Research from 'The Illusion of Life' by Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston

Basic Details:
Thomas, F & Johnston, O 1981, The Illusion of Life Disney Animation, Abbeville Press, Italy.

Extracted from the pages of  "Story"

367.

• "The story man must see clearly in his own mind how every piece of business in a story will be put over. He should feel every expression, every reaction. He should get far enough away from his story to take a second look at it... to see whether there is any dead phase... to see whether the personalities are going to be interesting and appealing to the audience. He should also try to see that the things his characters are doing are of an interesting nature." -- Walt Disney
• "... If you don't have a positive statement to make, you should never pick up the paintbrush or pencil." More than a positive statement, it must have enough important to be worth communicating- to be worth the work and the effort that will be required to put it on screen. It must be interesting, provocative, spellbinding; it must be a story.
• "A good story cannot be ruined by poor animation, but neither can a poor story be saved by the very best animation."
• ... a good story also can be ruined by poor development in the Story Department.

370.

• Our goal must be to keep the audience pleased, but also excited, concerned, and especially, wondering what is going to happen next. This will take place only if the audience is involved with the characters and what they are doing.
• In addition to an exciting visual presentation of the material, there should be a careful development of the drama inherent in each situation. 

Extracted from Pg 441-472 of  "Animating Expressions and Dialogue"

441.

• ... the eyes in self-portraits reveal how an artist feels about himself.
• "After we have given the men all the suggestions we can have to do with expression ideas through the body, then we can come down to the value of the facial expression- the use of the eyes, eyebrows, the mouth- their relation to one another- how the eyes and the mouth have to work together (Sometimes) for expression- how they work independently for expression at other times. In other words, then we would go into the combined use of expressive features and expressive actions of the body." -- Walt Disney

442.

• The early Renaissance painters always had their main figures looking up. It is an accepted tradition for the innocent and pure, but it does not seem to be based on truth and reality. The artists at the studio have used this attitude repeatedly for cute characters. Somehow they look more wistful, more hopeful, more vulnerable.
• There was more appeal when the figure was drawn looking up at you out of their tops of the eye. Somehow you cared more for the innocent, little character.

443.

Tips for staging expressions:

1. Resist the temptation to try to tell too much in one drawing. The important thing is that the drawing be quickly and simply read: no matter how beautifully it may be drawn, it should not be forced into a scene if it does not animate properly. Do not be afraid to discard your best drawing if it does not fit your action. It is the idea that is important!
2. Do not let the expression conflict with the dialogue. Nothing can be more distracting than this. Angna Enters, the American mim, told her class, "The most obvious problem was to avoid deflecting the meaning of the line [of dialogue] by erratic movements. The way a character walks, stands, sits, listens- all reveal the meaning of his words." This rule would apply to pantomime as well, where it could be equally disturbing to have a character make an expression that does not fit the personality.
3. The expression must be captured throughout the whole body as well as in the face. If the character is defiant, his eyes, brows, mouth, cheeks, and head attitude will be defiant too, with clenched fists, sho...

444.

• ...ulders back, feet apart, and a belligerent thrust to all the related parts. Any expression will be weakened greatly if it is limited only to the face, and it can be completely nullified if the body or shoulder attitude is in any way contradictory.

471.

1. Show the expression change!

    a. Avoid making a fast move while changing the expression.

    b. Change your expression before the movie, or at the end, when the character is moving slowly enough for it to be seen.

    c. Do not lost the expression change in an active secondary action- such as a hand waving, a big arm action, or follow through on clothes.

2. Avoid looking up for a frown, unless it is a sinister, domineering one.

3. Do not hide a smile with the head tilted down too far or behind a big nose or moustache.

4. Be sure you have the right staging to show all the expressions in your scene to best advantage.

5. Have you the right expression for what your character is thinking? Are all part of the head and face related to this one idea?

    a. Do not change shapes too much all over the face.

    b. At times, hold down activity on the face so that just the mouth is moving.

6. As we were told so many times before we learned: It is the change of shape that shows the character is thinking. It is the thinking that gives the illusion of life. It is the life that gives meaning to the expression.

Extracted from Pg 473-508 of  "Acting and Emotions"

473.

• "In our animation we must show not only the actions or reactions of a character, but we must picture also with the action... the feeling of those characters." -- Walt Disney

474.

• Early attempts to portray emotions were limited by the drawing ability and acting knowledge of the animators, as well as the lack of support in story development. Albert Hurter's suggestions for attitudes on the grasshopper and the devil were based mainly on the broad acting on the turn of the century.
• The actor and the animator share many interests; they both use symbols to build a character in the spectator's mind. Certain gestures, attitudes, expressions, and timing have come to connote specific personalities and emotions... By using the right combination of these in the proper sequence, the actor builds a bond with the people in the audience, and they are with him, they understand...

475.

• ... him; and if they like him they will be concerned about what happens to him.
• 'When the dwarfs showed their grief over Snow White's death, we were asking the audience to share the emotions of the cartoon characters.' - Frank Thomas, Snow White
• ... while the actor can rely on his inner feelings to build his portrayal, the animator must be objectively analytical if he is to reach out and tough the audience.
• Are the characters interesting, lifelike, and vivid?
• Do you become emotionally involved with them?
• Do the gestures and movements seem sincere, convincing, clear and properly motivated?
• Does all of the action help to delineate the characters and their situation for you?
• Is the action clear-cut, realistic, prolonged sufficiently, and exaggerated enough to be seen by the whole audience?
• ... these are the criteria for judging any performance, animated or live.
• By the time the studio began Snow White, the animators were being asked to depict much more than just happiness and sadness. Now, they were faced with the task of communicating such subtle emotions as love, dejection, hate, jealousy, concern, and fear. The first real example of an entire sequence based on pure emotion showed the dwarfs crying beside Snow White's bier; it was a critical decision even to attempt this type of sequence.
• "that the audience would not react as we hoped it would. It was not matter of what field size we used, or panning, or what character we cut to- it was the mood in which we wanted out audience at the time."

479.

• In a strong story situation, very little movement is needed to sustain the mood. Cinderella's friends watch helplessly as the broken-hearted girl buries her head in her arms. The main action consists of the magic sparkles slowly gathering to form the Fairy Godmother.

484-485.

• Resist the temptation to make everything bigger and more gorgeous when you need strong communication.
• Nine Economical Ways that Animation can build Emotions in the Imaginations of the Audience: 1. Rear View, 2. Shadows, 3. Shadows Over the Characters, 4. Overlays, 5. Dramatic Layout, 6. Pictorial Shot, 7. Effects Animation, 8. Held Drawing with Camera Movies, 9. Offstage Sounds

486.

• Some situations become more powerful by showing all the realistic detail. This is particularly true where magic or fantasy is involved. We were spellbound  seeing the queen gradually become an old, withered witch.
• In contrast to the benefits of not letting the spectators see everything, there are other times when forcing them to look at certain elements might create more visual excitement.
• Another frightening series of scenes is found in Pinocchio in the sequence on Pleasure Island where unsuspecting boys are changed into donkeys in payment for a night of fun. This is a case where excellent animation added even more than had been expected, but it was the combination of the staging and planning that made this impossible situation so believable and so scary.

487.

• ... it is the animator who must think deeply into the personality of the cartoon actors. Each must be handled differently, because each individual will express his emotions in his own way.
• ... there are other ways of involving the viewers besides getting them to identify with sympathetic characters.
• You react to the evil characters, but with the sympathetic characters.
• The same is true of Cruella deVil in 101 Dalmations... because of our fascination with her explosive personality and our enjoyment of her outlandish behaviour, appearance, and actions, she was funny without losing either her menacing quality or her audience. Whether people thought she was horrid, ridiculous, or wonderful, they all sat enraptured.

507.

• Make sure the emotional state of the character is clearly defined.
• The thought process reveals the feeling. Sometimes it can be shown with a single, held drawing or a simple move. Other times there should be gestures, body moves, or full action. Determine which is best in each case.
• Be alert to use of cutting and camera in helping to accentuate the emotion.
• Ask your constantly: What am I trying to say here? What do I really want to show? How do I want the audience to react?
• Use the element of time wisely: to establish the emotion of the character, to convey it to the viewers, to let them savour the situation.
• Don't be ponderous, but don't take it away from them just as they start to enjoy it.