01
OVERVIEW
We were honored to develop concepts and designs for various technologies used throughout the world of Sakaar for Thor: Ragnarok, as well as create the Main On End title sequence for the film.
Sakaar is an alien planet surrounded by portals acting as giant vacuums taking in debris from all over the universe and dumping it in huge landfills on the surface. It is home to many lost pieces of detritus, including people, creatures and advanced technology from all regions of space. It is ruled over by the often cruel Grandmaster who forces many of Sakaar's stronger inhabitants to fight to the death for his and others' amusement in a huge coliseum.
Thor Ragnarok Technology Montage
02
RESEARCH
Sakaar posed a unique opportunity for our team to create wildly varied technologies that felt like they came from vastly different origins. We took inspiration from many real-world technologies and visual themes, such as repurposed vintage displays and holographic laser projections. After our research was done we developed a wide array of tech for the Grandmaster’s world including everything from environmental details to unique ship UI/HUD elements.
JACK KIRBY
Jack Kirby, one of the original and most prolific Marvel comic artists, was a huge inspiration for the world of Sakaar. His work inspired everything from the buildings to vehicles on Sakaar. We began the design process by taking a deep dive into the vast world of Jack Kirby. We created our own Kirby style toolkit to help us keep visual continuity throughout the design process. The result is a world that feels cohesive yet alien - thoughtful yet random.
03
SHIP TECHNOLOGY
One of our core areas of focus was designing the Interface and HUD elements for the film's three primary ships: the Torana, The Warsong, and the Commodore. To make the technology believable and alien at the same time, research and inspiration was taken from real-world technologies both old and new. We ideated various control systems to help establish a visual baseline with the Marvel team.
TOPAZ AND THE TORANA
The Torana is a fast, single-seat fighter flown by Topaz – the Grandmaster’s (Jeff Goldblum) personal bodyguard and Head of Security. We designed a minimal HUD, floating just in front of the dash to provide maximum targeting visibility and narrative clarity. During the chase scene on Sakaar, while Topaz and her security forces were pursuing Thor as he escapes in the Commodore, the Torana HUD helped build tension and tell the story by showing just how close Topaz was to shooting Thor down.
VALKYRIE AND THE WARSONG
Valkyrie, like most everything on Sakaar, is lost (even if on purpose) and has taken on the job of a scavenger/slaver collecting wayward beings and items to sell to The Grandmaster. Valkyrie’s ship, the Warsong, is pieced together from various junked vehicles on Sakaar. It features a unique gimbal moment that enables the cockpit to remain level while the ship rotates around it.
The interface needed to have equally unique qualities, so we created a hologram that feels like pieces from different hologram generators all haphazardly wired together and plugged into a power supply that was far too strong. The result is a hologram that mimics the slick movement of the ship while looking like it could explode at any moment, literally popping and sparking in space.
Shutdown Sequence
THE COMMODORE
The Grandmaster's leisure ship, the Commodore, is a flying party bus. It has no weapons and is not combat-ready. We designed the center console navigation system to include social features like locating nearby parties, friends, and bars.
We did several ideations on the flight controls systems, exploring different possibilities for terrain visualization, ship telemetry, and even an alien “driving helper” who would, rather angrily, guide the pilot when they’ve had too much to drink.
The center console included a point-based hologram design for communication and entertainment.
04
THE STATESMAN
The Statesman is like a cruise ship made for long voyages through deep space; its design needs were more around navigation through the stars than around a city or planet. We explored several layouts and navigational features, elements inspired by modern-day nautical navigation to more advanced AR overlays on the large window itself.
05
LARGE SCALE HOLOGRAMS
Large, building-size holograms of the Grandmaster are featured in various scenes throughout Sakaar, including the stadium battle between Thor and Hulk. We helped Marvel envision this scene, conceptualizing a massive point cloud of tiny drones projecting the Grandmaster. The subtle irregularities and glitches help make the effect feel believable while conveying the extreme scale.
06
INTRODUCTION TO THE GRANDMASTER
We developed a few early concepts for the terrifying rollercoaster ride Thor is subjected to while strapped into a chair before meeting the Grandmaster. Marvel Studios had asked that the environment look realistic to Thor yet still clear to the audience that it was somewhat of a twisted and dark amusement park ride.
07
SAKAAR DETAILS AND WEARABLES
What is the equivalent of a neon sign on an alien planet made from junk? What drives the visualization? Could you wear holographic jewelry or a costume? These were the questions we asked ourselves when exploring some ideas around Sakaar's environmental details.
CONCLUSION
Each design challenge in the world of Sakaar posed endless opportunities creatively: Perhaps, too many. We were fortunate to have a muse like Jack Kirby to draw design inspiration from, it was sure to be visually stylish as well.
