MOTU MANU, Brought to Life with Houdini | Floating Rock Studio | Annecy 2025 HIVE

When a young bird’s antics unleash evil spirits into her world, she and her flightless friends set off on a nighttime adventure, racing against the sunrise that threatens to merge the spirits with the physical world, permanently devastating her beloved home. How we developed an animated film using Houdini. Garrick Rawlingson is an outgoing business development specialist who excels in strategic partnerships and client relations. With a background in character and creature animation for blockbuster films like Hunger Games and The Hobbit 3, he brings a creative eye honed from working at leading VFX studios worldwide. Georgia Wales is the amazing creator behind "Motu Manu", with a background in storytelling and storyboarding, she has a keen artistic eye and a heart warming stories. 00:00 Introduction – Protecting NZ's Birds Through Animation 00:08 The Magic of New Zealand’s Ecosystem 00:10 From Pitchfest to Production with Houdini 00:11 Developing a Stylized Stop-Motion CG Look 00:14 Procedural Feathers, Karma Renders & Full Houdini Pipeline 00:16 Rigging & Animation with KinFX and Apex 00:20 Learning Houdini as Animators & Riggers – A Smooth Transition #Houdini #KiwiBird #NewZealand #3DAnimation #Conservation #Apex #KinFX