Conference The State of VFX VFX for Features
ON SITE Meidinger-Saal Tuesday, May 05, 12:30

How to Turn Actors into Animals: The VFX Behind Woodwalkers S2

VFX Supervisor Max Riess takes you behind the scenes of the hit Woodwalkers films, revealing how visual effects artists transformed human actors into animal characters. From early concept development to on-set supervision and final rendering, discover the techniques used to blend real and digital elements seamlessly. 

Woodwalkers 2 (2026) is the movie adaption of Katja Brandis bestseller book series. 

The film blends live-action footage, trained animals, and CGI - including a digital puma, bison, ravens, bears, wolves and more. The detailed, lifelike creature animation is an integral part of the storytelling . In addition significant green-screen work and set extension are a major tool to bring the fantastic world of woodworkers to the big screen. 

Max Riess

Max Riess, VFX Supervisor, Pixomondo

Max Riess is a German visual effects supervisor who has worked in visual effects for more than 20 years with a strong passion for art direction, concept art and fantastical creature design.

As VFX supervisor on Woodwalkers, he led the effects pipeline from early concept through on-set supervision to final delivery, helping bring shape-shifting animal characters to life. The visual effects of Woodwalkers have been created by several VFX vendors, including Pixomondo, PFX, Vast, The Pack, Lava Labs, Alps FX and Hive Division. For this work, he received a nomination for the Deutscher Filmpreis (Best Visual Effects) in 2025, alongside further recognition for the sequel Woodwalkers 2, which was again nominated in the same category in 2026.

Across his career, Max has contributed to many major productions such as Game of Thrones, The Mandalorian, and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania, combining artistic direction with technical supervision on large-scale VFX projects.