The Art of Planet 51

by Danny Graydon, Gary Oldman (Foreword)

Go behind the scenes of an out-of-this-world animated experience! The Art of Planet 51 is a rocket ride through Ilion Animation Studios, the visionary force responsible for this humorous and heartwarming space adventure. When Earth sends an astronaut to a new planet, the tables are turned as its inhabitants panic at this “alien” invasion. The astronaut’s only hope to return home rests in the hands of Lem, a teenage Planet 51 inhabitant who learns that sometimes rules must be broken for the greater good. Interviews with the creative team complement more than 250 pieces of concept art showcasing the future of animation.

Contains:

• Original concept art and artist renderings
• An inside look at Ilion’s production and CGI
• Insights from the directors
• Features on the character development

Genres: Animation

144 pages, Hardcover

First published December 22, 2009

Reviews

[Parka]

(More pictures at parkablogs.com)

The cover art is slightly different from the original product image. The fat alien is replaced with Lem, the main character of the movie.

This book is published by Insight Editions but doesn't come with any of special enhancement (e.g. pullouts, cards) you sometimes see with their other books.

Planet 51 is the other animated movie this year featuring aliens, the other being Monsters vs Aliens. The cast is of course different, and the set is not on Earth but on Planet 51. Planet 51 is the debut film of Madrid-based Ilion Animation. The concept artists, based off the names in the captions, seem to be all from Spain. The whole film was produced entirely in Spain.

There are more than 400 pieces of concept art in this book. Each character comes with lots of sketches. The background paintings are very beautiful and scenic. There are also many alien set and prop designs. It's like looking at a parallel universe where everything looks familiar but different. The aliens have their own version of the famous Flatiron building in Manhattan, suburbia, Area 51, vehicles, utensils, etc.

My favourites are the background and set paintings, some of which are very detailed. This book has top notch art work and variety. There are short commentary on the art and concept.

It's a visually delightful book, highly recommended to character designers and animation lovers.