Kubo's Dragon

Kubo's Dragon

The perfect reference for this piece, besides Kubo and the Two Strings of course, is Pete's Dragon. Not only about a boy and his dragon but the film also takes place in the Pacific Northwest, home of Laika Studios.

Seamless Integration

Using a scene from Laika's film as the back plate and a reference from Disney's, Pete's Dragon, I integrated, you guessed it, a dragon into the scene. To add more depth and further push my limits, I also added some godrays peeking through the pathway of trees. This leads the eye to the starring pair.

The Magic of the Dragon

Deepest appreciation to the following great artists, for without their inspiring pieces my piece wouldn't be possible.

Backplate by Laika Studios, Kubo and the Two Strings
https://laika.com/our-films/kubo
https://animationscreencaps.com/kubo-two-strings-2016/

Dragon
Concept / Model /Texture by Nataly Lepler
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nataly-lepler-8622a2109/
Rig by Elise Mathez
https://vimeo.com/elisemathez

Reference images from
Walt Disney Pictures, Pete's Dragon - https://movies.disney.com/petes-dragon-2016
https://animationscreencaps.com/petes-dragon-2016
https://www.wallpaperflare.com/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/herosjourneymythology45surf/50340561301

A special thanks to Matthew Hicks, VFX/Lighting teacher and mentor extraordinaire.
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm3737890/
and as always, Juan Lopez, always taking me a step further.
https://www.jlopexvfx.com