactful and impressive@@thontor
Just because i have no idea about it - whats the benefit to not using mocap? Doesnt it just make it harder for yourself for no reason?
@@marcopium9025 Seems like it. The animators were definitely flexing by including the very small details when the tip of the sword was slowly pushing into Thrall's leather harness.
Blizz confirmed that they didn't use motion-capture or real actor for Anduin. Wow creator team is so talented.
What the heck! Thats crazy!
He almost looks a bit like Stephen Amell (Arrow & Heels)
Yup Blizz pride them selves on being the best cinematic team for a while now, they have been considered the best for a years
@@wilhelmgrimm8723 I think he bears a lot of resemblance to Josh Keaton, his voice actor.
Blizzard has always set the curve for quality cinematics
This is so true. Lately I have been checking out WOW and Diablo IV....they are so amazing!
The Classic on is best tho, love the "first" big one they did.
Anduin hasn't showered for years, but at least he brushes his teeth 2 times a day
Ha there ya go!
I believe, the reason they take their time to show his face at the beginning was to show how much he has changed, and matured
Anduin used to have long hair in a ponytail, and no beard at all so, in small details like a choppy haircut, players can see the impact of trauma, and self-doubt on him, even before he voiced those feelings
Love this! Makes the reveal even more important!
When I first saw Anduin in this cinematic, my heart shattered to see him looking so haggard and unkempt… clearly having chopped his hair off himself, he’s covered in grime, who knows how long it’s been since he last bathed, he looks like he’s lost weight with his face sunk in, the wounds that haven’t completely healed yet… my king has been through hell… literally, and obviously has some serious PTSD from being subjected to domination magic at the hands of the Jailor 😢
YOU try cutting your hair with taht bigass SHalamayne sword for 5ish years and see if it doesnt look a little ragged! :P
@@ZakhadWOW Even with the choppy job, his hair looks better than mine 😉
At least you guys have hair.......
Oddly, it was the lip “stickiness” that got me. When Anduin speaks for the first time, and his mouth has clearly been closed for a long time, his lips are sticky in a few areas and that blew my mind.
Ahh yes! SO true!
man true that's a good detail
Chris Metzen said that no mocap was used in the making of this cinematic. Full CGI
But I do think they had actors acting it out. Not sure if the voice actors did that or some stand ins.
@@Valfara770 They had actors act it out which was used for reference when they did it in full CGI
Pretty insane!
There is another type of capture called performance capture, that's what they may have used, I know WATA Digital is using stuff like that now, they have specialized studios with huge arrays of cameras (PERCAP?) Cause you can see in thralls face that is 100 percent metzen, the way he reacts to anduins question was completely human.
@@ExarchGaming that doesn't mean it was mocap though, (yes performance capture is still mocap).
Good reference and strong animation skills were used here. Its quite possible it was Metzen shot on camera, being used for reference. Its easily possible to see people's mannerisms come out in keyframe animation with good reference.
Well, as the Blizzard Team mentioned during their last convention, this cinematic was actually mostly animated.
Using all the facial recognitions they had and bodily movements, everything here is next-generation animation.
Simply put, Blizzard Cinematic Studio does it again. They've blown us away with EVERY cinematic they rolled out.
That's just simply amazing!
the entire trailer was a 3d animation marvel but to me the best part was how the sand interacted when he was rotating the tip of the sword into it. the sand doesn't just cascade like typical CG particle physics but there was chunks that gave way at different sections as the sand underneath slipped away. It's these minor details that really bring the shot to life
Totally agree...the sand is so great!
It is very funny to hear him go on and on about the mocap they used when there was *none* like it's absolutely mind blowing how amazing they did if even industry veterans can't tell.
The Blizzard cinematic team never misses
Isnt that the truth!
All Warcraft fans are waiting for a full blown movie with this animation. its truly some of the best video game cinematics to date.
Yes come on!
As gorgeous as older trailers like Wrath of the Lich king were I feel like they weren't as confident in facial expressions, in in-game cutscenes or full cinematics, which is why the Lich King and most characters you saw had bits of their face hidden, especially the mouth. They've improved so much this really is the first CGI I've seen that doesn't hit the uncanny valley, instead pushing out the other side. This is *monumental.*
Huge leap I feel like!
However you feel about WoW, their cinematics always knock it out of the park.
So true!
This was Blizz' cinematic team flexing on the industry. Incredible work on this one.
in the frontal view if you look closely enough you can even see Gorribal (Sargeras' Sword) in the reflection of his eyes! amazing!
Such detail!
Yes it is not mocaped, it's hand animated! Blizzard's way of showing the world that they still excel at what they do and are always one step ahead of everyone. Anduin used to be fresh faced and clean shaven. He is the king of Stormwind and must be about 22 to 24 years old in this. Anyways, he has been to hell and back... several times... and was always a sensitive guy and a pacifist. So you can tell, knowing the character, and just looking at him there, that he is NOT doing well! Boy's got a lot of people counting on him... not just his people either, it was prophesized that he was chosen by the light to save the world...that's a heavy burden to bear and he was mind controlled by evil itself to do his bidding. He is now free but still remembers everything he did when he was controlled and how it made him feel. Thrall's nickname in the community is *green jesus* so that tells you what you need to know about him hehe. Even without knowing the background, you can tell by the quality of the animation how emotional this cinematic is...and when you know the background, it hits even harder. Very nicely done, Blizz!
Anduin is 25 years old during the events of dragonflight. in this cinematic is more likely he is closer to 30.
Amazing!
If there's one thing Blizzard has set the bar for it's their cinematics! They are always amazing visually.
Truly one of the best...if not the best!
Its worth mentioning that the green guy, an orc named thrall, is a shamman. They draw and depend on the elememts for their magic, amd thrall specificly is very in tune with the earth. All to say that his hand in the sand serves and actual purpose, as the characters dont know but we do know that they are being communicated to by the soul of the world.
This is great to know! thanks!
He is broken, in exile and "defeated" that's why he has beard.
He used to be young, clean shaven golden boy
Love this! Thanks for the lore!
Theodore Roosevelt lost his mother and wife on the same day. In his journal, he wrote one sentence that day; "The light has gone out of my life." Anduin saying "I am not that person anymore, I have no light." hits really hard.
I lost my mother 4 weeks ago. She was the most important person in my life. I can attest to how he is feeling, somewhat. It really hurts.
They did a truly incredible job with this cinematic. Legendary.
Sorry to hear that. Hope all is well!
Thank you for making this reaction video and I'm glad you liked it as much as we did! Great job!
Im hooked!
@@ChompStudio All the cinematics of World of Warcraft, including the Cinematics Ingame, are great to know the story in a simple and fast way, in particular you can see the complete story of the current King Anduin (the human of this cinematic) where you will see his personal progress and Why it has ended like this, along with other characters like Thrall (the orc)
Och my god the textures on Anduin's cape are also amazing. With the many back-and-forth of the shots I had some time to gaze at it, it is stunning :O
So good! Love it!
Great breakdown. I remember questing with Anduin when he was a boy in MOP. He's been through a lot since then, hopefully Blizzard can do him justice, I know Varian hopes they do also. King's Honor.
That trailer is SO BEAUTIFUL!!! They out did themselves this time....
So well done!
yeah like others i think the facial shots showed a weathered soul and then we see his armor and sword, gloves and now we think it's a war-torn veteran. i haven't played warcraft recently but that slow display immediately hit me emotionally.
Love it!
I think you do see some tears forming in his eyes in that scene and he blinks them away.
So amazing! Really well done!
What I think really stands out from an outsider perspective, is that the non-human things that you can't compensate for your in your brain, still feel humanoid. Making an Orc look so much like a part of our reality is so impressive. Blizzard has been a cut above in terms of theatrical cinematics for many years. I could be convinced that this was just filmed with some new game changing realistic makeup and a green screen.
Totally agree!
The voice actor for Anduin, and one of the 3D animators as well, confirmed on Twitter that there's no mo-cap. They took video of the actors for reference.
So crazy!
what blows me away is when im an old man this is what realtime video games will look like.
They are so good at what they do that they straight up skipped uncanny valley with this. The jump in quality and realism from already top of the industry productions that they have done before is insane. Even more if you realize that this was not done via facial performance capture.
Its amazing!
We need a movie like this...as much work as it is, this is the movie style we need.
Ummm yes! Come on Blizzard!
@@ChompStudio I asked Teron Gregory, the head of Blizzard cinamatics team, at BlizzCon 2019 when they were going to do a full length movie. He chuckled and said something along the lines of "we'd love to be able to some day."
One can say that Blizzard's games are a shadow of their former selves but when it comes to their cinematics? They are still one of the very top dogs out there.
Facts!
This is probably the best CG thing I have seen next to Avatar 2.
No kidding!
THAT sword is Gorribal, the greatsword of the Dark Titan, Sargeras. Forged from a shard of his original sword Gorshalach that was broken when he betrayed the Titans, he used it in a last ditch attempt to kill the nascent worldsoul within Azeroth. The other half of the original sword was forged into Taeshalach by Aggramar, who wields it in service of the Titans.
Whoa! This is amazing! Gotta look it up...thanks!
Kill the worldsoul? Or awaken...? Azeroth slumbers. She'll be the Last Titan.
I love WoW, and this is a well-written summary, but maaan, it sounds like when non-nerds try to write nerdy dialogue in TV shows xD
@@LumiCraft The entire plot of Warcraft stems from Sargeras learning of Azeroth's existence and trying to destroy her before she can be corrupted by the Void Lords since if she were to awaken, she would easily be the most powerful titan in the universe.
@@ShloppyShmeat Exactly. He was attempting to kill the worldsoul, as he had seen what happens to them when the Void Lords corrupt them into abominations. Sargeras basically freed the demons he had captured when he was still on the Titans' team in order to combat the Void Lords on equal footing, but then ended up corrupted by the fel power.
Blows my mind that this wasn't mocapped. The facial expressions are so real.
Thats just amazing....such great work!
They've been ahead of their time with cinematics since the warcraft RTS games. I would highly recommend watching more World of warcraft and warcraft animations. They're all mindblowing, especially that sword getting plunged into the Kalimdor from space.
Sargeras Plunges Sword Into Azeroth cinematic, Gromm Hellscream vs Mannoroth, the world tree getting burnt, Thrall vs Garrosh, TBC intro cinematic, there's many.
Knowing that this is manually animated and now mo-capped, I desperately want to see the rigs, and learn how they managed to make it look so good!!
Thats just amazing....such great work!
For me, it was the way his lips stuck together just a little bit the first time he opened his mouth. I can't even wrap my head around how they got that so right.
Very true! Animation is crazy!
I am not a 3D animator but I am a graphic designer and I find the images extraordinary. I dreamed of a sequel to this film. The 3D is almost perfect, what still betrays is the human movements.
Its been a trip to see the evolution of Blizzard's cinematics over the decades. They just continue to out-do themselves. Now only if the games progressed as well...
No kidding! Amazing work!
I know this is a month old reaction but go back and look in his eyes in the beginning parts before Thrall gets there, you can see that sword in his eyes. It's THAT detailed.
Also 3d animator. I remember a few people in the 90s able to pull this off.. no mocap . But not in a scene of this size.. this is next level skill. I can't wait for what comes next.
No kidding! Mind blowing!
Im was so glad when I saw this not only to see anduin again but blizzard is the best one in this this cinematic was made with love for wow
So amazing!
The Human, Anduin, usually doesn't have a beard and a 'stach. It's their way of saying that he's been letting himself go and not taking care of himself, with steps into a proper depression and identity crisis. Last we saw him in High-Def like this was in the "Battle for Azeroth"-cinematic which I can also recommend that you take a look at. If this cinematic is more about the cinematography, angles, lighting and the realistic face then the BfA cinematic is more about a siege and attack on a city.
This is good to know thanks!
Sooo many things to say, but something that sticks out like that sword: the use of left-and-right in the framing of literally every shot.
Anduin (the human) is 99% always in the right side of the frame, and Thrall (the orc) is nearly always on the left. Once Thrall uplifts Anduin's spirits, the human- who has been stuck in the right side of the frame (and used his right hand to raise his sword in the classic Arthas pose)- is literally uplifted into the light via his left hand, and gives a message of hope. Once they face the sword they've swapped sides, adding to the disturbing nature of seeing such a crazy sight. There's so much more to pick apart in this thematically, but the bottom line is that this is cutting-edge digital storytelling.
Such an amazing cinematic!
anduin does not traditionally have a beard, however, him having one now makes sense lore wise. I think you're right that they included it to hide smaller details.
As a long-time blizzard (and wow) fan, I've always maintained that blizzard is one of, if not THE, best at videogame cinematics.
Blizzard: Hey, lets make an expansion where the heroes hear a disembodied voice that allures them to follow directions and orders
Larian Studios: 👀
All of these face close ups where made to show how Anduin has changed since the last expansion. He used to have no mustache or beard. Also he had a long almost anime-style hair ))
ahhhh ok this is an awesome piece of lore to know! Thanks!
He kinda looks like somewhere in the realm of Cal Kestis but more grizzled.
@@Rileynjudkins i mean it's always easy just to tell the story. Bilzzard tried to show what he was been through with the way he looks right now. If you comapare his look from battle for azeroth trailer and now, you totally understand that this guy have seen some shit in his life. You can even make memes about it ))
Anduin has gone through several changes throughout Wow, from a child to this. While he did not have a beard before this, the story from the previous expansion pack had him leaving and going hermit for quite awhile to deal with issues. They're going for the thousand yard stare with a few cups of PTSD thrown in and his worn appearance is a reflection of that.
This is great lore info...thanks!
I have played this game since 2006 and they have always had amazing cinematics but this, this texture and animation work must have been reverse engineered from an alien civilisation its that good. Truly outstanding animation and textures 👌
Think we've escaped the uncanny valley
My man, It's even better when you have context I promise.
I believe it!
Can see their peach fuzz on the face and pores. So crispy. One of the best CGI crews in the world imo.
For me, the metal of the sword tip in the sand (looked plastic) and his perfectly white teeth were the only two detractors from this entire Cinematic, loved it and btw, "What sword?"
Got it....I could see that!
I know this video is a month old, but I'd recommend you dial back and watch the cinematic for the WoW expansion Battle for Azeroth. It features SEVERAL characters in the midst of battle, and even shows the same human as we see here...BUT WITHOUT FACIAL HAIR. I'd love to see what you think of it both as when it originally came out, and in comparison to this latest cinematic.
I may......or may not have done this already, and have something edited.....
Awesome! You should check "Battle For Azeroth" and "Lich King" cinematics, a little older but such great production
Nice! Ill add these to the list! Thanks!
@@ChompStudioespecially the lich king one cause you'll notice a similarity 😊
Anduin (the human in the cinematic) does not have a beard normally. So it's actually really cool to know that they probably added it to get out of the uncanny valley when talking :D
Good to know! Thanks!
The new Anduin reminds me of someone I served with in Iraq.
Wonderful trailer, filled with emotion, trauma, pain, wow, I am speechless.
The Shadowlands videos are fantastic as you can see the path of the cinematic team leading up to this won. Totally worth checking out. Just as mind blowing as this one. Keep up the great work as usual. Love it.
Sounds good! Ill check them out!
as you talk about the sand you should have seen what the in gome zone refference look like LMAO
Gotcha! Ill check it out!
When an animation doesnt trigger the uncanny valley you know its good. Silithus is the name of the area in game Anduin is sitting. An old desert kingdom of giant insects.
This is so true!
If you can believe it, less than a year later they would top even this insane cinematic with the Trailer for Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred, which to date remains the high bar for cinematics. Definitely check that one out.
So the human character Anduin, is just hitting manhood recently in the story. He is the leader of the alliance since his father died and I'm fairly sure is in his very early twenties here. He went through a trauma where his mind was dominated by a bad guy, and he was forced to do terrible things. He was conscious of everything, but unable to control his body.
This horrible trauma made him go in to hiding after the threat was ended, trying to grapple with the things he had done and his feelings during the mind control. He's supposed to be grizzled as he's been wandering for something like 1-2 years in game, and is unsure if he is fit for his role as leader of the alliance. The alliance is not just humans, it includes; worgen, humans, dwarves, night elves, gnomes, void elves, pandaren, etc. so it is a massive responsibility.
I note all this because I feel like they captured his emotions so incredibly well that it triggers a sincere empathetic reaction in me.
This is helpful thanks!
not sure if you've reacted to the cinematics from warcraft 3, but definitely worth a peek.
That caracter the human , it's the same Blond human kid in cinematic Battle for Azeroth, but more older than BFA
You might be suprised but there is no motion capture here all animation :))
I am...so crazy!
This is to date the best trailer I've seen. So little happening overall meanwhile so much happening with the amazing details. The trailer invoked abundance of feelings.
Love it!
no story is portrayed by this , most boring thing ever. this is just 20 close ups
Its insane that they didnt even use motion cap for it.
I was pretty stunned to find that out later....amazing!
Per Blizzard, it wasn't mocap which is even more incredible
So crazy......just one big flex haha
I actually can still not believe they gave us a WarCraft movie with real actors in it, when they can do THAT! Yes, I know, it's been a while, but even at the time their animation was over the top good. I expect the next one to be solely animated in this quality or better. And it better be 100% following the lore. No little cut-backs for the uninitiated. And make it three hours long, just following the Vanilla storyline.
And, of course, I want this to be In-Game graphics soon-ish. When that is done, make it VR compatible and sink a few billions into a brain-interface DiveTec system. Imagine playing WoW in photorealistic quality in VR...
I agree....just different time periods. I am ready for a full movie like this though! Come on Blizzard!
You have no idea how much TIME and money it would cost to make an entire movie like that. Why do you think it hasn't been done yet hehe ^^ the amount of work would be absolutely crazy insane
Ok, Anduin. Say it. Say "You have failed this city."
No mo-cap, all hand animated bro.
Thats just amazing....such great work!
Any insight to why you think they did it like this?
It clearly would take a lot more time, I don't personally see any extra benefit apart from just a showcase of skill?@@ChompStudio
When you are so confident in your animating skills that you don't want the hassle of translating mocap data over to your 3d model?? Pretty amazing stuff!
The part that blows my mind the most is that Thrall looks real. Yes, Anduin looks real -- It's probably the best CGI ever created -- But THRALL looks REAL. Look at his eyes, his hair... He looks like he fucking /exists/. Insane.
Totally true! Pretty amazing 3d!
a new WoW player was just born!
Ahhh yeah! At least with these cinematics haha!
Pure goosebumps
So good!
they need to make the second World of Warcraft movie
No kidding....lets get this going!
Next one, Wrath of the Lich King
blizzard cinematics are amazing.
Some of the best!
They say they didn't use MOCAP but maybe they're using PERCAP (performance capture) instead? with those huge arrays of cameras, I know WATA Digital has been playing with it recently.
I could see that as well1
Amazing reaction. While you're at, feel free to check the 'Battle for Azeroth' cinematic trailer as well 'Old Soldier', 'Lost Honor', 'Safe Haven' and 'Reckoning' cinematics. All these were made within the same year/year and a half. Blizzard are masters in animation, they always have been. Give me a fully fledged movie in this quality any day.
Sounds good! Ill add these to the list! Thanks!
Blizzard never fails to amaze
Some of the best!
Blizzard is arguably at the peak of cinematic craft, I don't know who did the Cyberpunk 2077: Phantom Liberty cinematic but clearly, they are also pushing the limits.
Cant wait to see where this takes the industry!
If there is one thing that Blizzard can do, it's cinematics. I've honestly been arguing for Blizzard to go into TV making a World of Warcraft series.
Totally agree!
Apparently it wasn't facial motion capture, which ... is even more astounding. Honestly, when I first saw this at BlizzCon I thought Anduin was just a real actor up there. It was so convincing I was fooled, and I'm even still feeling a little fooled to this day. There's such nuanced detail in simply eye or brow or mouth movements, even on Thrall... it's so good.
So crazy!
Blizzard might be alot of things but they never miss with their cinematics
This is the truth!
Such amazing animation for what is guaranteed to be a dumb story
I dont know much about WOW gameplay...but I keep hearing this
Anduin uses the same pose as Arthas in the Wrath trailer when he features Frostmourne. Does it mean anything?
Oooo very nice! I need to watch that next! Thanks!
it is sunrise by the way. Pink tones.. Sunset has orange tones.
Good call.
In 5 years they will be able to make movies without actors just voices and make anything come to life.
Scary!
nobody can touch blizzard on cinematics...the details are unreal
The best!
Anduin went from young Brad Pitt to current Stephen Amell. The details are amazing. This is by far their best cinematic, yet they still refure to create a movie.
Dude looks a lot more like Dominic Monaghan
Really well done!
......
"they knew they had mocap." Hi, first blizzard cinematic?
Until the part I was wrong and there was no mocap....amazing animation!
Damn i just wanna hug him lol
haha
This wasn’t made with any mocap. I believe Blizzard has a history of not using any mocap for any of their cinematics
So crazy to hear that! Amazing!
Star Wars old republic all cinematic : ) ❤
Got em on the list! Thanks!
Jamir Blanco - who all the credits go... :)
Awesome thanks!
If they could make game as much appealing as the cinematics...
yeah blizzard since the ?late 90s? with starcraft 1 and diablo 1 rocked the world with their cinematics and have never ceased to amaze.
Some of the best!