Here’s how WETA brought Rosa Salazar’s Alita to life in Alita: Battle Angel

One of the most discussed parts of Alita: Battle Angel ahead of its release has been the title character’s large eyes and whether they’re creepy or a good reflection of the manga it’s based on. That’s only one aspect of the incredible CGI that makes Alita, though. Now we’re getting a glimpse behind the scenes of what exactly went into the creation of Rosa Salazar's character, thanks to a new video from 20th Century Fox.

In the behind-the-scenes video, the Alita team show us just how they translated Salazar into the cyborg we see on screen. Weta used performance capture for the role, which they describe as different from motion capture in how it doesn’t just capture the body performance but Salazar’s incredible facial performance as well. The actor also goes into what it was like to wear everything this process required.

Even in today's digital age, seeing her in action wearing all of this and watching the side-by-side comparisions with Salazar's acting next to the final product is still quite impressive. According to animation supervisor Mike Cozens, this is probably the most ambitious digital character they’ve ever created, and from the video, it’s easy to see why.

Alita: Battle Angel premieres February 14.

(via io9)