Why is CGI in the Movies Still So Hard?

June 2, 2016 • by Marc Airhart

A computer scientist talks about the challenges of CGI in the movies.

A stream of raspbrerry sauce being poured over a chocolate bunny

As the summer movie season kicks into high gear, we talk with a scientist about some of the challenges in simulating the way everyday objects behave on the big screen through computer generated imagery (CGI). Etienne Vouga's computer simulations have helped bring to life a wizard's hair in The Hobbit and clothing in Tangled.

Here's an example of CGI gone wrong. In the movie Frozen, there's a moment when Elsa's hair appears to pass through her arm.