An Inside Look at the Creation of the Alluring Aquatic Star of The Shape of Water

The Shape of Water is shaping up (sorry, not sorry) to be one of the best movies of 2017, and that’s partly thanks to the mysterious allure of Doug Jones’ fishman creature, who’s captured the hearts and minds of the internet. A new book is diving into the process of making the movie, and io9 has an exclusive look inside.

Published by Insight Editions, Gina McIntyre’s Guillermo del Toro’s The Shape of Water: Creating a Fairy Tale for Troubled Times chronicles every stage of developing del Toro’s latest monster movie. From development to design, to the actual process of filming, it gives unprecedented insight into the director’s process of crafting a dark, romantic fairytale of a movie. Perhaps of most interest, though: How one of the most important aspects of the film, the amphibious man, grew into the final design that captured the heart of Sally Hawkins’ protagonist, Elisa (and seemingly the hearts of half of Twitter, too).

Ahead of the book’s release later this month, we’ve got an exclusive look at some of the pages inside—check them out below, and don’t forget to click the magnifying glass and then open each one up in a new tab to see them in their full, glorious resolution.

Guillermo del Toro’s The Shape of Water: Creating a Fairy Tale for Troubled Times will be available starting December 19.