The Illusion of Life - Disney Animation

A great book released by Disney animators -- years ago -- made these thought-provoking statements. Enjoy!

“In the great days of radio.... It was not just what you heard, it was what the sound made you believe and feel. It was not the actor’s emotions you were sensing anymore. They were your emotions.”

Fortunately, animation works in the same way. It is capable of getting inside the heads of its audiences, into their imaginations. The audiences will make our little cartoon character sad--actually, far sadder than we could ever draw him--because in their minds that character is real. He lives in their imaginations. Once the audience has become involved with your characters and your story, almost anything is possible.

“For a character to be that real, he must have a personality (page 21), and, preferable, an interesting one. He must be as comfortable as an old shoe, yet as exciting as a new spring outfit. Spectators can laugh at a gag, be dazzled by a new effect, and be intrigued by something completely fresh, but all of this will hold their attention for barely ten minutes. As Charlie Chaplin said of his own beginnings in the movie business, ‘Little as I know about movies. I knew that nothing transcended personality.’ In addition to gags and effects, there must be a point of entry through which audiences can identify with the story situation, and the best way is through a character who is like someone they have known...”

“Our true personalities are best revealed by our reactions to a change we did not expect.” (pg. 20)