Andy Serkis’s immersive experience, “Nevatars,” debuted at Venice Immersive, stemming from a long-held idea at his production studio, The Imaginarium. The project, born from unused character designs, gained momentum with support from Google’s 100 Zeroes.
The idea for “Nevatars” originated from observing the fate of concept art for characters that never made it into final productions. Serkis explains, “What happens to all the incredible concept art for characters that never get used? These characters are given thought and spirit and a life of their own, and then they end up in a folder called ‘old assets,’ right next to one called ‘new projects.’ It was born from those digital rejects, hoping to be noticed.” The Imaginarium team had been considering the concept since 2011.
Serkis, working with co-director Josh Nelson Youssef of Boona, crafted a 30-minute XR narrative centered on a young artist struggling with creative self-doubt. “We wanted a young spirit,” Serkis explains. “Someone whose mind is free, but who gets quashed by the modern commercial-art world, forced into an algorithmic existence. It’s a parable about holding on to your initial creative instinct. She starts out making wonderfully chaotic, personal work, but risks losing that to become an artist who just fits in. When she finally makes something to please everyone, it feels generic — and nobody wants that.” The story follows the artist and a group of discarded designs as they attempt to escape a digital trash bin.
The voice cast includes Daisy Ridley, Josh Gad, Kathleen Turner, Steve Zahn, Kelly Marie Tran, and Andy Serkis himself. Matthew O’Rourke of Boona describes the experience as dealing with “human, accessible themes like perfectionism and self-doubt,” while also pioneering a “cinematic viewport” that blends traditional filmmaking with immersive technology.
Initially designed for the Android XR platform, “Nevatars” will also launch on the XREAL Aura AR smart glasses, with the glasses’ voice-activation capability adding a new interactive dimension. O’Rourke states, “It’s fully interactive. There are moments where you’re touching and moving things, which gives you
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