You walk in to your apartment to find your roommate making out with a walrus - what's your first thought? You wonder if the trollop has stolen your boyfriend, that's what. Or at least that's the story in the latest spot from Skittles Riddles, featuring VFX from MPC, who collaborated with DDB Chicago and Moxie Pictures Director Martin Granger on the effort.

This bizarre story continues with the accused explaining that the walrus, an enormous animatronic custom built by Moorpark, California's Animal Makers Inc., had assured her that he wasn't her roommate's boyfriend Bobby. Rather, he was like new Skittles Riddles - different on the outside than on the inside. She demonstrates by punching in a green-tinted candy that tastes like fruit punch, before continuing her googley-eyed romp-fest with the walrus.

MPC's biggest challenge was to make the animatronic walrus appear to be real, breathing life into the animal. The team created 3D eyes and eyelids for the walrus in post, while tracking and animating every move. After creating elaborate matte paintings that doubled the size of the walrus mass, MPC added flesh and fat, animated the nose, made the walrus' jaw move, added a tongue and neck fat, made his face twitch, belly quiver, time warped his head, and added breath to the animal. Telecine was done by MPC's US Creative Director of Color Grading, Mark Gethin.

Credits:

Client: Skittles Riddles
Spot Title: Walrus :30 and :15
Air Dates: July 2012

Advertising Agency: DDB Chicago
ACD/Copywriter: Kevin Goff
ACD/Art Director: Blake Winfree
Executive Producer: Will St.Clair
Assistant Producer: Jamie Gallant
Production Business Manager: Scott Terry

Production Company: Moxie Pictures
Director: Martin Granger
DOP: Barry Parrell
Producer: Heidi Soltesz

Editorial: The Whitehouse, Chicago
Editor: John Smith

VFX: MPC, LA
VFX Supervisor: Ryan Knowles
VFX Team: Mike Wynd, Ryan Knowles, Ben Persons, Ian Wilson, Fred Durand, Jim Hillin, Mark Holden, Elliott Brennan, Lisa Ryan, Ben Davidson, Jacob Toommen, Sathya Narayan
Production Producer: Nicole Fina

Telecine: MPC, LA
Colorist: Mark Gethin