From its first moments, The Shape of Water signals that it’s not your ordinary fantasy movie.
The film opens with an underwater dream sequence where Elisa (Sally Hawkins) floats in her apartment as she sleeps. It’s a scene filmmaker Guillermo del Toro took great care to get right, as he explains in a behind-the-scenes featurette that will be available on the film’s home entertainment release.
“Sally is on wires on a fiberglass mold that is holding her in place,” Del Toro says. “Everything is on wires. Everything is suspended and moving. We have like eight puppeteers puppeteering every object.”
Del Toro says the scene is a way to get audiences into the “fairy tale tone” of the piece, which centers on Elisa’s love of a fish-man (Doug Jones) who is being held captive in a secret government lab.
The film became a big hit and is leading with 13 Oscar nominations going into Sunday’s ceremony, including nominations for best picture, best director (del Toro), best actress (Hawkins), best supporting actress (Octavia Spencer) and best supporting actor (Richard Jenkins).
The Shape of Water hits Digital on Movies Anywhere on Tuesday and will be available on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray and DVD on March 13.
