Cassiopeia is a 1996 Brazilian CGIanimated feature film, produced and released by NDR Filmes in Brazil on April 1, 1996. The film is an adventure about the invasion of planet Ateneia by intruders trying to steal their energy. It was the second computer generatedfeature film ever. The film's creators claimed it was the first CGI animated feature film in February 1996, because its production started in January 1992, before the production of Toy Story. The film was released soon after Toy Story. Production of Toy Story began on January 19, 1993.
Plot
The planet Ateneia, located in the constellation of Cassiopeia, is attacked by space invaders who begin to drain its vital energy. A distress signal is sent into outer space by the localastronomer, Liza, and received by four heroes who travel across the galaxy to the rescue. The four heroes venture through the galaxy facing many dangers as they try to rescue the planet of Ateneia. Each has a specific function in their spaceship: Chop is the captain and pilot, Feel and Thot monitor space, and Chip is the gunman, working also as comic relief. Liza is an astronomer in Ateneia's main lab, working on all of the scientific details of the planet's life. On the way to defeat the evil forces of Shadowseat, the foursome meet Leonardo, a scientist from an undeveloped planet who creates crazy gadgets.
Development
Production began in January 1992 with environment and character modeling and the creation of the script. Animation began in January 1993, and the image generation work was completed on August 1995. The soundtrack was finished in December 1995, and the first copy was printed in January 1996. The film was animated using Crystal Graphics' Topas Animator, running on 17 486 DX2-66 computers. The first character model was made on a 20 MHz 386 SX. Cassiopeia animation team was composed of seven computer animators, three traditional animators, and some freelancers. Midway through production, some of the computers were stolen, requiring some scenes to be re animated.
