10 Best Motion Capture Performances
6. Andy Serkis As Kong (King Kong)
Peter Jackson's 2005 King Kong remake may not have lived up to its lofty expectations, but it was a passable action film anchored by a larger than life performance from the great Andy Serkis, proving that he was the go-to actor to give compelling motion-capture performances.
The film was notable for its ground-breaking achievement in hair and skin simulations on CG creations, and it resulted in Kong becoming a lot more tangible and grounded compared to some of his digital contemporaries. In addition to the revolutionary means of conveying texture on a VFX heavy character, this version of Kong was the first motion-capture performance that heavily benefitted from performance capture markers on the actor's face. These markers gave the VFX team plenty of expressions to work with.
Of course, the technical wizardry would not be complete without Serkis' wonderful acting. He captured Kong's savagery, imbued him with an almost regal nature befitting his moniker and an innocence whenever he interacted with Naomi Watts' vaudeville performer, Ann Darrow.