Behind the Magic: 'Pacific Rim' Hong Kong Battle

"Pacific Rim" is Guillermo del Toro's modern retake on the giant city destroying Kaiju films that started with Godzilla in 1954. The survival of mankind is threatened by giant alien creatures and to respond to this outsized threat, the nations of the Earth come together to build an outsized response - similarly sized giant combat robots.

Here the ILM visual effects team discusses the challenge behind one of the films signature action sequences, the Hong Kong battle.

[nslater]

I thought they shot parts of an actual city and then rendered the fight on top of that. It was ALL CGI!! And yet the office was a MINIATURE?! Holy crap!!

[koltscats]

"The tanker is too big it wont work as a bat"
PHYSICS BE DAMNED! ITS PACIFIC RIM!

[SlapperJab]

Can we just take a moment to appreciate, that the ILM sr.visual effects art director's last name is "Jaeger". That's awesome

[simplyReed]

Still can't believe this didn't get an Oscar nomination...

[TechRock]

Visuals were literally out of this world! Seamless CGI to real world environment! Topped most movies that I've seen! I watch movies 2 or three times and notice well where the digital stands out from the real world, and boy I have yet to find it after the 4th time watching :D Amazing job! I pay tribute to all of you by staying for the credits and seeing who truly makes these amazing movies come to life! :)

[Hero_Staroid]

Pacific rim should've been nominated for best visuals for the oscars and golden globes.

[Skullstarproductions]

It is an absolute crime that this movie was not nominated for Best Visual Effects.

[valen]

"but it doesnt work with an oil tanker" ... damned right, a boat taken out of water in that fashion would simply collapse under its own weight (imagine picking up a overly long swiss-role or cake and swing it around) ... but what the hell, we all just shouted "hell yeah" when we saw that scene

[lipico]

At 1:51 the guy's name is really "Jaeger"?! That's a hell of a coincidence!

[JohnQuiroz]

I loved this movie. I think it was completely underrated

[chimjw]

Damn when games get graphics like this id be happy though I will be damn near 100

[Davyartt]

The effects in this film were stunning. The best parts of the film were with the monsters and robots. They actually looked massive and hulking. Much better than the robots in previous films.

[Rize_Inn]

The shot of Gypsy running like a linebacker towards the monster was one of my favorite shots in the movie.

[htpark]

The entire movie is awesome, but this is definitely the stand out sequence.  Rocket-powered fist-pump!

[ngenish]

How this didnt get nominated for best visual effects academy award still baffles me!

[akkalat]

Whoa those miniatures... I had no idea.

[cheesefighter]

Its weird how a lot of studios dont use a "mini-set" technique. Should be more common.

[LaundryDayMovies]

This is probably my favourite fight sequence of all time.  You guys did phenomenal work.  I watch all your videos over and over and over again to figure out what's going on and how you did it, so that I can learn it myself.  

[KDesignTeam]

Need to say the making of are real great and interresting for cgi lovers. Quality of movie and athmosphere is real great. Thx for posting

[NintendexF]

Amazing work guys! I hope you make a sequel!