15 Movie Sets That Needed the CGI to Make Them Work

Movie magic sometimes starts in a surprisingly ordinary room. A sweeping alien landscape might actually be a green wall, while a terrifying creature could be an actor in a motion-capture suit. Even enormous castles and futuristic cities often begin as a few carefully built pieces surrounded by equipment. That’s where visual effects artists come in, adding the worlds, characters, and details that weren’t there during filming. Of course, knowing how these scenes were made doesn’t make the finished movies any less impressive. If anything, seeing what the actors and crew had to work with makes the results even better. These 15 movie sets looked very different before CGI worked its magic.

Avatar Wasn’t Quite Pandora During Filming

James Cameron’s Avatar relied heavily on performance capture to bring the Na’vi to life. Behind the scenes, its alien characters began as actors wearing specialized suits and facial cameras.

Avengers: Endgame Had Some Unexpectedly Ordinary Battlefields

Behind the scenes of Avengers: Endgame, the cast walked around in a mix of superhero costumes and motion-capture suits, looking considerably less intimidating without the finished visual effects.

Alice in Wonderland Was Surrounded by Green

Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland built its colorful fantasy world using extensive digital effects. The actors often performed against bright green surroundings instead of the bizarre landscapes seen onscreen.

The Hobbit Made Middle-earth Look Surprisingly Empty

The Hobbit trilogy used elaborate physical sets alongside green screens and digital landscapes. Some scenes required performers to act separately so their characters would appear to be different sizes.

Harry Potter Needed More Than a Wave of a Wand

The magical confrontations in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2 depended on digital spells and environments. During filming, the actors performed their movements against comparatively ordinary surroundings.

Star Wars Had Some Surprisingly Blue Jedi

During a lightsaber fight in Revenge of the Sith, Ewan McGregor faced two performers dressed entirely in blue, allowing them to be removed or replaced during post-production.

Spider-Man Needed Some Help With Those Impossible Moves

Filming Spider-Man involved more than computer-generated effects. Here, the Green Goblin hangs from a rig while Spider-Man poses below, surrounded by smoke and practical explosions.

Doctor Strange’s Magic Started With a Green Screen

Benedict Cumberbatch’s magical portals looked considerably less impressive on set. A simple illuminated ring and a green screen became the glowing doorway audiences saw in the finished movie.

Guardians of the Galaxy Needed Blue Screens for Its Alien Worlds

The cosmic locations in Guardians of the Galaxy weren’t all there during filming. Blue screens helped artists place the characters inside environments that could never be built completely on a soundstage.

Aladdin’s Magic Carpet Wasn’t Exactly Magic

For the live-action Aladdin, Mena Massoud and Naomi Scott performed their flying-carpet scenes on a mechanical rig against a blue screen. The magical flight arrived later.

Jurassic World Had to Bring Its Raptors to Life

Chris Pratt’s encounters with the velociraptors in Jurassic World relied on digital creatures and carefully planned performances. Before the effects were added, the famous dinosaur encounters looked considerably less intimidating.

Aquaman Had to Create an Entire Underwater Kingdom

Jason Momoa didn’t spend the entire Aquaman shoot swimming around Atlantis. Wire rigs, controlled sets, and digital effects helped create the illusion of characters moving freely underwater.

Pirates of the Caribbean Needed Digital Seas and Skies

The Pirates of the Caribbean films combined elaborate ship sets with visual effects. Some scenes required digitally created backgrounds to transform controlled filming spaces into convincing ocean adventures.

Beauty and the Beast Looked a Little Less Romantic on Set

Before CGI transformed Dan Stevens into the Beast, Emma Watson had to perform opposite an actor wearing a motion-capture suit and oversized stilts. Not exactly a fairy-tale ballroom moment.

Life of Pi Needed CGI to Bring Its Tiger Aboard

Suraj Sharma’s character spends much of Life of Pi sharing a lifeboat with Richard Parker, a tiger created largely through digital animation. The film used real-world references and practical elements to make their unusual journey believable.