Walk Cycle - 1.7

I have recently made a walk cycle using a premade model. I learnt the different positions that I will use in nearly everything I create.

Spirited Away- 1.1, 1.6, 1.7

Animation name: Spirited Away, also known as Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi.
Who made it: Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli, dubbed into English by Walt Disney Studios.
Year of release: 2001
English trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccMvH9BSZxc
Japanese trailer with some English subtitles: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIaBn9Emmlw

Plot: A young girl named Chihiro is moving to a new town, when her parents get lost on the way. They come across what seems to be an out-of-business amusement park, and decide to take a look inside. They discover a restaurant with steaming food left alone with no workers present, so her parents help themselves while she goes to explore. She is found by the fierce looking Haku and told to run away back to her parents, but it’s too late; the spirits have returned and she is trapped. As she tries to find her parents, she discovers that they have been turned into pigs! She will need to do everything possible to get away from this strange world and free her parents, but will she have the strength?
Type of animation: This animation is an anime, or Japanese animation. Anime is usually traditional hand-drawn animation. The big difference between western animation and anime, besides the style of drawing, is that the voices are recorded and put in after the animation process has been completed, rather than the other way round.
How the type of animation has changed: Traditional animation hasn’t really changed a lot in the way it looks or the way it’s presented, but the way it’s created has. It used to consist of hand-drawn and hand-painted cels being shown after each other in quick succession to create the illusion that the drawings are moving. Now it’s mostly drawn directly into a computer, or at least scanned and coloured with a computer.
Why I like this animation: I am a huge fan of Japanese culture, particularly anime and manga. I only have about 10 manga books at home, and I don’t get the chance to watch a lot of anime because it’s not all that available where I live. Lots of anime is usually quite low quality, especially if it has been dubbed into English, but this is an exception. It’s got a crazy story line and everything surrounding Chihiro is really imaginative, and although anime isn’t exactly everyone’s taste, Spirited Away definitely takes its place as one of my favourite films of all time.

Coraline- 1.1, 1.6, 1.7

Animation name: Coraline
Who made it: Henry Selik, Lakia and Focus Features.
Year of release: 2009

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAwNA8-Rs3U

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cayVMHSRHZI&feature=channel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LO3n67BQvh0&feature=channel

Plot: The story of Coraline, a girl who, after moving to a new house, finds a tiny door which leads to a parallel universe, where her ‘Other Mother’ is waiting for her. Coraline is treated like a queen in this ‘Other World’, but little does she know something sinister is waiting for her…

Type of animation: It was a stop motion animation, and everything that could be handmade was. The cherry blossom trees were made of popcorn, and there was even a scene with fog where the director, Henry Selick, demanded that they used dry ice rather than CGI.

How the type of animation has changed: Stop motion has changed a lot in complexity. Just over 10 years ago, in 1989, Wallace and Gromit’s first adventure ‘A Grand Day Out’ was created. This was obviously made from people shaping clay models, as you can see fingerprints all over the characters. It’s much less realistic than Coraline, and far shorter. At 1 hour 40 minutes long, Coraline is the longest stop motion animated film to date.

Why I like this animation: I love this animation because it has such a hand-made feel. It's creepy and eyrie, and incredibly detailed. It’s beyond any other stop motion animation, and it’s really amazing.

Lost and found- 1.1, 1.6, 1.7

Here is a piece on Lost and Found which I animated myself saying. I recorded my script onto the computer and then made a little cartoon version of myself and lipsynced it to the voiceover.

1.8 - Squash and stretch

I have experimented with squash and stretch. This is an important feature of animation. I used a path which is another key element even though it is not seen in the final piece.

This is a bouncing ball which falls across the screen:


And this is a ball which rockets around the screen.




AnnieMation~