I served as Creative Director and 3D Supervisor for the "Echidna Tribe" backstory sequence in Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Leading a team of 10 artists, I oversaw the visual development and technical pipeline that transformed 2D illustrations into epic, animated 3D stone carvings.

Paramount Pictures needed a distinct narrative sequence for Sonic the Hedgehog 2 to explain the ancient conflict between the Echidnas and the Owls. The brief called for a visual style that felt historic and mythological, completely distinct from the main film’s live-action/CGI hybrid look.

Collaborating with Director Jeremy Mansford at Unlisted Melbourne, I was tasked with the Creative Direction and technical supervision of the sequence. My role was to define how "animated stone carvings" should look and move, managing the pipeline from the initial concept art to the final render.

Defining "Ancient" Aesthetics: We received rough character designs that needed significant refinement to feel like ancient, mythological depictions rather than standard cartoon models.

Hybrid Dimensionality: The visual goal was deceptive: it had to look like detailed 3D relief sculpture but retain the specific strokes and texture of hand-drawn illustration.

High-Stakes Management: This was a high-pressure feature film environment. At the project's peak, I was supervising over 10 artists and holding weekly reviews with the film’s overall director, Jeff Fowler, to ensure our sequence fit seamlessly into the blockbuster’s broader narrative.

Concept & Illustration: Since we started with a blank canvas for the environments, we brought in Darek Zabrocki and his team to handle the concept art and final high-fidelity illustrations. We worked closely to establish a style that mimicked the weathering and texture of ancient history.

3D Projection Pipeline: To translate Darek's artwork into 3D, I implemented a robust projection mapping workflow in Maya and Redshift. We projected the detailed illustrations onto simplified geometry, giving the flat artwork volume and depth without sacrificing the painterly integrity of the original image.

Parallax Animation: To sell the "heavy stone" look, I directed a style focused on slow, epic camera moves and deep parallax. By shifting the layers of geometry, we created a sense of immense scale, making the carvings feel like they were slowly coming to life.

2D FX & Final Polish: The final look was elevated by Jeremy Mansford himself and Epic Steve, who handled the 2D animation, transitions, and magical effects. Their work bridged the gap between my 3D camera animation and the static illustrations, adding the energy and "magic" required for the storytelling.

The Echidna Backstory Sequence: A key narrative segment featured in the global theatrical release of Sonic the Hedgehog 2.

I have the experience to scale up from a solo freelancer to a department lead for major productions.

Creative Supervision: I can manage large teams of artists (2D and 3D), ensuring the creative vision survives the technical process.

Director-Level Communication: I am comfortable interfacing directly with stakeholders and directors to translate complex feedback into actionable artistic direction.