Frantic Films VFX is crowing about the work it put into Dragonball: Evolution, the effects-laden smash-up that landed in theaters over the weekend. The company’s Vancouver and Winnipeg studios worked on the bulk of the effects shots in the Twentieth Century Fox film, supervised by Chad Wiebe (Journey to the Center of the Earth) and Mike Shand (Silent Hill), respectively. Matte painter Ken Nakada (City of Ember) also oversaw some 30 shots from Frantic’s Hollywood studio.

‘This was sacred material,’ said Wiebe in a statement, nodding to the many fans of the Dragonball franchise, which includes comic books and an action cartoon series.

Frantic’s work included two key scenes in the film, a fight near a lake of molten lava and the climatic punch-up. The latter included a set extension, in Winnipeg, of the film’s practical set, a full sky replacement and the ‘energy ball’ effects generated by the hero and villain.