…all of those in a magnificent balance for this moment from the film 101 Dalmatians.
"Melody first my dear, and THEN the lyrics."
So many graphic lines are directed toward the main business of Roger's finger touching Anita's nose. Her long neck, the lines in her hair and the curve of her nose clearly point to the subtle contact about to happen. Roger's whole body leans forward toward Anita's face, and every line, from folds in the fabric to his basic anatomy, leads the viewer's eye to the specific area of interest.
Then there is the background's layout. Look at how those lines defining the wooden edge of the sofa seem to move upward toward the characters' heads.
(I love the perspective change of the sofa's right side, it's flat and dimensional all at the same time!)
There is an absolute unity between the shape language in the background and in the characters. It feels like ONE artist is responsible for the entire image.
We all know that Disney animation is about family entertainment, but vintage stuff like this is also high art.
Milt Kahl animated both characters in the scene. Below is an out-take rough drawing of Roger.
One of Milt's countless masterpieces.
Beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThat's really intriguing... I always have looked for the artistry in films when I watch a movie, but it never occurred to me to look for it in the cartoon movies as well. I feel so ignorant. Thank you for making me take notice of those subtle, but effective techniques that go into the designing of these films too!
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful scene!
ReplyDeleteWhen Milt animated both characters in a shot, would he have animated one character from start to finish, and then the other? Or would he draw both characters simultaneously, on the same page?
Characters are usually drawn on different pages, because the animation is unique to each one, and so is their timing.
DeleteTwo characters dancing is a different story. They are animated as one unit on the same sheet of paper.
I particularly love this one. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteIs Milt Kahl one of your favorite animators?
ReplyDeleteI have a few favorites (including non Disney animators).
DeleteBut when it came to draughtsmanship, no one could touch Milt.
Andreas, who are some of your favorite non-Disney animators?
DeleteRod Scribner, Ken Harris, Ken Muse (worked at Disney briefly), Frederic Back to name a few.
DeleteAwesome post as always. I was just saying to some of my friends that it would be great to see you on twitter. Do you have any plans to join?
ReplyDeleteNot only are the old guys doing stellar work. They're now doing it twice as fast. 101 Dalmatians was such a welcome relief after plodding through Sleeping Beauty for several years.
ReplyDelete