Monday, October 28, 2013

The Genius of Frank Thomas



Frank examines storyboard sketches of a sequence from Robin Hood. He would later animate those very scenes. Not very thrilled with the way the film's story was coming together, Frank still did the best he could with the material given to him.
Following are just a few examples of animated moments in Frank's long career. To my eye there are zero formulas to detect in his work. Every one of his characters moves and acts in a unique way. 
That way of working takes not only great analysis but a ton of passion.












14 comments:

  1. Ah! All of these drawings make me so happy! Thank you for posting these. :)

    I was getting burnt out on this difficult animation assignment and seeing these really gave me a burst of inspiration.

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  2. Wow, this is amazing! How can animators keep the drawing the same on every single sheet?

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  3. Genius indeed! There still official Frank & Ollie webpage with some very interesting stuff.

    http://www.frankanollie.com/Home.html

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  5. I know you love Milt's work, it's incredible. Frank Thomas is my favorite.

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  6. That bit with Merlin is the best gag in the whole picture!!

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  7. Frank's animation came straight from his heart. From his soul. The spaghetti dinner kissing scene from Lady and the Tramp is arguably one of the greatest moments in animation, ever.

    Andreas, did I read here before about a moment where even Frank asked for Milt's help with a scene? That's something, considering Mr. Thomas' incredible talent!

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    1. Frank (and many other animators) got help from Milt as far as draughtsmanship. In return Milt would show Frank one of his scenes for input in terms of acting.

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  8. we miss you Frank (& Ollie), animation will never be the same!

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  9. I mistakenly thought that scene in the Jungle Book was animated by Milt Kahl. I love the way King Louis rubs Mowgl's hair with his feet, like a true orangutan!

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  10. Hi Andreas,
    At Jeanettes memorial you seemed interested in improving the Frank and Ollie website. I am in the process of revising the site at this time. If you are still interested pleas contact me on the Contact page at www.frankanollie.com.
    Thanks, Mike

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  11. Most of all I like the Bambi and Thumper picture!
    Thank you for sharing this artworks with us! :)

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