What's Important About Animation

            Animation as a whole has brought so much to the entertainment industry that it can be easily classified as a phenomenon. For me, the biggest phenomenon of animation is the limitless potential it has overall. When creating animation, you can have your characters do just about anything that you could imagine, and even do some things that are just not possible in live action T.V. shows and movies. The worlds and environments that can be created through animation are also vast and only limited to the creator’s imagination. Potential is what leads to some of the greatest pieces of work that have been made, and a field like animation has plenty of it, even if it has not yet been fully realized.

            Plenty of forms of animation have been made over its life span. We have gone from simple black and white drawings to fully computer animated 3D work. The field started with just simple shorts, but has now gone to create much longer works that have focused on telling stories and developing characters. Animation has also branched all around the world from the United States to Japan. All of this has been made possible through the amount of potential that is in this field of work. Much has been done in animation, and there is still plenty more that can be done, no matter what the current state of the industry is, if there is someone out there with enough imagination and creativity working in the field, anything can be made possible in it.

High Jacking Animation (And Taking it Back!)

The second article makes a lot of the same points as the first one did, but it goes into greater detail about the problems that are in the animation industry; specifically from the American side. The big claim to the second Detheux article is how the American; or more specifically Hollywood format, has led the animation industry into a stagnant and cliché form. It feels as though this article has a cynical viewpoint with a lot of finger pointing going on towards the American animation industry. Disney was a big target in terms of repeating formulas and using old clichés. In an honest look, there is a lot of repetition in the animation industry, and I would say that things like the Hollywood formula are a big reason for the problems that there are.

            I love animation as a whole, I really do, and there are so major problems going on at the moment. There have been recent periods of animation that lacked innovation and the overall quality had dropped from a writing and story perspective. Despite the problems that are going on in the animation industry there are still creative and qualitative work being produced to this day, whether they come from major studios like Disney or not. The animation industry has most certainly hit major bumps in the road and there will likely be more to come in the future. It is good to be critical of the clichés and the bland stories that come out, but it is also important to take a closer look and recognize the accomplishments that have been made.

Animation: Prozac or Kyosaku

In Jean Detheux’s article “Animation: Prozac or Kyosaku”, he covers many different topics in regards to animation. One of the big claims I saw throughout the piece was that many works from the larger studios in the field of animation have failed to grow and change, because they often stick with the same formulas and techniques that they used for previous works. I do see what he is talking about as when you look closely at the works from any major animation studio, you can see the resemblance in the style that is used for their pieces of animation. There is bound to be some repetition as when someone is able to make something successful, they will likely use that as a source or model when making future pieces of work.

            What the animation industry has done by doing this has led to both positive and negative results. On one hand, it has led to the success of many works of animation and those works have served as inspiration for other great works to come forth from both inside and outside of the studios. On the other hand, it has led to others playing it safe and not trying to do anything different with their work in the animation field, and has even led to cheap imitations of successful work. While there has been repetition in the field of animation, many different forms of it have spawned over the years and have been the source of both inspiration and the lead way into newer and better things. The animation industry as a whole would not have survived this long by only repeating the same few techniques over and over again.

  

The Illusion of Life Disney Animation Story

            When someone is creating a piece of fiction, not just animation, one of the most vital things is a story. A story has to be planned out carefully, and needs to have the proper time need to have everything set up properly. A story needs to have a proper structure and sequences from the introduction to the conclusion. There are many factors to making a good story and they all have different aspects that they play in the creation of a story.

             Some would say that there in no one way to make a good story, and to be honest that is likely the case. Many factors have to be taken into account such as setting, characters, conflict, and in the case of animation, the quality of the animation. There is also the factor of continuity, to make sure everything makes sense and that the events in the story are not ignored or disregarded for a single moment. Disney has brought to life many stories over the many years it has been around, and while many of them could be considered formulaic, they have caught our eyes and have been remembered for many years.

            Storytelling is far from easy and requires the works of people with strong imagination. Disney was one that brought larger forms of storytelling to the animation industry as a whole and led the way for many others to create their own stories in the animation industry. Story is something that is very important to me, and I always look forward to the creative works of those who bring this art form to its fullest potential.

 

The Illusion of Life Disney Animation Chapter 6

            The sixth chapter of the book goes into much detail about to very important people who worked in the studio; they were Fred Moore and Bill Tytla. They both brought a lot to the studio at the time and had stand out rolls and works. Fred was only eighteen when he was hired, but proved to be a talented artist with his works in pictures like “Snow White”. People at the studio were anxious and wanted more of his work, including the work of the women he drew. There was definitely sex appeal added to some of his drawings; which may have been one of the things that made him stand out at the time. Fred even had his own fourteen points of animation that he followed.

            Bill Tytla was also a major success in the studio. While he was much more shy and moody then Fred was, he was still able to create work that would stand out for years. One of his biggest achievements was the creation of the devil in the “Bald Mountain” segment in “Fantasia”. He was another one of the animators who did work on “Snow White” and stood out due to the variety of animation he was able to bring to the studio.

            Disney succeeded in creating the biggest animation company in the world, but was not the only one who made it possible. Much effort was made from the many different people who worked in the studio to make it what it was and what it is today.

The Illusion of Life Disney Animation Chapter 5

            As the title of this chapter suggests, this was around the time when cartoons were having their coming of age. Disney would work on many of its old-time classics such as Dumbo, Fantasia, Pinocchio, and Snow White. Part of what made the Golden Age of animation possible was the amount of inspiration that Walt Disney was able to bring. Disney was someone who was opportunistic and was able to bring the required talent to the studio that made all of its success possible. Some of the biggest projects that the studio had ever done were being made, and Disney made sure to have the right people selected for the work that was to be done.

            During the creation of Snow White, Disney had four men selected to supervise the project. The men he had chosen were Norman Ferguson, Hamilton Luske, Fred Moore, and Vladimir Tytla. With the work they were putting in, Disney was convinced that he had the right talent to work on the project. Animation pieces like Snow White continued to expand on what could be done with cartoons, and how much further they would be able to go in the coming years.

            If it wasn't for what Walt Disney had brought to the table, it could be argued that the golden age of Cartoons would have never came to be. The inspiration and passion that was brought by Disney was without question. More was still to come, and it would further seal the great Walt Disney into history.

The Illusion of Life Disney Animation Chapter 4

Even after the twelve principles of animation were put together, there was still much to discover into the field. New possibilities would be found, and Disney’s enthusiasm lead to a memo in 1936 about making night classes directed towards action analysis. This would even lead to pieces of animation that focused on serious stories with heart and warmth instead of just focusing on comedy. These cartoons would win audience approval and continue to be a strong factor in the animation industry to this today. The audience would continue to be seeing Disney’s work even in the worst of times like the days of the Great Depression.

With new kinds of work being made by Disney, new forms of innovation would be made. It was not just trained voices being used for the characters of these cartoons anymore, but also the natural and sincere voices of the everyday boy and girl. The sweatbox would be made so that Disney could see the work being done before it went into pictures. With all of the new things coming to the studio, the work was becoming harder for Disney, so he would have to leave some of the work into the hands of his directors.

Despite the increased amount of work that was being given to Disney through the new discoveries being made, progress was being made. New ways to do cartoons were done, and the field and audience intended for them were increasing. Cartoons would still have a colorful and expansive time ahead of them.

The Illusion of Life Disney Animation Chapter 3

            It is most common for any art form to have some sort of structure to follow. Animation is no exception to this, for the animators; like the ones at Disney, have principles that they follow when making cartoons. The twelve principles of animation range from squash and stretch to appeal. When using these twelve principles of animation, there is much imagination and hard work that can be put into the field.

            When using these principles, everything has to be done properly. The drawing need to be solid, the timing has to be right, and everything needs to be set up and staged appropriately. When doing something like squashing and stretching  a cartoon character, you can make them do all sorts of actions ranging from exaggerated facial expressions, to being able to bend and change the shape of the character’s entire body. Animation has an anticipation element to it; something to build up suspense for the characters when they do their expressions and movements. Animation is a lot of hard work, so having a set of principles to follow will not only help structure the work, but also have consistency to go with it.

            The twelve principles of animation make up the basic setup for the work involved in the field of animation. There is still much more to animation than just these principles, but they do help lead up to the more creative parts of animation. Much work was and still is being done in the field with these principles in the minds of animators.

The Illusion of Life Disney Animation Chapter 2

The second chapter of the book goes into details about the early times of Disney; ranging from 1923 to 1933. Walt Disney was not even intending to continue making cartoons when he first came to Hollywood, but that changed when his money ran low and his name wasn't very large yet. Much was going to happen in this time, new animators, styles, and pieces of work would be made and would create Disney's legacy.

New ways to animate would be put into place during this time. Ripple action would now be in effect on parts of the animated characters so they would be flowing. Rubber hose animation would be experimented with, even though Disney himself did not think much of it and criticized it. Having the cartoon characters coming up towards the camera was becoming a popular technique during this time. When Walt Disney was working on cartoons again he was moving at an accelerated rate and made it so his workers would have to be hard at work if they would keep up with, but it is likely that methods such as this is what lead Disney to be the giant that it is today.

Despite it being a difficult time for animation, new techniques were being discovered and Disney would be moving at a faster rate. The industry would continue to grow and Disney’s name would become the most recognized name in animation. New ways to make cartoons were happening and new steps would be made in order to continue making them a success. 

    

The Illusion of Life Disney Animation Chapter 1

Walt Disney Once said that “Animation can explain whatever the mind can conceive,” and I do believe that to be true. Animation has grown large over the long period of time it has been around from simple black and white pieces to 3D animation with full color. One of the many things that make animation so admirable for me is how much work is put into it. There are many steps into making animation from the creation of the characters, timing everything correctly, and being able to successfully project the animation.

            The possibilities for animation are endless. What gives it so many possibilities is the fact that you can have the characters and world of a piece of animation do whatever you please. Characters in animation can do anything from the way their faces and bodies move, to whatever they are able to pull out from behind them. The worlds in these pieces of animation have also grown from simple black and white pencil drawings, to fully colored and explored world that have been both bright and colorful and dark and gloomy. The hard work and dedication of the early animators of Disney made all of these possibilities happen.

            Much can be explored in this colorful field, and there is probably much more out there that hasn't been fully realized. Disney still remains one of the largest; if not the largest name in animation history. There are still animators out there who are pushing new boundaries, and showcasing how far animation has over the years.