I recently did a post on "Drawn Water" in Disney films. Here are a few images from Pinocchio showing various stages of production, concept art, story sketch, a cel set up (below) and final frames.
All artists had an amazing vision of how water should be handled in the film.
The final animation is obviously based on realism, but it is also stylized. The wave patterns in the ocean scenes have an elegance that beautifully matches the fluid character animation.
When I see water these days in CG animated films, it simply duplicates the real thing. Where is the artistic interpretation that makes you feel something?
The last two images show water effects that were largely achieved without animating water. There is ONE painting for the water level. A plate of rippled glass was then moved across it. Simple, inexpensive, and very effective.
"Water" way to design!
ReplyDeleteIn the 1980s I got to know George Rowley a bit - he did a fair amount of water animation in Pinocchio. I have a photo of him somewhere animating on the Monster sequence - I'll see if I can turn it up.
ReplyDelete"When I see water these days in CG animated films, it simply duplicates the real thing. Where is the artistic interpretation that makes you feel something?"
ReplyDeleteThank you! This is just one of the reasons why I don't like looking at CG animated films anymore, and why I hate the very notion of them taking the place of traditional animation. I don't watch animation because I want to look at a literal recreation of how things actually look in real life. Just like you, I want to see the art.
I don't like Pinocchio Andreas, too moral and too scary for my taste.
ReplyDeletePlease don't put the scenes of artwork where the boys transformed into a Jackass. 😯
Conversely, I love Pinocchio and encourage you to bring it, Mr. Deja!
DeleteThe underwater sequence where Pinocchio is looking for Monstro is memorable not only for the water animation but also the music and voice soundtrack. There is an other worldly quality to this scene which, for me, makes it a stand out.
ReplyDeleteThen I'd be curious to know...what was your thoughts on Moana since there was so much talk about how water was animated there?
ReplyDeleteHe pretty much already said that he dislikes CG animation's obsession with making realistic looking water all the time as opposed to the artistic stylization of water in hand-drawn animation.
DeleteFrankly, so do I.
I guess so...I thought I'd ask since Moana is a Ron and John movie, and Andreas did work with them many times. But in any case, Disney at least has been attempting to re-invent CG animation with Paperman, Get a Horse, Feast, and now Inner Workings. The optimist in me is hoping that they are like the new Silly Symphonies in that they are Disney's attempt to experiment before they create something truly grand and never been seen before, all the while bringing back hand drawn animation in a new way.
DeleteI refuse to see the live action remakes of beauty and the beast or any of the future slated live action remakes of the 2d animated features out of respect for all of the talented artists that worked on the originals. How about we recreate all of the fine art of the past with live actors. Just place a woman with a wooden frame in front of her face and call it "the new Mona Lisa". I am an art major on my way toward getting my masters and eventually teach. I am also teaching myself traditional hand drawn on paper animation. I want to be able to teach the next generation of artists to create the next pinocchio. That animated film has artwork and animation that is up there with fine art from the masters. I believe Walt would be very disappointed with his studio abandoning the fine art form he brought about.
ReplyDeleteThat last frame with Pinoch face passed out on the shore is a jaw dropper
ReplyDeleteAgreed!
DeleteI think you you nailed the answer to the eternal discussion "CG-Traditional":
ReplyDelete"When I see water these days in CG animated films, it simply duplicates the real thing. Where is the artistic interpretation that makes you feel something?"
Hi Andreas. Thanks for sharing. I love hearing about the artistic interpretation that goes into the production process. Who would have thought but the water in many ways is just another type of character as well. There is also another great Disney scene that features water as a character...the sorcerer's apprentice.
ReplyDeleteI was reading an article about the Beatles song, "A Day In The Life" and the author quoted this:
ReplyDelete>>As Giacometti told his biographer James Lord, “The more you struggle to make it lifelike the less like life it becomes. But since a work of art is an illusion anyway, if you heighten the illusory quality, then you come closer to the effect of life.”<<
Made me think of your comment here regarding water and thought I'd share.
Yes. I love seeing water and effects stylized not only duplicated!
ReplyDelete