Books

The Art Of Rio Review

14th Apr 2014

Another beautifully glossy tome from Titan Books, whose animation ‘Art of’ books are growing from strength to strength. As usual, this book contains a fascinating array of sketches, concept paintings and other pre-production work. Additions include photos of clay sculptures and posters featuring the back story of characters give an insight into the depth of work that goes into creating the characters, both physically and their individual stories. Colour keys and pages of expression sheets make this feel like a real behind-the-scenes look at the film.

With over three hundred artists working together to make the film, the book has plenty of variety and depth. For me the highlights of the book were Moose Lake Village – beautiful spreads of pencil, ink and digital pre-production work on the locations, shops, houses and interiors. Seeing the level of detail that goes into planning each room just makes you appreciate the films aesthetics even more. Tom Cardone, Art director adds some relevant and engaging text to walk us through the process.

The Carnival pages are another obvious highlight – a lush, tropical and fun section of the book. For me though, it was the graphics spread that really topped my list of favourite sections – street grafiti, vintage posters, stamps and more were all so beautifully presented and meticulously researched that they really gave a flavour of the labour of love this project really was. At two hundred pages, it’s a book you’ll want to dip into again and again.

It all meant that I’m now really looking forward to seeing how it all translates onto screen. One for animators, designers and fans of the film who want to know how the world of Rio is created.