“This Emotional Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes Scene Took 1.2 Petabytes to Make—And Almost Didn’t Happen!”
Few scenes in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes carry as much emotional weight as the river sequence featuring Raka, Noa, and Mae. But behind the raw intensity of that moment lies a VFX achievement of staggering proportions—one that required 1.2 petabytes of disk space (yes, that’s 1.2 billion megabytes) and the meticulous craftsmanship of Wētā FX.
From the roaring currents to the intricacies of wet ape fur, let’s dive into how this cinematic spectacle came to life.
Blending Real and Digital: A Balancing Act
The scene was partially shot on set with practical elements, including a controlled river tank where actors Peter Macon (Raka) and Freya Allan (Mae) physically interacted with flowing water.
💬 VFX Supervisor Erik Winquist explains how the team combined real and digital elements:
“We were able to use Freya, paint out Peter, and replace him with CG, but the water pushing against his chest in his wetsuit remained real. It was great to take advantage of the plate water.”
This delicate mix of live-action performance capture and CG magic helped ground the scene in realism while allowing for seamless digital enhancements.
Simulating the River: Old-School Meets Cutting-Edge Tech
Water simulation is one of the toughest challenges in visual effects, and Wētā FX had already pushed boundaries with Avatar: The Way of Water. However, the river sequence in Kingdom required a different approach.
Challenges they faced:
- Unlike Pandora’s pristine blue waters, this river was filled with sediment, foam, and debris.
- The camera had to dip underwater and resurface, requiring realistic water sheeting down the lens.
- Animation had to sync with the water’s current, meaning actors’ mocap movements had to match fluid simulations.
To tackle these hurdles, the FX team ran a low-resolution river simulation first, allowing animators to block out movements before up-resing to a high-resolution version.
“Animation could go off and start animating apes against that current,” says Winquist. “Then our FX team could refine it further.”
This method ensured that everything—water, movement, and environment—worked together seamlessly.
Mastering Wet Ape Fur: The Loki Simulation Trick
- If simulating realistic water was challenging, then simulating wet ape fur was a whole other beast.
To capture the realistic interaction between water and fur, Wētā FX turned to their Loki state machine, which they originally developed for Avatar: The Way of Water.
- How it worked:
- First, the team ran a simulation of Raka in water, observing how the fur reacted to currents.
- Then, they sculpted a custom fur groom to reflect water pressure’s effect on his hair—creating that signature “parted hair” look on his arms and body.
- Finally, a thin-film simulation was applied to show how water drained out of the fur as Raka moved.
The result? A hyper-realistic depiction of wet fur, making Raka’s struggle in the river all the more immersive.
Raka’s Final Words: A Last-Minute Change That Made the Scene More Powerful
One of the most gut-wrenching moments in the film is Raka’s fall into the rapids, delivering his final words to Noa. However, his original line wasn’t the one we heard in theaters.
- Originally, Raka was meant to say, “The work continues.”
- But director Wes Ball realized it wasn’t impactful enough.
- It was changed to “Together. Strong.” — echoing Caesar’s iconic “Apes. Together. Strong.”
With only a month left before the film’s delivery, Peter Macon recorded the new line on his iPhone.
“The audio from that is actually what’s in the movie,” reveals Winquist. “An animator had to match the performance to that footage. It was devastating.”
This last-minute change ended up strengthening the emotional impact of Raka’s sacrifice, making the scene one of the most memorable moments in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.
Final Thoughts: A Masterclass in VFX and Storytelling
The river sequence in Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes is a perfect example of how technical innovation and storytelling go hand in hand.
- 1.2 petabytes of data to create a photorealistic river
- A hybrid approach of practical water and digital simulations
- Cutting-edge fur simulations for a hyper-realistic wet ape look
- A last-minute dialogue change that made the scene even more powerful
With Wētā FX at the forefront, Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes continues to set new standards for visual effects, proving that VFX isn’t just about realism—it’s about storytelling.🎬 What did you think of the emotional Raka scene? Let us know!
