In 1997, Anaconda slithered into cinemas with a secret: every second of computer-generated snake footage cost $100,000 to create. This wasn't just another creature feature—it was Sony Pictures Imageworks' first fully computer-animated character and a technical nightmare that pushed both digital and practical effects to their limits.
To mitigate that cost, and to the benefit of this movie, they decided to rely heavily on practical animatronic snakes. The real hero of this movie was Walt Conti, whose company Edge Innovations faced an impossible challenge: creating two colossal animatronic snakes that could actually swim. Drawing on his experience with aquatic mammals, like the whales of Free Willy, Conti engineered a waterproof marvel requiring ten puppeteers to operate, with pre-programmed movements.
The legacy of Anaconda extends far beyond its box office success and Jon Voight's memorably unhinged performance. This film helped launch Jennifer Lopez's movie career and established the template for "so bad it's good" cinema.
But is it really "so bad it's good"? Or is just actually one of the greatest creature features of the 90s?
I would love to hear your thoughts on Anaconda (1997) !
Verbal Diorama is now an award-winning podcast! Best Movie Podcast in the inaugural Ear Worthy Independent Podcast Awards and was nominated for the Earworm Award at the 2025 Golden Lobes.
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Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free.
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