Rayman's training
| Rayman's training | ||
|---|---|---|
| Published by | Ubi Soft | |
| Release date | February 1st, 1998 | |
| Genre | Short film | |
Rayman's Training (stylized as Rayman's training) is the title of a computer animated short film produced by Ubi Soft in 1998. Premiering at a European trade show/film festival hybrid by the name of IMAGINA 1998, Rayman's training has not been seen in its entirety since its original premiere. It is now lost media.
The short was made before and during the transitional period of Rayman 2's development from the 2D prototype to the 3D game, having apparently originated as pre-rendered cutscenes before being transformed into a short film.
Plot and synopsis
Very little is known of what the full plot of Rayman's training could have detailed, as the only existing footage of the short is in several scattered pieces, of which the order of where they might belong is not known. What is known is that the short stars Rayman on a log in the forest battling a punching bag character before collapsing out of exhaustion, and the Hunter from the 2D prototype making a appearance.
There is a clip of a transition of Rayman being warped through a portal and flying through a world, before being revealed as the title screen to a game the actual Rayman is playing through a giant monitor while sitting on a chair. There is a clip of Rayman having letters of his name jump over hula hoops in an outdoor auditorium.
Production and known sightings
Very little is known about the production of the short, and who specifically worked on it. Production of the short is believed to have started alongside Rayman 2 around 1996 to 1997, as evidenced by the 3D Rayman model being first used for a Rayman Junior advert, a French newsreel about Ubi Soft in 1996 showing the production of the cutscenes of the original Rayman 2 and Rayman's Training, and clips of the short later appearing in two French Rayman adverts from 1997. Various clips from the short can be seen in a GamesMaster reel from 1997.
Infamously, the most well-known example of Rayman's training's presence would be clips being used in Rayman 2's E3 1998 trailer, which was after the original 2D Rayman 2 was cancelled. Due to this timeframe, it can be speculated that some of Rayman 2's original cutscenes were later completed as a animated short, which would become Rayman's training.
The sole known credit that can be given for Rayman's training would be a sound design company by the name of Farra Vox Studios, evidenced by a webpage on their website containing a photograph of the short with the name "Rayman training". The website of the French National Audiovisual Institute, ina.fr, lists the short as "Rayman's training", and is the only other source of the short's name.
There are no other known presences of Rayman's training. None of Imagina's home media has the short included, Ubisoft has not acknowledged the short's existence in any form since 1998, and the short was never released to the public. It is now believed to be lost media.
External links
- Farra Vox Studios' listing of Rayman's training.
- GamesMaster sighting of Rayman's training.
- ina.fr's listing of Rayman's training.
- Advert sighting of Rayman's training.
- Another advert sighting of Rayman's training.
- Rayman 2's E3 1998 trailer, which has clips of Rayman's training.
- Compilation of several clips of Rayman's training.
- A French newsreel that has a segment on Ubi Soft in 1996, which has clips the production of Rayman 2's cutscenes and Rayman's training.