Despite being one of the most iconic parts of the film, Dune’s sandworms presented a big challenge for the visual effects artists attempting to bring the monumental creature to life. Along with its star-studded cast, Dune also featured hardworking crew dedicated to bringing new life to the franchise, and in a newly released behind-the-scenes look from Warner Bros. director Denis Villeneuve and his team of producers and artists get their time to shine as they detail the process of bringing the sandworms to the big screen.

“We have to believe these are real creatures,” producer Mary Parent begins, “And in the case of way the Fremen view them, almost godlike.” In Dune lore, the sandworms are native to the desert planet Arrakis, and are responsible for the production of the highly valued ‘spice’ which grants users limited precognition. In the original novel, sandworms can grow up to 9,000 feet long and range several hundred yards wide, making the literally larger-than-life beast a truly grueling challenge for animators.

Along with clips of the desert planet set, the featurette shows segments of the worm, with the team focusing on the physics of pushing through tons of sand. According to Villeneuve, they approached the beast by concentrating on its biology, with emphasis on its teeth, scales, and mating call. “It was finding the balance between the artistic goals, and what the real-world mechanics might be," said visual effects producer Brice Parker. The team reportedly spent months researching dessert camouflage creatures and their environments to later apply to the sandworms.

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RELATED: ‘Dune 2’ Will Show More of Rival House Harkonnen, According to Director Denis VilleneuveSupervising sound editors Mark Magini and Theo Green also appear in the featurette, describing their process on creating the beast’s thumping sound. Wanting to break away from the traditional monstrous roar, the duo chose to go a more natural route, with Green stating:

“That’s the moment where we decided if there’s a silent contemplation between the two of them. Then we have something pretty unusual. It’s not a monster breaching out of the soil. It’s a meeting with God.”

Dune was an immediate box office success, grossing over $41 million over its opening weekend and marking the best opening of Villeneuve’s career. The film received immediate praise for its visual effects with critics calling it “astonishingly vivid.” Dune is up for several Academy Awards this year, including Best Picture, Best Sound, and Best Visual Effects. A sequel is currently in development and expected to bring back much of the same crew and cast from the original.

Dune: Part Two is scheduled to release on October 20, 2023. Check out the behind-the-scenes featurette below: