Tippett Studio animated several characters on Cats and Dogs 2: The Revenge of Kitty Galore, but none were as challenging as the hairless Kitty Galore (Bette Midler) herself. Whereas on most animated creatures, skin displacement and the movement of bones and joints are usually hidden beneath a forgiving layer of fur, on Kitty Galore, they were featured prominently any time the villainous feline was on screen. With nowhere to hide, our team relied heavily on vector displacement maps to accurately mimic the stretch and strain of skin and sinew across bones and muscle. In addition, Tippett also developed a complex face system driven by facial expressions.

The result of these systems working in concert was the delightfully wicked final character performance of Kitty Galore, which tickled audiences and earned Tippett a Visual Effects Society’s nomination for “Outstanding Animated Character in a Live Action Feature.”