Congratulations to John Knoll, Hal Hickel, Charles Gibson, and Allen Hall, who left the Kodak Theater after the 77th Academy Awards clutching golden statues for Achievement in Visual Effects for their stunning work on PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: DEAD MAN’S CHEST. After his win, John Knoll said, “I’ve always felt that being nominated for an Academy Award is a tremendous honor. With effects-driven films becoming increasingly more sophisticated with each passing year, it makes receiving the Oscar this time around that much more special. That said, this is truly a team effort and the ILM crew is a very special group that deserves every bit of the recognition this award brings with it.” Added Hal Hickel, “I couldn’t be more proud of the work that our team put into this film. It’s the perfect example of technology and creativity coming together to further the art of cinematic storytelling, and at the end of the day that’s what we all strive to do.”

The Zone thanks Joni for posting the news, and DeepinDepp for the interview with the winners. You can read the full interview on the Zone’s News & Views forum. –Part-Time Poet