Warrior Cats Animation Reveals Unexpected CGI Style
Original Force, working with director Rodrigo Blaas, has released early character sketches, storyboards, and animation tests for the new Warrior Cats series. The designs depart from glossy CG expectations, instead embracing a loose, expressive style that brings the feline characters to life.
The release showcases three main designs for Sandpaw, Rusty, and Graypaw, along with initial storyboards and a short preview film.
The characters start from realistic feline anatomy but are altered in proportions, facial features, and subtle lines, making each one instantly recognizable. The eyes are highly expressive, and the bodies have a slightly elongated, springy quality.
Storyboards depict the cats in exaggerated poses—stretched legs, curling tails, twisted bodies—allowing the shapes to move creatively without losing their feline identity, a necessity for fast action scenes.
The team focuses on skeletal structure, fur, movement, and camera language to keep characters readable during rapid action. These rules are evolving and serve as a shared visual language for the many artists and thousands of shots.
If the final animation retains this expressive energy, Warrior Cats could establish a strong visual identity beyond typical CG polish. The crew is working on more scenes, with the finished series expected to release in the coming months.