A unique graphic transition in the opening sequence of the Michael Douglas feature The Sentinel and the astonishing closing pull-away shot to a Tokyo skyline in the forthcoming Brad Pitt starrer Babel provide only a glimpse of the work that’s come out of Toronto VFX shop Intelligent Creatures.

The boutique, with a staff of 35, boasts credits in other upcoming feature releases, such as 200-plus shots in Darren Aronofsky’s $40-million fantasy The Fountain – which shot in Montreal and opens Nov. 22 – and Stranger Than Fiction with Will Ferrell, another fantasy. It is also working on the Toronto-shooting adaptation of the musical Hairspray with John Travolta and Michelle Pfeiffer.

Just where did these guys come from and how did they land such high-profile gigs?

‘We’ve been laying low,’ says Lon Molnar, CEO and senior VFX supervisor at Intelligent Creatures, taking a rare moment away from his work to recline on a couch in a weathered three-story brownstone on a strip in The Beaches that resembles a frat house more than a high-tech workshop.

Nearly four years ago, the shop’s partners – Molnar, Raymond Gieringer, Wendy Lanning and Michael Hatton – left Toybox (since taken over by Technicolor) to branch out on their own.

Given their collective wealth of experience, they were confident enough to make some firm and crucial decisions early on.

‘We aimed for the top right away,’ says Molnar. ‘We only want to work on features. That’s where the quality is. We’ve all done everything else, and it’s not as satisfying.’

Miramax’s best-picture Oscar winner Chicago was the last project the team worked on at Toybox. The new boutique then set out to build key relationships in order to zero in on favorite producers and directors. The Miramax collaboration led to Creatures’ first feature, Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights.

‘We knew that if we could get on a feature, people would take us seriously,’ Molnar says.

While no Oscar winner, that job put them on the FX map and led to Confessions of a Drama Queen for Disney and a connection with VFX supervisor Dan Schrecker, a frequent Aronofsky collaborator.

‘Most of our shots got cut,’ Molnar recalls with a laugh. ‘But they remembered us and allowed us to pitch on The Fountain.’

The FX shop spent nearly one year on The Fountain, which stars Hugh Jackman as a character who appears in three different periods from 16th century Spain to 26th century outer space. Ramping up to meet the project’s demands, Creatures actually balked when the show wanted to give them even more shots.

‘Our philosophy is not to take a large portion, because it ties up your resources for a long period of time,’ Molnar says, pointing out something that all four partners learned from their time at Toybox. ‘If you take smaller pieces, you can take multiple films, and you can develop multiple relationships. Also, you’re diversifying the work for the artists so you can keep them engaged.’

Molnar believes it’s the shop’s body of work that allows it to compete globally.

‘People see that there’s quality there,’ he says. ‘The owners came up through the ranks. We’re artists as our first trade, so we really pay attention to – and torture ourselves – over detail.’

As one of the producers on Babel told Molnar, ‘If you’re good enough for Mr. and Mrs. Smith and The Fountain, you’re good enough for us.’

www.intelligentcreatures.com