#AnimationStudy

[mi4011-elrenrikvagbandara]

Class Research. Glen Keane The Legend Of Disney Animation

Glen Keane: The Man Who Drew My Childhood (and probably yours too)

So I'm supposed to be writing this research paper on animation influences but instead I'm having an existential crisis about how one man basically shaped my entire childhood aesthetic without me even knowing his name until college??? Like, we need to talk about GLEN KEANE RIGHT NOW.

The Legend Himself

Okay so Glen Keane is literally animation ROYALTY. Son of Bil Keane (the Family Circus cartoonist), he joined Disney in 1974 where he animated some of the most iconic characters that basically WERE my childhood:

Ariel from The Little Mermaid (her hair movements alone changed animation forever???)

Beast from Beauty and the Beast (the transformation scene still makes me SOB)

Aladdin (that "one jump ahead" sequence is literally burned into my brain)

Pocahontas (problematic narrative aside, her animation is BREATHTAKING)

Tarzan (the way he moves through the trees like LIQUID???)

Rapunzel from Tangled (her HAIR is practically its own CHARACTER)

After nearly 40 years at Disney, he left to pursue independent projects and founded Glen Keane Productions. His first major independent project was "Duet," this gorgeous hand-drawn interactive short film for Google. Then he directed "Dear Basketball" with KOBE BRYANT which won an ACADEMY AWARD. And recently he directed "Over the Moon" for Netflix which is just... chef's kiss.

What blows my mind is that this man has had a direct hand in creating the visual language of wonder and emotion that shaped not just MY childhood but GENERATIONS of us. Like, we all collectively gasped at the same Beast transformation scene and didn't even know who to thank???

His Soul-Stirring Style

What makes Glen Keane's work so unmistakable:

This incredible sense of WEIGHT and PHYSICS that makes his characters feel alive even though they're 2D

The way he captures EMOTION through movement (his characters don't just look sad, they FEEL heavy with sadness)

His obsession with creating the illusion of three-dimensional forms on flat paper (he literally draws THROUGH the paper, thinking of his drawings as sculptures)

Those signature "Keane eyes" that are so expressive they can convey an entire emotional journey in a single blink

The way he uses hair as this incredible expressive element (Ariel's underwater movements, Rapunzel's flowing locks)

His process is fascinating too - he immerses himself completely in whatever he's animating. For Tarzan, he studied gorillas and gymnasts. For Ariel, he watched his wife swim in their pool. For Beast, he combined animals at the London Zoo. The man literally BECOMES what he's drawing.

And can we talk about his line work??? His rough animation sketches are more alive than most finished animations. There's this beautiful urgency to his pencil lines, like he's desperately trying to capture something alive and moving before it escapes.

Why His Work Makes Me Feel Things

I've been thinking a lot about why Glen Keane's animation hits different, and I think it's because:

His characters move the way emotions FEEL. When Ariel stretches toward the surface, reaching for a world she can't have, it's exactly how yearning feels in your body. When Beast transforms, it's how it feels to be unmade and remade by love. Keane somehow translates inner emotional states into outer physical movement in a way that bypasses your brain and goes straight to your heart.

There's this incredible contradiction in his work - his animation is technically masterful, but it never FEELS technical. It feels organic, emotional, almost spiritual. In his own words, he's always trying to animate "the things that cannot be seen" - belief, longing, joy, heartbreak.

What kills me is how he treats animation not as a technical challenge but as this deeply human art form. He talks about animation as "bringing invisible feelings to life" and that's exactly what it feels like watching his work. He's not just moving drawings around - he's creating vessels for emotion that feel more honest than reality sometimes.

I think what I'm realizing is that Glen Keane taught me (and probably all of us) how to visualize feelings before we had words for them. His characters showed us what transformation looks like, what longing feels like, what it means to yearn for something beyond your world.

That scene in Little Mermaid where Ariel stretches up through the water toward the light? That's basically been my internal visual reference for hope my entire life and I JUST NOW realized it was drawn by this specific man's hand. Like, how do you even process that kind of influence?

Well thats my research about glen keane i hope this is enough. I'm so tired now on to the next one

[123myanimation]

This is my final animation video.

[animatrobin]

Enchanted Forest Background and Foreground test

.

#animation #animatic #background #backgroundart #foreground #animationstudy

[mi6021hollysurr]

this was a helpful lead to some books that might help

[mi6021izzygraham]

Dissertation update

I've been struggling to find the right essay question. I've decided not to a question about the environment, so I've been trying to think of an alternative topic.

I know that I'm curious about the history of animation, which I feel I don't know enough about. I think If I were to do a historical question I'd find it really interesting and I will enjoy the writing process. Also, be an opportunity to learn more about it. I've got experience with writing historical essay from doing A-Level History, so I feel comfortable formulating an argument and backing it with research. So, I now need to find an area to focus on.

I've been looking through the website Hugo gave us with different article to help.

Animation Studios in Europe | animationstudies 2.0

Some question ideas:

was harryhausen a turning point for stopmotion?

impact of ww2 on animation?

effects of ww2 on Japanese animation industry?

Hans Fischerkoesen impact on German animation?

[mi6021laurenmcsorley]

Dad baby is a banned Bluey episode in the united states, being sort after by parents for more content for their children. The episode that is not on Disney plus is about childbirth, Bandit, the dad, pretending to be pregnant and give birth during a game, another dad being roped into playing midwife. This episode could help parents avoid uncomfortable topics they need to discuss with their children as they grow, but it is not surprise Disney have banned it as they very rarely show pregnant women and babies just tend to appear out of nowhere.

//

The immaculate conception was added into the bible in later centuries to remove the idea that Jesus came to be naturally. Though misogyny tried to bury things one thing that could not be was the idea that Mary was the 'god barer', despite some people still rejecting this title, as Jesus conception and birth must have been sacred and divine it is seen as unseemly to think about the natural ways of conception and birth around Jesus.

[mi6021abifiges]

Dissertation planning and practice:

We were given a website to pick a report from and write a report/review about. I chose this report:

Histories of Useful Animation was written in 2022 by Malcolm Cook, Michael Cowan and Scott Curtis. It explores the history of useful animation and how it came to be. The report explores the idea of useful animation being made due to its creators feeling a need for it, rather than for money or fame. A lot of useful animation that was created years ago has not received any critical attention or recognition, Cook, Cowan and Curtis have named these films as ‘Unknown Useful Animations’. There are a number of examples of these animations, many made for what seems to be political purposes and others made to visualise things such as the weather.

In their report Cook, Cowan and Curtis also mention the educational mathematic films. They highlight the work of Fairthorne and salt, whose films created visuals for mathematic concepts.

The report also mentions how some useful animations have shaped how we think and imagine things. The solar system is a great example they give of this. They suggest Animation provided a lasting visual model of the solar system, while also providing those theorising to have a visual representation to present and understand their ideas.

[dinushawah]

"A Distant Dream: The Struggle for Education"

#animationstudies

[akilakannangara-animationstudies]

Akila Kannangara-animationstudies

This blog is for my personal use on the final animation assignment for Uni. The short that will be created is my life experiences after Covid 19. My uni ID being COADAM231P - 0032

[morbidlyobesethings-blog]

Akila Kannangara-animationstudies

This blog is for my personal use on the final animation assignment for Uni. The short that will be created is my life experiences after Covid 19. My uni ID being COADAM231P - 0032

[maktum-kainat]

TAPA PUTUL Character Animation rigging

[picklesanimationcampus]

https://picklesanimation.in/animation-courses/

BA IN ANIMATION

Website - https://picklesanimation.in/animation-courses/

Enroll Now - +91 9999065344

Are you looking to pursue a career in animation? Pickles Animation offers a Bachelor of Arts degree in Animation that can help you get started. Learn the fundamentals of animation, digital art, and storytelling through hands-on experience and industry-standard software. With a BA in Animation from Pickles Animation, you'll be well-prepared to enter the exciting and dynamic field of animation.

#AnimationDegree  #BAinAnimation #AnimationStudies #AnimationCareer #AnimationSkills

Enroll Now

[123myanimation]

My storyboard for my animation

Drawn nicely on paper

For my final animation.

[joesanimationblog]

Reflection and Evaluation of Learning 2

While trying to hone my skills through the early animation of this project I spent a lot of time looking at other animators who have produced work with similar bodies, archetypical characters and visual styles.

One of the first things I chose to draw inspiration from in terms of movement was a Pixar film I saw early in the previous semester called Kitbull (linked below)

I would have included this study in my forefront posts however this film is 4 years old. Something which really struck me which I wish to harness is the way the world feels bigger than the spaces which the characters inhabit.

Part of this sense of scale and vastness is established through dynamic perspective shots where the cat is shown against larger forms or is seen moving across the frame. The cat feels small and like its wondering through a chaotic world which wasn't built for it. The filmmaker chooses to present the world through these strong perspectives to offer us a lens into the characters sense of self.

The themes of the film are primarily based around being outcast, overcoming adversary and the unexpected forming of a friendship which subverts the cats view of the world.

The themes mentioned are very similar to my film however mine is a comedy whereas this film is more of a beautiful emotional tale. I wanted take the framing and focus on dynamic perspective shots in order to establish the shy fox's personality and the worlds general hostility towards it, but I also wanted the foxes outlook to be less timid than the cat in the Kitbull film.

The dog "Dug" from the movie UP was a great reference as he is in a hostile world, wants to be loved and has a positive outlook in a comedy film. So I rewatched Up and the short Pixar films. In this process I found that while Doug does have good body language, the fact that Dug can speak made it harder to separate body language communication from speech but I found what I was looking for.

I realised that a joke only hits if the people arounds reaction are accurate or subversive or intentionally directed in a way which makes the joke seem real or significant.

As I planned on having such a dramatic and over the top villain I found that deadpan comedy and slow, confused reactions work best as the viewers confusion or speechlessness is validated through the character and this makes everything feel a lot more natural when it comes to animating. So for parts where the Frenchman is kicking off, I chose to have very limited movement or framing of the fox, I didnt want to make the fox feel small in this situation as it ruins the comedy, instead I decided to use dynamic shots where the tension is building, or to provide exposition for the world that the story takes place in.

In retrospect, my research and reflection in this area was extremely valuable, I gained a great level of understanding which enabled me to be more intentional with my characters movements and mannerisms throughout my film.

Bibliography

Hendrickson, K. (2019) Kitbull. Pixar. 18 February. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZS5cgybKcI&list=PLq7v-7lLXBPEFJTrhqND8dfFZI8r73ihs&index=1&t=280s (Accessed: 27 October 2023).

Pixar’s Dug’s Special Mission (2009) HD 1080p (2015). Pixar. 15 November. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oNL945i6qA8 (Accessed: 25 October 2023).

Up (2013). Milano: Walt Disney studios home entertainment.

Veras, C. (2022) Analyzing Animation: An Introduction to the Theme, Animationstudies 2.0. Available at: https://blog.animationstudies.org/?p=4482 (Accessed: 25 October 2023).