The co-executive producer/director and co-supervisor of animation discuss the challenges, inspirations, and innovative techniques that pushed visual and storytelling boundaries and helped shape Netflix’s award-winning series’ second and final season.
When Netflix’s debuted in 2021, it captivated audiences with its stunning visuals and emotionally gripping storytelling.The animated series, inspired by Riot Games’ , quickly became a cultural phenomenon on its way to numerous awards, including a whopping four Primetime Emmy Awards and nine Annie Awards, among others.
The second and final season, which launched this past November 9 and has racked up seven new Annie Award nominations, continued to push animation design and narrative boundaries, leading up to an utterly satisfying finale.Season 2 of follows Caitlyn Kiramman seeking revenge on Jinx for her mother’s death, with Vi reluctantly aiding her as a Piltover Enforcer.Jinx, outraged by Vi’s alliance, sets off explosive events involving family reunions, Caitlyn partnering with the ruthless Ambessa Medarda, and Jayce grappling with Viktor’s dangerous Arcane-derived power, which threatens their world.
Two artists behind the series’ tremendous success are Pascal Charrue, co-founder of Fortiche Production and co-executive producer/director on the series, and Alexis Wanneroy, co-supervisor of animation.Their creative vision and expertise helped bring the complex world of to life.In this exclusive Q&A, they delve into the challenges, inspirations, and innovative techniques that shaped the series.
Enjoy this “Making Arcane” featurette before reading on… AWN: Arcane incredible success Pascal Charrue: Thank you! From the beginning, our mindset was to do something original.We wanted the visuals to reflect the story, so we didn’t start designing until the script’s tone and direction were clear.Visuals can’t exist in isolation.
We needed to understand the tone and emotional depth of the script before diving into design.It’s a drama, so the visuals had to carry emotional weight—not just look pretty.We’ve worked on projects where design came first, but for , everything was tied to the narrative.
Our approach ensured that every visual choice supported the narrative—whether it’s a dramatic moment or a character’s subtle emotion.Alexis Wanneroy: Exactly.The goal was to create a stylized world that still felt grounded.
The aesthetic had to strike a balance.The visual style had to immerse viewers in the story while making the characters and settings believable.We drew on a mix of civilization and industrial elements, layering details to ensure the world felt “lived-in.” Though science fiction, it’s still grounded in a type of reality.
It’s stylized, but it’s not cartoony.All the elements are grounded.If you can successfully take an audience to a new world, you can earn all the action, the suspension of disbelief, if you’ve done a good job of planting it in a world that’s believable.
We wanted the world of to feel like a place viewers could imagine stepping into.The details—from the rough textures to the imperfections—were essential to creating an authentic and timeless look.AWN: Arcane AW: We’ve always been drawn to the raw beauty of concept art.
That’s where our inspiration came from.The secret was treating the animation like a piece of art.We wanted to translate that rough, painterly quality of the concept art into animation.
It’s not just about hyper-realism or technical perfection; it’s about evoking emotion.The “scratchy” textures and hand-painted details taken from the 2D art make the visuals timeless, unlike some 3D styles that age quickly.PC: We also aimed to incorporate the best of both worlds.
With 3D, you get dynamic camera movement and realistic depth, especially in action scenes.But the 2D elements—the imperfections, the painterly strokes—give it soul.We worked closely with our team to ensure this fusion enhanced the storytelling rather than detracting from it.
AWN: League of LegendsArcane PC: We were familiar with the characters and lore from previous collaborations with Riot Games, like the music video for Jinx and the trailer featuring Ekko.That was definitely helpful.That background gave us a solid foundation, but the series required a fresh perspective.
For example, Jinx is often sexualized in the game, but in , we wanted to reimagine the characters, so we focused on her origin story, what made her who she is, exploring her vulnerability and motivations.AW: Knowing the lore of gave us a starting point, but we didn’t treat it as a constraint.We dug deeper.
We expanded the world, added depth, and designed Piltover and Zaun as more than just setting.Everything, from the characters’ clothing to the cityscapes, was crafted to tell a story.AWN: AW: The storyboards were our foundation.
They were crucial.We treated them like live-action previs, focusing on composition and shot flow.We didn’t rely heavily on virtual cameras.
The goal was to make each shot feel intentional, whether it was an intimate emotional moment or a high-energy action sequence.Every angle, every camera move was planned with intention.For action scenes, we mimicked live-action cinematography, with “accidents” like shaky cameras or abrupt cuts to add realism.
PC: We also created a “bible” of rules for camera work.For example, we aimed to mimic live-action’s imperfections, like the feel of a handheld camera.These small “accidents”—like crossing the line or abrupt cuts—added a sense of realism.
It’s about finding that balance between polished animation and raw, cinematic storytelling, making the viewer feel like they’re in the moment.AWN: PC: The pressure! We’re a small team compared to other studios, so maintaining the quality across all episodes was challenging.Finding the right people—from animators to character designers—was crucial.
Everyone’s talent elevated the project.Another challenge was translating exaggerated game characters into believable, emotional people.The game’s design serves gameplay—it’s not meant to tell a nuanced story.
For , we had to strip back those exaggerated features and think about their motivations, histories, and vulnerabilities.It was a process of humanizing them.AW: Season 1 was hard because we were setting the foundation.
By Season 2, expectations were sky-high, which added another layer of difficulty.For example, the final episode’s scope was massive, but our timeline remained the same.It pushed us to innovate and grow as a team.
Another challenge was managing the complexity of the world.We wanted Piltover and Zaun to feel like fully realized cities, with every detail—the grime, the broken machinery, the grandeur of Piltover’s elite—serving the story.Building this depth was time-consuming but worth it.
AWN: Arcane AW: We want them to connect with the characters and their journeys.It’s more than an animated series; it’s about emotions, relationships, and choices.If viewers feel that authenticity, we’ve done our job.
PC: Animation can tell any story, and proves that.It’s not just for kids or niche audiences.We hope it inspires more projects that push boundaries and challenge perceptions of what animation can achieve.
Dan Sarto is Publisher and Editor-in-Chief of Animation World Network.
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