Swaybox Studios Test Reels Reveal What DC Studios' DYNAMIC DUO Could Look Like

Following the news that DC Studios and Swaybox Studios are developing an animated Dynamic Duo movie, some test reels made by the latter studio offers a better idea of what might be heading our way...

By JoshWilding - Oct 02, 2024 09:10 AM EST

Filed Under: DC Studios

Yesterday evening, we learned that DC Studios is moving forward with Dynamic Duo, a movie revolving around Robins Dick Grayson and Jason Todd.

The belief right now is that the animated project will be set in the DCU, presumably fleshing out the history between these characters before we catch up with them in the present day as Nightwing and Red Hood. Well, that's the hope, anyway.

The news has received positive and negative reactions from fans but the involvement of Swaybox Studios is undeniably intriguing. The company uses an innovative "Momo animation" that blends CGI, practical stop-motion elements, and live-action performances to create a new style of animation that's vastly different from what we're used to seeing on screen.

While we don't know exactly what Dynamic Duo will look like, some Swaybox test reels offer a glimpse at what the studio might be planning for the DC project.

It's certainly innovative and should be a unique way to explore the stories of Dick and Jason. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse proved that superheroes can work in animation, though the difference there is that we'd already seen plenty of the wall-crawler in theaters. Fans have been waiting decades to see these two on screen and many would be happier with a live-action tale.

We've heard that the movie follows the early days of Dick Grayson and Jason Todd a.k.a. the Robins. The duo call themselves the Dynamic Duo. They’re orphan thieves, best friends who share dreams of a better life, but their friendship will be tested by competing visions of a future out of which will come a new Dynamic Duo.

While it's not set in Matt Reeves' Bat-Verse, the filmmaker will produce (as he did wth Batman: Caped Crusader) and recently said of the project, "I have wanted to make a film with Arthur [Mintz] and Swaybox for many years, and for that film to be Dynamic Duo, an incredibly special and unique Batman and Robin story for families, is a dream."

You can learn more about Dynamic Duo here.

A Reel from Swaybox Studios

Who will do the animation for DC Studios ‘Dynamic Duo’

“Momo Animation” is a cross between CGI animation, practical elements of stop-motion, & live-action real-time performance. pic.twitter.com/lSvBey3XCe
— Cris Parker (@3CFilmss) October 1, 2024

Swaybox Studios developed the tech “Momo animation,” which is a cross between CGI animation, stop-motion, & live-action real-time performance.

Here’s a general idea what ‘DYNAMIC DUO’ will look like. pic.twitter.com/sHCr93uR23
— DC Film News (@DCFilmNews) October 1, 2024

Swaybox Studios is creating DC's DYNAMIC DUO movie.

They use LIFE-SIZED puppets and sets, combined with CGI to make animated films that look photorealistic. pic.twitter.com/v5q7YPuyPL
— DCU Brief (@DCUBrief) October 2, 2024

DYNAMIC DUO: Animated Robins Origin Story Following Dick Grayson & Jason Todd In The Works At DC Studios

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40 Comments

JstaKIDfrmBKLYN - 10/2/2024, 9:12 AM

Not a fan at all. Not for this movie.

NonPlayerC - 10/2/2024, 11:29 AM

@JstaKIDfrmBKLYN - yay let’s change their backstory to best friend orphan thieves!! Dick Grayson is my favorite character in dc, this isn’t gonna make me mad at all!! It’s connected to the DCU? Even better!! So excited for this universe now… I hate Damian

FireandBlood - 10/2/2024, 9:14 AM

Another vanity project 🥱

Vigor - 10/2/2024, 9:18 AM

@FireandBlood - excuse me I'm dumb. What's a "vanity project"

Based on thr word vanity, I take it to mean a project more about appearances rather than substance?

FireandBlood - 10/2/2024, 9:26 AM

@Vigor - An indulgent collection of experiments that’s primarily driven by the ego or personal interests of the filmmaker e.g. James Gunn and his DCU lineup.

Vigor - 10/2/2024, 9:28 AM

@FireandBlood - eh

I say let's give him a chance. He's been hitting home runs
Now if it were Taika in charge of all this, then I wouldn't pay it any mind ! 🫣

Urubrodi - 10/2/2024, 9:31 AM

@Vigor - The DCU hasn't even started yet, what home runs are you talking about? Don't think what he did as a director prior to becoming DCU's Feige can be taken into account, as his responsibilities were solely to do with whatever project he was on and not about overseeing tons of them.

Vigor - 10/2/2024, 9:32 AM

@Urubrodi - you promote people based on their resume and past successes. Would t you do the same at your company if you owned one?
Would you prefer a Uwe Boll run DCU ?

I'm being facetious but hope you get the point

FireandBlood - 10/2/2024, 9:33 AM

@Vigor - As a director, sure. But as a producer, he’s unproven. Difference between him and Feige so far is, Feige serves the characters and universe. Gunn’s putting his own ideas above all else. That’s why we’re getting random shit like this, Authority, Waller and so on. He’s building a DCU he wants to see, and not one that necessarily serves the brand just like Snyder, and unlike Guardians, he hasn’t got a Feige to keep him under check.

FireandBlood - 10/2/2024, 9:34 AM

@Vigor - They didn’t promote him due to his resume, though. They went to Phillip’s, they went to Reeves, and then settled on Gunn. They needed someone for the job, and he was the first not to turn it down.

FinnishDude - 10/2/2024, 9:36 AM

@FireandBlood - I rather have projects based on what an artist wants to see than marketing chart.

Vigor - 10/2/2024, 9:36 AM

@FireandBlood - yeah I guess

But if it were solely up to the fans then the slate would be very predictable and boring (origin stories already done before).
Gunn is coming into this already in the golden age of comic book movies. If he repeated mcu formula verbatim then it would seem like copy cat. He's building this universe with a unique spin. I love the synopsis of the new batman and Robin movie. Bold and brave. We are jumping right into the action

I'm surprised at the push back on the testosterone heavy bane and deathstroke movie. It's literally two bone heads who are formidable batman villains leading a movie. I thought people wanted that. Look around and everyone complains about woke this and that and women leading. We finally have 2 strong men leading an action flick and people complain?
I think Gunn has a unique and refreshing vision. He has a great resume and many people in the industry like him, the same as they did with Feige. I say give him a chance

Urubrodi - 10/2/2024, 9:37 AM

@Vigor - I get the point, but being a director and being a producer are completely different things. Sure, I trust him more than I would Taika, but he hasn't done anything yet on this new universe. I do think Superman will be good as it's a film he's doing it himself, but when he starts having to supervise multiple projects at the same time, something he has never done before, then we'll see if he's indeed fit for the role. Not everyone can do what Feige does.

FireandBlood - 10/2/2024, 9:37 AM

@FinnishDude - And that’s exactly what Snyder gave you.

FireandBlood - 10/2/2024, 9:41 AM

@Urubrodi - "Not everyone can do what Feige does."

And let’s be honest, this is an understatement. Feige is basically a super producer. What he’s achieved is unprecedented, and after countless attempts, even by WB/DC, to replicate what he’s achieved, nobody has came anywhere near close.

Vigor - 10/2/2024, 9:42 AM

@FireandBlood @Urubrodi

I agree. Feige is a demigod
But feige won't be here forever. So someone else has to follow in his foot steps. Maybe Gunn can do it. To be seen.
Let's give the man a chance! He's come back from almost a full on cancel in hollywood

FireandBlood - 10/2/2024, 9:46 AM

@Vigor - But that’s what I mean. Those boring building blocks, that’s what lays down a solid foundation. DC, as a brand, is in tatters outside of Batman, but the way Gunn is going about it, he might as well be building this universe on sprinkles and candy floss. This isn’t it.

Urubrodi - 10/2/2024, 10:11 AM

@Vigor - Don't get me wrong, I hope he knocks out of the park, but... as @FireandBlood has mentioned some of these projects are questionable to say the least, especially when your universe hasn't even started yet. Maybe Creature Commandos is great, but should it really be the first thing to come out of the DCU? Now this? Plu,s the fact that Superman feels like a justice League movie and that they seem to not know what to do with Batman. Plus, having a Green Lantern show instead of movie, meaning that it will probably be Earth based and with an old Hal Jordan. I mean let's wait and see. Hopefully Gunn knows what he's doing.

FinnishDude - 10/2/2024, 10:16 AM

@FireandBlood - Yeah, that's a gamble you play in a creative field and while I'm happy to say that Snyder's work sucks, I can even more happily say that having something like The Last Jedi, Guardians of the Galaxy, Creed or, if we go way back, Stanley Kubrick's The Shining is way more valuable than Rise of Skywalker, Alien Romulus or the Shining mini-series.

FireandBlood - 10/2/2024, 10:29 AM

@FinnishDude - I hear you, but Guardians of the Galaxy, The Last Jedi, even Creed, were studio mandated movies where the filmmakers were hired and had a limited amount of freedom. What we seeing here is, one filmmaker, exactly like Snyder, putting his vision for an entire franchise above all else, without any type regard for what is best for that franchise beyond his own desires. These are dangerous waters, and the very last thing a damaged brand like DC needs.

kazuma - 10/2/2024, 11:38 AM

@FireandBlood - "An indulgent collection of experiments that’s primarily driven by the ego or personal interests of the filmmaker"

And the opposite of this would be... what? A cookie cutter, safe movie that adds nothing new to anything?
Like, what exactly is your argument here? That's they're trying something new?

bobevanz - 10/2/2024, 9:17 AM

Why would you use this art style for a movie about two Robin's.... they want to be like Laika, it'll never happen lol

roboticJohnson - 10/2/2024, 9:18 AM

Their animation style is interesting and unique, but I don't think it's suited for an action movie. Hope I'm proven wrong

FireandBlood - 10/2/2024, 9:19 AM

Dick Grayson, a street urchin. James Gunn does not like these characters.

JoJo1982 - 10/2/2024, 11:45 AM

@FireandBlood -
Duo Dynamo
Teen Titans
Batman Brave and the Bold

Sounds like Gunn loves Robin, bc nobody else has ever done anything like this for the character

Vigor - 10/2/2024, 9:19 AM

Art style alone, I'm IN. Looks like the new unreal engine put to creative effect
Having it be about the two coolest Robins is bonus

MaximusTheMad - 10/2/2024, 9:20 AM

What got into Gunn's head when he said that EVERYTHING including video games and cartoons would be set in the DCU?

Is he saying it's the Multiverse like Marvel Studios (which is good), or is he seriously gonna weigh down every idea with this cinematic universe.

I'm mostly worried about the games. Video game tie-ins went out of fashion a long time ago, and thank goodness for that.

FireandBlood - 10/2/2024, 9:29 AM

@MaximusTheMad - The way I understood it is, he wants his DCU to mirror Star Wars, and not the MCU. So video games and cartoons will be canon to the timeline, just like Star Wars, unless stated otherwise. Problem with that is, there’s a major lack of quality control. But this is destined to crash and burn anyway, so 🤷‍♂️

Vigor - 10/2/2024, 9:31 AM

@MaximusTheMad - put it this way. I don't watch anything that's not connected to something grander

Jedi survivor (videogame) for instance has connections to Ahsoka (live action show) which connects to Rebels (animation). All different mediums but just love it. Allows me to stay engrossed in this growing world but experience it in different ways (gaming, tv, movies, cartoon, etc).

Arthorious - 10/2/2024, 10:46 AM

@MaximusTheMad - It may be the former; DC is know for their multiverse's too (at this point which comic property isn't) otherwise, I don't understand how this will fall into the live action stuff.

With that said, Grayson and Jason are my favorite Batman characters so I'm definitely interested to see how this plays out.

MisterBones - 10/2/2024, 9:29 AM

Dick being a thief is weird

ObserverIO - 10/2/2024, 10:06 AM

@MisterBones - Originally they gave Jason Todd Dick's origin, so he was a circus performer in an aerial act with his parents called The Flying Todds (instead of The Flying Graysons) and they died because a mobster sabotaged their act.
Exact same origin as Dick Grayson.

Then Crisis rebooted things and they made him a street thief. Now Dick's a street thief too. Strange how things come around like that.

But seriously though, this isn't The Greatest Showman, Dick's origin has been outdated for a long, long time now. Unless he's gonna be an old man in the DCU, they could do with giving his origin an update.
I guess this is Absolute Grayson, lol. As long as his character is the same.

Urubrodi - 10/2/2024, 9:33 AM

Hope they prove me wrong, but I doubt it's gonna be successful. Too random of an idea, both on animation style and on choice of the characters involved.

Superspecialawesomeguy - 10/2/2024, 9:34 AM

Looks like a pretty innovative use of animation imo.

stevezegers - 10/2/2024, 9:46 AM

Looks beautiful. I'm cool with taking some risks

Conquistador - 10/2/2024, 10:00 AM

This makes sense. Brave and the Bold won't be able to do justice to all the other side kicks. Better to flesh them out elsewhere.. before glorified cameos

Spoken - 10/2/2024, 10:08 AM

Hmmm...I mean, Idk. Interesting animation, reminds me of Coraline a little bit. But Idk how it will look so I guess...wait and see lol.

Ojeet78 - 10/2/2024, 10:22 AM

Yesss, I am all for more animated content. But I do hope this is its own thing and if it is its own thing James Gunn is muddying the waters by making such out of continuity projects. I don't like the idea of Grayson and Todd existing as Robin simultaneously and hope that Grayson is at least Nightwing in this. Once again this sadly leaves Tim Drake out.

bkmeijer1 - 10/2/2024, 11:01 AM

The style and how they pull it off look really cool, although I'm not sure it works for a movie starring a few Robins (unless it's the birds).

TheVisionary25 - 10/2/2024, 11:30 AM

I do like the style or atleast design in the second reel moreso then the one that we see for the majority of the first so hopefully Dynamic Duo is more akin to that.

Anyway , they have said that the reports of them being orphaned theives is apparently false so interested to see what this actual take is which I hope is it’s continuity personally (and think it will be)

I’m intrigued by this so far and will be keeping my eye on it!!.

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