Research, Development and Problem Solving
Research and development is always one of the first steps in a project. This is where we test ideas, explore techniques, and figure out how to approach the technical challenges ahead in a reliable way.
From experimenting with rather adventurous concepts like pooping lemurs with trees growing from the results, which sadly did not make the final cut, to simulating banana plants losing their leaves in a storm, this phase is all about finding solutions. Setting up robust and art directable systems early on ensures that even the wild ideas can be handled with confidence later in production.

Shaping the Title Sequence
The title sequence is always a special part of the process, as it sits right at the heart of the Checker Tobi brand. It sets the tone, introduces the world, and needs to feel instantly familiar while still belonging to the specific film.
Getting there is a journey. We explored many different versions, refining ideas through multiple feedback rounds and small adjustments. Step by step, the sequence evolved until it felt just right for the film and seamlessly aligned with the established brand.

Guided Asset Creation at Scale
With a huge range of scenes and environments, building every 3D asset fully by hand would have gone far beyond our time budget. Instead, we developed a smart hybrid workflow. We modeled and approved a hero asset, the Lemur, and used it as a visual reference inside a ComfyUI setup to generate meshes and textures for all required assets.
Guided by carefully written text prompts and a clear style reference, this semi automatic process allowed us to create a large number of assets efficiently while keeping everything art directable and consistent. Only minimal manual tweaks were needed, resulting in a cohesive visual world that stayed true to the approved look.
This approach gave us the freedom to move quickly while maintaining a strong and recognizable style across very different environments. By combining a solid visual reference with guided generation, we were able to focus our time on refinement and making it coherent.

































Credits
Film Production & Art Direction:
megaherz
Director: Antonia Simm
Postproduction Supervisor: Florian Kohlert
Animation Director: Robert Mayer
Storyboard / Illustrator: Rebekka Heidenberger
Animation Studio:
Aixsponza
Excecutive Producer: Tobias Müller
Senior Producer: Julian Fischer
Supervisor: Matthias Zabiegly
Team: Andreas Riesener, Christian Scheck, Christoph Ott, David Bobichon, Elisabeth Schlichtner, Holger Aumüller, Jens Kindler, Lars Korb, Leo Akinbiyi, Mars Dolschon, Monika Brüggemann, Patrick Zimmermann, Paul Hebsaker, Sebastian Meinecke, Sebastian Pfeifer, Stefan Voigt, Timo Peiseler, Vincent Langer
with ♥️ to everyone on the team
it was a blast
