ABOUT

The feature film sequel “iNumber Number: Jozi Gold.” revolves around two friends, Shoes (Presley Chweneyagae) and Chili (S’dumo Mtshali), who bravely confront crime in the bustling city of Johannesburg as they pursue a notorious gold kingpin known as the Hyena Man.

Chocolate Tribe was brought on board to bring to life the character of Jonga, the Hyena Man’s trusted partner. A domesticated, ferocious, and intelligent hyena.

Chocolate Tribe turned to Autodesk’s Maya, Ziva muscle simulation toolset (from Unity), Peregrine Labs’ Yeti for some amazing hair sims, the robust Autodesk Arnold renderer for some amazing photorealistic rendering, Houdini for the various simulations on the chains and saliva, Substance Painter for texturing and Zbrush for sculpting. Naturally finished off with The Foundry’s Nuke for some final integrations.

The project took the studio about 8 months, requiring extensive research and study of hyenas to accurately depict their movement, gait, growl, and the nuances of their fur, as well as focusing our CGI creation on the accurate species of hyena for the film. When it comes to CGI creature creation, even the smallest gestures and behaviours unique to the creature cannot be overlooked, as they contribute to the character’s authenticity and believability.