São Paulo animation studio Histeria!, who showcased their 3D and 2D character skills in this League of Legends trailer, return with more fantasy game action in this cutscene compilation from Lightbulb Crew’s Nova Hearts franchise.

Director Jan Xavier at Histeria!: “Being mostly a relationship sim, Nova Hearts is a very static game which meant the cutscenes would visually be the highlight of the experience.

“The direction was mostly straightforward – it has Sailor Moon all over it – but at the same time it had its perks, like the Cthulhu-inspired cosmic enemy and, of course, the naughty spirit of the game. Putting it all together: traditional 2D animation, magical girl transformations and a dark twist to it, it was really a no brainer for us to be excited about this project.
 

“While we rely heavily on Sailor Moon references and classic anime, it also had to feel modern and the color palette and final treatment were paramount to it.”

 
“One of the main challenges was to tell the story properly while conveying the characters’ attitudes correctly. So Wish, for example, is very provocative in her transformation, teasing the viewer whenever possible, while Chaos is slightly more aggressive (while still sexy) and Luck is more insecure and cute. Human expressions are hyper sensitive, so nailing it down was really hard but also very pleasing once it was done right.

“The second challenge was more about the look, specifically how to achieve it in compositing. While we rely heavily on Sailor Moon references and classic anime, it also had to feel modern and the color palette and final treatment were paramount to it. In the end we went all the way on blooms, blurs and shines to give it a very ethereal look, which just seemed fit.”
 
 

 
Client: Lightbulb Crew
Team: Anders Larsson, Leandro Franci, Tangi Tabuteau, Noémie Verstraeten, Audrey Lefaucheux, Nicolas Isnard, Pia Jacqmart

Production: Histeria!
Director: Jan Xavier
Writer: Jan Xavier
EP: Marcelo Moreno and Tatiana Sato
Producer: Tatiana Sato, Marcelo Moreno and Ana Paula Godoy
Art Director: Jeff Biglia
Storyboard/Animatic: Leo Siqueira and Rodrigo Yokota
Art Supervisor: Jeff Biglia and Victor Tchaba
Concept Artist: Jeff Biglia, Luisa Vasconcelos, Monique Alencar, Victor Tchaba
Concept Art FX: Mateus Pitta
Modelsheets: Jeff Biglia, Victor Tchaba, Marcos Kenji
Character Layout: Jeff Biglia, Anna Perci, Marcos Kenji, Mateus Pitta, Rodrigo Yokota, Shun Izumi, Victor Tchaba
Backgrounds: Jeff Biglia, Ellen Albino, Guilherme Lascasas, Luisa Vasconcelos, Mateus Pitta, Thiago Baggins, Victor Tchaba
Animation Director: Felipe Simões
2D Rough Animation/Tiedown: Felipe Simões, Felipe Almeida, Geovani Angelo, Guilherme Alvernaz, Leo Siqueira, Lucas Franci, Matheus Fernandes, Mauricio Castano, Rodrigo Yokota, Thiago Geremias, Tiago Duarte
2D Clean Up/Color: Carol Caporrino, Carolina Batista, Catarina Niéro, Denis Bargos, Eduardo Monteiro, Francine Gonzales, Giovanna Jahjah, Lucas Franci, Lucas Malagodi, Matheus Fernandes, Mauricio Castano, Mila Queiroz, Tiago Duarte
2D VFX: Natália Faria, Denis Bargos, Geovani Angelo, Felipe Almeida
Motion Graphics Supervisor: Gabriela Zaneti
Motion Graphics: Gabriela Zaneti, Samantha Oda, Renato Montoro, Vinicius Almeida, Saulo de Castro
Post Production Director: Gabriela Zaneti
Compositing: Gabriela Zaneti, Samantha Oda, Renato Montoro, Vinicius Almeida, Tamires Campos, Saulo de Castro
Post Production: Gabriela Zaneti, Samantha Oda, Renato Montoro, Vinicius Almeida, Tamires Campos, Saulo de Castro
Social Media: Sibelle Lobo