Meet the VFX Rebels Bringing Hollywood Magic to Japan’s Biggest Productions
How Two Hollywood Veterans Built a Cutting-Edge VFX Studio in Japan
Starting an independent visual effects company is no easy feat, but doing it in Japan—especially as a foreigner—is an entirely different challenge. Yet, Megalis VFX co-founders Jeffrey Dillinger and Christophe Rodo not only navigated these challenges but thrived, bringing Hollywood-level innovation to Japanese productions.
Overcoming Cultural and Technological Barriers
When Dillinger, a former Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) artist, moved to Japan in 2013, he expected a technological powerhouse. Instead, he found an industry hesitant to embrace change. “Japan might look high-tech on the outside, but many studios still use outdated tools,” he explains. “No one wants to be the person who takes the risk on something new.”
Rodo, who had already worked at ILM and founded Megalis in 2017, faced similar hurdles. “Japan isn’t the easiest place for foreigners to start a business,” he admits. “From visa issues to company registration, we ran into one obstacle after another.”
Despite these challenges, Megalis quickly made its mark, working on projects like Netflix’s Oni: Thunder God’s Tale, HBO’s The Nevers, and Toei’s Shin Kamen Rider.
Redefining Japanese VFX with Oni and Beyond
A turning point came in 2022 when Megalis joined forces with Tonko House, a studio founded by former Pixar artists, to work on Oni: Thunder God’s Tale. Originally planned as stop-motion, the project shifted to CG due to time and budget constraints. Megalis was tasked with recreating the stop-motion aesthetic using modern tools like Solaris, Houdini, and Arnold.
“The goal was to make CG look like stop-motion,” says Dillinger. “When a reviewer said, ‘You may think this is CG, but it’s actually stop-motion,’ we knew we had nailed it.”
The success of Oni led to even bigger opportunities. Netflix soon tapped Megalis as the primary VFX vendor for Zom 100: Bucket List of the Dead, a live-action adaptation of the hit anime. The project included a show-stealing zombie shark with 17 legs—an exciting challenge for the team.
“We had to figure out how a shark would walk if it suddenly grew legs,” laughs Dillinger. “It starts clumsy, then becomes terrifying as it gains control. That was one of the most fun sequences we’ve ever worked on.”
Bridging Japan and the Global VFX Scene
With projects like Yu Yu Hakusho, Alice in Borderland, and Hypergalactic 5, Megalis continues to push the boundaries of Japanese VFX. They’ve even expanded to France, opening a new office in Toulon.
But beyond groundbreaking visuals, Megalis is committed to fostering new talent. The company offers weekly language classes to help employees communicate across cultures, and it’s working to bridge Japanese and U.S. universities through internships.
“A lot of Japanese artists are self-taught because there aren’t many VFX-focused programs here,” says Rodo. “We want to change that.”
The Future of Megalis VFX
As Megalis grows, the Japanese industry is slowly warming up to new methods. “Studios are starting to see that they can compete internationally if they modernize their pipelines,” notes Dillinger. “It’s exciting to be part of that shift.”
With upcoming projects and a drive to redefine the Japanese VFX industry, one thing is clear—Megalis VFX isn’t just adapting to Japan. It’s helping Japan evolve.
