Twister may have been groundbreaking at the time for its impressive tornado effects. It was a milestone in the VFX technology that combines state-of-the-art computer-generated imagery and practical effects. For the latter, director Jan de Bont and his crew used equipment, such as retired Boeing 707 jet engines mounted on trucks, to simulate the deafening tornado wind effects of over 100 mph.
I remembered the first time I watched Twister in a packed cinema equipped with the Digital Theater Systems (DTS) sound system. The enhanced clarity of the whooshing and growling sound of a tornado wreaking havoc on the big screen felt immersive, like you were part of the experience, the kind of wow factor that made Twister such a thrilling cinematic experience.
Realistic-looking tornado effects aside, the movie is particularly unforgettable for its cow scene. A flying cow, to be exact. To refresh your memory, it all started with Jo (Helen Hunt), Bill (Bill Paxton), and his fiancée, Melissa (Jami Gertz), in a pickup truck crossing the dirt road when they came across the twin tornadoes that appeared ahead of them. Then, something else happens that catches them by surprise: a mooing cow flies across their path not once, but twice in different directions.
The scene may look absurdly out of place, and yet so memorable that the 2024 standalone sequel Twisters even referenced it. According to Befores & Afters interview with visual effects supervisor Stefen Fangmeier, the cow scene was inspired by the “actual real occurrences”, where farmers reportedly find “their cows miles and miles away from the field where they had last been.” And here lies the biggest challenge, because Fangmeier added that “nobody had ever videotaped a cow flying through a tornado.”
That means the special effects crew had to rely on their creativity to imagine how an animal like a cow would look suspended in the air, caused by the wind of the tornado. And thanks to De Bont and his team, the cow scene in Twister marked a perfect example of how to combine a genuinely awestruck moment (Hunt, Paxton, and Gertz did a good job reacting to what they saw) with a dash of comedy and special effects wonder.
While De Bont did champion the heavy use of blending practical with CGI effects, the cow we saw in Twister wasn’t a real animal, even though that would be a radical idea. Instead, it was a special effect creation based on the 3D digital zebra model from Jumanji, where both films were handled by Industrial Light & Magic. They recycle their existing digital asset by swapping models, removing the zebra stripes, and painting on Holstein black-and-white patches to make it resemble a dairy cow. The improvised approach was adopted to save time and money, since the movie itself was already plagued by chaotic behind-the-scenes problems.
Despite all the challenges from budget overruns to rescheduling due to the unpredictable weather that the cast and crew were experiencing in making Twister, the end result was expertly put together. Rewatching it today, Jan de Bont’s disaster film prevails as the best tornado movie ever made. I love what Lee Isaac Chung did in Twisters, but the 1996 original remains unsurpassed. The on-screen love-hate dynamic between Hunt’s Jo and Paxton’s Bill echoes the old-school screwball romantic comedy tropes. Their chemistry is so spot-on that it’s hard to believe Hunt wasn’t the studios’ (Warner Bros. and Universal) ideal pick.
Before Twister, Hunt was primarily known for the hit NBC sitcom Mad About You, which earned her three Primetime Emmy nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series between 1993 and 1995, before finally securing the win in her fourth try in 1996. Even so, that wasn’t enough to convince the studios, but thanks to de Bont’s insistence on having her on board, Twister wouldn’t be as beloved in the first place. Imagine Hunt wasn’t the one who mouthed the now-iconic single word: “Cow”, complete with her deadpan expression that says it all.
Ironically, Paxton wasn’t the first choice either, as it was originally starred Tom Hanks. The latter even read lines with the cast before subsequently dropping out of pre-production. In return, he recommended his Apollo 13 co-star, Bill Paxton, to play his role instead, and the rest, as they say, is history.
Twister went on to rake in nearly $500 million worldwide on a reported $88-92 million budget, second only to the highest-grossing Independence Day that year. The movie was also nominated for two Oscars, including Best Sound and Best Visual Effects, even though it lost to The English Patient and Independence Day, respectively.
