The Atmosphere of Raya and the Last Dragon

The cultures of South-east Asia provided plentiful inspiration for the setting and art direction in Walt Disney Animation Studios’ ”Raya and the Last Dragon”. This fantasy adventure required many unique environments ranging from desert landscapes to tropical forests, each describing rich lighting scenarios paired with the appropriate atmospherics. Many departments collaborated to create the extensive amount of atmospherics required by such varied and lush locations. Simultaneously, emphasis was placed on making the atmospheric Lighting workflow more efficient. We focused on improvements to allow Lighting artists more flexibility and control over making complicated atmospheric setups without having to request new assets or assistance from the Effects department on every shot. This in turn would save time and relieve significant production strain.