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The year is 2065. Earth is under siege. A meteor has crashed onto the planet, unleashing
millions of alien creatures that roam the earth, decimating field and city alike,
threatening to extinguish life itself. The survivors of the initial onslaught have
retreated to barrier cities built to protect the inhabitants of Earth from the marauding
invaders but time is running out as the few cities around the globe are in decline.
Yet the spirit of humankind is resilient and embodied in the brilliant and beautiful Dr.
Aki Ross (voiced by Ming-Na). As determined as she is capable, Aki is Earth's last hope
for defeating the alien predators. With the guidance of her scientific mentor Dr. Sid
(voiced by Donald Sutherland) and the aid of the Deep Eyes military squadron led by the
courageous Capt. Gray Edwards (voiced by Alec Baldwin), Aki races to save both the planet
and herself.
Aki holds the key to discovering the secret to defeating the alien creatures, but her
quest is challenged by the militant opposition of General Hein (voiced by James Woods),
who plots to unleash a massive space cannon that could destroy the enemy - and the earth
as well.
Fighting both the enemy within and the scheming General Hein, who would destroy the earth
in order to save it, Aki valiantly pursues her final fantasy.
Sound appealing? On July 11, 2001, audiences will share a motion picture event unlike
anything that has come before, a cinematic breakthrough where the most sophisticated
effects imaginable are invisibly woven into an unforgettable story about adventure,
survival and the eternal spirit of mankind. Get ready to break the boundaries of reality
and experience the hyperReal - the apex of CGI technology.
Columbia Pictures presents a Square Pictures production of FINAL FANTASY: THE SPIRITS
WITHIN. Hironobu Sakaguchi directs from an original screenplay written by Al Reinert and
Jeff Vintar. The story is also by Sakaguchi. Motonori Sakakibara co-directs. The film
features the voices of actors Alec Baldwin, Steve Buscemi, Peri Gilpin, Ming-Na, Ving
Rhames, Donald Sutherland and James Woods, among others. Sakaguchi, Jun Aida and Chris
Lee are producers.
The film's creative team includes director of photography Motonori
Sakakibara, animation director Andy Jones and conceptual director Tani Kunitake, among others.
FINAL FANTASY: THE SPIRITS WITHIN arrives at the beginning of an era of digital
storytelling. The Columbia and Square Pictures project is recognized as a milestone in
motion picture history - the first feature to simulate a full range of human emotions and
movements with hyperReal human characters and backgrounds, all computer generated imagery.
It is the first to use CGI actors to bring a compelling and complex story to the screen.
About the Production:
"By using CGI in FINAL FANTASY: THE SPIRITS WITHIN, we were able to be innovative in using
various camera angles, lighting and special effects on the action scenes. But most
important, we were able to create a superior computer-generated human character. That's
the CGI artist's dream," says Hironobu Sakaguchi, the film's director.
"It's a very emotional story. It's about how we're all part of a whole. It's very much
in keeping with Sakaguchi's philosophy, which is really a strong part of the success of
the Final Fantasy game series," says Chris Lee, one of the film's producers.
"I wanted to create a visual story about the emotion of the 'heart' and its existence at
life's most basic level - survival," says Sakaguchi. "This film will set the viewer on an
exciting voyage of personal discovery, focusing on the spiritual and philosophical aspect
of 'life,' rather than a fantasy world of myths and magic."
Sakaguchi is acclaimed as the visionary creator of the Final Fantasy interactive game
series (Final Fantasy I-IX) produced by Square. The cinematic version of FINAL FANTASY:
THE SPIRITS WITHIN realizes Sakaguchi's dream of taking the latest in computer graphic
technology and the best artists in the world to create a brand new form of entertainment.
"The storyline is completely original and the characters are fully computer graphics-generated," he explains. "I have always wanted to create a new form of
entertainment that fuses the technical wizardry of interactive games with the sensational
visual effects of motion pictures. FINAL FANTASY: THE SPIRITS WITHIN takes us one step
toward that dream."
An emotional and tense waiting period for this film has been building for Leslie "Ash"
Csikos, a fan of all the Final Fantasy games. Ash is drawn to the game because of "the
excellent storylines. There are a lot of role playing games (RPG's) out there, but very
few have plots as intricate as the Final Fantasy series. The outstanding graphics and
excellent battle system are close seconds, though."
Some CGI projects pursue the fantastic, building colorful virtual worlds of an alternate
reality. Other CGI projects startle because they so precisely mirror the actual look of
people, things and places in our natural world. Both are valid approaches as already
proven by the convergence of CGI and film across a wide variety of entertainment content
creations.
"This is a chance to tell a great human story with a completely different medium. Only
Sakaguchi would have the vision to take what he had learned in gaming and apply it to the
motion picture process," says Chris Lee. "But while this is the dawn of a new era in
filmmaking, this film doesn't forget that the audience has to be engaged by the characters
in the story."
FINAL FANTASY: THE SPIRITS WITHIN takes its journey of personal discovery into both the
real and fantasy worlds, drawing viewers deep into its complex characterizations and
themes, its psychology and secrets.
"We think FINAL FANTASY: THE SPIRITS WITHIN is unique," says Amy Pascal, Columbia Pictures
chairman. "The way Square produced the film is a special form of animation that none of
us have seen before."
The Development of Final Fantasy:
This isn't taking place on a soundstage. Welcome to today's digital backlot - where
computer graphics and animation have reached the point of creating motion picture imagery
that enables viewers to experience the excitement of the fantasy like never before.
"There's no end to the research and development that goes into this production," adds Jun
Aida, one of the film's producers. "Unlike other films derived from interactive games,
FINAL FANTASY: THE SPIRITS WITHIN features an original storyline and characters."
"There are a lot of complications," explains Aida, "and you could ask if it wouldn't be
easier to shoot it as live-action. But we're trying to set new standards and establish a
new genre of feature films - it is not our intention to compete with live-action films."
FINAL FANTASY: THE SPIRITS WITHIN draws upon many traditional strong points - a
compelling
science-fiction story, likeable, attractive heroes, adrenaline-pumping action, dramatic
acting, exotic settings and myths, even a love story. But it is the development of new
computer graphic techniques and technology that allows the artists to achieve the highest
degree of unprecedented realism.
As a century of filmmaking via traditional techniques drew to a close, it was inevitable
that new innovative methods of motion picture production would emerge, propelled by
freshly imaginative screenwriting and direction, blazing-fast computer technology and
brilliant computer graphic artists. It was the goal of the filmmakers for FINAL FANTASY
to harness this lightning in a bottle.
"We have put an extensive amount of effort into developing in-house software tools," says
Aida. "Since this is something no one has ever done before, I couldn't just hire people
to show us how to do it. Other studios have never done hyperRealistic human actors, so
there was no 'right' approach. So again, we had to set those new standards."
Approximately two years were spent in research and development before actual work began on
FINAL FANTASY: THE SPIRITS WITHIN. Once production was up and running, content
creation
speed, flexibility and quality reached new high levels.
Final Fantasy Comes to Life in Hawaii:
For FINAL FANTASY: THE SPIRITS WITHIN, the digital backlot was not in Hollywood, but in
tropical Hawaii.
Square's Honolulu-based studio was where dozens of the world's top graphic artists worked
on the hottest SGI (Silicon Graphic Ink) machines and CGI software available to forge new
frontiers in digital content creation.
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within showcases the latest and most extreme innovations in CGI
as well as stunning work of the most exceptionally creative people working today in the
field of entertainment film animation. In fact, "Square selected Honolulu because of its
centralized location in the Pacific," explains one of the film's producers, Jun Aida.
"This has enabled us to maximize the most creative and experienced talent from all over
the world."
Next to the beautiful Pacific Ocean, with palm trees rustling in the tropical breezes and
a 180-degree view of sea and surf that stretches all the way from Honolulu International
Airport to Diamond Head, the studio where FINAL FANTASY came to life occupied several
floors of Harbor Court, in downtown Honolulu. Specializing in film production and
employing close to 200 people, the studio came well-equipped with state-of-the-art
computers and software.
The studio gathered its prestigious talent for the film from all over the world, including
Hollywood, Tokyo and Europe. There were artists who worked on Godzilla and Titanic, some
former Disney animators, and a conceptual director who labored on The Matrix, among other
films. Security cameras mounted next to doors that opened only by coded electronic key
protected the top-secret project during production.
Most of the film's designers worked in high-ceilinged rooms behind windows that had been
draped in black cloth to prevent glare on the two or three monitors crowded before them.
On any given day in the studio, one might see hundreds of hand-drawn storyboards taped to
walls everywhere, workstation screens abuzz, some designers working on fine details -such
as skin textures and hair for the human characters - others building vehicles, battlefields and futuristic weapons in cyberspace.
Another part of the Square studio is located in the shadow of the familiar Honolulu
landmark known as Diamond Head. Here, at the Hawaii Film Studio's production facility,
specially trained staff members spent hours working in customized body suits, bringing a
unique physical personality to the series of complicated and realistic action sequences in
the film.
During the process known as motion capture, a staff member wearing a skin-tight black
costume laced with 37 reflective markers bolts from the darkness of an empty set,
simulating true-to-life human motions. Sixteen specialized cameras, each silently and
rapidly blinking a red light, are connected to computer screens for motion capture. Huge
speakers play a pre-recorded voice track.
The capture, with each and every bit of action recorded, is electronically sent back to
the programmers at Harbor Court. The result of the scene is a 3-D stick figure that
matches their movements, just one of a series of complex computer graphic procedures that
the artists reference to create the finished feature film.
To overcome technical problems, the programmers at Square developed in-house software
tools. The accurate rendering of skin colors and textures and facial expressions, as well
as hair details and clothing wrinkles as each character moves about, presented enormous
challenges which needed to be answered by special solutions. Artists often went through
hundreds of transformations and refinements as they labored on renderings for the film's
many characters.
"Technically, the natural human facial expressions were the most difficult aspect,"
explains Sakaguchi. "Unlike bringing inanimate objects to life, it is an extreme
challenge to simulate human movement, hair and clothing, because our eyes are naturally
critical toward human movements as we observe them everyday. It would take a very long
time if we produced this feature by hand animation, so we became very innovative.
"But our 'actors,'" he adds with a smile, "are always willing to work on time and take
direction."
The Story of Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within:
FINAL FANTASY: THE SPIRITS WITHIN emerges from its successful interactive game roots to
deliver a powerful motion picture adventure. The movie, however, does not retell a
particular story from any of the nine versions of the Final Fantasy interactive game.
Just as each of the games has consistently told a new story about a new group of
characters, the film presents an all-new storyline, along with characters you care about.
The international blockbuster successes of Final Fantasy, a role-playing interactive
entertainment series which has sold more than 26 million units worldwide and ranks as one
of the most popular interactive game franchises of all time, inspired the film. With its
ninth title released in November 2000, each game and the film are originated from Final
Fantasy's underlying themes of love, friendship, dreams, adventure, life and death, with a
spiritual backdrop.
While capturing the kind of excitement, energy and integrity presented in the phenomenally
successful game series, the film's special subject matter and plot is carefully designed
to appeal not just to gamers but to a wide audience of moviegoers. How does fan Ash feel
about her favorite RPG being spawned into a movie? "The reality of the issue aside," Ash
explains, "I'd like to see all the games done as movies. I'm sure 95% of the fans out
there would too. As far as the movie that's coming out? I can't really say - I'd like to
see the same mind engaging plots, complete with twists that make your brain hurt,
excellently developed characters that we can all relate to, and stunning graphics. As far
as the story goes, I'll leave that up to the experts over at Square. I have faith in their
ability to come up with something that we'll be talking about for years."
While not based upon any specific Final Fantasy game title or storyline, the film expands
upon territory familiar to those who have known the games - the concept of creating an
ultimate fantasy story about life and death.
"What is fantasy?" asks Sakaguchi. "Is it a genre, a structure, a state of mind or a
technique? Fantasy invokes wonder by making the impossible seem familiar and the familiar
seem new and strange. Experiencing fantasy, we explore the unknown. Fantasy gives a
comprehensible form to the basic questions around life, death, good and evil, mystery and
magic."
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"Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within"
