Behind the Magic: The Visual Effects of 'Pacific Rim'

For over 2 years the team at Industrial Light & Magic in San Francisco, Singapore and Vancouver worked tirelessly to bring Guillermo del Toro's science fiction epic "Pacific Rim" to life. This reel represents a taste of the visual effects work the team was tasked with in creating everything from monstrous Kaiju to the man-made Jaegers and the environments they are seen in.

We hope you enjoy this peek behind the scenes of our visual effects work on "Pacific Rim".

[derekjacobson]

Pacific Rim got snubbed at the Oscars. I know Gravity's effects were amazing and all, but why didn't Pacifc Rim at least get recognized while The Lone Ranger did?

[GojiGuy]

This here should've won the Oscar...

[iggy]

They didn't really build giant robots then?? :O

[bobjenz]

I absolutely love videos like this. Flick was a blast. 

[RiceBowl]

That's why i love this film so much. It's one of the most badass movie ever made. No matter how much you hate (or dislike) the story and etc., you can't hate how amazing the effects are.

[Milupa]

I wonder when CGI companies start hiring the screenplay writers, actors and directors and start owning the movie instead of the other way around. They already do practically 80% of the movie.

[MetaMagnus]

Gotta love the effects!! One of my favorite movies of 2013!!!

[macrameschool]

wOw it's a whole art.. great job!

[mackabiemoss]

A century of cinema has brought us here. This features incredible work from every department. Sound, pre-production, production, post-production, etc. Getting this done in just over 2 years seems totally insane to me, so if any of you are still alive, buy yourself a few drinks. If you've been paid, buy yourself a vacation. You fugging deserve it!

[MichaelTaylorFilms]

I cannot praise ILM Visual FX enough for what they do on this channel! As a young man who wants to be a part of the film industry, I really like how you give us all a taste into what its like behind the scenes with both VFX breakdowns and commentaries from the men and women who actually create the effects! Thank you and keep up the good work!

[shtechvn]

So basically, we're watching a really good 3D cartoon.

[SinKimishima]

ILM and WETA are the two top CGI-for-movie companies as of today

[TheShadowedOne]

YAY! I loved Pacific Rim! You'd better win the Oscar this year. But then, the Oscars are crap. You've got a figurative award from me for being the best! ILM for the win!

[rocketpunchgo]

I absolutely love this type of behind the scenes (deconstructing a scene, CGI models, etc), but to break 2 years of work into a 3-minute video.... (even aside from the extras on the blueray)

[metoren]

One has to recognize and thank you guys for not only show the behind the scenes but go out of your way and prepare such amazing breakdowns of the scenes. Trully inspiring.
I thought I'd have tons of questions, but everything is so clearly shown that it's almost a tutorial.

This left me with a smile on my face. Hopefully there will be a sequel to the movie so I can see more of you guys work. Congratulations!

[IceVip]

You guys are freakin amazing, makes me sad abit.. cuz i'll never be like you.

[masterJPRO]

Wow! I honestly thought that the Shatterdome set was real! It's amazing what goes into a movie like this. This is my dream job.

[abilenevespa]

Took the family, we had a blast. Loved the look of the film. Perfect popcorn movie.

[igorzanic]

Realy amazing work, but you guys already know that :)

[HendiPutra]

i'm still even amazed after watching this! I just loved robots fighting a giants O_O