Character animation crash course

ACTING IN ANIMATION - PART 1: GETTING STARTED 15
cowardly, "Get-the-hell-out-of-there" sneak. His craven movements are contrasted
with his overzealous screaming and humiliating attempts to make Bugs a fall guy.
"Phi l" in Hercules is part goat, so many of his movements and gestures are goatlike
- he eats clay bowls, he paws the ground, he head-butts, he gives forth with
involuntary "baa-aa-ahs."
• How do you make a character sincere?
A lot of the si ncerity comes from what has just been described. However, the character
is not meant to work in a vacuum - he must relate to all the characters with
whom he comes in contact. It is these relationships that often reflect sincerity the
most - how your character regards the other characters in the show. If your character
shows care and concern for the ones he bonds with closely in the show, that's a
tangible form of sincerity. If he actively hates the villain, and you show that throu gh
his actions and expressions, that's sincerity, too. It's all part of the larger picture of
not only believing that your character exists, but that he exists in a world with rules
and history, populated by other characters who interact with his story and goals. And
speaking of goals -that's a good quality for any character, whether it's a negative
goal (taking over the world) or a positive goal (yearning to be free). Giving your character
a goal (a "want," in Disney parlance), and keeping it in mind as you animate,
co lors everything the character will do- you can portray him as "incomplete" before
he accomplishes it, and "whole" when he does.
• Showing a range of emotions:
Even when you have strong psychological ground rules for a character, you must
show a breadth and depth to the range of emotions for the character to ring true. If
a character is generally grouchy, that doesn't mean you animate him like a grouch in
every scene - something must make him laugh, even if it's a hardened sense of cynicism.
Something must crack that grouchy shell and make him feel, even if it's against
everything he believes in (especially!!). Something must excite him to passion- even
if it's the flame of a desire re-kindled from a long time ago. (See why a history is
important?) The important thing to remember is that the range of emotions you
show must be true to who that character is. Pocahontas is a free spirit with a love for
her people and their regard for nature. If she smiles, it's with the excitement of new