We've looked at the work of artist RJ Palmer before, most recently when he created realistic-looking versions of the Generation 8 starters from the upcoming Pokémon Sword and Shield. His work on the Detective Pikachu movie helped shape its take on the classic Pocket Monsters for a live-action environment and, following a brief period of surprise at the realistic fur many of the Pokémon sport, the designs seem to have gone down very well with fans (certainly better than other efforts we could mention).
The artist has once again been on Twiiter, this time showing off original concepts and ideas for the project. They portray the Pokémon even more 'realistically', incorporating elements of real-world animals before the artists found the right balance between something photorealistic that also captures the original designs accurately. As you can see, his Venusaur concept was a real monster:
The artist shows another version in the original tweet:
Venusaur's eventual design in the film is much cuter and more in line with the evolved Pokémon that we know and love from the old days. Here's a still from the trailer:
The artist also recently tweeted early concepts for Charizard which look similarly 'naturalistic' (read: terrifying):
And finally, he posted some work on the titular detective that pushed 'a Danny Devito angle'. He also originally wanted Pikachu to have 'bald cheeks to conduct the lightning':
It's fascinating to get a glimpse of the process behind the finished products we see on screen, and it also highlights the ideas that need to be worked through to get there. It makes us wonder about design decisions behind the Sonic Movie that have prompted fans to rectify the situation themselves - perhaps in a year or so we'll get to look behind the scenes on that one, too.
Would you have liked to see a more 'realistic' approach to monster design in Detective Pikachu, or were the makers right to stick with each Pokémon's established proportions and silhouette? Let us know below.
[source twitter.com]
Comments 29
That’s rare... they usually go with the more terrifying designs.
I’m glad they went for the more cartoon but in real life look. Wish others would do the same.
that's enough for internet today.
but seriously, it's looks really great. creepy though.
Pikachu and Charizard looks great as well!
Danny devito Pikachu 😂😂😂
It does fit the 3DS character though.
They would have traumatised a vast majority of children (and kids in an adult body like me) with designs like this. Even charizard looks cool but scary on their first draft
My first reaction to the Pikachu trailer was charmingly creepy. These original designs are just creepy.
The Venasaur and Charizard one’s I can kinda dig; the Pikachu one though....No; just No. wouldn’t have sold any plushies for sure!
For some reason, this reminds me of when they got Syd Mead to do the mech designs for Turn-A Gundam and he went on a completely different direction to how they had been for decades.
I love that Venusaur and this guy's more naturalistic approach to Pokemon in his personal work but I'm glad the movie kept the cartoon silhouettes and proportions on them all, it's such a cool aesthetic for the film!
The difference between the people making Detective Pikachu and the people making the Sonic movie:
Detective Pikachu- That doesn't look enough like the original, do it again!
Sonic Movie- Eh, it's blue and has spikes, that'll do.
That Venusaur looks great, I would have liked some sort of compromise between it and the final design. The final look is a bit bulbous for n adult version.
It bothered me that Pikachu's cheeks were just fur markings rather than bald pouches, but I think it would look weird in the final product.
Thank goodness the kept their artists on a leash.
As we’ve seen with Sonic, it’s so much better when they don’t reinvent the wheel. Especially when a design has been proven to be loved by consumers!!
I'm glad that they got this artist because he did great work on the movie, but I'm also glad that they put limits on how far he could go. I wouldn't want to see what the original blastoise looked like to complete the trio. That Pikachu could probably work in something else, though.
Still better than the Sonic movie
Uh yeah the thing is freakishly scary. Would of killed the whole mood of the movie.
You know, it REALLY bugs me when these artist who are paid a lot of money try to go off and change designs that are already well established and beloved just so they can be "different". If you want to do your own thing then go and make your own characters and movies and whatever. There's a reason the actual designs of these characters are so beloved in the first place, so if you can't do better then don't try to change them. Thank God we ended up with stuff that's basically just the original designs but real, that someone didn't just accept whatever the artist put out without challenging why it is the way it is, because what we got in the final result is about exactly what it should have been all along--otherwise, when no one really cares about getting things right, you end up with something Sonic from the upcoming movie, which is utterly abysmal.
I actually really like the naturalistic venasaur. The one on the movie looks fake compared to it
@BulkSlash
Ha! It makes you wonder if that's how they really went about it. They had to know that their design would be too much different for fans to swallow.
That venasaur looks like something from the Upside Down...
I actually really like that Venusaur concept, but the change for the movie makes sense, too. I prefer the Charizard design that appeared in the movie though.
@FX102A The Turn-A Gundam was actually a pretty awesome design & took a slightly different "realistic" approach to Gundam. My main issue was the moustache.. that was an oddness too far.
I really think the original design for Venusaur was amazing and superior to what was added. I can understand why they didn't go with that design it would've given some children particularly younger ones nightmares and that style would've thrown the movie's tone off.
should of went with the original
Wish they'd kept the bald cheeks on Pikachu, that always seemed odd to me that they'd add that
@Darth_Goomba ah yes this must be the 'Demosaurgon' I've heard about.
@Tyranexx While most people who already intimately know Pokemon love these ideas, remember that a lot of kids would probably have nightmares if they saw them on-screen.
@Reigestugatensho Right. Like I mentioned in the previous comment, the change made sense. Your reasoning is similar to mine.
Game Freak, here's a promotional opportunity: make all the 'saur Pokemon scary and put them in a Jurassic Park movie.
That Venusaur looks amazing, and unlike the second design, worthy of the third evolution dinosaur that helped me through the original Game Boy games. As for children being afraid: most parents allow them on the internet, and hardly anything has more scary stuff easily accessible. Also, as a kid, dinosaurs were kind of my main passion. And we did play in the dangerous outside world, climbing trees and rooftops, falling out/off, and climbing higher with new experience. None of that over-protectiveness.
I even recall that one particular time when I saw a brother and a sister doing weird stuff up in that tower, and they pushed me out of the window. Now I can fly and see everything that ever was, is, and will be. Maybe that last part isn't entirely based on a true story, let alone mine.
That Venusaur looks awesome.
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