Movie Character Concept Art We're Glad Didn't Make the Final Cut
Lots of development goes into creating movie characters. Some more than others, but for these characters, you'll see that tons of development went into creating them before they were finalized. Today, we will be looking at the characters who were vastly improved with, at the least, some touch-ups. And at the most, a full redesign.
Lord Voldemort
Since Harry Potter is, to a certain extent, geared towards the youthful audience, it's easy to see why the concept art was scrapped. With this concept (which portrays the Dark Lord as nothing more than a face on the back of Professor Quirrell's head), we see sharp teeth, a wider grin, a sharper jawline, and red, more reptilian eyes. The concept almost makes you forget that Voldemort is still a human being. And fun fact for those who want one: in the first movie, Voldemort wasn't portrayed by Ralph Fiennes. Ian Hart took that role.
Heath Ledger's Joker
While The Dark Knight (2008) isn't meant for kids, had this design come to fruition, the performance would have had to coincide with an even more demonic-looking Joker. Well, half-demonic, half-punk rock star. Regardless, the end product was regarded as one of the greatest acting performances in movie history, and that says something, considering many fans were upset that Ledger was cast as a character that many of them felt he was unworthy to play.
Sulley from Monsters, Inc.
Originally conceived as having five eyes and tentacles instead of legs as part of the creative exploration process during character development, Pixar artists experimented with various designs to emphasize Sulley's qualities while still making him appealing and expressive. Multiple eyes were considered to amplify his appearance and enhance his ability to emote in unique ways, but the design was ultimately simplified to two eyes to make him more relatable and easier to animate for nuanced expressions. And another fun fact: each frame that Sulley was in took around 12 hours to make because each of his individual hairs had to be animated one-by-one.
Wreck-It Ralph
This one may be the most different from its final version. Seen here, Ralph is depicted as some type of red Muzzy (if you remember that) with spiked balls for hands. Thankfully, the creators settled on a far more human look. But before that, the artists depicted him as a red monster because they were exploring exaggerated, monstrous designs to emphasize Ralph’s role as an arcade villain. In the initial stages, artists leaned into the idea of Ralph being a destructive brute: larger-than-life, intimidating, and visually distinct from the more polished, heroic characters like Fix-It Felix. The goal was to find a look that balanced Ralph’s “bad guy” persona with the emotional depth and relatability needed for his redemption arc. Over time, the design evolved into the more humanized, burly figure we know today; still imposing, but with expressive features that allowed for warmth, vulnerability, and humor.
Shrek
In the screen tests from 1995, the character was, seemingly, uncanny. At the time, he was voiced by Chris Farley, who had recorded 85% of his lines before his death in 1997. DreamWorks went through several creative phases to find the right tone and visual identity for the character. Early versions of Shrek were much more grotesque and monstrous—some designs even resembled a troll-like creature with exaggerated features that fans today describe as "terrifying."
Rumpelstiltskin from Shrek Forever After
Speaking of the famed DreamWorks franchise, the main villain of the fourth installment was originally drawn with a rat-like face and tail before going through a number of other renderings. Ironically, the concept shown above on the left was completely different from his appearance in Shrek the Third. Rumpelstiltskin actually made a brief appearance in that movie before DreamWorks improved his look even more for the 2010 sequel.
Human-Dinosaur Hybrids from Jurassic Park
OK, this one wasn't so much "character concept art" as opposed to "a movie pitch that never made it past that phase." But there was concept art nonetheless, and that's why they were included on this list. Many of the fans, like me, were glad that this never came to fruition. Right from the get-go, it seems disturbing enough. And if you dive even a little deeper, it gets even worse.
Is there a character's concept art that you are glad didn't make the final cut? Leave a comment!
Sources: Screen Crush, Screen Rant,
Nick Romano
Trevor Norkey
