The original vision for the Gremlins creatures was almost brought to life by special effects genius Rob Bottin, highly regarded for his work on “The Howling” and John Carpenter’s “The Thing.” However, due to his involvement in Ridley Scott’s “Legend”, director Joe Dante pivoted to “Piranha” make-up artist Chris Walas for the Gremlins’ creation.
With an impressive background, including his contributions to “Dragonslayer,” Walas faced the challenge of crafting the Gremlins with a $11 million budget, which was substantial in 1983 yet insufficient for stop-motion animation that Dante initially desired.
Despite his enthusiasm for creating unique monster designs, Walas had to confront the financial limitations, as he explained in an interview for The Ringer’s 40th-anniversary oral history of the 1984 hit:
“Joe wanted to do everything stop-motion at first because he’s a huge stop-motion fan, which I am as well, but I’m just like, ‘Joe, do you understand how much stop-motion you’re talking about?’ And he did. He understood.”
Ultimately, Dante contemplated an unusual solution to animate the Gremlins by dressing up monkeys in costumes. This approach, however, did not go as planned.
FAQ Section
Who was originally considered to create the Gremlins effects?
Joe Dante initially considered Rob Bottin, who was famous for his work on “The Howling” and “The Thing,” but since Bottin was committed to Ridley Scott’s “Legend,” Dante turned to Chris Walas instead.
What was the budget for the Gremlins effects, and why was it a problem?
The budget for the special effects in Gremlins was $11 million in 1983, which was not enough to implement Joe Dante’s initial stop-motion idea for animating the creatures.
What technique did Joe Dante initially prefer for the Gremlins animation?
Joe Dante was a big fan of stop-motion animation and initially wanted to use this method to bring the Gremlins to life.
Why did Joe Dante consider using monkeys in costumes for the film?
With budget constraints making stop-motion unfeasible, Dante pondered the idea of costuming monkeys to achieve live-action movement for the Gremlins.