Disney+'s Percy Jackson and the Olympians cast and crew played life-sized Mario Kart in the Volume
The creators behind the upcoming Disney+ series shared the story of gaming on the final day of shooting.
How did the cast and crew of Percy Jackson and the Olympians on Disney+ celebrate wrapping their shoot? By playing life-sized Mario Kart on the Volume, of course!
The enviable activity which was used to celebrate the shoot's completion was shared with audiences at the Percy Jackson and the Olympians panel at New York Comic Con 2023. Industrial Light & Magic VFX Supervisor Jeff White shared the anecdote after being asked about what role the Volume played in the production of the series.
"A Volume is a giant wall of LEDs that we put a virtual environment on," explained White. You may have preivously heard of this technology, which has been used to bring the Star Wars universe to life on Disney+ shows like The Mandalorian, and the Marvel Cinematic Universe to life in movies like Ant-Man & the Wasp: Quantumania.
White went on to explain how the Volume proved invaluable in the production of the Percy Jackson series. "The best part for a show like this is that we're going to visit so many fantastical and real world locations that have to look absolutely authentic," he said. "Our approach was to get rid of blue screens."
In addition to the virtual environments on the screen, physical sets were built in the center of the stage while the Volume was used to extend the appearance of the sets beyond the boundaries available in the physical space. White explained that this allowed the actors a more immersive environment in which to perform.
"I think they really enjoyed it," White said. "Especially on the last day, when we hooked up the Nintendo Switch to the wall and we played life-size Mario Kart."
Naturally, this raises the question: who won at Kart? "We got schooled by the kids," admitted White. "I was pretty embarassed."
If you want to hear everything discussed regarding the production of Percy Jackson at the panel, you can watch the whole thing here. And for everything we know about Percy Jackson and the Olympians click here.
