While this season is crowded with so many anime, the Netflix-exclusive Leviathan stands out among others thanks to its 3DCG visual by Studio Orange. This adaptation of Leviathan trilogy novels written by Scott Westerfield and illustrated by Keith Thompson is not only a collaboration project between Qubic Pictures and Orange, but also the directorial debut for Christophe Ferreira.
Anime Corner had an opportunity to interview Mr. Ferreira regarding the show.
Q: Congrats on the release of Leviathan! How do you feel about the audience’s reception so far?
A: I’m glad that, so far, the feedback has been mostly positive.
Q: Leviathan marks your directorial debut. How did you land the role in the first place? Were there any considerations you had to weigh before accepting it—or did you say yes right away?
A: Honestly, I got lucky. Initially, I was only supposed to contribute to the design work, but I quickly found myself in the director’s seat. There wasn’t much negotiation involved—I’m the one who volunteered for the role.
Q: As far as I know, the Leviathan team includes incredibly talented people from different countries across the globe. How did you approach working with such a globally spread team, and what were some of the challenges and rewards that came with that?
A: To be honest, it wasn’t particularly difficult on my end. It didn’t really change anything. I would go to Studio Orange when needed to work directly with the team, and otherwise I could work from home. The internet has changed a lot of things!
Q: What was the process like for you, Mr. Alex Alice, and Yuichiro Kido-san to condense the story of three books into a twelve-episode series?
A: That part of the work was done before Kido-san joined the project. Alex Alice and I wrote a series bible after reading and analyzing the books. We already knew at that point that we’d only have 12 episodes to tell the whole story.
Q: Was there ever a discussion about making Leviathan into three seasons like the books—or at least extending it to 24 episodes?
A: No, it was never a question of doing more than 12 episodes. At first, we thought of splitting the release into three parts—one per book. But Netflix eventually decided to release everything at once. I still think you can feel that original structure though—like how each section has its own distinct ending theme.
Q: You shared some imageboards on Twitter and mentioned that “one of the pure joys of developing Leviathan was the visual exploration.” I’m curious—how did you and Mr. Thompson initially approach the worldbuilding and concept art? Did you consciously draw inspiration from other media, such as the steampunk aesthetic of Final Fantasy VII or the whimsical settings of Studio Ghibli’s films?
A: Mr. Thompson didn’t take part directly in the pre-production, but of course we relied on his illustrations whenever we could. We even contacted him to ask about some of his design choices from the books. As for influences, there wasn’t a clearly defined reference like “we want this project to be inspired by X or Y.” The influences that came through are simply those of the various artists involved, including myself.
Q: While Leviathan is set during World War I and tackles some heavy, grounded themes and even depicts some tragic deaths, it also contains magical elements, fantasy creatures, and even lighthearted, comedic moments. How did you strike that tonal balance of the world and maintain the emotional rhythm of the story?
A: It all came together quite naturally, because those elements were already present in the books. After that, it’s just a matter of trusting the strengths of the project and the characters, and making sure every piece of the puzzle fits together and balances out harmoniously.
Q: Some of the creatures, like the Leviathan and the Behemoth, are massive in scale. How challenging was it to figure out and maintain their sheer size and presence throughout the series?
A: It was particularly tricky with the Leviathan, since it needed to accommodate people on board. We had to pay close attention to the scale of each element, and in some shots, we even had to cheat a bit with the size of the gondola to make it all work visually.
Q: What’s something about the making of Leviathan—big or small—that audiences might not know but you wish they did?
A: One detail that might go unnoticed is that each episode contains only about 200 to 250 shots, compared to the usual 400 to 450 for a typical series episode. That brings us closer to a feature film rhythm and feel.
Q: You retweeted a fan’s comment asking “Please tell me there is gonna be a second season.” If you could revisit the world of Leviathan—either through a sequel, prequel, or spinoff—what would you want to explore further?
A: Well, to start with, the war isn’t over yet, so there could still be adventures for our heroes. But more than that, I’d be really curious to explore what happens to the world after the war, especially with how science continues to evolve. In a world like that, what does space exploration look like?
Q: Out of all amazing people who worked on Leviathan, the most notable one is the legendary Joe Hisaishi—who composed the opening and ending themes. How did he come on board?
A: Right from the start, Netflix simply offered us the chance to work with him. I never would’ve imagined that was even possible—so it’s not something I would’ve thought to ask for myself.
Q: Looking back on your experience directing Leviathan, is there anything you learned—either creatively or personally—that you’ll carry into future projects?
A: Oh yes, absolutely—so much. But it’s hard to put into words beyond “I learned how to be a director.” There’s so much involved—from managing artists and the whole team, to learning what mistakes not to make when thinking about staging or the bigger picture of a full series. I spent four years learning by doing.
Q: Lastly, what is next for the Christophe Ferreira?
A: I don’t yet know what’s next for me in animation—we’ll see. But for now, one thing is certain: I’m working on a trilogy of graphic novels, which I’m also writing myself.
The interview was conducted by Rakha Alif, who also wrote the article.
We’d like to thank Mr. Ferreira for taking the time for this interview, and to Qubic Pictures for making this interview possible. You can watch out Leviathan exclusively on Netflix.
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