Godzilla vs. Kong

The epic next chapter in the cinematic Monsterverse pits two of the greatest icons in motion picture history against one another - the fearsome Godzilla and the mighty Kong - with humanity caught in the balance.

Godzilla vs. Kong – Official Trailer

The gigantic Kong meets the unstoppable Godzilla. The world watches to see which one becomes the king of all monsters.

My design work for \'\'Godzilla vs. Kong\'\'

A video showing the concept designs I did for the film.

Shimidah Sketch V01

The Hollow Earth was conceived as one Ecosystem. The designs of each creature that lives in that isolated realm had to convey that. Because we were already locked into the Godzilla design we used texture elements of him to help develop the other creatures to feel cohesive.

Shimidah Sketch V02

Shimidah was described as a large creature, partially submerged in sand. It just moves and rises out of the sand reacting to something and then settles back in.

Shimidah Sketch V03

The mouth had to be big enough that it can grab several humans at once. I tried to come up with different ways of how this creature could trap its prey and explored the idea of a mouth that consisted of six moving parts. That way Shimidah was able to open its mouth much wider, like a carnivorous plant.

Shimidah Sketch V04

Shrimps, naked mole rats and carnivorous plants were the main inspiration for the design.

Shimidah Sketch V05

Director Adam Wingard liked this version the most.

Shimidah Attack

3D Maquette – Closed Mouth

After approval of the sketch I proceeded with a 3D maquette.

3D Maquette – Opened Mouth

3D Maquette

Shimidah Neutral Pose

I like to think that Shimidah is a larva; the first stage of a much larger creature.

Shimidah Illustration

For this rendering I tried to show that the body of this creature is adjusted to its environment in sand and is therefore completely helpless on the surface. I illustrated Shimidah lying on its side while it’s franticly trying to dig itself back underground.

Rock Critter V01

The Rock Critter was described as a camouflaged creature that blends in with the Hollow Earth rock. I immediately had a crab-like creature in mind and did a quick sketch that director Adam Wingard wanted to push further.

Rock Critter V02

I added multiple claws that could move out of the shell and I experimented with different head and mouth options. One version the director liked had a beak-like mouth that consisted of four parts.

Rock Critter V03

The Rock critter serves to imply that the hollow earth is a dangerous and unknown world.

Rock Critter V04

Later artist Xander Smith came on board and did a 3d model based on my designs.