December 29, 2009
The Making of Animated Cartoons
Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Donald and Daisy Duck, Goofy, Pluto and the rest of the comic bunch made Walt Disney a household name. To this day, they are part of every child’s world, spawning merchandise that make the characters come alive even more.
Animation is considered an art form. It has its origins in the day of cave men and among the artists of ancient Egypt and Greece. For centuries, artists tried to make the figures they draw, move, and gave the suggestion of motion – a crusade which was never entirely successful until the feat was managed on film and the cartoon motion picture was born.
Disney (Philippines) animator Nomer Panlaqui says, “The Disney toons are made from originally classic patterns, (from) as early as 1920. Their personalities need to be clearly defined for the series. Drawing them in varied situations is a very serious thing to do but very rewarding as well.”
The Disney Animation Studio in Los Angeles, he relates, makes a series of feature animations when the original film released makes money in the box office. The series is shown in Disney Australia, Japan, Disney Canada and Disney Philippines. The original film takes two hours to play, while the series is shortened to at least 24 minutes each.
The animator starts his work with a folder consisting of a storyboard, the layout and the background. The storyboard, which resembles a huge comic strip, is made from a written script. The plot is laid out in a series of small pencil sketches, which are pinned up, and the sequence, on bulletin boards. Dialogues and descriptions are printed below each drawing. Animators follow a guide and pattern sketches for the characters. But the appearance and depth of the drawing depends on the animator’s perspective skill and talent.
Sometimes, Panlaqui points outs, “I imitated the characters in front of the mirror or let others act it out. When Mickey, for instance, yells or feels sad, I also have to feel it, yell and feel sad. In animation, the animators become the actors of what they draw. We put the emotions to the drawing, capturing the most alive scene in the sketch.”
“We also have to know what the character says most of the time. For instance, Mickey always says ‘Gosh’ ‘That is sure’ ‘Attaboy’ ’Hotdog’ and ‘Oh Boy!’ We have scripts and soundtracks to guide us for the distance of the drawings. If the work is off model, we have to revise it. The rule is always stick to the classic patterns."
Although many people work on the pictures, the figures of the Disney characters are always consistently drawn, as if by one artist. Each artist working on a specific character is given the character model sheet of relative sizes, poses and the particular details of the character. The film is also checked at each stage of production to make sure the characters are correctly drawn; other elements are consistent.
In animation projects, the person who follows the production from beginning to end is the director. His biggest job is timing the animation action and coordination of all the elements that go to make the finished product. The process is tedious, going through clean-ups and a series of checks. While colors used to be done by compositors, now the digital department scans it in the computer.
“Animation is expensive,” Panlaqui adds. “So there are only a few companies who engage in the business. Toon City Animation Studio where I work is an affiliate of Walt Disney Television, USA. Most animators are members of what is called the Saturday Group, where some famous painters like Malang are members. I am not a member though, but I try to attend seminars.”
Panlaqui is a graduate of Fine Arts from the University of the East. He says ideal animators has an optimistic outlook in life. Animators must be critical, intuitive, creative, good draftsmen, serious performers and team players. He should be able to appreciate what he is doing and he should love it. Panlaqui projects with Toon City include animations in “Winnie the Pooh, Belle’s Magical Stories, Hercules and Mouse Works.
Panlaqui opines that computers cannot substitute animators. “Computers can be used as tools, but cannot be an exclusive method of animation. The creative person is responsible for moving the characters.”
The Disney Characters (From Disney’s Mouse Works Series Bible)
Mickey Mouse. Living proof that good guys finish first. An everyday adventurer. Mickey is humble, confident, responsible and has an optimistic outlook in life. He always does his very best.
Donald Duck. He’s something of a show-off whose braggadocio turns to anger as soon as he is crossed. The laws of physics work against him and he often comes into conflict with inanimate objects, which he suspects are out to get him.
Goofy. Simple minded and sensitive. Bumbling and befuddled. Goofy’s got a heart of gold. The eternal optimist, Goofy views the world with childlike wonder and always makes the best of what comes his way.
Pluto. Loyal and affectionate. Pluto is eager to please, needy and easily startled. Like most dogs, he has a penchant for digging holes and barking at strangers.
Minnie. The graceful leading lady, Minnie is a near to perfect strong-willed problem solver with a mind of her own. Passionate about the arts and culture.
Daisy. Sweet, chatty, and coy, she’s the passive-aggressive Southern Belle who can turn violent on dime. Sophisticated yet sassy, she frequently uses her long eyelashes and feminine wiles to get her way.
http://rfvietnamrose09.blogspot.com
Rosalinda Flores Martinez
Dec 29, 2009
Old Daily Tribune article, revised
The Making of Animated Cartoons
Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Donald and Daisy Duck, Goofy, Pluto and the rest of the comic bunch made Walt Disney a household name. To this day, they are part of every child’s world, spawning merchandise that make the characters come alive even more.
Animation is considered an art form. It has its origins in the day of cave men and among the artists of ancient Egypt and Greece. For centuries, artists tried to make the figures they draw, move, and gave the suggestion of motion – a crusade which was never entirely successful until the feat was managed on film and the cartoon motion picture was born.
Disney (Philippines) animator Nomer Panlaqui says, “The Disney toons are made from originally classic patterns, (from) as early as 1920. Their personalities need to be clearly defined for the series. Drawing them in varied situations is a very serious thing to do but very rewarding as well.”
The Disney Animation Studio in Los Angeles, he relates, makes a series of feature animations when the original film released makes money in the box office. The series is shown in Disney Australia, Japan, Disney Canada and Disney Philippines. The original film takes two hours to play, while the series is shortened to at least 24 minutes each.
The animator starts his work with a folder consisting of a storyboard, the layout and the background. The storyboard, which resembles a huge comic strip, is made from a written script. The plot is laid out in a series of small pencil sketches, which are pinned up, and the sequence, on bulletin boards. Dialogues and descriptions are printed below each drawing. Animators follow a guide and pattern sketches for the characters. But the appearance and depth of the drawing depends on the animator’s perspective skill and talent.
Sometimes, Panlaqui points outs, “I imitated the characters in front of the mirror or let others act it out. When Mickey, for instance, yells or feels sad, I also have to feel it, yell and feel sad. In animation, the animators become the actors of what they draw. We put the emotions to the drawing, capturing the most alive scene in the sketch.”
“We also have to know what the character says most of the time. For instance, Mickey always says ‘Gosh’ ‘That is sure’ ‘Attaboy’ ’Hotdog’ and ‘Oh Boy!’ We have scripts and soundtracks to guide us for the distance of the drawings. If the work is off model, we have to revise it. The rule is always stick to the classic patterns."
Although many people work on the pictures, the figures of the Disney characters are always consistently drawn, as if by one artist. Each artist working on a specific character is given the character model sheet of relative sizes, poses and the particular details of the character. The film is also checked at each stage of production to make sure the characters are correctly drawn; other elements are consistent.
In animation projects, the person who follows the production from beginning to end is the director. His biggest job is timing the animation action and coordination of all the elements that go to make the finished product. The process is tedious, going through clean-ups and a series of checks. While colors used to be done by compositors, now the digital department scans it in the computer.
“Animation is expensive,” Panlaqui adds. “So there are only a few companies who engage in the business. Toon City Animation Studio where I work is an affiliate of Walt Disney Television, USA. Most animators are members of what is called the Saturday Group, where some famous painters like Malang are members. I am not a member though, but I try to attend seminars.”
Panlaqui is a graduate of Fine Arts from the University of the East. He says ideal animators has an optimistic outlook in life. Animators must be critical, intuitive, creative, good draftsmen, serious performers and team players. He should be able to appreciate what he is doing and he should love it. Panlaqui projects with Toon City include animations in “Winnie the Pooh, Belle’s Magical Stories, Hercules and Mouse Works.
Panlaqui opines that computers cannot substitute animators. “Computers can be used as tools, but cannot be an exclusive method of animation. The creative person is responsible for moving the characters.”
The Disney Characters (From Disney’s Mouse Works Series Bible)
Mickey Mouse. Living proof that good guys finish first. An everyday adventurer. Mickey is humble, confident, responsible and has an optimistic outlook in life. He always does his very best.
Donald Duck. He’s something of a show-off whose braggadocio turns to anger as soon as he is crossed. The laws of physics work against him and he often comes into conflict with inanimate objects, which he suspects are out to get him.
Goofy. Simple minded and sensitive. Bumbling and befuddled. Goofy’s got a heart of gold. The eternal optimist, Goofy views the world with childlike wonder and always makes the best of what comes his way.
Pluto. Loyal and affectionate. Pluto is eager to please, needy and easily startled. Like most dogs, he has a penchant for digging holes and barking at strangers.
Minnie. The graceful leading lady, Minnie is a near to perfect strong-willed problem solver with a mind of her own. Passionate about the arts and culture.
Daisy. Sweet, chatty, and coy, she’s the passive-aggressive Southern Belle who can turn violent on dime. Sophisticated yet sassy, she frequently uses her long eyelashes and feminine wiles to get her way.
http://rfvietnamrose09.blogspot.com
Rosalinda Flores Martinez
Dec 29, 2009
Old Daily Tribune article, revised
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