51Âþ»­

51Âþ»­ (51Âþ»­) Leicester’s double Oscar-winning graduate Ben Frost has been talking about his work on Disney’s latest worldwide smash Zootropolis.

Heroes: Judy Hopps and Nik Wilde take a selfie

Ben, who shared in Oscar-glory with the studio after working on the FX (effects) for Frozen and Big Hero 6, also worked on the FX for Zootropolis, which has grossed more than $900million at the box office since it opened over the Easter period.

The computer animated film tells the tale of how go-to cop Judy Hopps – the first bunny on the police force - teams up with sly fox Nik Wilde to crack a case in the world of Zootropolis, a melting pot where animals from every environment live and work together.

The crime caper/morality tale has been highly praised by critics with online movie bible Rotten Tomatoes giving it one of its highest ever ratings of 99 per cent.

Oscar winner: Ben with one of the two statuettes won by Disney

Ben, who graduated from 51Âþ»­ with a BA in Multimedia Design in 2005, said working on Zootropolis, after Frozen and Big Hero 6, was “another great experience” which threw up a whole new set of challenges for him and his colleagues in the FX department.

And he has also revealed that the next challenge is working as Effects Lead on Disney’s Moana, which is due for release at the end of this year.

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Ben said: “Each project presents new challenges, especially for the FX department. It allows us to really push ourselves, create work on the very leading edge of technology and really enhance the storytelling of our films. 

“I think the way we were able to really make the environments believable and immersive was what I was most proud of in Zootropolis. A few years ago, technology wise, it wouldn't have been feasible to go to this extent of detail.

“We took the time to analyse environments and create a whole range of layers to make up the end aesthetic.

“The main challenge was to keep pushing the amount we added to that environment, from large scale networks of clouds and huge waterfalls, down to macro level condensation droplets. We were always asking ‘How can we make this more believable? How would this react physically in the real world..?’ Nature sets a high bar!”

Ben says his favourite character in the film is the sly fox Nik Wilde.

“His character is a whole lot more than that though!”, he says.

“Jason Bateman (Arrested Development, Horrible Bosses) voiced the character, and our world-class animation team did an amazing job capturing all the subtleties of that performance as well as bringing  their own magic to the table.”

Ben also has some advice for 51Âþ»­ students chasing their dream job in animation and film.

He said: “From my experience, I’d say don't specialise too soon. Enjoy the freedom of being able to experiment with different techniques and roles across the whole field.

“I think most people are just in such a rush to get into the industry that they plot a particular path and stick to it.

“The artist you become will be determined by the journey you make, not the destination you arrive at. Turn off the GPS. Get lost.”

So what next for Ben at Walt Disney Animation Studios?

“I'm currently an FX Lead working away on our next exciting project Moana which, by all means is set to raise the bar for our studio yet again!  I can't wait for people to see it at the end of this year.”

For real: One of the thousands of scenes Ben's team created for Zootropolis