Paul Lasaine
Art
Biography
Paul Lasaine is a British production designer and visual-effects artist whose career spans over three decades in both animation and live-action filmmaking. He initially began in matte painting and visual-effects roles on major films in the early 1990s, contributing as a matte-painting supervisor or artist on titles such as Alien³ (1992), Batman Returns (1992), Beethoven’s 2nd (1993), The Pelican Brief (1993), Hocus Pocus (1993), and Dave (1993). He transitioned into higher-profile visual-effects and art-department roles, serving as visual-effects art director on The Lord of the Rings trilogy — The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), The Two Towers (2002), and The Return of the King (2003). Lasaine later shifted toward animation and production design. He served as production designer on major animated films including The Road to El Dorado (2000), Surf’s Up (2007), The Boxtrolls (2014), Storks (2016), and the Marvel animated series What If…? (2021–2023). Alongside his design work, he has also contributed to visual development for landmark animated features such as Puss in Boots (2011), The Croods (2013), Turbo (2013), Rise of the Guardians (2012), and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018). Regarding awards, Paul Lasaine has received recognition from the Annie Awards, which celebrate excellence in animation. He won the Annie Award in 2015 for Outstanding Achievement in Production Design in an Animated Feature Production for The Boxtrolls. He was nominated again in 2024 for Outstanding Achievement in Production Design in an Animated Television/Media Production for What If…?. He has a total of one Annie Award win and two nominations.
Known For

As armies mass for a final battle that will decide the fate of the world--and powerful, ancient forces of Light and Dark compete to determine the outcome--one member of the Fellowship of the Ring is revealed as the noble heir to the throne of the Kings of Men. Yet, the sole hope for triumph over evil lies with a brave hobbit, Frodo, who, accompanied by his loyal friend Sam and the hideous, wretched Gollum, ventures deep into the very dark heart of Mordor on his seemingly impossible quest to destroy the Ring of Power.
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King

Young hobbit Frodo Baggins, after inheriting a mysterious ring from his uncle Bilbo, must leave his home in order to keep it from falling into the hands of its evil creator. Along the way, a fellowship is formed to protect the ringbearer and make sure that the ring arrives at its final destination: Mt. Doom, the only place where it can be destroyed.
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring

Frodo Baggins and the other members of the Fellowship continue on their sacred quest to destroy the One Ring--but on separate paths. Their destinies lie at two towers--Orthanc Tower in Isengard, where the corrupt wizard Saruman awaits, and Sauron's fortress at Barad-dur, deep within the dark lands of Mordor. Frodo and Sam are trekking to Mordor to destroy the One Ring of Power while Gimli, Legolas and Aragorn search for the orc-captured Merry and Pippin. All along, nefarious wizard Saruman awaits the Fellowship members at the Orthanc Tower in Isengard.
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers

Taking inspiration from the comic books of the same name, each episode of this animated anthology series questions, revisits and twists classic Marvel Cinematic moments.
What If...?

Struggling to find his place in the world while juggling school and family, Brooklyn teenager Miles Morales is unexpectedly bitten by a radioactive spider and develops unfathomable powers just like the one and only Spider-Man. While wrestling with the implications of his new abilities, Miles discovers a super collider created by the madman Wilson "Kingpin" Fisk, causing others from across the Spider-Verse to be inadvertently transported to his dimension.
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse

The prehistoric Croods family live in a particularly dangerous moment in time. Patriarch Grug, his mate Ugga, teenage daughter Eep, son Thunk, and feisty Gran gather food by day and huddle together in a cave at night. When a more evolved caveman named Guy arrives on the scene, Grug is distrustful, but it soon becomes apparent that Guy is correct about the impending destruction of their world.
The Croods

After the Avengers are overtaken by a zombie plague, a desperate group of survivors discover the key to bringing an end to the super-powered undead, racing across a dystopian landscape and risking life and limb to save their world.
Marvel Zombies

Long before he even met Shrek, the notorious fighter, lover and outlaw Puss in Boots becomes a hero when he sets off on an adventure with the tough and street smart Kitty Softpaws and the mastermind Humpty Dumpty to save his town. This is the true story of The Cat, The Myth, The Legend... The Boots.
Puss in Boots

After escaping with Newt and Hicks from the alien planet, Ripley crash lands on Fiorina 161, a prison planet and host to a correctional facility. Unfortunately, although Newt and Hicks do not survive the crash, a more unwelcome visitor does. The prison does not allow weapons of any kind, and with aid being a long time away, the prisoners must simply survive in any way they can.
Alien³

The tale of an ordinary garden snail who dreams of winning the Indy 500.
Turbo

Storks deliver babies…or at least they used to. Now they deliver packages for a global internet retail giant. Junior, the company’s top delivery stork, is about to be promoted when he accidentally activates the Baby Making Machine, producing an adorable and wholly unauthorized baby girl...
Storks

With a documentary crew in tow, Cody Maverick—a young surfer from Antarctica—travels to the pacific for his first professional competition. Determined to earn respect and live up to his idol, Big Z, Cody pushes himself to the limit. But all that changes when an encounter with a laid-back local forces him to rethink his values.
Surf's Up

Stowing away after a failed con, a pair of swindlers end up on El Dorado, the fabled "city of gold", where they quickly get in over their heads when they are mistaken as gods by the inhabitants.
The Road to El Dorado

An orphaned boy raised by underground creatures called Boxtrolls comes up from the sewers and out of his box to save his family and the town from the evil exterminator, Archibald Snatcher.
The Boxtrolls

A star athlete reluctantly returns home to take over his father's duties as Ultraman, shielding Tokyo from giant monsters as he becomes a legendary hero.
Ultraman: Rising

Beethoven is back -- and this time, he has a whole brood with him now that he's met his canine match, Missy, and fathered a family. The only problem is that Missy's owner, Regina, wants to sell the puppies and tear the clan apart. It's up to Beethoven and the Newton kids to save the day and keep everyone together.
Beethoven's 2nd

The creation of the film Alien³ (1992) is covered here in this feature-length documentary in exhaustive detail. Many interviews with the cast and crew give us an idea of how hard of a time David Fincher had creating his first feature film, as well as present us with much information about every element that went into making this film, including how the plot and script changed drastically through filming.
Wreckage and Rage: Making 'Alien³'

6 documentaries chronicling the adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s work and the creation of Middle-earth.
The Lord of the Rings - The Appendices Part 1: From Book to Vision

Eleven documentaries offering an inside look at the making of the film, from the casting process to digital color grading, revealing the secrets of the shoot and the various stages of post-production leading up to the film's release.
The Lord of the Rings - The Appendices Part 2: From Vision to Reality

This documentary introduces Wētā Workshop (and its design crew of sculptors and set-designers), renowned artists Alan Lee and John Howe who were brought on to join them in conceptual design, and costume designer Ngila Dickson. Topics covered include the design of Middle-earth cultures portrayed in the film, the making of props and settings for Hobbiton, Rivendell, the Orthanc interior, and Caras Galadhon, and the complexity of prosthetics.