I was five and he was six
We rode on horses made of sticks
He wore black and I wore white
He would always win the fight

Bang bang, he shot me down
Bang bang, I hit the ground
Bang bang, that awful sound
Bang bang, my baby shot me down.

Seasons came and changed the time
When I grew up, I called him mine
He would always laugh and say
“ Remember when we used to play?”

Bang bang, I shot you down
Bang bang, you hit the ground
Bang bang, that awful sound
Bang bang, I used to shoot you down.

Music played and people sang
Just for me the church bells rang.

Now he’s gone, I don’t know why
And till this day, sometimes I cry
He didn’t even say goodbye
He didn’t take the time to lie.

- Sonny Bono -

Quentin Tarantino's latest film "Kill Bill" tells the story of "The Bride" (Uma Thurman), once part of a group of female assassins called the Deadly Viper Assasination Squad, who decides to quit and start a new life. On her wedding day, the members of her squad O-Ren Ishii (Lucy Liu), Elle Driver (Darryl Hannah), Vernita Green (Vivica A. Fox), and her boss, Bill (David Carradine) rock up to the wedding, guns loaded, leaving Bride and the wedding guests lying for dead. Several years later, Bride wakes up out of her coma, seeking revenge by killing all the remaining members of the all-female squad, leaving Bill for the final kill.

Some of the most memorable and horrifically violent sequences in Kill Bill are the anime scenes depicting O-Ren Ishii's tumultuous past. These sequences show how O-Ren Ishii's parents were brutally murdered at the hands of the Japanese mob, along with her revenge and rise to notoriety as top assassin. Production I.G in Japan was commissioned to produce these anime sequences for both Kill Bill Volume I and II.

CGNetworks had the unique opportunity to speak to Katsuji Morishita, Animation Producer at Production I.G about these animated sequences. Although no 3D computer graphics was used in the production (which was mostly hand drawn), digital technology was used extensively in post (i.e. After Effects for compositing) to layer and put together the whirlwind of scenes for the film. Animation was produced under the guidance of Kazuto Nakazawa, Animation Director at Production I.G.

Image: Katsuji Morishita, Animation Producer at Production I.G.