Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within is a 2001 adult computer-animated science fiction film directed by Hironobu Sakaguchi, creator of the Final Fantasy franchise. It was the first photorealistic computer-animated feature film and the most expensive video game-inspired film until the release of Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time in 2010. It features the voices of Ming-Na Wen, Alec Baldwin, Donald Sutherland, James Woods, Ving Rhames, Peri Gilpin and Steve Buscemi.
The film follows scientists Aki Ross and Doctor Sid in their efforts to free a post-apocalyptic Earth from a mysterious and deadly alien race, the Phantoms, which have driven the remnants of humanity into "barrier cities". Aki and Sid must fight against General Hein, who wants to use more violent means to end the conflict.
Square Pictures rendered the film using some of the most advanced processing capabilities available at the time. A render farm of 960 workstations was tasked with rendering each of the film's 141,964 frames. It took a staff of 200 about four years to complete The Spirits Within. Square intended to make the character of Aki Ross into the world's first photorealistic computer-animated actress, with plans for appearances in multiple films in different roles.
The Spirits Within premiered in Los Angeles on July 2, 2001, and was theatrically released in the United States on July 11. It received mixed reviews, but was widely praised for its characters' realism. Due to rising costs, the film greatly exceeded its original budget toward the end of production, reaching a final cost of $137 million (equivalent to $190 million in 2021); it grossed only $85 million at the box office. The film has been called a box office bomb and is blamed for the demise of Square Pictures.
Storyline[]
A scientist makes a last stand on Earth with the help of a ragtag team of soldiers against an invasion of alien phantoms.
Sound Effects Used[]
(Note: The Skywalker Sound/Lucasfilm sound effects are heavily used throughout the entire film, I TMD the Hedgehog think.)
- Gary Rydstrom Lion Growl (Used for the Mega Phantom.)
- Hollywoodedge, Alarm 4 Contemporary TE012301
- Hollywoodedge, Bullet Impacts Metal FS013302
- Hollywoodedge, Bullet Ricochet OffD PE097201
- Hollywoodedge, Crash Metal Shatter PE110201
- Hollywoodedge, Eagle Bald Chirps Cal AT082601
- Hollywoodedge, Electricity Arcing 3 PE200301
- Hollywoodedge, Explosion 6 Large Sho TE026201
- Hollywoodedge, Glass Breaks Medium FS024805
- Hollywoodedge, Heavy Body Falls On Me FS046901
- Hollywoodedge, Machine Gun Silence PE1010701
- Hollywoodedge, Medium Explosion With Fi PE280301
- Hollywoodedge, Metal Impacts Low Lar FS012301
- Hollywoodedge, Sword Or Bayonet Juic PE102401
- NEW WARNER BROS. THUNDER 02
- SKYWALKER, ANIMAL - GALLIMIMUS CALL
- SKYWALKER, ANIMAL, ALIEN - BRAIN BUG GROWLING, RASPY
- SKYWALKER, BELL - BELL CHIMES RINGING (Heard twice near the end of the film.)
- SKYWALKER BULLET RICOCHET 08
- SKYWALKER, BULLET - HOTH BLASTER RICOCHET
- SKYWALKER, BULLET - MULTIPLE SWIRLING RICOCHETS
- SKYWALKER, BULLET - OMNIDROID LASER GUN, SCREAM-LIKE
- SKYWALKER, BULLET - RAPID, LASER-LIKE RICOCHETS
- SKYWALKER, CAR - IGNITION START; REVERTING ENGINE; RUN (An edited variant of the first half is heard only once.)
- SKYWALKER, CAR - STOCK CAR DRIVING AT FAST SPEED
- SKYWALKER, CAR - VARIOUS TIRE SCREECHING
- SKYWALKER, COMPUTER - BEEPING SEQUENCE 01
- SKYWALKER, COMPUTER - DRONING NOISE 01 (Debut)
- SKYWALKER CONCRETE BREAKING SOUNDS
- SKYWALKER, CRACK - ROCK OR EARTH CRACKING
- SKYWALKER, CROWD - SCREAM IN PANIC
- SKYWALKER, DOOR - HYDRAULIC HISSING
- SKYWALKER, ELECTRICITY - BIG VARIOUS SPARKINGS
- SKYWALKER, ELECTRICITY - FORCE FIELD IMPACT
- SKYWALKER, ELECTRICITY - THE FORCE WHINE (Used for the explosion scene near the end of the film.)
- SKYWALKER, ELECTRICITY - GLITCHY ELECTRICAL STATIC
- SKYWALKER, ELECTRICITY - HIGH VOLTAGE ELECTRICAL ZAP
- SKYWALKER, ELECTRICITY - LIGHTNING BOLT POWER 01 (Used for the Space Cannon.)
- SKYWALKER, ELECTRICITY - LIGHTNING BOLT POWER 03
- SKYWALKER, ELECTRICITY - PULSE SHRIEK 02
- SKYWALKER, ELECTRICITY - SINGLE SPARK CHIRP 01 (Heard from the Space Laser Explosion scene near the end of the film.)
- SKYWALKER, ENGINE - HUGE SHUTDOWN, BREATH-LIKE (Heard twice during the scene when Aki tries to remove a phantom infection from Gray's body.)
- SKYWALKER EXPLOSION 01 (Skywalker SFX cluster only)
- SKYWALKER EXPLOSION 07
- SKYWALKER EXPLOSION 08
- SKYWALKER EXPLOSION 09/SKYWALKER COUGAR GROWL 01 (Used for the Mega Phantom.)
- SKYWALKER EXPLOSION 14
- SKYWALKER EXPLOSION 16
- SKYWALKER EXPLOSION 20/WB FIRE HISS/WHOOSH SOUND
- SKYWALKER EXPLOSION 23
- SKYWALKER, EXPLOSION - BIG CRUNCH
- SKYWALKER, EXPLOSION - CRACKLING EXPLOSION, MEDIUM 01
- SKYWALKER, EXPLOSION - DISTANT, FAINT EXPLOSIONS 01
- SKYWALKER, EXPLOSION - MASSIVE INFERNO ROARING
- SKYWALKER, EXPLOSION - MEDIUM SET-OFF WITH WHISTLE
- SKYWALKER, EXPLOSION - NEARBY HEAVY EXPLOSION
- SKYWALKER, EXPLOSION - SCREAMING EXPLOSION SOUNDS
- SKYWALKER, EXPLOSION - SHARP, MUFFLED BLAST
- SKYWALKER, EXPLOSION - SHORT, MASSIVE BLAST
- SKYWALKER, FOOTSTEP - ALIEN TRIPOD FOOTSTEP (Debut?)
- SKYWALKER GEAR STICK SOUNDS
- SKYWALKER GLASS, SMASH - LARGE WINDOW CRASH
- SKYWALKER, GUN - ASCENSION GUN CABLE FIRE (Whirling element only.)
- SKYWALKER HAWK SCREECHING SOUND (The 1st half is heard only once during the Zeus Cannon's destruction.)
- SKYWALKER, HEARTBEAT - DRUM HEARTBEAT (Muffled)
- SKYWALKER, HELMET - BUZZ LIGHTYEAR'S HELMET; OPEN; CLOSE
- SKYWALKER HIGH-PITCHED CLUSTERING BIG BOULDER CRACKLE SOUND
- SKYWALKER HIGH-PITCHED POW SOUND
- SKYWALKER HIGH RICOCHET SOUNDS
- SKYWALKER, HISS - HARPOON LAUNCHER, WEAPON
- SKYWALKER, HISS - MECHANICAL EJECT HISS
- SKYWALKER, HUMAN - NECK, CRACKING
- SKYWALKER HYPERDRIVE FAILURE SOUND (Heard once during the Final Spirits scene where the Phantom gets frozed near the end of the film.)
- SKYWALKER, JET - ARTOO'S ROCKET THRUSTERS
- SKYWALKER LIGHTSABER SOUND (Steam-sizzle variant only.)
- SKYWALKER, METAL - AT-ST STOMP
- SKYWALKER, METAL - HAND GRIPPING HANDRAIL OR BAR
- SKYWALKER, METAL - HEAVY VEHICULAR IMPACT 02
- SKYWALKER, METAL - LID CLANGING 02
- SKYWALKER, METAL - RAPID, SQUEAKY RATTLE
- SKYWALKER, METAL - SHORT HEAVY RATTLING, RESONANT
- SKYWALKER, MONSTER - LEVIATHAN MOANING
- SKYWALKER, MOVEMENT - GRASSHOPPER BODY MOVEMENT, CREAKING
- SKYWALKER, MUSIC - DEEP, OMINOUS BASS TONE
- SKYWALKER POWERLINE SNAPPING SOUND
- SKYWALKER, ROAR - STARRO SCREAM
- SKYWALKER ROCK DROPPING SOUND
- SKYWALKER, SCI-FI - TRANSMISSION GARBLE 01
- SKYWALKER, SCI-FI GUN - EVE'S LASER GUN
- SKYWALKER, SCI-FI GUN - ION CANNON GUN (A condensed version from Raiders of the Lost Ark is heard once when the spaceship explodes near the end of the film.)
- SKYWALKER, SCI-FI GUN - IRON GIANT'S ARM CANNON; FIRE (Mainly used for the Zeus Cannon.)
- SKYWALKER, SCI-FI GUN - PADME'S BLASTER PISTOL (Used for explosion near the end of the film.)
- SKYWALKER SHOTGUN FIRE 02
- SKYWALKER, SIZZLE - QUICK SIZZLE
- SKYWALKER, SQUISH - BIG SQUISH
- SKYWALKER, SQUISH - B.O.B. SQUISHING
- SKYWALKER, SQUISH - TAUNTAUN GUTS
- SKYWALKER, TEETH - BALL TOSS WOODY
- SKYWALKER, THUNDER - RUMBLING
- SKYWALKER, TRANSFORM - PAIN AND PANIC TRANSFORMING
- SKYWALKER WHISTLING RICOCHET, EXPLOSION ACCENT
- SKYWALKER, WHOOSH - ARTILLERY FALL 01
- SKYWALKER, WHOOSH - POWERFUL SCI-FI WHOOSH
- SKYWALKER, WHOOSH - SCREAM-LIKE PASS BY
- SKYWALKER, WHOOSH - SYNTHESIZED JET FLY BY
- SKYWALKER, WIND - HEAVY WIND WHISTLING
- SoundDogs, Explosion, Bursts, Short, Echoes (processed)
- SoundDogs, Explosions, Electrical - Elec Thunder Explos (2nd thunderclap)
- Sound Ideas, ANIMAL, WHALE - HUMPBACK WHALE CALL, SONG, TONES WITH OCCASIONAL GRUNT-LIKE AND SQUEAK-LIKE TONES
- Sound Ideas, Electric - Whip Like Spark Hits Or Explosions - C U - Sharp Electric Sounding Hits, High Pitched Zaps 01
- Sound Ideas, ELECTRICITY, SPARK - HIGH VOLTAGE SPARK, ELECTRICAL 05
- Sound Ideas, ELECTRICITY, SPARK - HIGH VOLTAGE SPARK, ELECTRICAL 10
- Sound Ideas, ELEPHANT - VARIOUS SNORTS, GROWLS, TRUMPETS, ANIMAL
- Sound Ideas, EXPLOSION - ENERGY BLAST, ELECTRONIC
- Sound Ideas, EXPLOSION - LARGE EXPLOSION 03 (H-B) (Modified)
- Sound Ideas, EXPLOSION - LARGE EXPLOSION 05 (Series 6000)
- Sound Ideas, FIRE, BURST - BIG BURST
- Sound Ideas, FIRE, CLOSE - CRACKLE, VERY CRACKLY W/LOW ROAR
- Sound Ideas, FIRE, MISCELLANEOUS - SIZZLY, BUFFETING
- Sound Ideas, FORKLIFT - ELECTRIC POWERED: START, IDLE, SHUT OFF, INDUSTRY
- Sound Ideas, ROBOT, MOTOR - ROBOT SERVO MOTOR 01
- Sound Ideas, ROBOT, MOTOR - ROBOT SERVO MOTOR 03
- Sound Ideas, WEATHER - THUNDER CRASH 02 (Briefly heard as mixed with SKYWALKER, ELECTRICITY - LIGHTNING BOLT POWER 01.)
- Sound Ideas, WIND - FOREST WIND, LEAVES STIR, WEATHER
- Sound Ideas, WIND - WIND PANS & FADES AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, WEATHER
- Sound Ideas, WIND - WIND WITH METAL BANGING, WEATHER
- Unknown Sound Effects Library, Fiery Screechy Blast (Debut)