War for the Planet of the Apes

It is still it. The surprise late summer success that came at the end of a challenging and worrisome box office season.

There was no monkeying around this weekend over at Fox Studios, as summer set piece War for the Planet of the Apes took off in the US and Canada with $56. 5 million in first place.

One of the themes of War for the Planet of the Apes is the humanization of animals and the animalization of humans. Costume designer Melissa Bruning has a multilayered task – she’s a key element in the process of clothing motion-captured creatures and determining the color and design of their motion-capture suits (which the wizards of Weta Workshop will render as apes); and she also has the creative oversight on the costuming of flesh and bone characters, adding to the whole visual atmosphere of the movie, reinterpreting military paraphernalia, conveying power and, at the same time, evoking emotions.