Each of the clans in the film wear a unique tartan, a pattern meant to symbolize unity and pride amongst its members. Meanwhile, shading art director Tia Kratter worked on the design details of the clothing (fabrics, textures, etc.). Not only is a kilt made from just one piece of fabric – it is also folded over itself several times so that it stays attached to a character. Simulation supervisor Claudia Chung knew that she would have her work cut out for her, specifically with kilts. Next, the simulation department begins to work on how the characters’ hair and clothing move. One look at the fur cloak, body armor, and chain mail on King Fergus and the viewer connects with his warrior personality. However, the personality of the character is what influences their clothing the most. King Fergus has “ nine simulated garments that he must wear at the same time.” Clearly, there was much work to be done.įirst, the artists draw up some rough sketches on what the characters could wear, depending on the setting.

Making sure that one article of clothing moved well was strenuous enough – add a layer and the physics of how the two layers move together begin to seem daunting.

Once the medieval Scotland setting was chosen, avoiding multiple layers of clothing (which the animation medium has avoided for decades) was no longer an option – belts, kilts, armor, and fur cloaks were abundant. Even one minor inaccurate movement can get noticed by viewers, which does not sound like a great deal, but when Pixar’s goal is for people to follow the story, the studio employees work meticulously to make it look so good that you forget you are watching an animated film. To put clothes on the characters, the simulation and art departments needed to work together to ensure that the clothes would move fluidly and accurately. After the jump, read more about the design of the characters and their clothing. From Merida’s insanely beautiful hair to King Fergus’ multiple layers of clothing that move together realistically, the design aspect in Brave is something to behold. The studio has made so many technological jumps that the half hour of footage that I viewed far-surpassed anything I have seen come out of the studio before. During my trip to Pixar last week to learn more about Brave, we were provided with some fascinating facts about the design of the characters.

Brave characters king fergus bear