If you didn’t catch this week’s episode of Fringe – you better check it out on Hulu while you can. Grab a cup of coffee, click play and get ready for a Lysergic Acid Diethylamide ride.

While the sci-fi show always deals with realities that are on ‘the fringe’… this particular episode took it a step further – sending its main characters into a world of…animation. Yes. That’s correct. Animation.

And the animation was absolutely stunning. The fantastical work was led by Andrew Orloff and his team as Zoic Studios.

“This project was one of the most intensive and rewarding we have worked on in Zoic’s history,” said Andrew Orloff, the studio’s creative director. “It was an incredible undertaking, from the amazing writers at Fringe to the animation production that is both steeped in tradition and groundbreaking.”

Inspired by graphic novels, Max Fleischer and Hanna-Barbera classics, Zoic began the process with extensive character designs for each of the actors who would appear in the animated dream-state. Storyboards were drawn for every scene in the show and were cut together with footage from stunt coordinator fight scene choreography and live-action performances to retain the integrity of the actor performances and ensure that that these unique character personalities translate on screen.

Using a unique blend of 3D and hand-drawn bush strokes, Zoic created animated characters that strike a balance between stylized and authentic, allowing the subtleties of the actors’ emotions and mannerisms to shine through. The materials and footage from various formats were extensively tracked in Zoic’s project-management pipeline, to effectively organize plates, actor and voiceover performances and feed shot and version notes to the artists from the supervisors and client.

In addition to the character animation, the Zoic team recreated some Fringe sets and designed and animated new environments key to the narrative. These environments, often hand-painted backgrounds projected onto 3-D plates, have incredible depth of field and subtle hand-held float, providing an immersive experience for the viewer.

Andrew Orloff is a regular speaker at motion – our annual event featuring the brightest and most creative minds in the industry.

motion.tv congratulations Andrew Orloff and Zoic Studios on this remarkable achievement.