原文与机翻，仅供参考
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In 2025, at a time when the Hollywood industry bemoaned the lack of movie theater attendance, it's become the year that anime cut through the cacophony of entertainment choices to become an undeniable box-office draw. Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle, as it's known stateside, was the pinnacle.
Pegged as the first of a new trilogy of films from the wildly popular Demon Slayer franchise, the blockbuster broke records to become the biggest anime movie of all time, including in the U.S. Pegged as the final battle of the award-winning anime TV series on which it's derived, Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, the big-screen event saw the key slayers fighting for survival within the Infinity Castle, the demons' stronghold — an endless, gravity- and reality-defying fortress.
In a first for animation studio Ufotable, Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Animated Motion Picture. So it's official: anime is now busting into the awards conversation.
The filmmaking trio of Haruo Sotozaki, the movie's director; Yuichi Terao, the director of photography; and studio president and chief director Hikaru Kondo sat down over Zoom with Entertainment Weekly in November to discuss Demon Slayer's (and anime's) success at the global box office, key moments of the movie, and the now highly anticipated second installment of the trilogy.
movie Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle
The Infinity Castle of 'Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle'.
Koyoharu Gotoge / SHUEISHA, Aniplex, ufotable
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle is now the highest-grossing anime movie of all time and the biggest anime movie in the U.S. What do you think has contributed to this milestone for anime in terms of its international success?
YUICHI TERAO: We as a production team really try to make the best anime that we possibly can. I joined the company about 20 years ago and that vision, that mission hasn't changed since. It's continued into today. So, sure, the numbers may follow that, but what we do at our core is try to film the best possible anime that we can.
Kondo-san, will there be a bigger anime output now from Ufotable given this international success?
HIKARU KONDO: In my position, of course, the more projects we can be part of and produce, the better. I would love to do more, but as a priority, making anime that audiences can really enjoy and resonate with will take precedence over a quantity.
Infinity Castle was announced as part of a trilogy of films. What is the current status of the production of the second movie? Is there a release year in mind for the second movie?
HARUO SOTOZAKI: What I can say is everyone at Ufotable is working really, really hard right now, but we don't have any details that we can share at this time. So please stay tuned and look forward to upcoming news.
For Infinity Castle, how did you want to take advantage of the bigger theater screen in terms of the animation and action?
TERAO: On a screen this big, even if the character seems quite small and perhaps they're in the background running down a corridor, the audience will still be able to see the facial expression on these characters. At the same time, we're able to show in such high resolution and detail everything that the Infinity Castle has to offer, which is something that can only be done on the big screen. So in this film, we really paid attention to every corner of the screen because there's no detail too small in this stage where the characters are fighting. So I think that became a very effective kind of visual expression that extends to the characters, as well.
SOTOZAKI: And in Infinity Castle, of course, the character's movement and action is a very key component of the experience. So if you look at a lot of the keyframes, the key animation, the sakuga in this film, we worked really closely with our 3D department to make sure everyone's in full lockstep because we didn't want any weird bizarre effects where perhaps these 2D characters are sliding around on the 3D surroundings and environments. So it was very important that the 2D keyframe animators were talking to our 3D team to make sure the compositions were perfect.
movie Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle
Akaza in 'Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle'.
Koyoharu Gotoge / SHUEISHA, Aniplex, ufotable
What was the most complicated sequence to animate?
SOTOZAKI: This might overlap a little bit with the last response, but it was the first time we did this much volume in terms of the movement that we see in the Infinity Castle, as well as all of the character's performances and their acting. So really for all of these action sequences, as we try to composite them together with the 3D environment, we had to make sure that the animation and 3D were really in sync. So we would actually have some keyframes that we would test in the 3D environment before we finished the key animation. It added a few steps to the pipeline, so it was a quite complex pipeline that we had to go through, but I think the results speak for themselves on the screen.
Most characters in this movie, including the demons themselves, are facing their own personal, non-literal demons, like Akaza remembering his traumatic past as a human. Was "facing your personal demons" a prominent theme when constructing this movie?
TERAO: Interestingly, depending on the scenes, situation, or circumstance, a lot of the animators and production team had to get into a similar mental state, so to speak. So in some of these fight sequences, the animators had to pump themselves up and get into that energetic mindset. So they'd put on their headphones and start their Walkman. That's how they were able to get that same type of energy for themselves first before they put pencil to paper. That's how we've achieved that level of animation. Whenever you see Tanjiro saying, "Don't give up," the animators are probably doing something similar with their headphones on.
I'm on the digital 3D side of things, but I know this is especially true for the keyframe animation team, the 2D animators. Whenever they want the characters to perform certain actions, they would sometimes get up from their desk and actually act out some of these action sequences. So if you catch this out of the corner of your eye, sometimes you might wonder, Are they just cheering themselves on or dancing or are they trying to act something out to see what the animation would look like? It's kind of an interesting sight to see.
The Tanjiro-Akaza fight was one of the biggest action pieces of the entire movie. What were the challenges of bringing that to life?
SOTOZAKI: When Akaza's fighting Tomioka, that's where we really ramped up the pace of action — and this kind of ties into our assignments for the keyframe animators. There are four people inside of our studio who can really do great action animation, and one of them [Masayuki Kunihiro] is really good at this almost kind of "Merry Hurry," very high contrast type of quick and slow beats in the action. This person did about 80 percent of the Akaza-Tomioka battle, and that's where we really wanted the entire scene to come alive. I think how we were able to assign different shots to different animators fit really well this time for the film, and everything came together.
TERAO: It's quite tricky action, but very fast action. I mean this in a good way, but it's unrealistic in the sense of how fast the characters can move and what they look like on screen. It's very convincing to the viewer, but it defies physics. If you've seen the film, you will understand what we're talking about. The first time we're trying different types of animation where parts of the Infinity Castle either shatter, breaks, or collapses, there's a lot of destruction. And take, for example, when Akaza smashes the ground. It shatters and you have this smoke, but all of this needs to be simulated in CG in these different physics engines.
SOTOZAKI: The irony is, when you look at Kunihiro's animation, you'll flip one frame of paper and the characters will move like 100 meters, which in real-world physics is impossible. So a lot of the simulation that we tried to run on how things shatter, making that hybrid between the 2D animation and the 3D simulation was quite challenging. It was fun, but challenging because there really are no settings that allow such fast physics to happen by how the physics engines are computing the different simulations. So I think he has a very unique pipeline, too. Oftentimes we'll have 2D action animators match the action to the 3D environments or the shot composition, but Kunihiro is the exception to this and we allow him to make the action keyframes first and the 3D team actually has to match the 3D environments to whatever he gives.
movie Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle
Gyomei Himejima in 'Demon Slayer: Infinity Castle'.
Koyoharu Gotoge / SHUEISHA, Aniplex, ufotable
Is the ending of Infinity Castle and the characters we see during the ending scroll a good indication of who you will focus on in the sequel?
SOTOZAKI: I will leave that up to your imagination, uh, but what I can say is at the studio, we always try to meet and exceed audience expectations and create an experience that everyone can enjoy and the entire team and staff share this sentiment, so do with that information what you will.
What does the future of the Demon Slayer anime look like after the Infinity Castle trilogy concludes?
TERAO: Honestly, we're not even there yet. I think we're taking each film, each project one at a time. Even if you press me, I couldn't give you an answer because I simply don't know what the future beyond the trilogy looks like.
This article has been edited and condensed for clarity and brevity.
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机翻
2025年，在好莱坞哀叹影院上座率低迷之际，这一年却见证了动漫从纷繁的娱乐选择中脱颖而出，成为不可否认的票房宠儿。其中，在美国被称为《鬼灭之刃：无限城篇》的电影堪称巅峰之作。
作为这部广受欢迎的《鬼灭之刃》系列新电影三部曲的第一部，这部大片打破了纪录，成为有史以来票房最高的动漫电影，包括在美国。作为其获奖动画电视剧的终局之战，《鬼灭之刃：无限城篇》这部大银幕盛宴呈现了主要剑士们在鬼的据点——无限城中为生存而战的场景。无限城是一座无视重力和现实、无穷无尽的堡垒。
这是动画制作公司ufotable首次获得金球奖最佳动画电影提名。所以，官方认证：动漫现在正式杀入了奖项角逐的行列。
11月，电影导演外崎春雄、摄影监督寺尾优一，以及ufotable社长兼首席导演近藤光通过Zoom接受了《娱乐周刊》的采访，共同探讨了《鬼灭之刃》（以及动漫）在全球票房的成功、电影的关键时刻，以及如今备受期待的三部曲第二部。
《鬼灭之刃：无限城篇》电影海报。
图片描述：《鬼灭之刃：无限城篇》中的无限城。
来源：吾峠呼世晴 / 集英社、Aniplex、ufotable
《娱乐周刊》：《鬼灭之刃：无限城篇》现在是史上票房最高的动漫电影，也是美国票房最高的动漫电影。您认为是什么促成了动漫在国际上取得这一里程碑式的成就？
寺尾优一：我们作为一个制作团队，真的是尽我们所能去制作最好的动画。我大约20年前加入公司，那个愿景、那个使命至今未变，并延续至今。当然，票房数字可能随之而来，但我们核心所做的，是努力拍摄我们能做的最好的动画。
近藤先生，鉴于这次国际性的成功，ufotable未来会有更大的动漫产出吗？
近藤光：以我的立场，当然，我们能参与和制作的项目越多越好。我非常希望能做更多，但作为优先事项，制作能让观众真正享受并产生共鸣的动漫，将优先于数量。
无限城篇是作为三部曲的一部分宣布的。目前第二部电影的制作进度如何？有考虑过第二部电影的发行年份吗？
外崎春雄：我能说的是，ufotable的每个人现在都在非常、非常努力地工作，但目前我们没有可以分享的具体细节。所以请持续关注，期待后续的消息。
对于无限城篇，在动画和动作方面，你们希望如何利用更大的影院银幕？
寺尾优一：在这么大的银幕上，即使角色看起来很小，也许他们只是在背景中跑过走廊，观众仍然能够看到这些角色的面部表情。同时，我们能够以如此高的分辨率和细节展现无限城的一切，这只有在大银幕上才能做到。因此，在这部电影中，我们非常关注屏幕的每一个角落，因为在这个角色们战斗的舞台上，没有细节是过于微小的。我认为这成为了一种非常有效的视觉表达方式，也延伸到了角色身上。
外崎春雄：在无限城篇中，角色的动作和打斗当然是体验的关键组成部分。所以，如果你看很多关键帧、关键动画（作画），我们与我们的3D部门进行了非常密切的合作，确保所有人都步调一致，因为我们不希望出现任何奇怪的、不协调的效果，比如这些2D角色在3D环境和背景上滑动。因此，让2D关键帧动画师与我们的3D团队沟通，确保构图完美无缺，这一点非常重要。
哪一段动画序列的制作最为复杂？
外崎春雄：这可能和上一个回答有点重叠，但这是我们第一次处理如此大量的、无限城中的场景移动，以及所有角色的表演和演绎。所以，对于所有这些动作场景，当我们尝试将它们与3D环境合成时，我们必须确保动画和3D真正同步。因此，我们实际上会在完成关键动画之前，先在3D环境中测试一些关键帧。这给制作流程增加了一些步骤，所以我们经历了一个相当复杂的流程，但我想银幕上的成果不言而喻。
这部电影中的大多数角色，包括鬼本身，都在面对自己个人的、非字面意义上的"心魔"，比如猗窝座回忆他作为人类时的创伤过去。在构思这部电影时，"面对心魔"是一个突出的主题吗？
寺尾优一：有趣的是，根据不同的场景、情况或环境，很多动画师和制作团队都必须进入类似的精神状态，可以这么说。所以，在一些打斗场景中，动画师需要让自己兴奋起来，进入那种充满活力的状态。他们会戴上耳机，打开随身听。他们首先为自己获得那种能量，然后才开始动笔作画。这就是我们实现那种动画水平的方式。每当你看到炭治郎说"不要放弃"时，动画师们可能正戴着耳机做着类似的事情。
我是负责数字3D方面的，但我知道对于关键帧动画团队，也就是2D动画师来说尤其如此。每当他们希望角色执行某些动作时，他们有时会从座位上站起来，实际表演出其中的一些动作序列。所以，如果你从眼角瞥见，你可能会想，他们只是在为自己加油、跳舞，还是在试图表演出某些动作来看看动画会是什么样子？这景象挺有意思的。
炭治郎与猗窝座的战斗是整个电影中最宏大的动作场面之一。将其搬上银幕的挑战是什么？
外崎春雄：当猗窝座与富冈义勇战斗时，我们真的提升了动作的节奏——这也与我们分配给关键帧动画师的任务有关。我们工作室里有四个人真的非常擅长动作动画，其中一人（国弘昌之）特别擅长那种近乎"疾驰快慢"、对比强烈、节奏快慢交错的打斗。这个人完成了猗窝座与富冈义勇之战大约80%的部分，我们正是希望整个场景在那里真正活起来。我认为我们这次能够将不同的镜头分配给不同的动画师，对于这部电影来说非常合适，最终一切都很成功。
寺尾优一：这是相当棘手但又非常快速的动作。我的意思是，从好的方面说，它是不现实的，体现在角色移动的速度以及他们在屏幕上的样子。对观众来说非常有说服力，但它违背了物理定律。如果你看过电影，就会明白我们在说什么。这是我们第一次尝试不同类型的动画，展现无限城的某些部分碎裂、破碎或坍塌，有很多破坏场面。以猗窝座砸地为例，地面碎裂并产生烟雾，但所有这些都需要在CG中用不同的物理引擎进行模拟。
外崎春雄：讽刺的是，当你看着国弘昌之的动画时，你翻动一帧纸，角色可能就移动了100米，这在现实世界的物理中是不可能的。因此，我们尝试模拟物体如何碎裂，将2D动画与3D模拟混合起来，这相当具有挑战性。很有趣，但也很有挑战性，因为按照物理引擎计算不同模拟的方式，确实没有允许如此快速物理发生的设置。所以我想他也有一个非常独特的流程。通常，我们会让2D动作动画师根据3D环境或镜头构图来匹配动作，但国弘昌之是个例外，我们允许他先制作动作关键帧，然后3D团队必须根据他给出的内容来匹配3D环境。
无限城篇的结局以及片尾滚动字幕时出现的角色，是否很好地暗示了续集将聚焦于哪些角色？
外崎春雄：我会把想象空间留给你，呃，但我能说的是，在工作室里，我们总是努力满足并超越观众的期望，创造一个每个人都能享受的体验，整个团队和工作人员都怀有这种情感，所以请根据这个信息自行解读。
在无限城三部曲结束后，《鬼灭之刃》动画的未来会是怎样的？
寺尾优一：老实说，我们还没到那一步。我认为我们正一部电影、一个项目地逐步推进。即使你逼问我，我也无法给你答案，因为我根本不知道三部曲之后是什么样子。
来自：Bangumi