For the romantic comedy Wicker (2026), Wētā Workshop made the Wicker Husband character as a physical costume rather than a digital effect. The face prosthetic and the body suit were 3D printed, the suit in sections from a thermoplastic elastomer using powder bed fusion. It shows polymer AM serving a one-off, body-fitted use in film.
Key facts
Wētā Workshop spent over a year developing the wicker effect
Face prosthetic: 10 printed pieces glued to the actor's face
Body suit printed in sections from a 3D scan, in thermoplastic elastomer
Putting on the full-body prosthetic reportedly took about two hours
Context Powder bed fusion fuses thin layers of polymer powder with a heat source, here producing flexible parts from a thermoplastic elastomer.
How was the wicker look made?
Wētā Workshop worked with professional basket weavers and used their knowledge to build digital models with a wicker-like texture. Animation software reportedly mapped the actor's facial expressions, and a weaver made a physical sample that could move accordingly. That sample guided the digital prosthetic model, and printed samples were tested and refined.
What was printed and how?
According to The New York Times, the face prosthetic consists of 10 printed pieces glued to the actor's face. The body suit was designed from a 3D scan of the actor and printed in sections by powder bed fusion in a thermoplastic elastomer. The pieces were then painted to resemble real wicker. Prosthetic makeup designer Joe Dunckley described the material to Variety as semiflexible, close to the feel of real wicker weave.
What it means
The case is a film production, not an industrial one, but the workflow transfers: a 3D scan of a person, a digital model, powder bed fusion in an elastomer, then finishing by hand. For small manufacturers it shows that one-off, body-fitted parts in flexible polymer are practical, with iteration through printed samples before final parts. Cost and part counts were not disclosed, so no business case can be derived.
Frequently asked questions
Which 3D printing process was used for the Wicker body suit?
The suit was printed in sections by powder bed fusion in a thermoplastic elastomer, based on a 3D scan of the actor.
Who made the costume?
Wētā Workshop, the New Zealand studio, with Joe Dunckley leading prosthetic makeup design and Sarah Rubano as lead makeup effects artist.