Gorillaz Return in the Coolest 3D Nightmare You’ve Ever Seen

In a delirium of police lights and hallucinations, the BRIT and Grammy winning virtual band Gorillaz ring in a new dawn. 2D, Murdoc, Noodle and Russel teamed up with Nexus Studios to create the psychedelic video for their new track ‘Cracker Island’ ft. Thundercat. Directed by artist and Gorillaz co-creator Jamie Hewlett and the Emmy nominated director, Fx Goby, ‘Cracker Island’ takes viewers on a late night jaunt to the City of Angels.  

Originally based at Kong Studios in West London, the group of musical misfits have relocated to Silverlake, California as they recruit new members to join ‘The Last Cult’, in search of the one truth to fix the world. With this new direction comes a new look, as the band now appear in super stylised 3D, courtesy of a close creative collaboration between Jamie and Fx.  

With a 20-year track record of innovation, this latest move by Gorillaz into 3D paves the way for multi-platform activations and the opportunity for fans to step further than ever before into the weird and wonderful world of Murdoc, Noodle, Russel and 2D. Jamie and Fx’s fusion of animation and live action blends with clever lighting techniques and hallucinatory appearances by virtuosic bassist, mercurial talent and twice-Grammy winner, Thundercat.

On ‘Cracker Island’, Jamie Hewlett’s ground-breaking and ever-evolving creative approach to Gorillaz sees director Fx Goby bring his multidisciplinary expertise to the collaboration drawing on his extensive experience with 2D and 3D animation, live action, and everything in between. 

‘Cracker Island’ is a Nexus Studios and Gorillaz production with on-location support from Tuna Icon (Belgrade) and AzuL (Barcelona), and Grade from Black Kite Studios

“Gorillaz’s iconic and groundbreaking legacy hugely inspired my early animation career. I was thrilled to partner with them to create this blend of live action and animation, and knew we would need the perfect balance between stylised and realistic. I couldn’t be happier with the sculpt and textures both faithful to the design but very much their own version. It was a privilege to work with 2D, Murdoc, Noodle and Russel not only in 3D but in this wild new era” - Fx Goby, director, Nexus Studios

“Think of it as the final scene in the movie, the bit after the grand finale when the hero (me) is about to stride into the sunset, credits rolling. That’s right, we’re starting at the end. Why? COS I WORK IN MYSTERIOUS WAYS” - Murdoc, Gorillaz