Seth MacFarlane’sTedprequel series leaves VFX artists floored by how the title character is animated as excitement for season 2 builds. The Peacock original series follows Ted (MacFarlane) and John Bennett (Max Burkholder) in the mid-1990s, with the pair attending high school and getting into various misadventures.Tedseason 2was confirmed thanks to its major success on the platform, with the upcoming episodes having wrapped filming in January 2025. Much like the movies, the show uses VFX to bring the titular bear to life, this time over the course of a 7-episode series.
Now,Corridor Crewhas reacted to the VFX inTedseason 1 inVFX Artists React to Bad and Great CGIepisode 170, explaining how impressed they are.At 16:52, the trio discusses how the animation for the title character doesn’t involve too much complexity, with his head tilt and eyebrows being the biggest parts of his facial expressions. Wren explains that, in the movies, MacFarlane would use motion capture to portray the protagonist, but for the show, they utilized technology to make it appear as if the bear was on set while filming:
[They used] a technology called ViewScreen. It’s essentially just utilizing phones and iPads and doing virtual production. So they were able to actually see, in the scene, Ted composited into the shot - low quality, kinda of jank rander - and they had two different control mechanisms piping into that character. They had a person with an Xbox controller controlling his arms and head motion and stuff like that. They also had an iPhone on Seth MacFarlane, reading his face and piping that into the character as well. And so you would actually have an animated character live on set that everyone on set would be able to see and react to. Including the camera operator knowing how to frame up the shot, all the grips, knowing where to put the lights. It goes back to what I’ve always called “informed intent,” it’s like everyone’s on the same page about what they’re trying to create.
However, Wren also said that,when it came to Ted’s movement outside static shots, more detailed animation was necessary. Even so, the team is impressed by both the technology and the matching contrast that helps make the character look like he belongs in every single shot. Check out the full discussion from the team below:
What Ted’s Detailed VFX Says About The Show
Massive Dedication To Looking Realistic
The animation used to bring the title character to life employs entirely different technology from the movies,yet still manages to make him look detailed enough to impress VFX artists. The attention to detail helps make his interactions with othercharacters inTedfeel more realistic, even though he’s a CGI stuffed bear. Because of how realistic he looks, his involvement in the various comedic scenarios across the show feel like they’re actually happening. Without that level of dedication during production, he may not have looked so polished.
9 Biggest Things The Ted TV Show Reveals About John & Ted’s Lives Before The Movies
Seth MacFarlane’s Ted TV show takes place years before the movies, so it includes plenty of new information on the film’s main two characters.
With the Corridor Crew emphasizing the level of detail that went into production, it’s clear how impressive the main character’s appearance in the series really is. Givenits massive success on Peacock and recently wrapped production on season 2,it seems morefunny moments from theTedprequel showwill be utilizing the same technology as before. It’s also a testament to how far filming an animated character in a live-action setting has come, with direct motion capture no longer necessary as newer tools have come into play.
Our Take On Ted Season 1’s Impressive VFX
Season 2 Can Further Showcase Its Impact
Because of how detailed the effects were forTedseason 1, it seems like season 2 could have used those same tools for streamlining Ted being placed into a realistic setting. The animation on the character is made impressive because of how much was utilized to make him look real, something encapsulated by his realistic interactions with others. It’s something that will no doubt carry over into the upcoming episodes as they inch closer to a possible release window.
