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.