The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation PDF
Preview The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation
The Wlusion of Lite isney Animati 4 Frank Thomas and Ollie Je z y pee Vee ae “aes BS key e i The Illusion of Life Disney Animation ee The Illusion of Life Disney Animation Frank Th omas an d Ollie Johnston This book is dedicated to Walt Disney and the staff of artists who brought the magical quality of life to character animation. Copyright © L981, Wall Disney Productions All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without the written permission of the Publisher, Printed in aly For information address Disney Editions, 114 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10011 Library of Congress Cataloging-In-Publication Data Thomas, Frank, 1912 The illusion of life : Disney animation ¢ Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston, Ist Hyperion ed. p. em, Rev. ed. of : Disney Animation. Popular ed. 1984. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-7868-6070-7 |. Walt Disney Productions. 2, Animated films United States History and eritivism, 1. Johnston, Ollie, 1912. U1. Thomas, Frank, 1912- Disney animation, IIL Title NC1766.U52D58 1995 FALS'8'0979494—de20 95-1942 er Contents Preface Acknowledgments An Art Form Is Born The Early Days 1923-1933 The Principles of Animation Discovery 1934-1936 Cartoon Comes of Age Appeal and Dynamics Hyperion: The Explosion Burbank and The Nine Old Men Our Procedures How to Get It on the Screen ‘The Disney Sounds The Follow-up Functions The Uses of Live Action in Drawing Humans and Animals Story Character Development Animating Expressions and Dialogue Acting and Emotions Other and the Future ypes of Animation— Notes Appendices Index 13 29 47 71 93 119 141 159 185 243 285 303 319 367 393 441 473 509 Preface "This book is about Disney character animation, an art form that created such world-famous cartoon figures "a5 Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck. Disney anima- tion makes audiences really believe in those charac- “ters, whose adventures and misfortunes make people Jaugh—and even cry. There is a special ingredient in “our type of animation that produces drawings that ‘appear to think and make decisions and act of their “own volition; it is what creates the illusion of life. _ Noother studio has been able to duplicate this most important (but least understood) element in our films. “Itcannot be produced by money alone. When a pro- ‘ducer says he is going to make a ‘“Disney-type"” film, he may think that full animation, nice color, and a “large budget are all that is needed. But Disney anima- ‘tion is more than drawing, or animating, or storytell- “ing, or painting—it is what this book is all about In tracing the development of character animation ‘rather than the studio or the men in it, inevitably we will leave out the names of many fine artists. We ‘regret lighting anyone, but we regret even more hav- g overlooked a key scene in animation history or a ecial sequence in a picture that would have helped plain and clarify our meaning. It is, perhaps, mis- ding to credit specific artists with the drawings we show in the book, since this might imply that both the and the style came from one person; for this was dom the case. So much of our own work appears “here simply because it was all that was available after ‘many years. Animators usually do not save the ibnail sketches, character drawings, and experi- plans that reveal the most important stages in loping a personality or piece of business. In any the emphasis here is on the research rather than people who did the drawings. ‘One of the most rewarding parts of this project has ‘been the interviews with old friends and colleagues, enabling us to gain perspective and insight on events that had gone whizzing by hack when we were too busy to notice or appraise. Occasionally one individ- ual disagreed with another over interpretation and even recollections, but, then, arguments were always daily ‘occurrences when we were making the pictures. That was an important part of the team effort Many will look to this book to teach them the secrets of Disney animation so that they can become instant successes. Unfortunately, this craft cannot be learned by just reading a book, and not overnight under any circumstances. Our original intention had been to write & book on how to animate, hoping we could offer inspiration rather than something to copy, but as we did our research it became obvious that there was a greater need to record just how this special kind of animation had developed. Those times were unique and will never be duplicated; yet much of what was learned had been valid in the theater for several hun- dred years and continues to be valuable wherever there is communication with an audience, We felt that this wealth of knowledge in animation should be preserved. Ron Miller, executive head of all production at the Disney Studios, hoped to double the staff of animators by 1981, but he found, even after an intensive search, that. . . there just aren’t that many people capable of doing animation in the Disney style.”” What is the Disney style? Can it be explained? We hope so. This book is written for the student who wants to know how Disney animation was done; for the historian who wants to know why it was done that way; for the artist who has never realized the potential of animation as.a pro- fession; for the general public who still wonders, “What really makes them move?” We hope that some readers will be stimulated to carry on these traditions and elevate this art form to an ever-higher level.
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