Industrial Light & Magic handled effects on “Lady in the Water,” which in large part consist of two CGI characters: an “eaglon,” an eagle with a 40-foot wing span, and a “scrunt,” a dog with blades of grass for fur. For the scrunt, director M. Night Shyamalan initially saw a “dark, skulking character,” according to vfx supervisor Ed Hirsh. That changed once ILM started working.

“Once we started to develop him,” says Hirsh, “I think it sparked Night’s imagination, and he saw the possibilities and expanded the emotional range this character could have.”

Shyamalan was adamant that there be no “CG aftertaste,” according to Hirsh, and ILM had to match the CGI scrunt to an animatronic puppet that was used in some scenes. A new trailer for the film was released this morning, where you will be able to catch glimpses of ILM work on the feature.

To a take a peek, click here.