As one of the most well-known and successful video games of all time, the Minecraft IP has a ton of crossover potential. Some of this potential has been explored with Jared Hess' A Minecraft Movie, which merges the game's trademark style and look with Hollywood A-list talent Jack Black and Jason Momoa, among others. The movie's extensive digital work was done by VFX company Weta, whose other projects include Captain America: Brave New World and Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes.

The Best War Games recently interviewed Weta's VFX supervisor Sheldon Stopsack who explained how some of the iconic game's visuals were translated for A Minecraft Movie. He talked about the close working relationship with the game's developer Mojang and how this influenced proceedings. He also remarked on how surprisingly refreshing it was for a company to be so in-tune with its fan base.

I Didn't Like the Minecraft Movie But It Got Me Playing the Game Again

I was quite disappointed with Minecraft movie. I was expecting it to have a humor similar to the Mario movie, which worked well for kids as well as adults. I don't think that was the case with the Minecraft movie, however. Nevertheless, I went home after leaving the movies with Minecraft on my mind and ended up downloading it after a couple of years of not touching it. Since then, I've been having fun building a base game, and this time, I might actually try to defeat the Ender Dragon instead of just gathering loot and kidnapping a bunch of Villagers.

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Weta Worked Closely With Mojang Throughout A Minecraft Movie's Production

With a world as extensive as Minecraft's, the movie's lore was always going to need to be handled with the appropriate amount of care and attention. Weta knew this going in, so they ensured they maintained a clear line of communication with Mojang throughout the process. Stopsack and his colleague, animation supervisor Kevin Estey, were not exactly subject-matter experts when the project began, and Stopsack explained they were very keen to tread carefully with the lore to avoid mistakes. He said,

''Mojang was present throughout. They were incredible, because they were very, very forthcoming, very helpful with their input, and willing to share their knowledge. Minecraft is a world all of its own and there’s an entire world of knowledge. It was a world of rules and things that you could get really wrong. We were all very cautious about going into this process while not necessarily being Minecraft experts.''

Mojang's Care For the Fan Base Was Clear During The Movie's Production

During the process, the Weta team were caught off-guard by just how much the Minecraft fan base's opinions and ideas were valued by Mojang and the rest of the team. It would've been fairly easy to ignore such views on a project of this scale and proceed with however the vision was originally conceived, but for Mojang this was never an option. Stopsack explained,

''I think one of the things that we learned as well is the fact that Mojang was very in tune with the fans. During the creation of the movie, there were moments where the work felt reactionary to fans’ desires. I think, generally speaking, when you're working in this realm, you are expected to stick to your guns. You have to do what you trust. But this was the first time we realized it. I don't know if it's generational or because it's game-related, but there was more consideration. There was much more consideration for the fans and what the fans were thinking and would want.''

It's great to see that Mojang's care for the fans doesn't go unnoticed, and it seems like it left a lasting impression on Weta. ''It was really refreshing to see how well that works in this world, because it is all about the fans, so it was great to sort of be a part of that.'' Stopsack continued. With the movie continuing to enjoy a good run at the box office, it's clear this respect for the fans is paying off.

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Release Date: April 4, 2025
Runtime: 101 minutes
Director: Jared Hess
Writers: Chris Galletta, Gavin James, Chris Bowman, Neil Widener, Hubbel Palmer
Producers: Jason Momoa, Jill Messick, Mary Parent, Roy Lee, Cale Boyter, Jon Berg, Vu Bui