Story

Before animation begins on any project, there must be a strong story. Studios usually begin by developing a premise, logline, or synopsis to start, and when they’re satisfied with the plot, they move onto sequences. Johnston and Thomas (1981) addressed what a sequence serves on an animated film:

Our feature films always seemed to end up with about 14 sequences. No matter how each started out, whether with high adventure or complicated stories, by the time we developed and balanced and streamlined and edited we ended with little more than a dozen. At least two sequences would have been cut out after we started production, and something else would have grown to sequence length and been inserted even later….The fact becomes quite important when a picture requiring many incidents in different locales is being considered. (pp. 368)

When writing a story for animation, it’s important that the narrative isn’t bombarded with constant action that eschew the quieter scenes could be essential for character development. “In our experience, a picture that attempted continuous excitement and dramatic tension never held the attention of their audience. It seemed to dull their senses” (Johnston and Thomas, 1981, p. 368).

To avoid this, a list of guidelines are used to help anyone judge the material before animation is started:

1.     Avoid scenes or activities that are only continuity. If there is a mood to be established or scenic atmosphere is needed, then the continuity can be secondary to the pictorial effect.

2.     Avoid expository scenes. If the scene’s purpose is to get a character to talk or explain the plot, avoid it. Instead use a narrator or title to do it.

3.     Make sure the story incident or situation is really interesting. This could be easily achieved by the actors simply letting their personality and decisions form the backbone of narrative, but make sure the situation is strong enough to invite audience investment.

4.     Be sure the characters have an opportunity to come to life, find the entertainment in the situation and character.

5.     Look for places to show the characters thinking. Show them changing attitude, and look for ways to show more facets of their personalities; they should grow through the film.

6.     Ask yourself, “Can the story be done in caricature?” In which can the story be believable, but not realistic?

7.     Tell your story through the broad cartoon characters rather than the “straight” ones, i.e., the side characters.

Regarding dialogue, there are four major ones when writing it:

1.     Do not write dialogue that describes what you are seeing. A character’s words should reflect his feelings about what is happening, and be written in a way that enriches the personality.

2.     The words and the thought behind them should be special to this one character. Have the characters speak in unique dialects, use phrases special to them.

3.     Dialogue must be written so there is something to animate. It has to reflect an attitude that can be drawn or an emotion that can be shown. Again, avoid exposition.

4.     Dialogue must be written so the actor doing the voice can contribute something. It gives more insight to the character in how they phrase their dialogue rather than the dialogue’s exact meaning.
A perfect example of a story sequence done right might be Disney's latest release Frozen, particularly the "Let It Go" sequence. Here is a link to NaClhv's wonderful analysis of thesequence. "Let It Go" is a wonderful example because it's suppose to be seen as a moment of triumph for Elsa as she's finally liberated from her self-imposed restraint of her powers. The lyrics, however, speak that she's only deluding herself  and trading one prison for another. That and her awesome display as an ice goddess create memorable visuals.

Works Cited
Johnston, O., & Thomas F. (1981). The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation. New York: Disney Editions.  

Introduction

For the past eighty years animation has held the image of a genre that caters to children and the young at heart. I disagree with this sentiment, animation is a medium. It’s a common misconception to assume animation and cartoons are strictly for kids, thanks to big animation studios like Disney, Pixar, and DreamWorks saturating the market. However, like the medium of film, which can tell a wide variety of genres and stories that can be told and appeal to a wide audience, both young and old; so can animation. For example, even though their work is geared towards children, Pixar still conveys enough material for adults and artists to enjoy. The films they’ve created feature timeless stories, they’ve delved into mature thematic material regardless of their audience, and scenes and characters that we find ourselves emotionally invested.    
As famed animators Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston (1981) once said:

What you as an animator are interested in is conveying a certain feeling you happen to have at that particular time…. Conveying a certain feeling is the essence of communication in any art form. The response of the viewer is an emotional one, because art speaks to the heart. This gives animation an almost magical ability to reach inside any audience and communicate with all peoples everywhere, regardless of language barriers (p. 15).

            However, getting a viewer to respond and emotionally invest in a character is tricky. Animators look at expressions, symbols, and signifiers that an audience member can identify with:

We start with something they know and like. This can be either an idea or a character, as long as it is familiar and appealing. It can be a situation everyone has experienced, an emotional reaction universally shared, a facet of someone’s personality easily recognized, or any combination of these…. The audiences will make our little cartoon character sad––actually, far sadder than we could ever dram him––because in their minds that character is real. He lives in their imaginations (Johnston & Thomas, 1981, p.19).

They then go into detail that for an animated cartoon character to be real, he must have personality, and preferably an interesting one. For example, the earliest cartoon character with a distinct personality would be Gertie the Dinosaur by Winsor McCay.  
 It was believed McCay used a cat for reference when animating Gertie, given that the dinosaur displayed cat-like tendencies like pawing or kneading the ground. Nonetheless, Gertie conveyed shyness, stubbornness, and a fragile self-esteem: traits that mark a distinct personality. Later, Thomas and Johnson use Donald Duck, who is known for his explosive temper, best represented when he’d break a golf club in half in frustration.

            Animation is a medium, not a genre. It is the art and science of bringing imagination to life:

The illusion of life is a rare accomplishment in animation, and it was never really mastered anywhere except at the Disney Studio. Of all the characters and stories and exciting dimensions of entertainment to come from that incubator of ideas, this is the truly unique achievement. This is what must be examined and explained, understood and appreciated, taught to others and passed on to the animators of the future (Johnston &Thomas, 1981, p. 25).

That is what the purpose this blog shall be. I will “examine and explain, understand and appreciate, and to teach others” the art of animation.

Works Cited

Johnston, O., & Thomas F. (1981). The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation. New York: Disney Editions.