Most know that creator Bill Watterson never wanted to sully his creation with overproduced merchandising, animation rights, or anything outside what he himself created. And while some may pine for a cartoon to exist someday, I’m just fine with it being what it was because it was everything it needed to be. Understanding that Watterson looked at Calvin & Hobbes in such a sacrosanct manner ensures that, for the most part, there’s a certain reverence when it comes to fan creations. There is no doubt that the creator of this interactive 3D rendering of a strip holds Calvin & Hobbes in the highest regard.
A recent post on Laughing Squid brought us to the wonderful piece of high-tech interactive art by designer elbriga. We’re not even going to pretend we comprehend the amount of work that went into this beautiful digital diorama however elbriga shared some stills from its production in his portfolio.
Each panel (or lack thereof when it comes to Calvin & Hobbes strips) was mapped out with distances relative to the various actions in the rest of the strip. As you rotate, zoom, and pan across, the various views become fun to play with as if to capture the perfect off-kilter perspective of the strip seen for the first time in this very special way. And as if this wasn’t already cool enough, this 3D model works in VR mode on mobile devices (although it’s a bit tough to navigate)
Take a closer look at elbriga‘s other work including his recreation of a Peanuts comic strip, the Star Wars Trench Run, and… who are we kidding, we’ll just embed the “I am your father” scene.
Cool tribute to Calvin & Hobbes? Or Coolest tribute to Calvin & Hobbes? Let’s discuss in the comments below!
Images: elbriga
