Bits of "Wonderland" from Visual Effects Supervisor Lantieri

Michael Lantieri, long-time special effects expert and the visual effects supervisor on Alice in Wonderland, gave MTV News some information on the making of Burton's next film, and Lantieri's first collaboration with the director.

"Tim just has a take on it in his head that is unlike anybody that I know," Lantieri said.



A frame from Alice in Wonderland, with Mia Wasikowska as the title character.


There have been countless adaptions of Lewis Carroll's phantasmagorical tale, but Burton's new, ambitious vision proved to be a bit tricky to work out during production.

"There were discussions over everything, including, 'Is it OK for the caterpillar to smoke?'" said Lantieri. "You'd be surprised how big a discussion that was and how they solve it."

3D is also a recycled tool in film, and was almost doomed to become a faddy gimmick decades ago. But although Wonderland was not shot in stereo, this 3D film will attempt to be a new step forward in the recent boom of the 3D revolution in cinema, according to the visual effects supervisor. "I think that's really gonna be something to look at," Lantieri said, declining to go into further detail on the project. "His vision and his take on things — I never get tired of it. If you can only imagine."