Animation Design

Have you ever wondered how the world's most famous films began? Or what lead films such as Frozen to their amazing capacity? As always, our story begins in the past...

Lady & the Tramp

• This Disney Classic came out mid June 1955. The story is of a well known forbidden romance between two statuses in society. The high and purebred Springer Spaniel, Lady, and the low mutt, Tramp. The story was written by Ward Greene, edited to Disney's approval. Walt Disney himself commented that he had actually given his wife a puppy in a hat box as an apology to her for forgetting an important dinner, he had told her that someday he would want to put that scene in a film, and his dreams were fulfilled. 
• Originally the film was meant to be viewed as a CinemaScope, which is a sort of old fashioned Imax which gave a more panoramic look, but it aroused lots of difficulties as the animators had trouble focusing on only one character at a time, plus not all the cinema's around the world had the advantage of the CinemaScope. Thus the company saved on money by just making one normal animated film. 
• As was custom of the films of that era, the credits were shown at the beginning. Something that nowadays seems too bizarre and time consuming. The film is set in the 19th Century where gas lamps are in use and also the beginning of cars. The architecture of the house is typically Victorian American, with its exaggerated white banisters and adorned arches. It also has a Neo-Gothic feel to it, with the pointed arch, but where usually such designs were mostly found on stone, these houses are made of wood, so it has it's own unique touch. From outside to inside, the house's decor screams Art-Nouveau, with the floral wallpaper and textile decorations all over the house. 
• On another note, the character design is also varied. There's the Asian Siamese cats Si and Am, the two Italian chefs from Tony's, the Scottish Schnauzer Jock and the comments Tramp passes on about certain neighbors.

Legend of the Guardians: The owls of Ga'hoole 

• This animated film is an epic battle between two owl clans. When Soren peruses his dreams to find the Guardians in order to warn them of the Pure Ones' (the bad guys) wrong doings in moon blinking the owlets they steal into slavery.  The story then leads to an epic battle of tragedy and loss. 
• The film was based on the books written by Kathryn Lasky and was released in 2006 but actually came out in 2010, making that a four to five year long process. It is CGI animated in a way that all the details stand out, from their eyes and feathers to their gorgeous landscapes. It took over five hundred artists to produce such a work.
• The visual concepts of the landscapes were designed in a way that we automatically relate to something either Celtic or Elvish, that no mundane human has ever been to. This sort of design can be seen clearly through the armor the owls wear when preparing for battle. 

 

Sources-

"Demosthenes", 2011. Disney's Lady and the Tramp. Reel History  [blog] 13 July. Available at: <http://norlinreelhistory.blogspot.com/2011/07/disneys-lady-and-tramp.html> [Accessed 7th May 2014].

    AnimalLogic. Legend of the Guardians: the owls of Ga'Hoole. [online] Available at: <http://www.animallogic.com/Studios/Work/Legend-Of-The-Guardians- the-Owls-of-Ga-hoole> [Accessed 7th May 2014]