This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
*In Disney and Pixar’s upcoming animated feature “Elio,” set to hit theaters on June 20, with early-access screenings on June 18, audiences will embark on a cosmic misadventure alongside Elio, a space-obsessed kid who gets beamed up to the Communiverse, an interplanetary organization teeming with eccentric aliens.
From the liquid supercomputer Ooooo to the friendly ambassador Helix and the villainous space warlord Grigon, the film’s vibrant characters come to life through the meticulous work of artists like Jasmine Derry, the Simulation Technical Director (TD) on the project. Derry’s role in crafting the physics-based magic of “Elio” highlights her technical prowess and creative vision, making her an unsung hero behind the film’s otherworldly charm.
As a Simulation TD, Derry specializes in the technical artistry that brings characters’ movements to life. “A simulation technical director, or TDs, as we call them sometimes, is somebody who works with the clothes, the hair, and sometimes the body physics of all of our characters,” Derry explains.
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“So a lot of times, we will have characters that have maybe really long flowing hair, somebody who has some swooshy clothing, like a cape, or for our aliens, a lot of them have a certain amount of jiggle to them, like on Helix.” Her work involves using physics, constraints, geometry, and velocity fields to ensure these elements move believably while supporting the characters’ performances. Whether it’s a character in a straightforward uniform or a fantastical figure like Elio with his dramatic cape, Derry’s job is to make every motion feel authentic and enhance the storytelling.
One of the biggest challenges Derry faced on “Elio” was simulating Elio’s cape across diverse environments.
“I would for sure say that the cape was technically challenging, because it’s working in so many different environments. It’s on earth, it’s in space, it’s in zero gravity, it’s flying through the air,” she says. Another hurdle was tackling Elio’s hair when it gets wet. “How does your hair look different when it’s wet versus when it’s dry? How does it move?” Derry notes. “I think that it was a fun challenge, because whenever we got it right, it really supported the acting, and it looked fantastic.”
The film’s imaginative alien characters, like the slug-like Glordon or the rigid, anger-driven Grigon, required a unique approach to simulation. Derry and her team leaned on both real-world references and character design cues to bring these beings to life.
“We take some real-world examples, like, okay, here’s how these certain animals would move,” she says, referencing Glordon’s slug or centipede-like movements. “He’s very round. He’s a very sweet kid. So we want something that’s bouncy and jiggly, where someone like Grigon is somebody who’s very rigid, who has a lot of anger. So that’s not going to be a lot of jiggle on that, not going to be a lot of bounciness to him.” By blending real-world physics with the art department’s visionary designs, Derry ensured that each alien’s movements felt believable and true to their personality.
Derry’s journey to becoming a Simulation TD was sparked by films like “Brave” and “Rise of the Guardians,” which captivated her with their detailed technical artistry.
“Seeing the amount of detail, I’d read some articles that would talk about the amount of detail that went into those films, and I was like, oh, wow, that’s really cool in a kind of unsung hero way,” she recalls. The presence of women in the special effects department also inspired her. “Seeing those people in that department, I was like, oh, well, if she can do it, then I can do it. And they would become like mentor figures to me.”
For Derry, the ability to merge her technical and artistic skills to create “something technical that has a beautiful visual output” is what makes her role so fulfilling. “I think I work in the coolest department,” she adds.
As the only Black woman in the simulation and special effects departments for “Elio,” Derry is acutely aware of her visibility and its potential to inspire others.
“There are a lot of other Black artists who worked on this film, but definitely in the simulation department and the special effects department, both times in both departments, I find myself the only Black person there,” she shares. “A lot of times, what I feel is very inspired, very inspired to be excited to be the first, but also wanting to know, well, how can I use this to inspire somebody else? How can I use this to empower somebody else?”
Derry hopes her presence in the credits will motivate others, particularly young Black artists, to pursue their dreams. “My dream is that there’s somebody who would take a look at me and be like, oh, well, if she can do it, I can do it.”
The production of “Elio” was a lengthy process, with Derry estimating the overall timeline from script to final cut at “upwards of like five or six years.” Her contribution, focused on the tail end of production, spanned six to eight months. “We’re always trying to make the best story possible in the constraints that we have,” she says, expressing hope that audiences will appreciate the final product and the immense effort behind it.
Watch our full conversation with Jasmine Derry below.
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