StudioADI, the masterminds behind many of the creatures in the Percy Jackson: Sea of Monsters film, has released a new video showing the development of the Lydian Drakon.
Unfortunately, the Lydian Drakon didn’t end up making it into the movie. However, it’s still interesting to see how the character went from concept sketches to three-dimensional busts to full-scale makeup and costume. The official description of the video reads:
Here’s look at the development of the Lydian Drakon character for the film PERCY JACKSON: SEA OF MONSTERS. The concept started as a scary 6’5″ frilled lizard man and became a 4’6″ comedic sidekick. The character continued to shrink until it wasn’t in the movie at all. That doesn’t negate the precise sculpture ADI’s Aki Ikeda, the paint scheme of Mike Larrabee and the application by Bill Terazakis’ talented Canadian makeup crew featuring Maiko Gomyo, who herself is no bigger than your thumb.
The clip, which comes via Comic Book Movies, can be seen below.
It’s a shame that the creature never made it into the movie, as both the original sketches and the final product were beautifully detailed. Although, we can see why the Drakon was pushed aside for monsters like the Colchis Bull and the Hippocampi.
In the book Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan, a drakon is sent by Luke to kill Percy and his friends while they’re on the Princess Andromeda. The Lydian Drakon does not actually show up until the final book in the series, The Last Olympian, when Kronus sends it to destroy the demigods who are fighting to save Mount Olympus.
The Lydian Drakon is also important in The House of Hades. If you’ve read Riordan’s latest novel, be sure to check out our review and our top 10 favorite moments, and leave your thoughts in the comments!