Superman, DC Studios’ first feature film to hit the big screen, soared into theaters in the summer of 2025 from Warner Bros. Pictures. In his signature style, director James Gunn takes on the original superhero in the newly imagined DC universe with a singular blend of epic action, humor and heart, delivering a Superman who’s driven by compassion and an inherent belief in the goodness of humankind.
ILM’s work on Superman included the creation of the city Metropolis as well as digital counterparts for the Hammer of Boravia and Ultraman. The team also built a digital double for the film’s namesake, with extensive animation and simulation work required to make Superman fly at great speed. The epic interdimensional rift later required ILM to depict multiple layers of destruction across Metropolis. And among ILM’s creature work on the show is the animation of the memorable Krypto the Superdog in the film’s climactic battle sequence.
Led by ILM visual effects supervisor Enrico Damm in collaboration with production visual effects supervisor Stephane Ceretti and visual effects producer Susan Pickett, ILM’s visual effects work was hubbed in San Francisco with additional contributions from the Sydney and Mumbai studios.
ILM’s visual effects in Superman received nominations for Best Visual Effects at the Critics Choice Awards and the Astra Film & Creative Arts Awards, as well as Best Visual Effects or Animation at the AACTA Awards, Outstanding Effects Simulations in a Photoreal Feature and Outstanding Compositing & Lighting in a Feature at the VES Awards, and Best Visual/Special Effects at the Saturn Awards in 2026.
Superman is now available to watch on HBO Max.
Read more about Superman on ILM.com:
How ILM Helped James Gunn’s ‘Superman’ Soar with High-Flying Visual Effects
