Jurassic World: Rebirth Pushes VFX Boundaries with Collaborative Approach

ILM's production visual effects supervisor David Vickery discusses the evolution of visual effects in the latest Jurassic installment.

Published on Feb. 26, 2026

The latest Jurassic World film, 'Jurassic World: Rebirth', demonstrates the advancements in visual effects, with ILM's production visual effects supervisor David Vickery highlighting the shift towards a more collaborative approach between VFX teams and other filmmaking departments. The movie also showcases new techniques like Gaussian splats, dynamic wrinkle displacement, and a complete overhaul of the water pipeline to create realistic ocean scenes.

Why it matters

The Jurassic franchise remains at the forefront of bringing dinosaurs to life on the big screen, and 'Jurassic World: Rebirth' pushes the boundaries of visual effects technology. The collaborative approach between VFX teams and other departments ensures a more seamless and believable final product, while the use of practical effects and grounding the dinosaurs in reality helps to enhance the audience's suspension of disbelief.

The details

David Vickery, ILM's production visual effects supervisor, has been instrumental in the evolution of visual effects in the Jurassic franchise, working on 'Fallen Kingdom', 'Dominion', and now 'Rebirth'. The industry has seen a significant shift, with VFX teams being integrated into the core filmmaking process, allowing for better coordination between departments like costume design, special effects, and stunts. This collaborative approach ensures a more seamless and believable final product. Despite advancements in CGI, practical effects remain vital, with Vickery emphasizing the importance of capturing as much as possible in-camera. Jurassic World: Rebirth pushed the boundaries of VFX technology, utilizing Gaussian splats, developing new tools for simulating complex details like the internal anatomy of mutated dinosaurs, and overhauling ILM's water pipeline to create convincing ocean scenes.

  • Jurassic World: Rebirth was released in 2026.

The players

David Vickery

ILM's production visual effects supervisor who has worked on the Jurassic franchise, including Fallen Kingdom, Dominion, and Rebirth.

Scarlett Johansson

Actress starring in Jurassic World: Rebirth.

Mahershala Ali

Actor starring in Jurassic World: Rebirth.

Jonathan Bailey

Actor starring in Jurassic World: Rebirth.

J.A. Bayona

Director of Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom.

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What they’re saying

“I find that most of my job in pre-production now as a supervisor is trying to find ways not to do visual effects.”

— David Vickery, ILM's production visual effects supervisor (newsy-today.com)

The takeaway

The evolution of visual effects in the Jurassic franchise, as showcased in 'Jurassic World: Rebirth', demonstrates the industry's shift towards a more collaborative approach and the blending of practical and digital effects to create increasingly realistic and immersive cinematic experiences.