Book review: The Art of Epic

The Art of Epic, by Tara Bennett. Foreword by Chris Wedge.

I didn’t see Epic in theaters. Not entirely sure why. Perhaps it didn’t interest me because I always feel like animated films that boast about the amount of high profile celebrities that lent their voices might be compensating for something.

I do, however, find art books fascinating. My coffee table books consist of Star Trek: The Art of the Film and Van Gogh’s Van Goghs. Now The Art of Epic has joined them.

The artists of Blue Sky Studios and author Tara Bennett offer a captivating look inside the art of the film. The illustrations are rich and lavish and take you on a journey through the development of each and every character and space. From simple sketches to museum-quality paintings to incredibly detailed sculptures, I was enthralled. There’s even a section on each individual leaf on the trees of the forest! The book is effective in bringing to the light the amount of work that goes into making a film like this. It’s not just some computer coding; it’s true artistry.

The book doesn’t just reveal the incredible amount of detail that went into creating the world of Epic. It also gives a great deal of insight into the story and characterizations. The part about the evolution of heroine Mary Katherine’s hoodie, for instance, I found to be an interesting tidbit.

In short, The Art of Epic is 144 pages of (dare I make the pun?) epic.

Will I see the movie when it’s released on Blu-ray? Well, this book can’t hurt its chances.

Grade: A