The Island of Dr. Moreau

(1996) During the finale of the film Moreau's animals are going wild and destroying the Dr.'s lab. This octopus creature was in a tank in the background and can only be seen in a couple of shots. There was a more elaborate sequence originally planned for it but that was scrapped.

No concept designs were done for this octopus monster so my project partner Jon Neill & I made it up as we went along, collaborating on ideas until we settled on something we liked.

Below: We sculpted this creature in wed clay in under a week, teaming up on the main body with me focusing on the head (face) and Jon on the mantle (head back). I sculpted one tentacle which was to be used for all 8 and the whole thing was molded and cast in silicone. We then painted it together.

This puppet had a semi-hollow mantle with rubber undulating breathing sacs on its sides and solid silicone tentacles... so it was HEAVY!

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