Watch This Short Film Revealing Ufotable’s Creative Process Behind ‘Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle’
A rare glimpse into the studio’s blend of 2D precision and CGI innovation.
Summary
- The Oscars’ official YouTube channel released a behind‑the‑scenes short film on Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, showcasing ufotable’s animation process
- Studio leaders highlight hand‑drawn precision, layered visuals and bespoke pipelines, overcoming decade‑long rendering hurdles
The Academy Awards’ official YouTube channel recently dropped a stunning behind-the-scenes short film spotlighting the behind-the-scenes of the Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle Film. Aptly titled, “The Ufotable Team Breaks Down The Animation of ‘Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba Infinity Castle,’” this mini-documentary offers an unprecedented look at 2025’s record-breaking feature.
The nearly 10-minute video highlights the animation studio’s unwavering commitment to hand-drawn animation within an industry increasingly dominated by 3DCG. Studio head and chief director Hikaru Kondo emphasizes the necessity of “pixel-level” human precision, asserting that “there are things only a certain artist can draw in that specific moment,” lending the film an emotional depth and “instability” that digital automation cannot replicate.
Technically, the film explores how ufotable seamlessly integrates traditional 2D art with complex digital environments to construct the gravity-defying architecture of the Infinity Castle. A standout sequence features staff describing the challenge of animating Akaza’s return, where dynamic battle choreography had to be balanced against a surreal, shifting environment. “We wanted every frame to feel alive, as if the castle itself was breathing,” one animator notes, underscoring the arc’s thematic resonance.
Finishing director Yuichi Terao further reveals the project’s staggering scale, noting that initial rendering calculations for the visuals were estimated to take ten years — a hurdle overcome by building a bespoke production pipeline for lighting and compositing. This high-density approach stacks hundreds of layers for a single three-second sequence, creating a “symphonic” level of detail that grants 2D characters a tangible, 3D depth.
This high-profile spotlight from the Oscars coincides with a historic box office run, as Infinity Castle became the first Japanese film to surpass $700 million USD (¥100 billion JPY) worldwide. By showcasing “overwhelmingly inefficient” but artistically superior methods, the video serves as a powerful testament to human creativity amidst rising debates over AI in animation. As the first entry in a trilogy adapting Koyoharu Gotouge’s final manga arc, this film has set a new global standard for cinematic anime, with this behind-the-scenes look further solidifying its status as a frontrunner for major international animation awards.
