'Rise of the Planet of the Apes' Featurette: 'This Film Is Not Possible Without Andy Serkis' (Video)

In a new behind-the-scenes featurette for Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Weta Digital and star Andy Serkis explain the process behind motion capture and working in live-action.

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This could not have been done years ago, one of the digital artists at Weta starts off by saying. "Learning what they learned on King Kong to Avatar only brought their technology to another level .. to make our apes look real," producer Dylan Clark said of Weta. Director Rupert Wyatt touted his film, saying that this was the first time in a live-action feature where the main character (an ape) was a "thoughtful, feeling, self-aware animal."

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Serkis' performance inhabiting the ape character was praised in the featurette. Clark said that Serkis is an actor who can embody a character who can't speak and emote in ways that haven't been seen, as he does in Rise of the Planet of the Apes. "This film is not possible without the work of Andy Serkis," senior visual effects supervisor at Weta Digital Joe Letteri declares.

The James Franco-Freida Pinto starrer is out in theaters Friday.

Watch the featurette below: